All Feature articles – Page 52
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Changing Chinese market boost for Sorl
The growing number of OEM warranties expiring in China from earlier new vehicle sales is proving to be a boon for auto parts maker Sorl.The need for replacements helped generate higher aftermarket sales for the company, which is based in Zhejiang province, eastern China.Sales revenue from the domestic aftermarket went ...
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Hella starts to reorganise its business
German components supplier Hella has embarked on a company-wide reorganisation to take advantage of growth opportunities in a European aftermarket sector undergoing extensive changes.“On the one hand, we see an increasing consolidation within the wholesale business in Europe, which has given rise to increasingly bigger market players,” group spokesman Markus ...
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Victor Arabe leaves VW for Nationwide
Victor Arabe (pictured), previously port manager for Volkswagen's business at the port of San Diego, in the US, has moved to Nationwide Auto Services (NAS) as director of business development. NAS provides paint and hail damage repair services but is widening the scope of its operations by working directly with ...
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La Luz Autoport Terminal seeks concession at Las Palmas
Las Palmas Port Authority, in the Canary Islands, has confirmed it is processing a request from La Luz Autopost Terminal to operate a new concession on a 14,820 sq.m area at Cabulloneros Quay, involving a new multilevel storage facility in Functional Area 6, in the port’s service area. A new ...
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VW to increase Wolfsburg output to 1m
Volkswagen plans to increase annual production at its German plant in Wolfsburg to a million units by 2020, meaning an additional 210,000 vehicles will be assembled at the plant. The carmaker will shift Golf production from its Zwickau (Germany) and Puebla (Mexico) plants, and add production of the forthcoming Seat ...
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Continental buys Australian tyre network
German tyre manufacturer Continental is purchasing the 258-branch Kmart Tyre and Auto Service chain (KTAS) from Australian conglomerate Wesfarmers for 350m Australian dollars ($253m).Continental plans to drive forward what is already a strong network of outlets and expand the existing product portfolio, said Ferdinand Hoyos, head of Continental’s passenger and ...
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MOL raises stakes in Malaysia
Japanese transport giant, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), has increased its share in PKT Logistics to 35% to strengthen its standing in Malaysia and wider south east Asia. PKT provides freight forwarding, customs brokerage, contract logistics, haulage, and distribution services to the automotive and electronics sectors in Malaysia and adjacent regions.MOL, ...
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GM Uzbekistan suspends vehicle sales over pricing
GM Uzbekistan has suspended finished vehicle sales in Uzbekistan, after failing to carry through a price increase on the domestic market there. The move follows a similar suspension in Russia – its second biggest market after Uzbekistan – for more than two months on similar grounds.Speaking at a press conference ...
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Anu Goel: the highs and lows
What have been some of the high points in logistics in your career?One is the swing toward providing a level of service that customers expect, as opposed to providing a level of service that we either think they need or that the system can provide. Those are two different ...
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Cracking under sanctions
The re-imposition of sanctions by the US on Iran has dealt a hammer blow to the country’s emerging automotive industry. The threat of retaliation by the US against those whom it deems to have broken those sanctions has, once again, prompted vehicle-makers and logistics companies to pull out of the ...
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Watch the Automotive Logistics Global conference Live
The Automotive Logistics Global conference takes place in Detroit this week on Wednesday September 19 and Thursday September 20, and will be streamed Live online.Click here to find out more about the event, which will look at how North America’s automotive logistics sector can transform its efficiency, productivity, profitability and ...
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Car sales drive growth in Latin America
The first two quarters of 2018 have seen a 7% increase in the Latin American automotive market, with sales of light commercial and passenger vehicles increasing from 2.64m to 2.83m.However, Felipe Munoz, global analyst of JATO Dynamics, comments that while the results are positive, the economies of the region have ...
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US Auto Parts Network counts cost of imports seizure
US Auto Parts Network has stopped importing automotive grilles after the country’s customs service held a shipment, which was allegedly counterfeit and infringed the original automobile manufacturers’ trademarks.The online seller of aftermarket automotive parts and accessories says it is now procuring grilles from alternative sources to avoid future supply chain ...
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VW hit by industrial action in Russia
Logistics workers at VW’s assembly plant in Kaluga, Russia, carried out industrial action earlier this month in protest over plans to outsource some staff, trade union MPRA said in a statement on its Facebook page, which was posted on August 6.Logistics workers implemented a go-slow policy at the plant based ...
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Russia plans new localisation requirements
OEMs’ eligibility for Russian state support, including tax breaks on components imports, will be determined from 2019 via a new points-based system to estimate vehicle localisation levels, the country’s Industry and Trade Ministry announced at the beginning of August.The new system will replace the percentage-based model used for more than ...
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Battling a perfect storm
The finished vehicle sector in North America is dealing with a lot of challenges at the moment. There is a basic imbalance in the number of vehicles that the US imports and exports with its global trading partners, which contributes to ongoing problems involving congestion and limited capacity on hinterland ...
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Seat debuts duo trailer
Spanish OEM Seat and transport provider Grupo Sesé have begun to pilot a double trailer truck combination to see if it can reduce the cost of delivering inbound components by a quarter.The double trailer approach could help reduce the number of large trucks on the road by 50%, which implies ...
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Hella disposes of two operations
German automotive components and services firm Hella Group is selling its wholesale companies in Denmark and Poland to Swedish aftermarket company Mekonomen to concentrate its activities on the independent spare parts business and develop workshop equipment.“As part of this, we are accelerating the interaction between the divisions and opening up ...
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Daimler on target for next-day delivery
Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is planning to open its tenth parts distribution centre (PDC) in the US at the beginning of next year as it moves toward its goal of providing next-day delivery to more than 90% of its US dealers. The move comes at the same time the ...
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Nissan opens up new production Frontier
Japanese OEM Nissan has started manufacturing the Frontier pick-up truck in Argentina – the fifth country to make the vehicle. Known as the Nissan Navara elsewhere in the world, the vehicle is already produced in Mexico, Spain, China and Thailand.The company has opted to produce the truck in Alliance partner ...