All features articles – Page 65
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FeatureGrooming the yard
Specialised software on the riseTagging to trackIncreasing productivityThe road aheadIT systems, whether hardware or software, are beginning to be more sophisticated for managing flows in and out of vehicle yards. Jim Romeo reportsWhile the automotive inbound and outbound supply chain has become more complex, the IT systems used to track ...
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FeatureEuropean car ports are waiting on an Asian dream
China’s big paper plansAssessing the European landing pointKia went to a smaller port, and so could othersChina and India have raced ahead in domestic car sales, but logistics providers and port operators in Europe are wondering when, and if, they will arrive on local shores in any substantial way. Malcolm ...
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Handling cars with a little less human touch
Chock full of vehicle sizesProtect only where it countsDesign the terminal rightLooking to Asia as a guideA group effortSixthSeventhEighthWhile OEMs spend significant amounts of money on protective products, the most important measure that can be taken is training staff and developing careful processes for handling and inspecting vehicles. Carmakers and ...
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FeatureCan one size ever fit all?
Flexible and adjustable equipment stands outDesigning the perfect car carrierA divided EuropeWhat to tell your carriersCarmakers are gravitating towards similar standards and technology for road carriers, but the recession has made investment tougher than ever. Carrier builders and customers speak about how much cutting-edge technology and processes countThe purchase of ...
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FeatureDesigning a group logistics strategy for SAIC
A family of logistical differencesLooking abroad, cautiouslyGetting stronger at homeA tale of two AnjisThe sprawling Chinese conglomerate is growing quickly across its indigenous brands and joint venture operations, which include truckmaker subsidiaries and an in-house logistics company, Anji Automotive Logistics. Namrita Chow takes a look inside the group to see ...
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FeatureGetting the sea legs back again
Circling the globe to find growthRussian headacheShort-sea outlookCapacity conundrumPredicting the right balanceOcean carriers are sailing just a bit steadier as they emerge from the stormiest of seas this past year, with at least a mild recovery anticipated for Asian trade lanes in 2010. Finished Vehicle Logistics charts their course.The global ...
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FeatureToyota to providers: ...let’s talk about price!
Road carriers need to speak up if they want to slow downA missed opportunity and deferred risk?But it’s still business as usualA closer look at the networkHave other OEMs changed more, or just said so?Time for a change for TPS?The door is open for providersEighthToyota’s recent struggles in Europe had ...
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FeatureTNT targets South America
TNT is shifting gears to accelerate in the automotive aftermarket and emergency logistics sector, with particular expansion in the booming South American regionA sizeable spare parts and emergency freight businessBolstering BrazilAdvancing in ArgentinaAlthough TNT, which is best known for its €11-billion ($16.5m) revenue mail and express delivery business, sold its ...
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FeatureEastern Europe hangs in the balance
Investing for beyond the tough timesWhen the sleeping bear wakes up?A long, slow recoveryPrice, price, priceSounds like a broken recordThe day after tomorrowBeing big acts as a bufferFollowing rapid growth and considerable investment, the markets in Central and Eastern Europe were among the most promising for European logistics providers. But ...
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FeatureTrack & trace: do we need the ‘next best thing’?
The automotive industry has been talking up the potential of RFID for decades, but with budgets strapped, there appears to be no rush to bin the barcodeAuto's enduring affair with the barcodeRFID still only used in fragmentsTrack what is sensibleThe future is now... or soonAt the end of the production ...
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FeatureLogistics is holding back South Africa’s industry
With sales and exports hit hard, South Africa’s seven OEMs are scrambling to revamp their production to become more efficient, and pushing for the country’s rail and port operator to smarten up. If that doesn’t happen, carmakers may go elsewhereA lot going on at the bottom of the worldAll for ...
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FeatureChina builds a road inside itself
As the largest and still the fastest growing car market in the world, carmakers in China are hoping to develop supply chains in its vast interior and western regions, with the government investing billionsLow visibilityA crowded market starts to spill inlandGo west, says the governmentRegulation and trade disputesFiat’s Jack Cheng ...
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FeatureBack in the fast lane
Premium freight services nearly disappeared at the outset of the financial crisis. Now recovery and inventory cautious-carmakers have brought back the need for speed, but under new terms.Off a cliffSigns of recoverySame shipments, different dayCentralised purchasingLower cost optionsA cautious recoveryWhat will electric vehicles mean for air refight?To reduce inbound inventory ...
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FeaturePacking a punch
We sort through the tiresome marketing jargon to identify the real innovations in packaging for automotive, and report on the benefitsInnovation is among those words editors should always treat with scepticism (other bugbears include optimisation, continuous improvement and synergy). A purchasing manager or logistics executive should use no less caution ...
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FeatureAudi: leading the pack for logistics again
Audi has gained market share and kept a tight reign on inventory thanks to industry-leading logistics processes. Now, as Dr. Ernst-Hermann Krog tells Christopher Ludwig, it is applying its ‘new logistics concept’ further down the supply chainOrder visibility keeps Audi competitiveExtending the NLK to the supplier baseTranslating the NLK into ...
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FeatureGiving logistics in India a new name
Mahindra & Mahindra’s chief operating officer, Rajesh Jejuriker (pictured right), believes logistics and ‘demand’ chain management have improved the carmaker’s customer satisfaction ratings. Christopher Ludwig speaks to him and head of supply chain, SK Krishnan (pictured left), about M&M’s groundbreaking order-to-delivery system.Logistics ranks high in the management chainThe production and ...
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FeatureThe sleeping giant reawakens
Signs of relief have finally come to American shores, and OEMs at this year’s conference promised big changes for the supply chain from lessons learned along the way. But what will it all mean for LSPs?American on the outside, global insideWill the supply chain be electrified?Low inventory... for a moment ...
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Tax efficiency within the automotive supply chain
OEMs have long strived to create the most efficient supply chain possible. With the current volatility, this has become even more prevalent as businesses streamline costs to survive.Historically, the strategies to increase automotive supply chain efficiency have focused on reducing the costs of manufacturing, procurement, distribution and transport. However, recently ...