All Asia articles – Page 6
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FeatureMOL raises stakes in Malaysia
Japanese transport giant, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), has increased its share in PKT Logistics to 35% to strengthen its standing in Malaysia and wider south east Asia. PKT provides freight forwarding, customs brokerage, contract logistics, haulage, and distribution services to the automotive and electronics sectors in Malaysia and adjacent regions.MOL, ...
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FeatureGM Uzbekistan suspends vehicle sales over pricing
GM Uzbekistan has suspended finished vehicle sales in Uzbekistan, after failing to carry through a price increase on the domestic market there. The move follows a similar suspension in Russia – its second biggest market after Uzbekistan – for more than two months on similar grounds.Speaking at a press conference ...
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FeatureBattling a perfect storm
The finished vehicle sector in North America is dealing with a lot of challenges at the moment. There is a basic imbalance in the number of vehicles that the US imports and exports with its global trading partners, which contributes to ongoing problems involving congestion and limited capacity on hinterland ...
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FeatureAfter Marchionne, what next for Fiat Chrysler?
Sergio Marchionne (pictured), former CEO at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), was a remarkable man. He frequently dominated the automotive industry’s headlines and news agenda over the last decade or so and his recent passing away robs the industry of one of its few stars. In an age when corporate suits ...
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FeatureBAIC opens compact SUV plant in South Africa
Chinese vehicle-maker BAIC has officially opened its 11 billion rand ($834m) assembly plant in South Africa, which will start making the X25 compact SUV from imported semi-knockdown (SKD) kits in the fourth quarter of this year. BAIC has been exporting the vehicle to South Africa from China since 2017.The plant, ...
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FeatureYusen buys share in JV with NYK and Anji
Yusen Logistics has bought a 20% share in the existing joint venture between its parent company NYK and China’s Anji Automotive Logistics for an undisclosed sum. Yusen bought the 20% share from NYK, which previously held 49% of the company. A spokesperson for the company said that the decision to ...
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FeatureEEU hits vehicle makers with revised rates
Carmakers with assembly plants in Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus are now unable to export finished vehicles duty free within the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), because the localisation rate has increased.Previously, almost all Russian carmakers, as well as those foreign carmakers with plants in the region, were registered on the EEU’s ...
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FeatureNYK and Adani joint venture on track
NYK Auto Logistics India (NALI) has signed an agreement with transport and port operations provider, Adani Logistics, to provide finished vehicle services using freight trains.The NYK division already provides integrated services for carmakers in India that include road-based inland delivery between plants, dealers and ports, as well as pre-delivery inspection. ...
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FeatureBMW set to raise stakes in China
BMW is reported to be increasing its 50% stake in Brilliance China Automotive, making it the first foreign carmaker in the country to take majority control of a joint venture. Newspaper reports, including the China Daily and South China Morning Post, cite comments from premier Li Keqiang during a visit ...
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FeatureSeeking to harmonise supply and demand
In May, supply chain specialist Kinaxis announced that Volvo Cars had chosen its software for work on volume forecasting and production planning. According to Kinaxis, the Swedish carmaker will use its RapidResponse software to model the impact of rising production volumes, as well as other ‘what-if?’ scenarios. Accurate forecasting will ...
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FeatureJapanese floods disrupt automotive supply chain
Catastrophic flooding and landslides in the west of Japan have disrupted production and supply at some of the country’s leading vehicle makers. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the second meeting of the Emergency Response HeadquartersWhile the flooding did not cause damage to its production plants, Mazda had to suspend operations ...
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FeatureAlliance opens distribution centre in Melbourne
The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance has opened a warehouse in Melbourne, Australia for the distribution of aftermarket parts.The company said the 37,000 sq. m Alliance National Distribution Centre was designed to maximise productivity and accuracy, allowing manufacturers to enhance services to their national dealership networks across the country. The centre will also ...
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FeatureAfrica awakes
Africa’s vehicle production and distribution sector still trails much of the rest of the world, but the signs are that this is beginning to change
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FeatureSkoda reveals plans for Indian market
From left to right: Skoda member of the board for sales and marketing, Alain Favey; CEO Bernhard Maier; managing director of Skoda Auto India, Gurpratap Boparai; and member of the board for finance and IT, Klaus-Dieter SchürmannIts parent company VW Group is investing €1 billion between 2019 and 2021 ...
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FeatureKuehne + Nagel expands services for BMW
Kuehne + Nagel and BMW have expanded their partnership in Europe and Asia.In a phased development, the logistics company set up a regional distribution centre in Kleinaitingen (Germany) last April and one in Słubice (Poland) a month later. It is also establishing dealer distribution centres in Beijing and Shanghai, China, ...
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FeatureTrump’s tariffs attract worldwide disapproval
Carmakers, parts manufacturers, trade bodies and the European Union have all sharply criticised the Trump administration’s proposed import tariffs on vehicles and auto parts.Hinting at potential supply chain disruption, Toyota said: “There is no vehicle [made] in the United States … that is sole-sourced from exclusively US parts and components.”The ...
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FeatureBrexit’s unaccustomed burdens
Nine months before the UK’s planned departure from the European Union, uncertainty over customs arrangements is emerging as one of the major concerns of manufacturers – perhaps just as much, if not more so, than the prospect of tariffs and taxes. The risks and impacts from delays in logistics flows ...
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FeatureUzbek government to buy GM’s stake in joint venture
Uzbek state-owned vehicle-maker, UzAvtosanoat, is looking to buy GM’s remaining 10% stake in the joint venture it has with the US carmaker – GM Uzbekistan.The buyout is expected to be complete by the end of the year and follows UzAvtosanoat increasing its original 75% stake in the joint venture to ...
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FeatureAutomotive in the firing line as Trump extends tariffs
Cars and automotive parts are becoming enmeshed in intensifying global trade wars, with the automotive sector facing increased shipping, supply, manufacturing and cost uncertainty for some time to come.The catalyst has been the US president imposing import tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminium, two key input materials ...
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FeatureBBA expands battery factory in China
Seven months after opening a battery factory in north-east China, BMW Brilliance Automotive (BBA) has already started enlarging the facility.The expansion by the joint venture between BMW and Brilliance China Automotive Holdings will enable production of more powerful batteries for fifth-generation eDrive technology to be used in the fully-electric BMW ...