All articles by Gareth Tredway – Page 6
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FeatureToyota delays new Mexico plant to allow for switch to Tacoma
Toyota has confirmed a report that its new plant in Guanajuato, Mexico will be delayed to prepare it for production of the Tacoma pick-up truck, rather than the Corolla as originally planned.The switch to the different model at the plant formed part of the Japanese carmaker’s recent announcement that it ...
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FeatureHarld Peters appointed as president of UPS China
Harld Peters (pictured) has taken over as president of UPS China, succeeding Richard Loi who will be retiring after 26 years with the company.Peters joined UPS in 1999 as a contract manager of supply chain solutions in the Netherlands and later assumed various management positions in the express and supply ...
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FeatureRenault adds local engine plant to Iran JV agreement
Renault has announced the official formation of its joint venture in Iran with local partner Parto Negin Naseh (Negin Holdings) and the Industrial Development & Renovation Organization of Iran (Idro).The joint venture follows on from the strategic partnership agreement announced at the Paris Motor Show last September, but now also ...
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FeatureNYK convicted and fined in Australia over criminal cartel activity
After admitting its guilt last year, shipping company NYK has been convicted by Australia’s federal court and fined A$25m ($20m) for criminal cartel conduct –the second highest fine ever imposed by the country’s competition authority.In July 2016, following an investigation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the Commonwealth ...
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FeatureDHL says smart glasses for picking now ‘business as usual’
Following a successful international trial period, DHL Supply Chain says its augmented reality smart glasses are now “business as usual” in its warehouses around the world.Last August the company, along with partners Google, Vuzix and Ubimax, said it would be expanding a ‘Vision Picking’ trial based on smart glasses, from ...
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FeatureFaraday Future targets 2018 production start after securing facility in California
Electric vehicle hopeful Faraday Future (FF), which recently decided to put its $1 billion factory development in Las Vegas on hold, has found an existing facility in Hanford, California that it says will put it on a faster path to production.The company has already signed the lease for the 1m ...
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FeatureNissan sells global battery business to Chinese private equity firm
Nissan Motor Company says it has sold its global electric battery business to Chinese private investment fund, GSR Capital, for an undisclosed sum.The sale includes Nissan’s battery subsidiary, Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC), as well as battery manufacturing operations in Smyrna, Tennessee and in Sunderland, England.GSR, with offices in Beijing, ...
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FeatureToyota and Mazda form ‘capital alliance’ to build $1.6 billion US plant
Japanese carmakers Toyota and Mazda have formed a ‘capital alliance’ that will see them jointly build a $1.6 billion plant in the US with a capacity of 300,000 units a year.Revealing the plan today, Toyota president Akio Toyoda (pictured, left) and Mazda president and CEO Masamichi Kogai (right) said production ...
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FeatureMusk highlights 'production hell' as first Model 3 vehicles are delivered
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has admitted the company faces a 'production hell' in ramping up manufacturing rates. Musk was speaking as the OEM delivered the first Model 3 vehicles to customers in a ceremony at its Fremont plant in California last Friday.The company is aiming to ramp up production to ...
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FeatureFlash Europe announces takeover of Schwerdtfeger Transport
Premium freight provider Flash Europe International has made another step towards its goal of doubling in size by 2020 by acquiring German company Schwerdtfeger Transport for an undisclosed sum.Schwerdtfeger is an time-sensitive premium freight distributor which reported €20m ($23m) in revenue for 2016 and manages around 70,000 deliveries per year.Flash ...
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FeaturePetrol and diesel ban raises questions over UK’s ability to adapt to electrification
Last week’s proposal by the UK government to ban sales of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 raises some serious questions over the UK’s ability to adapt to greater electrification, senior industry observers have pointed out.Reacting to the joint announcement by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and ...
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FeatureFurther stark warnings issued over impact of Brexit on UK automotive sector
The UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has warned that a sudden exit from the European Union in 2019 could knock the country’s production rate back to 2016 levels.Its warning was issued in the same week as separate analysis highlighting the risk of cost increases for the aftermarket ...
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FeatureWen replaces Worthen at Opel/Vauxhall as PSA takeover is completed
Michelle Wen (pictured) will join Opel from September 1st as head of purchasing for the German-headquartered carmaker, as well as for its Vauxhall brand in the UK.The news emerged as the takeover of the General Motors’ Europe subsidiary by PSA Group was completed on Tuesday.Wen will replace Katherine Worthen, vice-president ...
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FeatureŠkoda opens automated warehouse at Czech plant
Škoda Auto has opened an automated small parts warehouse at its Kvasiny plant in the Czech Republic.The company said the €8m ($9.3m) investment was one of the biggest logistics projects in its modern history, adding that it would improve efficiency and make its on-site logistics processes more flexible.“With the new ...
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FeatureBo Andersson named as president of Yazaki Europe
Bo Andersson (pictured) has replaced Horst Rudolph as president of parts supplier, Yazaki Europe. The former CEO at Russian carmaker Avtovaz officially took on the role in mid-July.Amongst its products, Japan-headquartered Yazaki says it is the world’s largest producer of wiring harnesses.Last year, Andersson stepped down as CEO at Avtovaz, ...
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Featuretime:matters extends flight services from Germany to UK and Ireland
German freight expeditor time:matters has announced additional flights for its spare parts logistics service, adding a route from southern Germany to Birmingham in the UK and to Dublin, Ireland.A third Saab 340 aircraft will join the existing planes departing every night from Baden-Airpark, west of Stuttgart, near the French border.“Almost ...
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FeatureReport warns of costs and jobs threat from border adjustment tax
A new report by the Boston Consulting Group has estimated a border adjustment tax, encapsulated within the broader corporate tax reform being pursued by US politicians, would result in US carmakers and suppliers paying $34 billion in annual import taxes while recouping only just over a third of that on ...
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FeatureUK to invest in battery technology as it targets 2040 diesel and petrol ban
UK business and energy secretary Greg Clark (pictured) has announced the first phase of a £246m ($320m) government investment in battery technology in the country. Known as the Faraday Challenge, the four-year investment round is a part of the government’s Industrial Strategy.The investment was revealed just a day before the ...
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FeatureElectric Mini to be built in UK with drivetrains from Germany
BMW has confirmed it will build the fully electric version of the Mini at its existing plant in Oxford in the UK – although the drivetrain will be manufactured at the OEM’s e-mobility centre at the Dingolfing and Landshut plants in Germany.The BMW Group currently produces electrified models, including hybrids, ...
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FeatureJaguar Land Rover’s first overseas engine plant opens in China
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the Tata Motors subsidiary, has opened its first overseas engine plant in Changshu, China, as part of its joint venture with local car company, Chery.The plant will initially build the new Ingenium 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine at a rate of 130,000 units a year. The production line ...