All articles by Barry Cross – Page 2
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NewsGM boosts Cruze imports through Itajaí over first year
In one year of handling finished vehicles on behalf of GM, the Brazilian port of Itajaí reported throughput of almost 25,800 units by June 8, 2019. By the end of June, that figure had risen to more than 27,000 units. Trials began on 9 June 2018, ...
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NewsHonda turns to barge for container moves in Belgium
Honda Motor Europe Logistics (HMEL) has started using barges to transport containerised motorbikes, power products and replacement parts between the Belgian ports of Antwerp and Ghent. The goods are being imported to Antwerp from global markets, including Japan, USA, Thailand, Malaysia, Mexico and Turkey, and they are being distributed from ...
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NewsBrazilian vehicle sales help to offset export decline to Argentina
Domestic demand for vehicles in Brazil is helping to offset a decline in export sales because of the economic slowdown in neighbouring Argentina, which is Brazil’s main automotive export market. However, according to research commissioned by the national association of automotive vehicle manufacturers in Brazil – Anfavea – it is ...
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FeaturePSA ramps up production at Vigo before Brexit
Groupe PSA has been forced to increase the production of cars bound for the UK at its Vigo plant, as more vehicles are imported ahead of a potential no-deal Brexit, according to reports from Spanish newspaper Faro de Vigo.Given the uncertainty surrounding the UK's exit from the EU, the motor ...
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FeatureValencia becomes Spain’s top vehicle port
The Spanish port of Valencia (pictured) has overtaken the port of Barcelona in terms of total vehicle numbers handled, according to Spain’s National Ports Authority (Puertos del Estado).Last year, Valencia port’s vehicle terminals, which include those at nearby Sagunto and Gandia ports, handled more than 818,000 vehicles – up 3% ...
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FeatureTMAZ expands at Mazatlán after boost from Mitsubishi
Terminal operator Mazatlán Maritime Terminal (TMAZ) is to invest $350,000 in expanding its facilities at the Mexican port of Mazatlán, after starting to handle new volumes from Mitsubishi. TMAZ, whose principal shareholder is Chilean company SAAM, currently occupies an operational free trade area there of around 160,000 sq.m, which can ...
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FeatureMitsubishi starts shipments to Mexico via Mazatlán
Mitsubishi has delivered its first shipment of Japanese-made vehicles to Mexico through the port of Mazatlán. It was the largest single delivery of vehicles by a carmaker to the port, consisting of 4,870 vehicles including Mirage hatchback, Mirage G4, Eclipse Cross, Outlander and L200 units. The vehicles were unloaded in ...
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FeatureTurkish exports bolster falling domestic sales
Turkey’s automotive industry had a mixed year in 2018. Sales in its domestic market for passenger vehicles and light commercial vehicles (LCVs) were down by 35%, according to the Automotive Distributors Association (ODD), at 621,000 compared to 956,000 in 2017.According to Turkey’s Automotive Manufacturers’ Association (OSD), production of passenger cars, ...
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FeatureTurkey forecast to build on export gains
In a statement released by Turkey’s automotive export association – the OİB – chief executive Baran Çelik estimates that the Turkish automotive industry will export cars and components worth in excess of $32 billion in 2019.That is a slight increase on the $31.6 billion of products exported in 2018. "Last ...
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FeatureAutoeuropa clears backlog after strike at Setúbal
Frenzied activity took place in the second half of December at the Autoeuropa Terminal at the port of Setúbal, Portugal, to free a backlog of vehicles trapped there by a stevedores strike that was finally brought to an end after more than a month.Additional vessels were brought in to shift ...
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FeatureHyundai abandons trial moving vehicles by rail
Hyundai Motor India (HMIL) has decided not to pursue a recent pilot scheme to despatch finished vehicles to Chennai port by rail.Both the manufacturer and the port trust announced that Hyundai had sent 102 cars to the port by rail on November 27, with a further 125 cars the following ...
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FeatureVW Autoeuropa plant forced to ship via Leixões
Strikes at the Portuguese port of Setúbal that are expected to continue into January have forced Volkswagen to switch exports of its T-Roc SUV, made at the Autoeuropa plant in Palmela, to the northern port of Leixões.According to the ports administration of Douro, Leixões and Viana do Castelo (APDL), the ...
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FeatureBrazil introduces new auto incentive programme
Brazil’s government has recently voted to implement Rota (Route) 2030, a new tax incentive programme for the Brazilian automotive sector that replaces the Inovar-Auto programme, which expired in 2017.Rota 2030 offers a tax break of three percentage points on industrial products used in vehicles that have hybrid or electric engines, ...
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FeatureSantander expands area for imported vehicles
The port of Santander has opened a new Logistics Activities Zone (ZAL) that can accommodate up to 3,000 imported vehicles. The 52,258 sq.m facility is expected to handle around 30,000 units a year and is being used in conjunction with a further 27,100 sq.m area that was paved to hold ...
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FeatureSpanish stevedoring reform runs into trouble
Reform of Spain’s port stevedoring sector has run into trouble, after disputes over the changes at the port of Barcelona and continuing question-marks over its legality at EU level.In an attempt to satisfy EU directives, Spain’s former stevedoring companies (known as Sageps) are being replaced by so-called Port Employment Centres ...
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FeatureDeficit in Brazil’s automotive parts sector worsens
Brazil’s automotive parts industry posted a trade deficit of $4.48 billion over the first eight months of this year – a 22.4% increase compared to the deficit over the same period last year.Figures released by the National Association of Brazilian Auto Parts Manufacturers (Sindipeças) show exports of auto parts to ...
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FeatureSantander improves ro-ro connections with Zeebrugge
The twice-weekly CldN ro-ro service linking Santander in Spain, Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Leixões in Portugal is to be divided into two distinct services. It is hoped the move will help increase the number of semi-trailers being carried by around 10,000 units a year.In future, Santander will have two ...
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FeatureVW Brazil launches logistics portal
Volkswagen Truck & Bus is to launch a digital logistics portal in Brazil in tandem with the group’s digital brand, Rio.The Rio portal, which is based on vehicle data intelligence and stored in the cloud, will offer up to 20 services, which are currently purchased individually. These range from ordering ...
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FeatureToyota runs roadtrains to Buenos Aires port
The port of Buenos Aires in Argentina has received its first ever roadtrain delivery of containers from the Toyota plant at Zárate.The delivery was part of a trial intended to demonstrate the benefits of such roadtrains, and involved a single tractive unit hauling two semi-trailers on a shared axle train. ...
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FeatureRussians drop US dollar for components purchases
Russian Trade and Industry minister Denis Manturov (pictured) has revealed that many Russian automotive manufacturers are increasingly using national currencies, rather than the US dollar, to pay for imported components. The move has been prompted by recent US sanctions on Russia.Several companies have so far announced the policy, trade with ...