Mike Dickinson has taken up a new role as director of Order Management and Logistics at Qoros Auto, the 50:50 joint venture between Chinese carmaker Chery Auto and Israel Corporation.
Dickinson moves from his role as supply chain director at GM International Operations (GMIO) and will now be responsible for the full order-to-delivery business at Qoros, as well as in-house and external capacity planning and management. Other responsibilities in the new role include overseeing tactical supply chain execution, plant and supplier scheduling, plant operations and finished vehicle delivery.
Dickinson has held a number of international roles at GM focusing on materials management and supply chain since joining the company during its implementation of the lean manufacturing strategy. Starting in 1993 he implemented lean manufacturing practices in Bochum, Germany, Zaragoza, Spain, Azambuja, Portugal and Gliwice in Poland. Prior to his last role with the company he was supply chain director, GM Asia Pacific.
Talking about his new role with Qoros and his decision to move, Dickinson said it was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join a new company with a great vision and product at an early stage and be fully involved in its growth”.
“It’s an opportunity to use all my experiences and lessons learned in the past and incorporate these into a new passionate organisation designing cars for today’s consumer and building a new automotive brand from the ground up; the challenge of doing something that has not been tried before.
“It’s also an opportunity to join a team of leading talent from around the world with deep industry experience and world-class independent product development capabilities,” he added.
Qoros began prototype testing a new vehicle in October 2011 and expects to launch its first vehicle to market in 2013, followed by a hatchback and SUV before moving onto an electric vehicle.
Edwardo Munoz is leaving Mitsubishi Motors Europe as general manager of Supply Chain Management at the end of May and taking up a new role as global parts supply chain project director at Jaguar Land Rover from 1st June.
Munoz has worked in the automotive business for the last eight years, first in parts logistics, and then in cars and production supply. He previously held roles in project management in the retail sector (Ahold) and other operational positions in the electronic component manufacturing sector at Tyco.
Jens Nöldner has been named the new CEO of DB Schenker Rail Automotive, with effect from 1st June. He will succeed Axel Marschall, who was appointed to the Management Board of DB Schenker Rail at the beginning of the year and who is responsible for German and European Sales (read more here).
Nölder, who holds a degree from Dresden University of Transportation, moves from his role as managing director of DB Schenker Rail Automotive, a position he has held for the past three years, part of a 20-year career with DB Schenker Rail.
“DB Schenker Rail Automotive is now Europe’s leading provider of rail transportation and logistics services for the automotive industry. Jens Nöldner has played a pivotal role in the development of our efficient DB Schenker Automotive RailNet,” said Alexander Hedderich, CEO of DB Schenker Rail.
Michael Smith has been appointed president of Convertible Trailer Manufacturing Worldwide, the versatile trailer solutions provider headed by Bill Pawluk.
Smith moves over from the financial services and wealth management sector where he looked after activity in the transport and logistics division. He also has a glowing career as a decathlete, winning a gold in the Commonwealth Games in 1990 amongst numerous other accolades.
Smith will be bringing his financial acumen to the new role, including a focus on marketing and sales. He said he was attracted to CTM because it offered a unique and dynamic piece of intellectual property and represented an intuitive project into which he was eager to bring his skills.
Chris Villavarayan has been appointed a new role at drivetrain supplier Meritor as vice president, Global Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management, Commercial Truck. He will take up the position on 1st June and be responsible for global manufacturing operations and improving the supply chain network, as well as continuing the company’s focus on standardisation and process excellence.
Damian Bishop has been appointed director business development at Toll Group, a newly created role at the company that will see him working with divisional directors to develop long-term strategic partnerships with global, regional and domestic customers whose logistics requirements span more than one division and/or business unit.
Bishop will be responsible for tenders in Australia and New Zealand.
“I look forward to leading a renewed focus on developing our sales and business development capabilities to drive cross-business growth in our key markets. My new role strengthens our commitment to developing a One Toll approach to business development, leveraging our expertise across the group.”
Hena Kausur has moved from her position as senior manager of logistics at Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) to take up a new role as assistant general manager at the carmaker in charge of Driver Training. MSIL launched the Institute of Driving and Traffic Research (IDTR) in 2000 in collaboration with the government and also runs the Maruti Driving School through the MSIL dealer network. Both are designed to promote safer driving on India’s roads.
