All Europe articles – Page 157
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FeatureGlobal news in brief
GM confirms closure of AntwerpDespite speculation last week that GM Europe was in talks with China’s Geely over the future of its Opel plant in Antwerp, the company confirmed this week that the plant will close and that there will be no further negotiations for vehicle assembly there beyond the ...
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FeatureFord berates EU-Korea trade agreement
As the EU and Korea wait for ratification of the free trade agreement signed on 6 October, carmakers in Europe, including Ford, appear determined to lobby for changes that will overcome the perceived competitive disadvantages the deal represents for the European automotive industry. The agreement was signed by EU trade ...
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FeatureGlobal news in brief
SNCF Fret losing millions in French disputeSNCF Fret is suffering serious disruption this week as French unions led by SNCF workers continue the strike action begun yesterday in protest over the French government’s pensions reform bill. The company is estimated to be losing €20m ($28m) a day in lost revenue ...
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FeatureNissan begins Micra exports from Chennai
Nissan has begun exports of the Micra from India to markets in Europe beginning with a consignment of nearly 4,000 vehicles produced at its Orangadam plant in Chennai from the adjacent port of Ennore. The company’s Indian division – Nissan Motor India – has further plans to export more than ...
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FeatureDB merges automotive units
Deutsche Bahn is merging two of its existing automotive subsidiaries operating under the DB Schenker Rail division in the first quarter of 2011. ATG Autotransportlogistic and Schenker Automotive RailNet will now be managed as a single unit by the Automotive Market Unit in Europe called DB Schenker Rail Automotive. It ...
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FeatureWill Geely rescue Antwerp?
The fate of General Motors Europe’s Opel plant in Antwerp, Belgium, which seemed certain earlier this month when the carmaker announced that it had failed to find a suitable buyer, may once again be up for debate as fresh talks are said to take place between GM and Chinese carmaker ...
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FeatureGrimaldi launches ro-ro Med service
Italian shipping specialist Grimaldi Lines has launched a new ro-ro service between the port of Livorno on Italy’s west coast and the Sicilian industrial port of Catania. The service, which will employ two vessels to support the twice-weekly route, will also make calls at Malta and Genoa. The vessels – ...
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FeatureRenault Nissan saves more than expected
Renault Nissan’s push to find common savings and efficiencies for logistics between the two alliance partners – including the creation of a new structure, called Alliance Global Logistics – has gone considerably faster than anticipated, according to an interview with the managing director of the organisation, Christian Mardrus. This year, ...
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FeatureNYK integrates divisions into new company
NYK has started the integration of its contract logistics division NYK Logistics with its airfreight forwarding business Yusen Air & Sea Service, bringing into being a new company called Yusen Logistics. The start of integration realises the intention outlined by NYK’s president Yasumi Kudo in his new year’s speech in ...
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FeatureBMW wary over subcontracted car carriers
The recovery in sales for BMW – which has seen volume in the first nine months of the year surpass pre-recession peak levels – has made a lack of truck capacity for vehicle logistics across its major markets in Europe, North America and China more obvious, according to Mathias Wellbrock, ...
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FeatureLogistics providers face up to GM Antwerp closure
Last week’s announcement by GM that it would shut the Opel assembly plant in Antwerp, Belgium by the end of 2010 is likely to have wide repercussions for the brand’s European material and finished vehicle flows but logistics providers have prepared for the eventuality since the warnings given in January ...
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FeatureFreight audit on the rise in Europe
Long an outsourced service in the US, Europe-based manufacturers are beginning cotton on to the benefits of freight audit and pay, and other e-commerce tools to tighten their supply chainsEurope is complicatedTier suppliers sold on freight audit and payBorn in the 1950s out of US legislation standardising freight rates and ...
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FeatureFacing up to the capacity conundrum
The North American situationIs investment in capacity the solution?Beyond boom and bustThe European situationTrucking into the futureHow can a country have severe over-capacity for vehicle transport one year, and under-capacity the next? Andrew Williams investigates the factors affecting such swings in the US and Europe, and uncovers the delicate relationships ...
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Feature2nd hand cars need 1st class logistics
A market in need of logistics innovationGetting volumes up, and complexity downWith the rise of internet auctions, the used car sector is becoming more regional and international, stirring greater demand for efficient logistics services, reports Malcolm Wheatley.Used car transactions take place thousands of times a day–in corporate parking lots, rental ...
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FeatureCarefully cutting claims
Driving claims lower in EuropeOEMs trim damage in the USInsurers eye deeper integrationIndians avoid scrapAssociations add impetusClaims and insurance processing have made steady strides in recent years in developed and developing countries alike. Tight cooperation between OEMs, insurers and logistics providers is helping to further accelerate the claims process in ...
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FeatureBrazil’s suppliers expand
Global tier ones in Brazil restructured their supply chains during the industry slump, only to find a year later that they were scrambling to meet huge new demand. Tony Danby investigates how the timely overhaul of their logistics and supply chains has helped them cope with the unexpected onslaught of ...
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FeatureHave the tides turned for car shipping?
A new market entrantTrade from Japan must pick upQuite a bit of cargo aroundThe one concern above all othersNo one is pretending there has been a return to pre-recession highs, but the car shipping market has come back to high speed and nearly full capacity. But with worries over a ...
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FeatureFathoming the new frontier
Carmakers and LSPs getting to grips with the complexities of the new Customs Code unifying Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan need a good eye for detail and a close relationship with customs officials if they are to tackle what remains a risky procedure full of compromise and hidden costsInvestment fearsSomething old, ...
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FeatureThe road to 4m cars is paved with rail
The road remains the only way to goTrailers of all different sizesMature logistics: using regional stockyardsWith the Indian market on pace to surpass 4m units a year in the next five years, manufacturers are increasingly dissatisfied with the low standard of vehicle distribution, and want to see a viable rail ...
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FeatureA misty outlook for container sea trade
Car component trade by sea container has recovered well since the recession, but box shortages and slow steaming have caused issues for some manufacturers’ supply chains. And with the outlook uncertain, capacity questions remain unansweredContainer shipping and the car businessHonda UK works direct with shippersSafmarine builds a closer relationship with ...