All features articles – Page 51
-
FeatureToyota plans US export expansion to Eastern Europe and Russia
Toyota’s decision to start exports from the US to Russia and the Ukraine this spring – the first US export programme to those markets for the carmaker – marks the start of bigger plans for volume movements between the US and Eastern Europe. It also indicates how important exports to ...
-
FeatureGaz broadens production and supply footprint
While Nizhny Novgorod has long been a vehicle production centre for Russia, this year it is emerging as something of an international, if not global link in the automotive supply chain.Driving this change has been Gaz, a Russian commercial vehicle maker, which is ramping up contract production for the VW ...
-
FeatureSharing the burden
In this story...Crossdock examplesA history of crossdocksSharing space/operating modelsMeasuring standards An exploration into the history and future of crossdocking: logistics providers and manufacturers are exploring ways that crossdocks can be made even more efficient, including the potential of sharing more space and freight with competitors.To feed its three British vehicle ...
-
FeatureEU-US free trade deal aims to harmonise standards
After several years of discussion, the European Union and the United States plan to begin negotiations at the beginning of this summer on setting up a free-trade agreement (FTA). Trade between the two economies is worth €455 billion ($613 billion) a year and the EU estimates that the deal would ...
-
FeaturePerceptions of protection
While some OEMs have a minimal approach to vehicle protection, there are those who still advocate a complete cover-up. The roll-out of film;Toyota's minimal approach;Honda reduces protection;The case for full coverage.The protective film now commonly used to protect new cars while they are being transported was first applied in the ...
-
FeatureNexteer steering a straight course
An insight into steering supplier Nexteer’s drive for control and visibility over a supply chain is becoming more global and complex.For a medium-sized tier supplier, Nexteer Automotive has an impressive global footprint and pedigree. The company is headquartered in Saginaw, Michigan, but owned by a Chinese consortium of state-owned entities, ...
-
FeatureCar ports come back to life in South America
Port risk Ports push for businessNorthern LightsFord’s private port Brazil’s deep southArgentina’s ZàrateDelta DockEighthThe strength of the Brazilian car market has kept imports rising through Brazil and exports out of Argentina. But with investment in capacity needed, Tony Danby reports on future risks and development.Brazilian and Argentine ports reported lower ...
-
FeatureStacking the odds in favour of service parts in India
A report on how best-in-class warehouse design and management, and a focus on efficient parts delivery, is making an impact on the Indian parts market despite labour, infrastructure and visibility difficulties Room for growth;Aftermarket goals;Labour, infrastructure and visibility;Warehouse evolutionTransport networksPankaj Chandak is elated. The World Auto Forum, supported by KPMG, ...
-
FeatureDeveloping with China's export demand
China’s increasing export volume, particularly to low-cost markets, has resulted in a challenging, fragmented logistics sector. Anthony Coia reports.China's export destination;Geely's expanding needs and Great Wall's ambition; Ro-ro shipping services;Terminals and 3PLs;Cars and containers. The links jump to sections of the articleChina’s phenomenal rise to becoming the world’s largest vehicle ...
-
FeaturePackaged for prime protection
Aftermarket differencesPackaging methodsReusable packaging and cardboardDunnage and foamMarcia MacLeod reports on the requirements for packaging in the aftermarket and finds that while processes vary by OEM and by region, its importance is greater than ever.With milkrun, sequencing and just-in-time supply chains dominating automotive production, plants are used to seeing parts ...
-
FeatureFord seeks to stand out from the cloud
Ford China is pursuing green manufacturing and logistics strategies in a bid to lead the automotive sector’s contribution towards lowering pollution levels over the country’s cities.But there is also another, gloomy symbol rising as quickly as the economy – a dark, acrid cloud hanging above the traffic-choked streets that the ...
-
FeatureUpgrading Brazil to World Class
Fiat's volume and growth in Latin America;Logistics operations;The Pernambuco plant;Outbound Logistics.Alfredo Leggero, manufacturing director of Fiat-Chrysler Latin America, gives an insider’s view of Fiat’s complex Latin American logistics operationsAlfredo Leggero is responsible for the manufacturing, supply chain and logistics operations for Fiat in Latin America, which this year could surpass ...
-
FeatureMexico by land and by sea
Primary markets and the potential on the rails Short sea horizons/ Mexican road routesVolume, frequency and a turning of the tideThe links jump to sections of the articleMexico’s export links to the US are in the balance as the country’s production is set to rise and OEMs consider rail and ...
-
FeatureDealers demand improvements an deliveries
Can delays in finished vehicle deliveries be avoided without dealers having to become experts in OEM logistics? Dealer disincentives;Extended service hours;Visibility and flexibility;Are lessons in logistics necessary?At Moscow car dealership AVES Peugeot, sales director Evgeny Podolskiy has a distinct problem with the late delivery of incoming vehicles – especially ...
-
Feature
North American rail providers reveal investment plans for vehicle shipments
Most of the major North American rail providers published their investment plans in the first quarter of the year and there are signs that capacity for finished vehicle shipments is one area that is being targeted as vehicle sales in the US increase and a large amount of production is ...
-
FeatureWorking on the build-to-order dream
Despite the obvious complications that build-to-order brings, carmakers are still interested in the principle. An analysis which considers the global changes in the industry, and whether building such a car in just a few days can ever become a reality?In middle of last September, helped by her father, 18-year-old UK ...
-
FeatureGleaming the cube
Simple, standardised packaging can help achieve increased container fill, flexibility and safety.The globalisation of automotive supply chains has prompted many changes in the packaging of automotive parts. Most parts moving in markets across Asia are shipped in expendable packaging, as are parts shipped across continents. There are some signs that ...
-
FeatureGM's winning students propose future supply chains
A competition to encourage business students to look positively at careers in the automotive supply chain unearthed a wealth of innovation and opportunity. GM's Bill Hurles (left) with the winning team was made up of: Caleb Harshbarger, a junior from Botkins, Ohio; Xianwu (Ken) Lin, a junior from China; ...
-
FeatureLabouring over a launch in India
Many new vehicles have been successfully and smoothly unveiled in India but, as Ramesh Kumar reports, the delivery of each model poses its own challenges, with some logistical difficulties unique to the model’s country of birth.Creation is a unique phenomenon, whether in making a new life or a new product. ...
-
FeaturePaint repair: A work of body art
Artisanal techniques for paintless dent repair are becoming more popular, with some experts suggesting they might replace more traditional bodywork repair, even in assembly plants.Paintless dent repair (PDR) – also known as smart or hail repair – is the name given to the processes that a number of specialist companies ...