All Europe articles – Page 13
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FeatureMichael Druml takes on purchasing role at Magna
Michael Druml (pictured) has taken over as vice-president of purchasing for Magna International Europe replacing Klaus Iffland, who has retired from the company.Druml will continue to work as director of purchasing and logistics at Magna Steyr, the company division which provides contract manufacturing and engineering services. Here he oversees purchasing, ...
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FeatureV8 engine production restarted at Scania
Swedish truckmaker Scania is trying to reduce the order backlog for trucks, and industrial and marine V8 engines, because of a strike at an unnamed supplier of cast engine components, which began on June 14 and is reportedly continuing. However, last week the supplier started to produce engine blocks for ...
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Partner ContentDriving predictive maintenance
Gefco’s SYNCHRO hub is using connected technology and AI to optimise service parts inventory and distribution, writes Karen McCandless
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FeatureStandoff between the US and Turkey raises questions for OEMs
The collapse in the value of the Turkish lira and the political stand-off between Turkey and the US have some potentially serious consequences for the continued growth of the automotive sector in the country.Car and light van production in Turkey has grown steadily in recent years, to around 1.4-1.5m vehicles ...
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FeatureSpanish authorities impose fines at Vigo
Spain’s National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) has imposed fines on five stevedoring companies and five port unions for colluding to restrict competition at the port of Vigo and keep prices unnaturally high.The CNMC said their collusion had prevented the loading and unloading of finished vehicles from vessels other ...
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FeatureHella starts to reorganise its business
German components supplier Hella has embarked on a company-wide reorganisation to take advantage of growth opportunities in a European aftermarket sector undergoing extensive changes.“On the one hand, we see an increasing consolidation within the wholesale business in Europe, which has given rise to increasingly bigger market players,” group spokesman Markus ...
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FeatureVW to increase Wolfsburg output to 1m
Volkswagen plans to increase annual production at its German plant in Wolfsburg to a million units by 2020, meaning an additional 210,000 vehicles will be assembled at the plant. The carmaker will shift Golf production from its Zwickau (Germany) and Puebla (Mexico) plants, and add production of the forthcoming Seat ...
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FeatureContinental buys Australian tyre network
German tyre manufacturer Continental is purchasing the 258-branch Kmart Tyre and Auto Service chain (KTAS) from Australian conglomerate Wesfarmers for 350m Australian dollars ($253m).Continental plans to drive forward what is already a strong network of outlets and expand the existing product portfolio, said Ferdinand Hoyos, head of Continental’s passenger and ...
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FeatureGM Uzbekistan suspends vehicle sales over pricing
GM Uzbekistan has suspended finished vehicle sales in Uzbekistan, after failing to carry through a price increase on the domestic market there. The move follows a similar suspension in Russia – its second biggest market after Uzbekistan – for more than two months on similar grounds.Speaking at a press conference ...
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FeatureVW hit by industrial action in Russia
Logistics workers at VW’s assembly plant in Kaluga, Russia, carried out industrial action earlier this month in protest over plans to outsource some staff, trade union MPRA said in a statement on its Facebook page, which was posted on August 6.Logistics workers implemented a go-slow policy at the plant based ...
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FeatureBattling a perfect storm
The finished vehicle sector in North America is dealing with a lot of challenges at the moment. There is a basic imbalance in the number of vehicles that the US imports and exports with its global trading partners, which contributes to ongoing problems involving congestion and limited capacity on hinterland ...
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FeatureSeat debuts duo trailer
Spanish OEM Seat and transport provider Grupo Sesé have begun to pilot a double trailer truck combination to see if it can reduce the cost of delivering inbound components by a quarter.The double trailer approach could help reduce the number of large trucks on the road by 50%, which implies ...
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FeatureHella disposes of two operations
German automotive components and services firm Hella Group is selling its wholesale companies in Denmark and Poland to Swedish aftermarket company Mekonomen to concentrate its activities on the independent spare parts business and develop workshop equipment.“As part of this, we are accelerating the interaction between the divisions and opening up ...
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FeatureAcumen expands enclosed fleet
UK-based Acumen Automotive Logistics is investing almost £800,000 ($1.03m) in four enclosed semi-trailers to meet rising demand for covered vehicle transport.Three new Belle Trailers units and one Rolfo trailer are joining Acumen’s enclosed fleet, which has more than doubled in size within five years from 13 to 30 vehicles.The trailers ...
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FeatureFord uses motion tracking to improve workstations
Ford is using motion tracking technology on workers at its Almussafes plant, in Spain, to help it design less physically stressful workstations on the production line. The OEM said the goal was to reduce worker injuries while making the workstations more efficient and improving manufacturing quality.In a pilot project, workers ...
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FeatureAfter Marchionne, what next for Fiat Chrysler?
Sergio Marchionne (pictured), former CEO at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), was a remarkable man. He frequently dominated the automotive industry’s headlines and news agenda over the last decade or so and his recent passing away robs the industry of one of its few stars. In an age when corporate suits ...
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FeatureExports prop up UK car production despite trade uncertainty
The number of cars made in the UK fell by 5.5% to 128,799 last month, with domestic demand plummeting by 47.2% to 15,647, according to figures from the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). However, production was bolstered by a 6% rise in exports to 113,152 units, with almost ...
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FeatureVehicle makers grapple with cost of trade wars
Carmakers are faced with shifting production, higher purchase costs, lower profits and the possibility of raising the price of their products as a consequence of the continuing global trade conflict.Volvo Cars of Sweden is shifting production of its XC60 SUV for the US market from China to Europe to avoid ...
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FeatureYusen buys share in JV with NYK and Anji
Yusen Logistics has bought a 20% share in the existing joint venture between its parent company NYK and China’s Anji Automotive Logistics for an undisclosed sum. Yusen bought the 20% share from NYK, which previously held 49% of the company. A spokesperson for the company said that the decision to ...
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FeatureRussia's car exports fail to meet forecasts
Russian vehicle exports are behind government expectations, despite being up 3% on last year’s figures. The country exported 34,200 finished vehicles between January and May this year, according to the country’s Federal Custom Service, but due to the logistics subsidies and other state support measures that have been made, the ...