All articles by Chris Ludwig – Page 23
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FeatureTurning virtual orders into reality at Ford
Better logistics means better cash flowGlobal order to deliveryOne order system for one FordShifting the lead focus to outbound logisticsNorth America todayThe evolving Ford networkWhen should the capacity come back?EighthCross-continental vehicle flows, programming logistics into the order-to-delivery process and keeping an eye on costs are all part of the logistics ...
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WWL wants to slow down at sea, but stop standing still
Over the next five years ocean forwarders will face new regulation on air emissions and fuel charges that are likely to raise costs significantly. Among the looming changes will be the creation in 2012 of a 200-nautical mile Emission Control Area (ECA) around North America, stipulating the use of ECA ...
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Get ready for risk if you want new routes
Shipping lines should exploit the current crisis in world trade to combine volumes and offer carmakers new trade routes, according to VW. But shipping lines are more likely to consolidate routes rather than volumes, while reducing unit costs with larger ships. Could moving containers together with ro-ro be an answer?Speaking ...
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FeatureStop hanging around
Getting in and getting out…fastChrysler-Fiat deal could nurture two-way flowPorts need to be meaner and leanerGrappling with recessionEast coast is fiercely competitiveLess attractive than containersHow the West Coast comparesWho you sell to still dictates carmakers’ choice of ports but patterns are shifting, and US ports try to keep pace with ...
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FeatureIndia is hungry for logistics change
The growth for local as well as export demand out of India is making the need for supply chain improvements a must. While progress is slow, Namrita Chow finds some hope on the horizon, from tax reform to an increase in returnable packagingTaxation hurdlesInfrastructure needs upgrading: portsRail in IndiaRoads in ...
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FeatureIndian exports seek the perfect port
The Big Two versus home-grown talentAny port in a boom?Mumbai PortMundra PortChennai PortEnnore PortThe futureForeign carmakers have been quick to seize the opportunity of using India as an export base for small cars. Since 1998, policies in India have supported wholly-owned vehicle manufacturing facilities allowing foreign carmakers to set up ...
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FeatureA simple approach to damage prevention
Training is the best defenceSpeeding up the claim timeData capture is the frontline of preventionLet’s talk about damageJust a simple premise that goes a long wayThe fight against damage is fought on many fronts, from protective products to sophisticated data tracking systems. But a focus on staff training and continuous ...
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FeatureHow to cope without a crystal ball
General Motor’s head of logistics Susanna Webber talks to Christopher Ludwig about improving supplier relations and how a total enterprise cost approach could help the company understand how to react to future risk and changes in the global supply chainLooking back and learning from the painThe recession's silver liningBuilding a ...
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FeatureRussia takes tighter control of industrial policy
Russia has been using an ‘industrial assembly’ scheme for several years that mandates foreign carmakers and parts producers with operations in the country. Under the scheme they are required to maintain certain levels of production, obligatory technological operations, localisation and reporting, in exchange for tariff concessions. The authorised ministries have ...
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FeaturePorsche balances in-and outsourced logistics
While logistics is the most common part of the supply chain for manufacturers to outsource, the balance between in-house and outsourced management and control functions is different depending on the OEM.One carmaker that in recent years has developed a strong central logistics management organisation is Porsche, which concentrates considerable internal ...
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FeatureIn Profile: Joe Hinrichs
Joe Hinrichs' rise at Ford has been as quick as it has been impressive. Having worked a decade for General Motors, and several years at a manufacturing investment firm, he first came to the attention of Automotive Logistics in 2002, when he took over as Ford’s executive director for material ...
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FeatureSuppliers are healthier, but face capacity shortfalls
The outlook for tier suppliers in North America has improved significantly in 2010 with higher vehicle sales coming atop aggressive moves to cut costs. The recent “Automotive Supplier Barometer”, released in May by the Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA), a North American supplier group, reveals significant improvements in production capacity ...
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FeatureWhen will packaging be king?
A panel of packaging engineers and experts from automotive manufacturers discusses with Maxine Elkin why packaging needs to have more recognition from management and at all stages of the supply chainThis year our panel of packaging experts has once again pointed to pallet standardisation as a central theme for automotive ...
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FeatureDaimler wants a total supply chain view
Dr Holger Scherr, head of Worldwide Transport Logistics, wants to bring a change to logistics at Daimler, helping the OEM to better understand logistics across all of its business unitsLogistics is the proof for production strategiesTransport beyond supply-and-demand economicsA step toward cooperationPotential incentive schemes for inbound carriersIn 2009, as Daimler ...
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FeatureIn Profile: Christian Mardrus of the Renault Nissan Global Alliance
A ten-year Renault veteran, Christian Mardrus is an engineer by training, but has spent a large part of his career in the sales area, including as director of the French sales network, before being appointed senior vice president of information systems in 2006 and joining Renault’s management committee in 2008.Last ...
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FeatureThe rise of emergency logistics services
Push to pull modelJust-in-time assemblyRelease of new modelsScheduling inaccuracyManufacturing shift to the EastWill it last?The financial crisis saw an unpredictable rise and fall of different logistics segments. Transport and warehousing, being the core logistics activities, remained relatively stable, even though the revenue generated out of them dropped significantly. Green supply ...
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FeatureTide shifting toward America for vehicle flows
Of all major automotive markets, the most significant sales growth over the next three years may well be in North America.Although we should not forget that even double-digit increases in car sales here would still only mean recovering to pre-crisis levels by 2012, the indicators are reasonably positive nonetheless. While ...
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FeatureCan ERP play a greater in the auto supply chain?
The automotive industry has typically lagged beyond others in the use of ERP systems, particularly for functions beyond accounting or demand management. That is starting to change, with India and China leading the wayAn historically limited use of ERP in automotiveConfigurability more than customisationIndia and China are moving ahead of ...
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FeatureWill logistics help end a long winter in Eastern Europe?
Sales in Eastern Europe and Russia have generally been decimated, although with manufacturers taking a long view, logistics has a critical role to play in making or breaking the recoveryRussia shores up domestic productionThe headache of getting goods into RussiaDomestic troubles as wellInstability in Central and Eastern EuropeRenault Nissan ties ...
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FeatureWho is the greenest of them all?
The jury is still out on whether or not the automotive logistics sector is really going to make carbon emissions a definable KPI ahead of government regulation. But as Maxine Elkin discovers, companies at least have plenty to talk aboutWe keep being told that carbon management will become a part ...