All articles by Chris Ludwig – Page 20
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FeaturePartners in search of partnership
Shared tenders means shared providers Combining the port network Lowering inventory with lead times Outbound has not caught up with inbound Is the best yet to come for rail? Close and fair relationships Renault Nissan has converged more of the outbound logistics planning and operations for the two brands across ...
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FeatureAn almost endless potential
With BMW’s production at full speed, logistics has become critical in maintaining record profits. But Dr Karl May, head of logistics, tells Christopher Ludwig that there have been service failures and he’s looking for reliable partners to share BMW’s considerable growth.The sound of opportunity speeding through;The necessary preassure of logistics;The ...
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In Profile: David Panjwani at John Deere
David Panjwani is passionate about how logistics should be handled for high-and-heavy brands like John Deere.Unlike shipping consumer goods or raw materials, Panjwani refuses to see this sector as a commodity. Not only is the equipment and material specialised, but so too must be the providers.That’s one reason he has ...
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The next generation of RFID
Launched in November, Zebra Technologies’ third generation real-time location system, WhereLAN III, significantly boosts the technology’s appeal to the automotive supply chain.It improves on previous generations in three important regards–each of which has relevance in automotive applications, including the finished vehicle supply chain, inbound logistics and assembly plant operations.First, noted ...
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FeatureEuropean aftershocks in Asia
Uncertainty in the eurozone and the economic outlook in the US are having an impact even on fast-growing Asian markets like China, proving again that the world has not ‘de-coupled’ into isolated markets that perform regardless of the global market (as if logistics specialists needed to be reminded). But while ...
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FeatureAnother BRIC builds a wall
Trade barriers are going up again. Christopher Ludwig writes that carmakers and logistics providers will have to adapt to avoid sinking outside the border.The narrative of globalisation tells of nations steadily dismantling national barriers for a free exchange of goods and services. But in today’s souring political and economic climate, ...
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FeatureThe struggle for survival in Spain
Adapting to changeReflecting the marketHarbouring plans for the futureA massive drop in imports and subsequent over-reliance on the export market has left the Spanish vehicle logistics sector in a critical state. Barry Cross looks at how manufacturers and providers are working to ensure a healthy prognosis for the industry.The Spanish ...
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FeatureRebuilding from out of the wreckage
Japan’s manufacturers and suppliers have bounced back with vigour since being devastated by the tsunami earlier this year. William Ross looks at the implications of the disaster and the strength of the yen for the automotive logistics industry.A shared experience;Lessons and challenges in the aftermath;Tough trading conditions;Foreign part production.Rows of ...
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FeatureGetting China on the right track
Specialised rail wagonsPriority conflictsWeighing up the costsThe damage questionRail versus road in the China contextChanging paceGuarded optimismWith finished vehicles way down the list of priorities for Chinese railways compared to passengers and with the cost of road haulage low, Ellen Hua examines the long-term prospects for increasing rail for vehicle ...
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FeatureEnsuring a bon voyage for global parts
PSA Peugeot-Citroën’s evolution from a European carmaker to one which sells and builds vehicles in global markets has been under way for some years. But as the pace accelerates and its supply chain becomes more complex–with more shared platforms and increasing parts exchange–so too has the need arisen for a ...
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FeatureIn Profile: Christine Kratwohl
Christine Krathwohl brings 18 years of logistics and purchasing experience to the top logistics position at GM. She spent eight-and-a-half years at Ford and Visteon before joining GM in 2002, where she has held numerous positions in North America, including as logistics business planning manager and director of inbound logistics, ...
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FeatureGefco’s global resurgence
On the acquisition trailRussian returnOpportunities within the groupEuropean capacity shiftsIT evolution and an electric futureGefco is using its strong position to expand globally and acquire assets for vehicle logistics, both as the outbound arm of the PSA Group and as it diversifies its customer base, writes Christopher Ludwig.Gefco stands out ...
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CSA could be a boon for some, but worries persist
Following regulations under the first phase of the Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 programme, introduced last December, the US Department of Transport’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has released a draft strategic plan for 2011-2016, called Raising the Safety Bar.The report outlines a framework for making trucking safety the administration’s ...
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FeatureFlexibility over austerity
Even as the financial markets ricochet up and (mostly) down the prognosis for the motor industry and its supply chain in North America and Europe looks more to be one of caution rather than outright alarm.“We are seeing the return to caution,” said Christophe Stürmer, director of OEM research for ...
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FeatureWhiplash with worry
Manufacturers and logistics providers may find themselves dizzy trying to balance demand and capacity with economic worry.Is the automotive industry in for another whirlwind ride as the global economy hits more sharp turns? The dangers remain, with high unemployment, government debt and austerity measures in Europe and the US coupled ...
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FeatureProviders long to be longer in India
The long and the short of itGovernment lethargyWhy should automotive be so special?Business as usual for mostThe Maruti side, and the othersKeep firm and carry onThe Indian authorities’ inability to define a length for car carriers has led to confusion and fines in certain states, while the industry is unsure ...
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FeatureStaying afloat on shifting seas
Shipping lines reign in capacityA more complex networkA quick recovery from earthquakeTough market for European short-seaCould emission regulation benefit road transport?From financial crises to environmental disasters, the ro-ro market has weathered an almost perfect storm in the last few years. With tougher emission rules in the offing and new-building at ...
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FeatureNeapolitan strength from Grimaldi
Automotive backboneNaples leads the growthScrap the old, in with the newProtecting profitsGrimaldi is having a record year, and Christopher Ludwig shows that the Naples-based company’s success is thanks to its strategies for automotive, investment and diversification.Relative to its general business strategy, 2011 should have been a catastrophe so far for ...
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…tracking every car
In the vehicle logistics industry, perhaps the most common IT-related complaint from OEMs is that Amazon customers can trace $15 book purchases online up to delivery, but carmakers cannot track $30,000 vehicles. Track-and-trace systems have become the norm in almost every logistics-based industry.FMCG customers expect product deliveries within a 15-minute ...
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The inefficiency of the false monthly peak
The volatility of volumes in the vehicle logistics sector causes huge dilemmas for providers. LSPs plan capacities with a degree of flexibility built in, but artificial peaks at the end of the month are creating more flagrant variations between forecasted volumes and the actual capacity that the industry can afford ...