All Central America articles – Page 2
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Video interview with Ana Quaresma, head of commercial, Latin America, WWL
At this year’s Automotive Logistics South America conference in Brazil, Ana Quaresma, head of commercial, Latin America, Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, spoke with Rachael Hogg, assistant editor, Automotive Logistics Group about the prospects for WWL over the coming years, and the challenges of operating in the current market.
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South America: holding out for better times
Facing further declines and difficulties, OEM executives talk about their plans to survive the ongoing Brazilian storm For the Brazilian automotive industry, 2015 has been bad, and next year is expected to be even worse. However, despite the sharp declines and pessimism, executives are optimistic that things will eventually get ...
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Charleston port’s harbour plans get final approval
The US port of Charleston has received the final approval necessary to proceed with a $300m harbour-deepening project, a move that will allow larger Post-Panamax vessels access on a 24-hour basis.Approval on the project, which will deepen the harbour by an additional 7ft to 52ft (15.8-metres) – and 54ft in ...
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‘Building Cars Live’: Automotive logistics makes it to UK prime time television
Automotive logistics has finally made it to prime time television. ‘Building Cars Live’, a three-hour special broadcast over the past two evenings on the UK’s BBC channel, showcased Mini production at BMW’s plant in Oxford.Fronted by James May, Kate Humble and Ant Anstead, the show mixed live coverage with pre-recorded ...
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WWL: Setting a new course
WWL’s chief executive, Christopher J. Connor talks about the dramatic changes that have breached the ro-ro sector this past decade, and how he aims to navigate the years to comeIn this story...Sea change in exportsWWL's moving footprintMexican connectionsA day at the helmA future by land and seaTen years may be ...
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GM India’s first export shipment to Mexico
General Motors has announced that it is shipping the first 3,000 left-hand-drive Chevrolet Beats to Mexico.The vehicles have now left the Mumbai Port Trust of Maharashtra, and should arrive in Mexico within eight weeks. Sales of the vehicles will commence in December in Mexico.Arvind Saxena, GM India president and managing ...
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The Port of Mazatlán re-enters the Mexican finished vehicles market
The Mexican port of Mazatlán has resumed finished vehicles handling, after an absence of five years. The first vessel arrived from Japan on October 8th, carrying 900 imported vehicles for distribution by Nissan Mexicana. Once ashore, the vehicles were despatched by rail, using Ferromex, to the Nissan plant at Aguascalientes, ...
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Post-panamax car carrier – Höegh Target – docks in UK
The Höegh Target, reputed to currently be the world’s largest pure car and truck carrier (PCTC), docked in the UK this week on its maiden voyage from China. The enormous ship, which has deck space of 71,400 sq.m and can carry 8,500 cars, arrived at the Port of Tyne, Newcastle, ...
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North 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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Maintaining traction through efficiency in Brazil
Vehicle sales in Brazil have tumbled and industry players need to slash costs, even as carmakers continue to invest heavily. OEMs and LSPs are redrawing their supply chains, while staying optimisticAfter the boom, Brazil’s economy is stuttering. Real GDP growth is expected to drop 1% for 2015 and inflation is ...
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Ford: 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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Höegh takes delivery of first New Horizon class car carrier
Höegh Autoliners has taken delivery of the first of six new post-panamax vessels, all of which will be delivered over the next 18 months. The first vessel has been named Höegh Target and will be able to carry 8,500 car equivalent units (CEUs) on a deck space of 71,400 sq.m. ...
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A tale of two seasons for North American vehicle logistics
The 6th annual FVL North America conference brought together 350 delegates to sunny California, where they discussed the lingering chill of winter affecting the logistics network, at the same time that sales and investment in the sector continue to sizzleAdditional reporting by Marcus Williams and Rachael HoggIt was the best ...
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Panama Canal to introduce revised toll structure next year
The Panama Canal Authority (PCA) has been given the go ahead by the government to modify the toll structure charged to vessels using the canal.From April 2016, a more bespoke system will apply charges according to the level of utilisation and cargo type along the majority of its segments. The ...
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VW brings MAN and Scania together in new CV holding group
Volkswagen is creating an integrated commercial vehicle group called Truck & Bus that it said will bring greater coordination in terms of purchasing, development and human resources between the MAN and Scania brands.The company said in a statement that the move will lead to “closer networking among the brands, shorter ...
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FCA opens Brazilian Jeep plant in Pernambuco state
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has this week opened its new $2.4 billion Jeep production facility in Goiana, in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. The company said the plant was built on high standards of efficiency, quality and performance and was one of the most advanced in terms of production processes ...
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WWL launches second HERO vessel
Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) has launched its second post-panamax vessel, which has capacity for 8,000 car equivalent units (CEUs). Called the Thalatta, the vessel is described by WWL as a High Efficiency RoRo (HERO) vessel and joins the Thermopylae, which was launched in December last year. WWL is introducing eight ...
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NYK’s Naito stresses need for a rational approach to logistics investment
NYK Line’s new president, Tadaaki Naito (pictured), who was appointed to the role last week, has reaffirmed the company’s commitment to look at business diversification and expansion into logistics, something he described as essential for continued growth in the 21st century.Speaking last Thursday (16 April) at his inauguration, Naito said ...
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Bo’s call for increase in Russian import tariffs not likely say experts
At a recent Russian Engineering Union committee meeting, Bo Andersson, president of domestic carmaker AvtoVaz (pictured), said that import duties on foreign brands were still too low, despite the increases Russia has imposed to protect local production."We have to prepare protectionist proposals for the Russian government. As a foreigner, I ...
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FedEx will acquire TNT Express
Two years after UPS was forced to abandon its attempted takeover of TNT Express on grounds of limiting competition in the European market, rival logistics giant FedEx has made its own all-cash bid for the company.Should the deal go through, the combined companies would be a particularly strong player on ...