All Analysis articles – Page 12
-
Feature
RIO Box now comes as standard equipment in new MAN trucks
All new MAN Euro-6 trucks will now come with a RIO Box as standard equipment, according to the Volkswagen Truck & Bus Group company.The RIO Box is a cloud-based telematics operating system designed to link together all participants in a supply chain, independent of vehicle brand or the telematics system ...
-
Feature
Vehicle protection: Trying to cover all bases
In June this year, upmarket Volvo S90 sedans built at Volvo Cars’ plant in Daqing, northern China, began arriving at a car terminal at the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium for European distribution. Travelling not by sea, but by rail, they are transported in containers across Russia along the China-Europe rail ...
-
Feature
BLG and Fenix commit to expansion of services at Bronka
German logistics provider BLG Logistics and LLC Fenix, the owner and operator of the Russian port of Bronka, have signed an official letter of intent for joint future development of finished vehicle handling at the port.BLG Logistics has been working with Fenix for six months at the port already, following ...
-
Feature
Brazil: Exports are chasing away the clouds
Brazilian vehicle sales, which have fallen every year since 2013, continue to be hampered by a deep recession, a stubborn, double-digit unemployment rate, increasingly tight credit and haemorrhaging consumer confidence. Seemingly unending political crises have also hit the country. So, to combat the stalling economy and venal political climate, carmakers, ...
-
Feature
Further stark warnings issued over impact of Brexit on UK automotive sector
The UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has warned that a sudden exit from the European Union in 2019 could knock the country’s production rate back to 2016 levels.Its warning was issued in the same week as separate analysis highlighting the risk of cost increases for the aftermarket ...
-
Feature
Keeping taxes and duties in mind
For so many businesses, success can be attributed to how effectively the supply chain is managed and its impact on growth, costs and profitability. So many aspects including overall cost, supplier sourcing, manufacturing strategies and distribution network structure are impacted by the accelerating globalisation of business combined with taxes and ...
-
Feature
Wen replaces Worthen at Opel/Vauxhall as PSA takeover is completed
Michelle Wen (pictured) will join Opel from September 1st as head of purchasing for the German-headquartered carmaker, as well as for its Vauxhall brand in the UK.The news emerged as the takeover of the General Motors’ Europe subsidiary by PSA Group was completed on Tuesday.Wen will replace Katherine Worthen, vice-president ...
-
Feature
Liberty House buys parts supplier Amtek UK out of administration
Liberty House has acquired the assets of manufacturer Amtek Aluminium Castings and King Automotive Systems (Amtek UK) from administrators PWC in a rescue deal for an undisclosed sum.Amtek UK, a cast aluminium engine and components supplier to carmakers, has two plants in the West Midlands and one at Witham, in ...
-
Feature
BMW Group: Thinking big about outbound
Alongside pictures of her family, Anita Pieper’s office is full of visual charts and signposts: value-stream maps, PDA circles for scheduling and a 3PS board outlining various projects and targets her teams are working on, from quality statistics to network studies or a plant launch years ahead.In the middle of ...
-
Feature
Air charter services for the automotive sector are flying high
The use of airfreight to move automotive parts over expanding global supply networks is on the increase. A recent analysis of shipments across IAG Cargo’s global network shows that over the past year it has seen a 22% increase in shipments of automotive parts by air. Consignments made up one ...
-
Feature
Momentum builds for post-Brexit transition period to avoid ‘cliff-edge’
A prominent UK government minister and the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) were among those that this week called for interim arrangements to be put in place after the two-year Brexit negotiation deadline, as the chances of a new trade deal being in place by then seemed unlikely ...
-
Feature
Keeping the heat on
The summer of renegotiation is upon us. Officials and policy wonks in the UK and US have invited their counterparts out of the sun and into shaded rooms, red pens in hand, trade and multi-lateral agreements spread on the table. For their sake, we hope the rooms are all air-conditioned.Officials ...
-
Feature
UK cars now more British but local content still lags behind Europe
The percentage of local content in UK manufactured passenger cars continued to increase in 2016, but ‘anecdotal reports’ suggest the country has a way to go to reach levels achieved by other major European carmaking countries.The latest Local Vehicle Content Analysis report from the Automotive Council, a joint UK government ...
-
Feature
Europe conference: No easy way to the digital supply chain
The 2017 Automotive Logistics Europe conference reminded delegates that, despite a better economy, the industry is under pressure. However, new technology looks set to offer the supply chain as much opportunity as disruption, if companies are able to keep up. Marcus Williams, Christopher Ludwig and Gareth Tredway report from Bonn, ...
-
Feature
Analysis: Hung parliament casts doubt and hope over Brexit
This article is being updated regularly.The UK general election on June 8th, in which the governing Conservative party lost its parliamentary majority, has cast uncertainty over investment and policy in terms of the country’s automotive industry and supply chain – most notably over pending negotiations to leave the European Union.There ...
-
Feature
How to make the most of the quiet times
Stefano Pollotti is the managing director of Gefco Middle EastThere is not much doubt that after five years of relatively solid growth in the Middle East, the automotive market has suffered over the past 18 months. This inevitably affects all aspects of the industry including traditional logistics, ultimately the ...
-
Feature
BMW Brilliance puts technology first in China plant expansion
New technology is at the centre of a €1 billion ($1.1 billion) expansion of BMW’s joint venture plant with Brilliance Automotive in Dadong, China. The expansion includes a networked production system based on industry 4.0 applications, as well as mobile smart devices and supporting ‘exoskeletons’ for workers.BMW Brilliance Automotive opened ...
-
Feature
Congestion costs rising for US trucking industry
The US trucking industry faced an extra $63.4 billion in operational costs in 2015 due to traffic congestion on the national highway system, new research out this week has suggested.The latest report by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) used a variety of data sources, including its GPS database, to ...
-
Feature
Supply Chain Conference: Service parts logistics try to keep up with e-commerce
The service parts sector is among the first distribution channels in the automotive market to feel disruption from the digital economy, as consumers increasingly buy goods and services online.Indeed, within the wider aftermarket, including the large share of the market held by independent distributors, consumers already make significant use of ...
-
Feature
Hellmann puts Magnor and de Vries in COO roles
German logistics service provider, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, has made senior executive changes with the appointments of Matthias Magnor (pictured) as chief operating officer (COO) for its Road and Rail unit and Bart de Vries in the COO role for Air and Sea Freight.Magnor moves from his position as COO of ...