Europe – Page 8
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FeatureUkraine sanctions risk Russian vehicle exports
The growth in Russian vehicle exports during 2018 could be in jeopardy if a new bill to ban Russian vehicle imports is passed by the government in Ukraine, one of the biggest sales markets for Russian-made cars.According to figures from the Russian Federal Customs Service, in the first nine months ...
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FeatureGround broken at new BMW logistics centre in Austria
A ground-breaking ceremony was held this week to mark the official start of construction of a new logistics centre at Steyr, Austria, to serve BMW’s nearby engine plant. Contract logistics services provider Industrie-Logistik-Linz will rent the property and use it to consolidate activities from several of BMW Steyr’s external warehouses ...
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FeatureFaurecia deploys AGVs in Spain
Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are now working alongside workers and robots at Faurecia’s car seat manufacturing plant in Vitoria-Gasteiz, northern Spain.Through a weightless handling system, workers transfer the car seat from the end of the line to the AGV, which then delivers it to a loading robot.The vehicle then takes ...
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FeatureSovac starts assembling SKD kits for Audi in Algeria
Audi has begun assembling vehicles at the Relizane plant run by its long-time Algerian partner, Sovac, from semi-knockdown (SKD) kits prepared at the OEM’s Ingolstadt plant in Germany.“[All models] are built at the main plant in Ingolstadt and transported to Barcelona, where they are knocked down into individual assembly groups ...
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FeatureBMW ups the pace on industry 4.0 technology
BMW Group is to expand its use of industry 4.0 innovations in its production logistics, it has revealed. In 2015, BMW Group joined forces with the Fraunhofer Institute IML to develop the first self-driving Smart Transport Robots (STR). Three years later, the carmaker is increasingly relying on innovations from industry ...
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FeatureGefco edges nearer flotation
Gefco has reaffirmed it is looking to make a public offering on the Euronext Paris stock exchange in 2019. Russian Railways, which has a majority stake in the transport and logistics provider, said it was considering a partial reduction of its 75% stake to below 50%.Gefco’s former owner and partial ...
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FeatureMercedes-Benz takes to rail to move cars to China
Russia’s railway monopoly RZD has delivered the first batch of finished Mercedes-Benz vehicles from Bremerhaven, in Germany, to Chongqing in China. The new route, which is informally referred to as the new Silk Road, has already proved a viable alternative to ocean shipping vehicles from Europe to China, which takes ...
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FeaturePSA buys shares in China's UAP
Carmaker Groupe PSA has purchased a stake in Chinese spare parts supplier UAP, based in Shandong province, as part of the French group’s expansion in China strategy.The latest acquisition is a first step and could lead to a greater interest in UAP, with several steps defined to increase PSA’s participation, ...
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FeatureBMW supports cobalt miners in Congo
BMW has signed up to a pilot project to improve conditions for cobalt miners, their families and neighbouring communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).With batteries in high demand given the boom in electrical vehicles, global companies such as BMW have been turning their attention to how cobalt ...
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FeatureVW Autoeuropa plant forced to ship via Leixões
Strikes at the Portuguese port of Setúbal that are expected to continue into January have forced Volkswagen to switch exports of its T-Roc SUV, made at the Autoeuropa plant in Palmela, to the northern port of Leixões.According to the ports administration of Douro, Leixões and Viana do Castelo (APDL), the ...
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FeatureRussia continues to increase finished vehicle imports
Russia imported 212,400 finished vehicles from January to November of 2018, which is an increase of 15.8% compared to the same period of last year, Russian Federal Customs Service (FCS) estimated. The overall value of finished vehicles imports during that period reached $5.2 billion, FCS added.Almost 33% of passenger cars ...
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FeatureBritish automotive industry finds new markets
Asia was the fastest growing foreign market for the UK’s automotive sector last year, with the value of exported goods up 21% on 2016, a new survey has shown.The Asian increase helped lift the sector’s total exports to £40 billion ($51.5 billion) – a 26% increase in two years – ...
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FeatureFCA to set up parts centre at Rivalta
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is to turn the historic Fiat plant at Rivalta, near Turin, into a parts distribution centre (PDC) serving Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), among other markets. The new PDC in Italy will support customers at more than 5,000 locations, significantly improving delivery time to ...
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FeatureGefco signs up for new inbound and outbound services
Components supplier Plastic Omnium has signed a contract with Gefco for the management of inbound plastic components through the logistics provider’s Halewood facility in the UK and onto its plant in Warrington. Gefco has also announced partnerships with Actility and Wakeo to more accurately track the cradles used to deliver ...
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FeatureCarlson adopts Effitrailer telematics system
Carlson Vehicle Transfer has adopted Michelin's Effitrailer telematics system across its fleet of 150 finished vehicle carriers. Carlson, which is owned by Groupe Cat, transports finished vehicles across the UK and Europe.The Effitrailer system measures trailer tyre pressure, as well as providing an onboard data link and electronic braking system ...
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FeatureScan Global to purchase IQS Group
Copenhagen, Denmark-based supply chain management company Scan Global Logistics is acquiring 100% of German niche automotive logistics provider, International Quality Service Group (IQS).Founded in 1998, IQS specialises in delivering cars by air or sea to exhibitions and testing events worldwide. Its services include infrastructural support for operation of testing projects ...
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FeatureCompeting on a global stage – report from AL Central and Eastern Europe summit
Over the last 15 years, the centre of investment in the European automotive industry has been shifting east. Delegates at the Automotive Logistics Central and Eastern Europe (ALCEE) summit in Budapest last week learned that the region now has a strong network of assembly and supplier plants, along with logistics ...
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FeatureAuto tariffs pose biggest threat to US economy, warns OFII
The possibility of Donald Trump placing duties on cars and automotive parts being imported into the US is the largest threat to the country’s economic competitiveness, according to the chief financial officers (CFOs) of international companies taking part in a recent survey.The US Department of Commerce is currently investigating whether ...
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FeatureRussia increases component exports
Several automotive manufacturers in Russia are increasing component exports in line with plans announced at the beginning of this year.Joint venture Ford Sollers has doubled the number of different part lines it exports to the EU to 100 this year (compared to 50 in late 2017) and said it plans ...
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FeatureEconomic nationalism to force a lane-change
Typically, the world experiences waves of economic nationalism every three decades but these are often limited to one region each time. Today we’re experiencing a global wave of economic disruption across multiple regions simultaneously. In reaction, automotive manufacturers are having to increase the flexibility and agility of their supply chains ...