GMSA chooses Motorvia for vehicle deliveries
South African finished vehicle carrier Motorvia is to start carrying vehicles for General Motors South Africa (GMSA) following a successful tender for business approved last week. The new agreement will run for three years.
Uitenhage-based Motorvia provides specialised vehicle transport and delivery services for carmakers and dealers across South Africa, transporting 40,000 vehicles per month according to the company’s marketing manager, Marius Mey.
GMSA reviews vehicle carrier service providers every three years. “The successful transportation and delivery of our products to the dealers is very important to GMSA and with Motorvia’s track record we believe they will provide quality service,” said Sean Bricknell GMSA’s logistics manager.
To ensure countrywide facilities and representation, Motorvia uses marshalling yards at Kaalfontein, Weswood Park, Cape Town, Durban and has depots at Johannesburg; Silverton (Pretoria), Prospecton (Durban), Uitenhage, Despatch and Kuilsrivier (Cape Town).
“The chain of depots is linked by a comprehensive communication network which allows us to combine consignments from various depots with optimum effect,” said Mey.
KC supports Toyota Mississippi production
Michigan-based supply chain solutions provider, KC Integrated Services, is investing $5.1m in a new logistics service centre in Sherman, Mississippi, to provide warehousing, storage and delivery services for Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi and its tier 1 suppliers. The company will provide just-in-time delivery services to support the start of production Toyota’s plant in nearby Blue Springs.
In addition, the 10,700m2 facility will also provide a full-service truck maintenance operation.
“KC Integrated Services is looking forward to this new opportunity with Toyota and the people of Mississippi,” said CEO Ken Calender. "We think there will be great growth potential within the Blue Springs area.”
Production of the Toyota Corolla at the Blue Springs plant is set to begin this autumn with annual capacity set at 150,000. An exact date for the commencement of production has yet to be announced.
Development of the plant was put on hold in 2008 when the downturn hit the market.
“I appreciate the commitment by KC Integrated Services to establish permanent logistics operations in Pontotoc County to support Toyota’s Blue Springs assembly plant and its tier I suppliers,” said governor Haley Barbour. “KC Integrated Services will bring 100 new jobs to north Mississippi and help our state’s automotive sector continue to grow.”
Supply chain screw up in Slovakia
Production has started again at PSA Peugeot-Citroën’s Trnava plant near Bratislava in Slovakia following supply problems that hit production on the 9th September.
The facility has been at a standstill following an IT system failure at the distribution hub of fastening system supplier Agrati, which supplies screws to the carmaker for a range of applications in the chassis and powertrain. A technical problem in the new system led to a mix up in order fulfilment and meant that the necessary components were wrongly allocated to the Trnava plant, which assembles the Peugeot 207 and Citroën C3 Picasso.
“It is all getting back to normal now but it has taken time because when you stop a line you have to start again within the right specifications,” said a PSA spokesman.
The Trnava plant has a production capacity of 300,000 but is still building capacity back up following the economic downturn.
WWL secures AAR awards for vehicle logistics
Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics Vehicle Services division has been recognised with two awards from the American Association of Railroads (AAR) at the association’s Damage Prevention and Freight Claim Annual Conference in New Orleans.
The first relates to continuous improvement at the company’s operation at Toluca, Mexico with rail provider Kansas City Southern. The Puerta Mexico intermodal facility, which is owned by KCS, offers access to the rail provider’s network, multi-modal terminal services and on-site customs and bonded warehousing facilities.
The second award is in recognition of WWL’s activity at the Honda plant in Lincoln, Alabama, where it handles technical services, vehicle releasing, distribution and rail loading for the carmaker. More than 80% of vehicles produced at Lincoln are moved by rail for distribution using a number of North American rail providers.
Honda chose WWL to manage vehicle processing and outbound yard management at the Lincoln plant last year and operations began in May 2010. Honda also provides services for Honda at its plants in East Liberty, Ohio and Greensburg, Indiana, as well as providing a proportion of Honda’s ocean transport and terminal services.
“These awards are a tribute to WWL’s dedication to operational excellence and continuous improvement,” said Alex Meza, director general for WWL Vehicle Services Mexico. “Congratulations and special thanks to the Toluca and Lincoln teams.”
Zero Damage recognition for GBA driver
UK terminal operator and vehicle distribution provider, GBA Group, has been celebrating the achievement one of its car transporter drivers who has completed 12 months of operations without a single instance of damage to a vehicle.
Paul Hayhurst, who is based at the transport depot in Sandtoft, Doncaster was invited to the GBA Head Office in Grimsby where he was presented with a certificate recognising the achievement.
Captain Sam Judah, managing director of GBA, commended Hayhurst on his achievement. “I would like to congratulate Paul on this excellent achievement of Zero Damage. To achieve such a reward is extremely rare in the field of car transportation. I would like to commend Paul’s diligence, dedication and professionalism to his work that has resulted in such a success,” said Judah.
