All features articles – Page 46
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FeatureAston Martin recall raises questions about sourcing
Aston Martin has been keen to stress the close relationships it has with its top tier suppliers in the wake of the massive vehicle recall it was forced to issue earlier this month because of what it called counterfeit material from a Chinese sub-supplier. But tier one locations are no ...
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FeatureOutsourcing's thin grey line
The boundary between outsourced supply chain and in-house manufacturing is moving all the time. Where should carmakers draw the line?Once, perhaps, it was easy to see where logistics management and labour stopped and where manufacturing started at assembly plants. Parts were taken from the trucks at the loading dock of ...
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FeatureNYK not afraid to go local for logistics
NYK Auto Logistics is that rarest of things: a finished vehicle logistics provider with a strategy scope and asset base that stretches into many different countries, including difficult emerging markets. But can it combine its myriad services effectively? An NYK ro-ro terminal in ShanghaiWith the exception of ro-ro shipping, ...
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FeatureAre Russian import tariffs going back to the USSR?
UPDATE: Since publication, there have been further developments, including the decision by the Ukrainian government to increase excise duties. Read more here.Despite joining the WTO or promoting trade, Russia and its neighbours retain a highly complex set of import tariffs and barriers. But could political tension and economic pressure force ...
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FeatureLocal logistics and engineering partnership at Nissan Europe
Nissan Europe has benefited from closer collaboration between engineers, suppliers and logistics during vehicle development, especially for its Sunderland plant The UK automotive industry has been the darling of Britain’s nascent economic recovery, praised equally by politicians, economists and union leaders. Vehicle sales have bucked the euro-zone crisis; production has ...
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FeatureUnited Road appoints Anderson to new COO role
North American vehicle hauler, United Road Services, has appointed Mark Anderson as its chief operating officer (COO) with immediate effect.The COO role is newly-created at United Road and Anderson will be responsible for the company’s daily operations. It is now the second largest car-hauler in North America, following its takeover ...
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FeatureChauvin joins PINC as vice president of products
Lou Chauvin has joined yard management and supply chain services provider PINC Solutions as its vice president of products. He will provide overall direction, planning and commercialisation of the company’s logistics tools for the industry.Chauvin, who has 30 years of executive and product leadership experience, moves over from his role ...
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FeatureGlobal ro-ro report: Moving with the trade winds
The ro-ro industry has mostly balanced capacity to market demand, but there are regional variations, while changing trades and larger vessels will cause waves at sea. Additional reporting by Christopher LudwigThe global ro-ro shipping industry is one of the most complex – not to mention capital intensive – parts of ...
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FeatureMaruti Suzuki on raising the Indian supply chain
Competition can do wonders for a business. When rivals outdo a company, it is often forced to explore possibilities that were previously unknown to it. This is something Sudam Maitra, former senior managing executive officer for supply chain at Maruti Suzuki, realised early in a purchasing career that has spanned three decades
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FeatureRaising the Indian supply chain: MACE wants to "bring on the bad boys!"
Stories in this section: Maruti Suzuki on raising the Indian supply chainQ&A with Sudam Maitra“Bring the bad boys” might sound like an unusual statement from Raghunath Balkrishna Madhekar, senior advisor at the Maruti Centre of Excellence (MACE). But when Madhekar speaks, people listen. It was Madhekar, who has worked at ...
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Raising the Indian supply chain: Q&A with Sudam Maitra
Sudam Maitra (pictured) talks to Ramesh Kumar about using third party logistics providers and mapping the tier supply chainRamesh Kumar: You’re planning a new manufacturing facility in Gujarat. Will you entice suppliers to set up factory-side facilities?Sudam Maitra: It will be a mix-and-match. Today, we have a lot of suppliers ...
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FeatureSupply chain promises deferred, but not yet broken in India
This year’s Automotive Logistics India conference came at the end of a tough year for the domestic automotive market. But the downturn has not prevented manufacturers from striving and investing to improve speed and flexibility in their supply chains.Report by Christopher Ludwig and Zoë Apostolides in PuneIt was not supposed ...
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FeatureWTO agrees on customs plan but concerns over currency remain
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has unanimously approved a trade facilitation agreement designed to establish common customs standards and ease the flow of goods through borders around the world. It is estimated that it could lower the cost of carrying out trade by as much as 10-15%, according to the ...
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FeatureIs expendable packaging too expensive?
Depending on its use, received wisdom about one-way packaging in the automotive supply chain does not necessarily applyIn this story... Tipping toward one-way Returnable reasoning Container risks Mixed solutionsIn an assembly plant somewhere in Detroit, there’s something going on that, according to conventional automotive industry custom and practice, shouldn’t be. ...
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FeatureWelcome to the next stage for Mitsubishi
Kyoji Miwa reveals how Mitsubishi is redefining its production and distribution footprint to increase sales in the ASEAN region and further afield In this story...Strategic shiftsGrowth in ASEAN Production changesGlobal hubs Japanese networkOrder visibility Global partnershipsJapanese exporters have not had an easy time of it in recent years. Starting with ...
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FeatureChina reports: an industry on the advance
In China’s complex automotive landscape, logistics is crucial, but OEMs and 3PLs still face a steep learning curve on which they can help each other.In this story... Push for quality logisticsSupply chain engineering 3PLs falling behindExport servicesWorking togetherChina’s vehicle sales and production growth has been explosive for much of the ...
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FeatureTrack and trace in India: monitoring progress
Collaboration in modern supply chains requires better visibility, but in India there are almost as many views on how to achieve this as there are vehicles in transit. Stories in this section:Glovis's 'control ’ logisticsFiat on control roomsIn this story...Value-adding visibilityCloud suspicionsWho will pay for tracking?Had the Japanese not invented ...
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FeatureTrack and trace in India: Turkish delight at Glovis
Cho Jae Hong, alias ‘Joe’, is thrilled. He has just suceeded in his mission of creating a 'central control room' (CCR) for Glovis India, Hyundai’s logistics subsidiary.The project, which was initially mooted three years ago, was completed in record time by the young assistant manager for sales and procurement at ...
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FeatureTrack and trace in India: "Providers have to invest, not OEMs,"
Excerpts from interview with Kalpesh Pathak, assistant vice-president of supply chain management, Fiat India Automobile "At Fiat, most of our inbound cargo comes from nearby regions, and we have Free on Road (FOR) delivery terms. Therefore, we are not doing consolidation and optimisation of inbound movement ...
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FeatureGaining power through diversity in ASEAN
Southeast Asian countries are intensifying their logistics networks to accommodate growth in sales and exports In this story...The Thai production hubMoving parts Finished vehicle exports Supply chain integrationMalaysian changes Countries on the riseAs automotive production rises in the Asia-Pacific region, Southeast Asia has emerged as a front-runner in assembly, export ...