Time critical logistics provider C4 Logistics has signed a contract with automotive parts supplier Cooper Standard for expedited services across Europe. Operations began at the beginning of this month and cover Cooper Standard’s 22 factories in Europe, which include sites in Germany, the Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, Poland, France, Serbia and Romania.
Under the new deal, C4 will step in if parts supply into Cooper Standard’s plants is interrupted and also if the flow from Cooper Standard facilities to its OEM customers is disrupted.
Cooper Standard provides rubber and plastic sealing, fuel and brake lines, fluid transfer hoses and anti-vibration systems.
“C4 Logistics will ensure that Cooper Standard gets the parts it needs from its suppliers at the right time and act to ensure Cooper Standard’s [parts] get to the right place at the right time, with total transparency about where the parts are at all times,” said Sébastien Barth, C4 Logistics’ managing director.
Cooper Standard expanded operations to Europe from its US base in 2013 and in doing so overhauled its supply chain operations. The company says it has put Six Sigma and lean principles at the heart of its approach to improving logistics.
Group commercial director Frédéric Césarion (pictured) said Cooper Standard was attracted to the high level of transparency and control offered by C4 Logistics’ systems, particularly C4 Sight, which aims to give customers 100% access to their shipments including in-depth KPIs measuring expedited freight consumption.
Earlier this year, C4 opened an office in Budapest, Hungary as part of its expansion of services in Europe.
