Top materials handling stories – Page 14
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ArticleVolkswagen introduces ‘ride-along platform’ to improve logistics
Volkswagen has introduced a new handling system to support sequenced parts picking at its Wolfsburg plant in a move that should improve picking accuracy while boosting the ergonomics of the operation for its staff.Up to now, workers at the site have had to manoeuvre heavy trolleys when gathering together materials ...
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ArticleChina conference: catching up with digital and automation trends
Steve Dyer, from Bain & Company, said China had a long way to go in catching up to the US and European productivityDespite China’s reputation as a manufacturing powerhouse, filling the world’s homes and stores with products ‘made in China’, rising labour and production costs are increasingly a competitive ...
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Volkswagen Depot Kassel part 3 : Saving space to grow
Big Data and broader technological advances will play an important role in future parts procurement and logistics at Depot KasselDr Claus Wriebe tells Christopher Ludwig about inventory reduction strategies that will keep Kassel at the centre of Volkswagen’s parts supply chain for years to comeFor years, Volkswagen’s OTC in ...
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Volkswagen Depot Kassel part 2: Mitten in Europa
Pictured are the 420,000 sq.m set of OTC buildings in Baunatal, with part of the Kassel plant in the foregroundAs reflected in its main location, Depot Kassel plays a central role in the Volkswagen Group’s global service parts strategy, requiring flexibility as well as a high level of automation.Kassel/Baunatal ...
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ArticleVolkswagen Depot Kassel part 1 : The beating heart of service parts
Dr Claus Wriebe has been working in Volkswagen's spare parts logistics for more than 14 years, and took over as head of Depot Kassel in early 2014In a three-part report Automotive Logistics explores the scale and importance of the Volkswagen Group's colossal parts operations, centred around Kassel, GermanyManaging service ...
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ArticleHands-free handling
While it may lag behind other in-plant activities in its use of robotics, the quest to automate finished vehicle movement within factories and yards is well underwayCompanies including General Motors, Audi, BMW, Daimler, Volvo and Tesla – not to mention Google – have all promised that the autonomous car or ...
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ArticleBCUBE to handle parts sequencing for Qoros
Chinese carmaker Qoros has outsourced operations for sequenced parts to Italian logistics provider BCUBE ahead of plans to launch production of a new model later this year at its factory in Changshu, 80km north of Shanghai. It is Qoros’s first outsourcing of inbound and plant-related logistics services, while for BCUBE ...
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ArticleAudi special report: Managing from the centre and the periphery
As ever with a sprawling entity like the Volkswagen Group, power shifts between the centre and its satellites. In Wolfsburg, Konzernlogistik (group logistics), led by Thomas Zernechel, has responsibilities that include group programme planning, setting standards (including IT and returnable packaging) and transport tenders. It also manages bundled and network transport flows, including ocean containers and ro-ro shipping, and consolidated logistics for all suppliers in the transport network.
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ArticleAudi special report: Strong at the core
The complex nature of Audi’s German production requires highly planned and coordinated in-plant logistics processes and infrastructure
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ArticleGeneral Motors: waste not, want not
GM’s executive director of global logistics, Edgard Pezzo, left, talks to Christopher Ludwig about cutting waste and cost in a multi-billion dollar supply chain.When Edgard Pezzo took over as executive director of global logistics and containerisation at General Motors, in May 2013, the top logistics purchasing management job came with ...