All articles by Anthony Coia – Page 2
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FeatureCanada: Changing with the scenery
It may be at a similar level of development, but Canada is a different logistical landscape to the US, and its changing production patterns mean providers have to work harder to remain efficientWhen considering North America’s vehicle logistics network, emphasis is most obviously put on the US, the world’s largest ...
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FeatureFocus on Spain part 4: Making the rail in Spain move faster in the chain
General Motors has been increasing the amount of rail that it uses to move vehicles built in Spain to ports and to European markets, with ambitions to use the mode even more.Spain’s recovery in vehicle production and sales in 2015 was faster than many would have anticipated even at the ...
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FeatureFocus on Spain part 3: Closely controlled growth
GM and Gefco are managing a global supply chain to produce the Mokka in Zaragoza, while the OEM is trying to cope with a shortage of transport assets in Spain.One of the important carmakers in Spain is General Motors, which has been operating its Opel plant since 1982 in the ...
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FeatureFocus on Spain part 1: The bull is back
Spain’s production and sales are recovering from a long period of decline, with growth also in the country’s supplier base. Our four-part report looks at how manufacturers are responding. Reporting and contribution by Anthony Coia, Christopher Ludwig and Roger Stansfield.After more than five years of multiple recessions, fiscal austerity, high ...
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Renault: A new direction for parts supply
Thomas Vernier, Renault’s vice-president of aftersales logistics (above), talks about the OEM’s attempts to make network cost savings while improving customer service around the world, as well as the opportunities to further integrate logistics and distribution within the Renault Nissan AllianceRenault has been setting, and achieving, ambitious sales growth, cost ...
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Faurecia: The power of four into one
Tier one supplier Faurecia is consolidating its North American logistics network in a bid to reduce logistics costs, optimise its networks, and build better relationships with carriersFaurecia, based in Nanterre, France, is among the world’s largest tier suppliers, ranking seventh globally for 2014, according to the latest Automotive News list ...
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India: Chasing away the railroad blues
Legislation and equipment design have brought Indian railways far down the track from where they were ten years ago, but infrastructure and standards still lag behind developed regionsIndia’s vehicle logistics has long been dominated by truck, with production growth over the past decade putting even more strain on the country’s ...
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FeatureChina modes: No single way forward
As the Chinese market faces slower growth, changing trade in ports, and the prospect of new trucking regulations, there is rising interest, as well as difficulty, in expanding rail and waterborne logisticsChina’s vehicle logistics industry is facing twin pressures. On one hand, the country’s production and sales of passenger vehicles ...
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FeatureTransport equipment: On the road to improvement
Transporter manufacturers face rising demand and complexity, with a need to balance regulations with load factors and growing concerns over driver ergonomicsGrowth in vehicle production in many markets has increased demand for car-haul equipment. But while there is demand for trailer manufacturers to produce more equipment, the sector must ...
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FeatureNorth American ports: Ebbs and northbound flows
Our annual survey reveals a new port at the top of the vehicle processing table and greater growth in south-eastern ports. However, the tide can turn quickly. Christopher Ludwig contributed to this reportThe vehicle market in North America remains on an upward track, with rising sales and increased production in ...
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FeatureFord: Always returning to the drawing board
Anthony Coia looks at how consolidation and frequent reviews are helping Ford improve efficiency and keep costs low while dealing with the unpredictable challenges of global spare parts movementWith continued growing demand and competition for service parts around the world, improving export processes has become vital to the image and ...
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FeaturePacking a punch in Mexico
Mexico’s rise is bringing growth in packaging supply and solutions, but a lack of standards could put supply chain efficiency at risk.Mexico is one of the hottest countries for automotive production growth right now, and the staggering increase of automotive production in the country has touched every aspect of the ...
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Feature3PLs in China are raising the bar
Maintaining logistics leadership in China is becoming more about demonstrating the ability to implement innovative and sustainable solutions than it is about moving pure volumeChina, as this magazine has long noted, is a complicated automotive logistics market. State-owned carmakers tend to have affiliated logistics providers to handle their transport and ...
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FeatureMaintaining the flow
What are OEMs, claims managers and repair specialists doing to prevent damaged vehicles from damaging profits and customer confidence?Despite the best efforts of carmakers and their logistics providers, and despite vehicles arriving in perfect condition most of the time – up to 99.75% for some OEMs – there will always ...
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FeatureOn board for progress
Ashok Leyland’s head of vehicle distribution, Chandrakant Mishra reveals how the OEM is trying to maximise its outbound logistics efficiency as much as the Indian landscape will allow.Unpaved and congested roads; long queues of vehicles waiting at state borders to pay various tolls and taxes; limited handling and storage at ...
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FeatureGrowth and agreement in South-east Asia
With the imminent introduction of a new regional trade agreement, the logistics challenges posed by difficult border crossings and the ASEAN region’s island geography could ease as investments in services increaseDespite some setbacks, vehicle production is expected to grow further in South-East Asia as part of wider economic growth in ...
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FeatureEuropean ports: Surviving SECAs and instability
Our 2014 survey shows growth across vehicle-handling ports, helped by sales recovery and exports. However, some countries and operators are struggling in the face of declining trade and new regulations.Europe’s vehicle industry continues through a cautious recovery, as demonstrated by sea shipments of light vehicles across the greater continent’s primary ...
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FeaturePackaging case study: An intercontinental shift
One prominent example of a tier one supplier using reusable containers for its overseas shipments is Linde + Wiemann, a supplier of body frame parts, seats, and instrument panels based in Dillenburg, GermanyOne prominent example of a tier one supplier using reusable containers for its overseas shipments is Linde + ...
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FeaturePlanes, trains and slow boats to China
With increased local production still relying heavily on imported material, supply chain efficiency in planning, customs, shipping and packing is crucial to succeeding in ChinaAs the largest automotive market in the world, on pace to build and sell nearly 23m vehicles in 2014, China has a strong and growing domestic ...
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FeatureAiming to go the distance
Reusable packaging is on the rise in international supply chains for tier ones. Executives are also interested in returnable pools, though they remain difficult over long distancesThe tier one supply chain, both inbound and outbound, continues to grow more complex. As tier suppliers respond to OEMs’ global platforms – whether ...