All Europe articles – Page 151
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Critical parts shortage continues
Parts shortages are continuing to hit carmakers around the globe this week as a consequence of earthquake damage and energy shortages to Japanese supplier plants. Toyota and Honda are extending production shutdowns at assembly plants in Japan. Toyota has lost output of around 140,000 vehicles, having suspended operations at all ...
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Carmakers welcome Med Corridor plan
Following the opening of a new freight rail link between Perpignan in southern France and the port of Barcelona in Spain last December (read more here), the Spanish government has announced it is pressing ahead with plans for a 1,300km freight rail link along its Mediterranean coast. As part of ...
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Global news in brief
Toyota delivers 3m cars through ZeebruggeToyota has moved its 3 millionth vehicle through its vehicle logistics centre (VLC) in Zeebrugge, Belgium, which it runs with logistics partner Sintax. The white Toyota Auris Full Hybrid is being delivered to the Belgian market. The Zeebrugge VLC started operations in January 2001 with ...
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Supply shortages hit global plant output
The full consequences of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami that hit the country just under a fortnight ago are becoming clear as manufacturers and suppliers there extend production shutdowns while some plants overseas slow down output or even halt production. There is also now a sizeable backlog of freight at ...
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PKP moves into Germany with Mosolf
Polish rail transport provider PKP Cargo has launched a new service on behalf of German finished vehicle provider Mosolf bringing Fiat vehicles from the carmaker’s production site in Tychy, Poland, cross-border to the logistics hub at Elstal/Wustermark (near Berlin) in Germany. The service will move around 300 vehicles on six ...
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Daimler lowers inventory, raises output
Daimler has implemented a ‘synchronous plant’ system at its Mannheim plant for production of the new Mercedes-Benz OM 47x truck engine family that will require only 50% of the inventory levels maintained for earlier model series. The system has also dramatically reduced production and dispatch times from the facility. Preliminary ...
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Global news in brief
Norbert Dentressangle closes on TDG takeoverNorbert Dentressangle’s €223m takeover of logistics provider TDG is due to be complete on 28 March following its announcement last November. Following the buyout of shares from TDG’s holding company Laxey Logistics, 53% of Norbert’s business will be in road transport with €1.95 billion in ...
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LSPs honoured at Ford awards
Penske Logistics has received a Gold Award for Logistics Services to Ford in the company’s World Excellence Awards for 2010, held last week in Dearborn, Michigan. This is the third World Excellence Award Penske Logistics has earned from Ford and it is its second Gold within three years “We're sincerely ...
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Executives on the move
Peter Weiss has moved from his position at Chrysler as director of Worldwide Transportation and Customs to become vice president of International Operations. In his previous role, Weiss was responsible for inbound and outbound logistics systems worldwide, a role he has held for five years, helping to shape Chrysler’s logistics ...
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Earthquake shakes global supply chain
Following last Friday’s devastating earthquake off the north-east coast of Japan near Sendai there has been a suspension of production at the majority of plants in the country. Though the full impact on the supply chain for both parts and finished vehicles is still being assessed, ongoing disruption is inevitable. ...
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Toyota relocates Spanish parts centre
Toyota Motor Europe (TME) has begun construction of a new 13,000m² parts centre in Illescas, Spain where it will relocate its existing centre from San Agustín de Guadalix, north of Madrid. The company is investing €26.7m ($37.2m) in moving Toyota Parts Centre España (TPCES) to the larger facility, which is ...
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Global news in brief
Freight policy to address ‘the end of cheap oil’The European Commission has revealed plans for the future of transport over the next decade that will prepare for a new world without cheap oil and one that will seek to remove national protectionist measures that threaten more efficient freight transport. ...
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Capacity is a question of confidence
The failure of European carmakers to agree with logistics providers on how they should address the industry’s outbound capacity problems has left the industry in a rut of its own devising in which returns on asset utilisation are as dangerously unsustainable as the lack of confidence shared by many over ...
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Ceva builds on Italian market with Merc contract
Mercedes-Benz has signed a three-year contract with Ceva Logistics for the distribution of aftermarket parts for Mercedes and smart brand vehicles in Italy. Ceva will now be responsible for the loading of equipment at the Mercedes-Benz warehouse in Capena, near Rome, as well as the inland transportation of spare parts. ...
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Brittany Ferries picks up Spain-UK trade
By Marcia MacLeod Increases in capacity and service frequency between the UK and Spain has encouraged tier one and tier two suppliers to use Brittany Ferries to move parts northbound for OEMs such as Nissan and Mitsubishi. “We handled approximately 1,000 trailer loads of car parts from Spain last year, ...
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Global news in brief
Brazil export surge benefits forwardersA surge in vehicle exports from Brazil led to a production rise in the country of 18.7% last month, 24% more than the same month in 2010 and equal to around 310,700 new cars and trucks according to Brazil’s national automakers' association, Anfavea. Exports drove production ...
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Charleston upgrades to handle BMW exports
The final touches are being put to a $22m development at the port of Charleston, which has relocated ro-ro cargo operations from its Union Pier terminal to the larger Columbus Street terminal, led by growing demand for BMW exports from the carmaker’s Spartanburg plant in the South Carolina, US. The ...
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K+N targets automotive for growth
By Marcia MacLeod Kuehne+Nagel is targeting automotive as one of the niche markets it thinks will help it grow its business, especially in the UK. The company has recently set up an overnight service delivering service parts companies like Fiat, which includes Chrysler and Jeep. A 30,000ft2 (2,800m2) warehouse in ...
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Financial fallout for ocean forwarders
The spread of political disruption in North Africa and the Middle East, which has involved Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and most recently Libya, is making bunker fuel prices volatile and putting financial pressure on ocean forwarders serving the automotive industry. Following comments made last week by K-Line that the impact of ...
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Quantum expands with Sensible merger
UK-based finished vehicle carrier Quantum Automotive Services has merged with fellow UK car carrier Sensible Transport. The new business will maintain the Quantum Automotive brand expanding the joint fleet of vehicles to 60 and distributing around 160,000 vehicles per year. The latest move is a significant build on Quantum’s beginnings ...