All Europe articles – Page 48
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Feature
Platooning challenge showcases future of automotive logistics
Six European truck manufacturers have taken part in the 2016 European Truck Platooning Challenge.The challenge, run by the current president of the European Council, saw OEMs running autonomous and human-driven trucks to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, from several European cities.The aim of the challenge was to highlight the potential benefits of ...
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Belgian truck drivers protest against new HGV road toll
Striking truck drivers in Belgium are blockading key transport routes in the south of the country in protest against the introduction of a new toll for heavy goods vehicles that some transport companies have said could add an estimated 8% to their operating costs.The toll, which came in at the ...
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Automotive alarm over prospects for UK steel mills
Tata Steel’s decision to exit the UK – raising the spectre of the country’s steel producing plants shutting down – has set off a number of alarms in the UK automotive sector.Vauxhall, whose parent General Motors has a policy of sourcing products locally where possible and which has increased purchases ...
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Tesla’s Model 3 puts customers and the supply chain to the test
The Tesla Model 3 is finally on order, almost two years after the vehicle was first announced. The mass-market, lower-priced electric car has seen unprecedented demand, reaching 276,000 pre-orders in the first 72 hours.Customers had to put down a $1,000 (refundable) deposit for the new Model 3. Given that 276,000 ...
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UK commercial vehicle exports up a third
British-built commercial vehicle (CV) exports were up by more than a third in 2015, with around nine in ten destined for EU countries, figures by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows.Of the 94,479 CVs manufactured in Britain in 2015, 47,052 were exported, a rise of 34.7% compared ...
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Russia and Vietnam reach agreement on duty-free exports
Russia’s industry and trade minister Denis Manturov (right) and his counterpart in Vietnam, Vu Huy Hoang, have signed an agreement for the establishment of several assembly lines in Vietnam that will make Russian cars from imported vehicle kits and spare parts.The agreement also involves duty-free supply of cars under this ...
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Koopman Logistics teams up with VWE on Dutch imports
VWE's Michel Corveleijn (left) with Lou Jedeloo at the Koopman Car Terminal in AmsterdamKoopman Logistics Group has formed a joint venture with fellow Dutch company VWE to handle the import of vehicles to The Netherlands.The joint venture, Auto Import Solutions, is providing vehicle handling and storage for imported vehicles ...
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Canada’s Metro Supply Chain buys emergency freight provider Evolution Time Critical
Canadian third party logistics provider Metro Supply Chain Group has acquired 100% of Evolution Time Critical, a UK-based emergency logistics company, for an undisclosed sum. The purchase is set to expand Metro’s presence in Europe, its premium freight services and its business in the automotive supply chain, which is Evolution ...
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All change for Aussie rules
After manufacturing comes to a close next year, will the finished vehicle logistics industry in Oz come good – or cark it?The end of car assembly in Australia is imminent and with it, comes a change to the face of the industry. This year, Ford is set to shut its ...
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Consolidation in logistics: Big fish eat the little fish...
The big players in automotive logistics are getting bigger after a record year for mergers and acquisitions, with middle players at particular risk of being subsumed. So will this trend continue?There has been a growing trend for consolidation in the third party logistics sector over the past few years, including ...
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Unpacking conventional wisdom
Whether one-way or returnable, owned by OEMs and tier suppliers or rented from specialist providers, current packaging models are being re-evaluated in the search for efficiency and cost-savings. Within the North American manufacturing operations of global automotive supplier Magna International, a fascinating pilot project is underway. After a year-long study ...
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ECG column: Digital dreams versus realities
In his final editorial as ECG president, Costantino Baldissara (pictured with vice-president Wolfgang Göbel, far left) says the industry needs to fully adopt basic technology such as ePOD before championing a fully digital futureLeaving aside the capacity issues that many of you in Europe (and elsewhere) are dealing with in ...
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Mahle Behr: Experiencing a Thermal change
Mahle Behr’s takeover of Delphi Thermal Systems in 2015 sparked a process of systems integration, freight consolidation and supply chain redesign that is set to last a further three years.Last year was a record one for global acquisition and mergers within the automotive supply chain. Consulting firm PwC estimated the ...
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Nobuaki Fujii takes up new role at Toyota Europe
As part of a number of executive appointments at its European headquarters taking place in April, Toyota Motor Europe has announced that Nobuaki Fujii has been appointed vice-president of strategic production planning and production control and logistics. He replaces Eiji Takeichi, who was appointed president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Poland ...
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Russian carmakers decry Kazakhstan’s customs policy
Russian carmakers say they have been dramatically hit by the utilisation and registration fee on vehicle imports introduced by neighbouring Kazakhstan at the beginning of this year. Alexander Morozov, Russia's deputy minister of industry and tradeThe registration fee for new cars varies between $300-400 per unit, while the utilisation fee, ...
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European ports survey: Rising volume and risky conditions
Our 2015 survey finds that, with imports in particular on the rise, some ports have experienced capacity issues despite investments in connectivity, capacity and information technology. Meanwhile, others are suffering as a result of geopolitical and broader economic instability. Contribution by Christopher LudwigAcross the European continent last year, from Scandinavia ...
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UK-EU: Better connected
In the puzzle of EU membership, Britain and its supply chain would both lose out heavily by leaving the gameBritain’s referendum on EU membership this June has divided the country. Opinion polls suggest a close contest, with splits across the population straight up to the governing Conservative party.At first glance, ...
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Ford part 3: Supply chain upgrades
Ford is rolling out advanced global inventory and demand management tools in pursuit of greater efficiency in logistics and service
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Ford part 2: Global strategies
Ford intends to support dealers through its Professional Service Network, a proliferation of Quick Lane stores and extended parts retention.
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Ford part 1: Always looking ahead
In the first of a four-part feature, Christopher Ludwig talks to Ford Customer Service Division president Frederiek Toney (pictured) about changing times for logistics and providing global customer service