All VW articles – Page 4
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FeatureAutomation: Paving the way for progress
Ask automotive manufacturers what their primary concerns are today within warehouses and factories and they will probably allude to one of three key things – productivity, safety and waste. Although various solutions are available to help alleviate problems in these areas, one of the most important is materials handling technology. ...
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FeatureVW seeks to boost presence in emerging markets with exports from China
Volkswagen Group China has revealed plans to begin shipping cars from the country to emerging markets, beginning with South-East Asia. A pilot shipment is being made to the Philippines this month. The announcement follows similar moves by other carmakers over the last year, as China shifts towards becoming a global ...
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FeatureVolkswagen appoints Thomas Ulbrich as head of new e-mobility division
Thomas Ulbrich (pictured), currently management board member for production and logistics at Volkswagen, is to take charge of e-mobility at the German carmaker.From February 1st , Ulbrich will head a newly created division covering the e-mobility series and production of vehicles on the group’s new modular electric drive kit (MEB) ...
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FeatureMosolf buys out vehicle releasing agent AFG in Germany
German finished vehicle transporter Mosolf has acquired its compatriot AFG (Allgemeine Fahrzeugübernahme-Gesellschaft), a releasing agent operating between vehicle manufacturers and freight forwarders.Announcing the move, Mosolf’s CEO, Dr Jörg Mosolf, said the company had gained “an experienced, reliable and innovative” service provider in outbound logistics.AFG coordinates the handling of vehicles between ...
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FeatureSeat: Delivering improvement
After reinventing much of its vehicle logistics following a severe reduction in output in the wake of the financial crisis, Volkswagen Group’s Spain-based Seat has since seen strong growth in production, exports and sales. That has put even more pressure on space and capacity at its main assembly location in ...
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FeatureAudi’s logistics part 2: Pursuing practical progression
There is little question that finished vehicle logistics has been among the least automated segments of the overall automotive production and supply chain process. From loading and unloading vehicles to and from trucks, ships and rail wagons to inspection and parking, as well as scanning vehicles into inventory and tracking systems, outbound logistics has remained, by and large, a manual, labour-intensive operation
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FeatureAudi’s logistics part 1: Prepared for a new reality
The recent history of the Audi brand is written deeply into the company’s supply chain and logistics, and can be read across the carmaker’s expanding geography, plant and parts handling operations
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FeatureVW pushes its suppliers to raise supply chain sustainability
Volkswagen Group has said it is engaging in “intensive” discussions with its suppliers to determine how the sustainability of its supply chain can be improved, especially for the raw materials used in electric vehicles.“We are engaging in intensive dialogue with companies from the mine through to our direct suppliers. It ...
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FeatureVolkswagen earmarks €22.8 billion for modular and electric vehicle future
Volkswagen has announced a major €22.8 billion ($26.7 billion) investment programme in its plants around the world to prepare them for modular production and for an electric vehicle offensive in the coming years.The main focus will be on Germany, which will account for investments totalling €14 billion. A big part ...
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FeatureVW to invest €560m in Argentina plant to serve South American markets
Volkswagen has announced plans to invest €560m ($660m) in its Pacheco plant in Argentina over the next five years, as it prepares it for 2020 production of a new SUV targeting the South American market.The new vehicle project will create 2,500 jobs at the plant, which was first opened in ...
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FeatureIndian vehicle exports’ share of total production set to fall
Vehicle exports’ share of total production in India is set to decline in coming years as carmakers use their manufacturing capacity to meet local market demand, which is forecast to continue growing at a healthy rate.Puneet Gupta (pictured), associate director for vehicle sales forecast for South Asia at research firm ...
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FeatureOEMs join forces to create pan-European fast charging network
Four major carmakers have formed a joint venture to build a network of electric vehicle fast charging stations around Europe.The Ionity joint venture plans to build a total of 400 High-Power-Charging (HPC) stations in the region by 2020. The level of investment has not been disclosed.The four carmakers involved are ...
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FeatureRegulatory change in Brazil boosts exports and production
Attempts to simplify and reduce the bureaucracy that has been hampering Brazil’s ability to trade with other countries in South America seem to be working, with export demand helping to drive up production in the country, along with stronger domestic sales.According to the Ministry of Industry, Overseas Trade and Services, ...
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FeatureReal-Time Innovations officially joins Autosar development group
Industrial IOT connectivity company Real-Time Innovations (RTI) has joined the Automotive Open Systems Architecture (Autosar) group as a development partner.Autosar is a partnership of car manufacturers, suppliers and other companies in the electronics and tech industries which aims to standardise software architecture for automotive electronic control units. Formed in 2003, ...
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FeaturePlugged in for progress
Evolution of CCS charging technology for e-cars towards 350 kW" width="500" height="500">The last two decades have seen the emergence of the alternative propulsion vehicle market from almost nothing. According to PwC Autofacts data, sales in 1997 across all hybrid and electric vehicles numbered about 6,000 vehicles. This year, the ...
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FeatureService parts part 4: Skills and service providers
Have you changed your outsourcing strategy for service parts operations? As with other parts of the automotive supply chain, outsourcing strategies tend to vary by OEM, region and operation. Transport services, of course, remain outsourced, although some carmakers – such as Toyota on the west coast of the US or ...
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FeatureService parts part 3: Aftermarket operations and network
20 years of change in automotive service parts logistics
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FeatureService parts part 2: Next-generation service
Executives we spoke to… BMW GroupWolfgang Baumann, vice-president of parts logistics management, has been with the company since 1985 and spent most of his career in sales planning and commercial operations in Germany, before moving into his current role in service parts logistics in 2010. While he claims ...
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FeatureService parts part 1: Moving fast towards the customer
Twenty years of automotive service parts logistics
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FeatureProduction & logistics part 4: Logistics organisations and skills
How has your company’s supply chain and logistics management organisation changed over the past 20 years?