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All features articles – Page 32
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Trying to tie down demand
Forecasting matters for any organisation juggling costs and service levels, but in the finished vehicle sector, the stakes are higher than mostGenerally speaking, it is easier to be prepared if you know what’s coming. Reliable demand forecasts help participants throughout the supply chain to ensure they have the materials, equipment, ...
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Telematics: The simple solution?
Is it finally time for onboard telematics technology to take the crown from barcodes and RFID tags? Now more than 40-years-old, the humble barcode label underpins many, if not most, finished vehicle supply chains. Generally attached to vehicles as they leave the assembly line, or in the plant compound, the ...
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FeatureTaking ownership of the supply chain
The acquisition of UTi Worldwide looks set to substantially boost DSV’s already impressive growth in the automotive sectorWhen DSV’s chief executive officer, Jens Bjørn Andersen, spoke to Automotive Logistics in September 2015 at the opening of its 168,000 sq.m Krefeld-Fichtenhain logistics centre, near Düsseldorf in Germany, he said that the ...
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No one size fits all
Close analysis of damage rates, transport efficiency and handling procedures are necessary to meet the complex and diverse packaging needs of aftermarket distributionPackaging for spare parts requires a multitude of different materials and equipment depending not only on the type of part being moved, but where it is in the ...
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BMW NA chooses Neovia Logistics for PDC labour services
Neovia Logistics, a US-based 3PL and supply chain management company, has announced that it has entered into a five-year agreement with BMW of North America.The agreement will see Neovia providing labour services for the OEM’s US regional parts distribution centres in Stockton, California, and Minooka, Illinois. Neovia began working with ...
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Russia’s Bronka port signs container deal with CMA CGM
There have been a number of recent developments at the new Russian deep-water port of Bronka, which opened in October last year. Last month the port’s owner, Fenix, signed a long-term agreement for the handling and storage of container cargo with CMA CGM. CMA CGM ranks as the world’s third ...
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FeatureJapan: The ripple effects of a global sea change
While it remains the top exporter of finished vehicles, Japan has shifted from its central role in the global vehicle trade, with shipping companies adjusting their strategies accordinglyJapan has been the world’s top exporter of vehicles for decades, and it remains renowned for its quality of manufacturing as well as ...
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FeatureCanada: Changing with the scenery
It may be at a similar level of development, but Canada is a different logistical landscape to the US, and its changing production patterns mean providers have to work harder to remain efficientWhen considering North America’s vehicle logistics network, emphasis is most obviously put on the US, the world’s largest ...
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FeatureRussia: Struggling not to walk away
Lower volumes and higher costs are leading some tier suppliers to leave Russia, while domestic firms often lack the stability and quality to compensateThe Russian automotive supply chain remains under heavy pressure as the market shrinks further. With General Motors withdrawing most of its sales and production in the country ...
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FeatureMagna: One for all, and all for one
Magna is putting an emphasis on global coordination, standards and best practice for both logistics and packaging, with technology and training crucial to the tier one’s future successA defining characteristic of large tier one suppliers is often decentralisation. At Canada-based Magna – North America’s largest tier supplier and among the ...
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FeatureMexico short sea: Services evolve as volume increases
Although rail continues to be the dominant mode to move vehicles from Mexico to the US, short-sea shipping is becoming ever more viable.Short-sea shipping for Mexican vehicle exports to the US isn’t new. It’s been around for decades, but every few years it pops up as an ‘emerging trend’. In ...
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FeatureA bridge to better business
Christopher Ludwig talks to Höegh Autoliners CEO Ingar Skiaker about the carrier’s change of strategy to focus on expanding its logistics, terminal services and short-sea shipping. Among veteran ro-ro executives there is currently a touch of nostalgia for the business of the 1990s and most of the 2000s. Trade patterns ...
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FeatureFocus on Spain part 4: Making the rail in Spain move faster in the chain
General Motors has been increasing the amount of rail that it uses to move vehicles built in Spain to ports and to European markets, with ambitions to use the mode even more.Spain’s recovery in vehicle production and sales in 2015 was faster than many would have anticipated even at the ...
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FeatureFocus on Spain part 3: Closely controlled growth
GM and Gefco are managing a global supply chain to produce the Mokka in Zaragoza, while the OEM is trying to cope with a shortage of transport assets in Spain.One of the important carmakers in Spain is General Motors, which has been operating its Opel plant since 1982 in the ...
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Focus on Spain part 2: A platform for reorganisation
Renault has integrated the Alliance's CMF architecture in Palencia, and is ramping up kitting to handle an increased number of parts.The introduction of an all-new vehicle architecture into a plant can be a fraught experience at the best of times, but when it is accompanied by the need to continue ...
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FeatureFocus on Spain part 1: The bull is back
Spain’s production and sales are recovering from a long period of decline, with growth also in the country’s supplier base. Our four-part report looks at how manufacturers are responding. Reporting and contribution by Anthony Coia, Christopher Ludwig and Roger Stansfield.After more than five years of multiple recessions, fiscal austerity, high ...
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A new train of thought
Illustration copyright DB Schenker Rail Automotive GmbHVehicles are increasingly moving towards connected cars and trucks. Now may be the time for the connected rail wagon. DB Schenker is currently trialling what it calls 'asset intelligence', and other rail providers are considering their options tooConnected cars are increasingly the norm ...
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FeatureFord: The resources to wrap up a region
Bob Laurila, director of material planning and logistics in Asia Pacific, discusses how Ford is adapting its organisation and its systems to manage the region’s changing vehicle flows. Asia Pacific is becoming one of Ford Motor Company’s most dynamic and important regions for vehicle logistics. A quick glance at the ...
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Nissan North America part 5: Carrying the weight of expectation
Christopher Ludwig highlights global supply and production coordination within the Renault Nissan Alliance, and how Mexican efficiency helps keep US operations lean and keen.In recent years, the Renault Nissan Alliance has accelerated integration across its organisations, including the combination of management functions, as well as implementing cross-production and supply, common ...
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Nissan North America part 4: No outsourcing on the cheap
Logistics providers play important roles across Nissan’s supply chain in North America through different outsourcing strategies. For inbound logistics, the carmaker has a strong in-house team to manage transport lanes, working with a large mix of carriers and some third party providers. For in-plant logistics, Nissan also handles most operations ...