All features articles – Page 24
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FeatureVolvo Cars China: A system built for growth
[sta_anchor id="1"]Few carmakers have been moving as quickly as Volvo Cars to develop and expand their industrial footprint in China. In less than five years, the carmaker has launched two assembly plants and an engine factory, while ramping up production and more than doubling sales in the country. It has ...
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FeatureVolkswagen OTC: Sea king of the Kassel
[sta_anchor id="1"]In many ways, the heart of Volkswagen Group After Sales – the OEM’s service parts and aftermarket division – is its massive Original Teile (Parts) Centre (OTC) in Baunatal, near Kassel, central Germany. This impressive storage and shipping centre serves destinations across the world, including European dealerships as well ...
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FeatureVolkswagen Group Logistics: Come together, right now
All carmakers are [sta_anchor id=”1”]grappling with how to plan and respond to the technological, social and economic changes that are expected to affect their products and businesses. Manufacturers must simultaneously manage rising demand for both traditional and alternative fuels, while exploring new models for mobility that might, in future, change ...
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FeatureRussia: Ready for a recovery?
Vehicle sales in Russia have shown modest rises in recent months, raising hopes that this year will finally return to growth and kick off a longer-term recovery. Following several months of increases, sales of new light vehicles in the first five months of the year had risen by 5.1% compared ...
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FeatureMomentum builds for post-Brexit transition period to avoid ‘cliff-edge’
A prominent UK government minister and the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) were among those that this week called for interim arrangements to be put in place after the two-year Brexit negotiation deadline, as the chances of a new trade deal being in place by then seemed unlikely ...
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FeatureEurope conference: No easy way to the digital supply chain
The 2017 Automotive Logistics Europe conference reminded delegates that, despite a better economy, the industry is under pressure. However, new technology looks set to offer the supply chain as much opportunity as disruption, if companies are able to keep up. Marcus Williams, Christopher Ludwig and Gareth Tredway report from Bonn, ...
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FeatureEurope conference: Data sharing could ease port constraints for finished vehicles
Strong growth in vehicle numbers moving into and out of Europe over the past few years has created capacity constraints and bottlenecks at the continent’s ports. While the scope to significantly expand physical space might be limited, executives from carmakers and logistics providers have suggested better visibility and sharing of ...
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FeatureEurope conference: Using logistics to compete across a digitalised aftermarket
Consolidation among parts retailers and changing consumer habits are transforming Europe’s aftermarket, with logistics services both at risk and able to provide a competitive edge, writes Marcus WilliamsThe European automotive aftermarket and service parts business is in the midst of tremendous change, prompted by consolidation among major suppliers and distributors, ...
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FeatureAnalysis: Hung parliament casts doubt and hope over Brexit
This article is being updated regularly.The UK general election on June 8th, in which the governing Conservative party lost its parliamentary majority, has cast uncertainty over investment and policy in terms of the country’s automotive industry and supply chain – most notably over pending negotiations to leave the European Union.There ...
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FeaturePlant yards & systems: Allowing space to grow
The effective management of plant yards is an important component of finished vehicle supply chains because of the constant flow and high volume of products such manufacturing plants typically handle. As a number of OEMs re-examine the balance between in-house labour and outsourced providers, many have begun to devote more ...
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FeatureSupply Chain Conference: The future is already here
A drone demonstration by Venture highlighted the potential of new technology for inventory management at plants and warehousesThat the automotive industry will see [sta_anchor id="1"]exponential change is something that many, if not all, experts and executives predict – even if they disagree about the pace and scale of change. ...
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FeatureRussian imports: Forecasting a fragile recovery
[in_this_story align="right" border="yes"]In August last year, imports of finished vehicles in Russia rose 5.3% year-on-year, bringing an end to a decline that had lasted for 35 consecutive months. Meanwhile, during the course of 2016, several carmakers, including SsangYong and Honda, unveiled plans to start importing finished vehicles into the country ...
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FeatureSupply Chain Conference: Service parts logistics try to keep up with e-commerce
The service parts sector is among the first distribution channels in the automotive market to feel disruption from the digital economy, as consumers increasingly buy goods and services online.Indeed, within the wider aftermarket, including the large share of the market held by independent distributors, consumers already make significant use of ...
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FeatureEducation and training: The hard line on soft skills
[in_this_story align="right" border="yes"]General Motors’ executive director for global supply chain, Todd Scott, meets frequently with the faculties of several universities. At Cranfield University School of Management – ranked number one outside the United States in Supply Chain World’s annual Top 100 Universities survey – senior supply chain executives from industry, ...
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FeatureDHL in the UK: staying ahead of automotive change
Despite uncertainty surrounding the UK’s departure from the EU, planned investments in new models and manufacturing should keep the country’s vehicle production networks competitive and growing.Overall investment has fallen since the ‘Brexit’ vote last June, but volume has, at least until very recently, grown strongly. Light vehicle sales reached record ...
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FeatureMaterials handling: Machines on the move
[in_this_story align="right" border="yes"] Advances in automated technology and robotics have already transformed many aspects of automotive manufacturing, with the sector taking a lead in plant technology and automation investment, from stamping equipment to precision welding robots. In the context of increasing digitalisation, manufacturers are looking to go much further, ...
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FeatureThe end of the line?
As the vehicle industry and market moves towards higher levels of electrification and connectivity, production experts anticipate a change from the traditional assembly line layout that has dominated the industry for nearly a century. Instead, OEMs are expected to increasingly orientate their plants and supply chains around more flexible, digitally ...
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FeatureLooking for the human-machine touch
Digital technology is fast changing the way vehicles are built, with labour, data and engineering management set for new levels of automation, according to experts speaking at the recent automotiveIT Forum Production and Logistics.But while automotive plants and their supply chains adapt new concepts and equipment, including for logistics and ...
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FeatureEV supply chains: Shifting currents
Mass-market electric vehicles are coming. Global plug-in sales grew 42% in 2016, reaching to 773,600 units.Today, electric vehicles account for only about 0.1% of the global vehicle stock and less than 1% of sales; volume growth in SUVs and trucks, while lower in percentage terms, has had a bigger impact ...
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FeatureA new look (but it’s what’s inside that counts)
Whether you’re a regular or new visitor to Automotive Logistics, I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to some changes and new features on our website that we hope you’ll enjoy. We think that they both improve our layout and will help you better access and choose from ...