As reported at the end of December, Toyota Motor Europe has combined responsibility for inbound and outbound logistics. Levent Yuksel has moved from his position at Toyota Motor’s production control department in Japan to take up a new role as director of Production Parts Logistics and Vehicle Logistics. He replaces Emile Benaim, who has retired as the director of the vehicle logistics group (read more here).
Asked whether the move heralded a switch in company policy to have one executive overseeing both inbound and outbound logistics, a company spokesman in Japan told Automotive Logistics News that it was instead dependent on how the carmaker’s business units function differently around the globe. He maintained that Toyota does not have a fixed policy one way or the other.
“It is not shifting, per se. Rather, our setups reflect the functions of the companies concerned,” he said.
Using Toyota Kirloskar Motors in India as an example Toyota said that the company handles both production and sales there, and thus must address both inbound and outbound logistics.
Using Toyota Kirloskar Motors in India as an example Toyota said that the company handles both production and sales there, and thus must address both inbound and outbound logistics.
In contrast he went on to highlight the situation in Europe: “In the case of Toyota Motor Europe (TME), a few years ago, TME became responsible for both production and sales. Its internal structures and practices are slowly being revised to reflect this. As such, TME is also responsible for inbound and outbound, and thus has moved toward having one person in charge of both.”
The situation also depends on other factors, including scale of operations, according to the company. In the US, for example, where production and sales are handled by two different companies, the production company handles inbound and the sales company handles outbound.
The situation also depends on other factors, including scale of operations, according to the company. In the US, for example, where production and sales are handled by two different companies, the production company handles inbound and the sales company handles outbound.
Sadik Baydere has moved from his position as board member and director of Business Development and Marketing at Barsan Global Logistics to take up a new role as country manager for Turkey at Logwin Logistics. Baydere was with Barsan in his previous role since 2002, responsible for a range of tasks including global business development, marketing and sales, project coordination, contract management, customer relations, quality management, business process improvement, foreign relations and human resources management.
Logwin, which develops and provides logistics service solutions to a range of industries, including automotive, is composed of two business segments: Solutions (which involves customer-focused contract logistics solutions) and Air+Ocean (global freight forwarding services).
Baydere told Automotive Logistics News that the Logwin Turkey already has expertise in automotive logistics as the lead logistics provider for Volkswagen Group, handling all their imports over the past four years from Turkey. These include 30+ suppliers in Istanbul, Bay Area, Bursa and Izmir.
A company spokesperson said that further details on Baydere’s appointment will be released this month.
Robert Minton-Taylor, former spokesman for Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics and currently associate senior lecturer at the Faculty of Business and Law at Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK, has been given a lifetime achievement award for his services to the logistics and shipping industry.
The “John Richman Lifetime Achievement Award” was given to Minton-Taylor at the Seahorse Club Annual Media Awards in London recently to honour his 37 years of “dedication and professionalism” to the freight transport industry and his 43 years in journalism and public relations.
He worked for WWL for 30 years and was most recently the company’s global media relations manager.
Minton-Taylor will now combine his main role as an associate senior lecturer at Leeds Business School with his communications consultancy practice, Minton-Taylor Consultancy, specialising in issues management and international media relations for the automotive, logistics and shipping industries.
John Batchik, vice president of quality at Freudenberg-NOK in the US, has been elected chairman of the Automotive Industry Action Group board of directors, effective from the beginning of January.
Batchik, who had served as AIAG vice chairman since January 2009, succeeds Brian Vautaw, formerly vice president of information technology at parts supplier Lear Corp.
He is joined by David Kneisler, vice president of global quality at Ohio-based Dana Holding, who was also elected vice chairman of AIAG's board, effective from the beginning of January.
Both executives will serve a 24-month term.
Elena Zhadanova has left the Russian finished vehicle logistics provider RTL Group, as marketing and PR director, a role that she had held since 2007. Zhadanova had been instrumental in the development and communication of the company, which is a customs brokers and terminal operator at numerous ports and distribution centres in St Petersburg, Ust Luga, southern Russia, Ekaterinburg as well in the Far East of the country.
A replacement has yet to be announced.
