Thank you for joining us at FVLNA 2024!

The finished vehicle supply chain has become a top priority for the industry’s leaders and boardroom executives, with the ability to deliver vehicles in a timely and cost-effective way recognised as having a more significant impact on enterprise-wide operations, business strategies and profitability than ever before.

The vehicle supply chain is being whipped into a perfect storm. Whilst the industry transitions to an electric, digital and sustainable future, fragmentation, volatility and variability within production are challenging traditional equipment, network capacity and service levels. The growing strategic importance of Mexico along with tougher environmental targets are combining with longstanding issues such as driver and labour shortages, underinvestment and a lack of visibility, resulting in increasing costs and inefficiencies, lengthening lead times, reduced fulfilment levels, falls in quality standards and customer satisfaction.

But crisis breeds innovation, and the North American vehicle logistics industry is responding. OEMs are working creatively with their partners to overcome capacity shortages and introduce new logistics routes and methods, whether in using different trucking equipment, shipping cars in containers or finding new multimodal solutions. Manufacturers are turning more to digitalisation and automation to increase network efficiency.

But will it be enough? Will manufacturers have to take more drastic measures, including investing and chartering more of their own transport capacity? Or will new players emerge to steal a march and disrupt the status quo?

These and other critical questions were at the heart of the 2024 Finished Vehicle Logistics North America conference, which returned May 21-23 at the Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach, California, with a strong focus on raising network performance through innovative strategies and solutions, dynamic operations and driving untapped value from long-term partnerships.