Ford India has extended the scope of a contract it signed with NYK Auto Logistics (India) in 2011. Initially, this simply involved the provision of ro-ro terminal services for finished vehicles at the Indian ports of Chennai and Ennore. However, under the new arrangement, NYK Auto Logistics (India) has also been contracted to undertake both Chennai plant stockyard management and inland transport from the plant to the aforementioned ports.
NYK, now, effectively, provides all outbound logistics of finished vehicles for Ford's Chennai plant. In addition, a percentage of the exported vehicles are also conveyed by NYK vessels from the port of Chennai, thereby extending the supply chain to overseas dealers, too.
Ford India has also engaged NYK to undertake plant stockyard management services at the new Ford plant in Sanand Gujarat, including transport from the plant to domestic dealerships and the provision of ro-ro terminal services at the NYK Pipavav ro-ro terminal. Those services were launched in August this year.
Currently, NYK is negotiating with Ford a proposal to deploy a dedicated car carrier trailer fleet to transport cars from the Sanand plant to Pipavav. This latter facility incorporates modern PDI facilities, allowing vehicles to be processed prior to export, then loaded on ro-ro vessels by stevedores especially trained by NYK.
The logistics provider is now, therefore, undertaking all outbound logistics of finished vehicles for both Ford plants in India, with the NYK Group providing Ford with global supply chain logistics from the plant in India to overseas dealers.
