Russia revises import tariffs for foreign assembly
Russia is revising its rules for foreign vehicle assembly in the country, exempting carmakers from abroad that make up to 300,000 vehicles per year there from import tariffs on parts for eight years. Under the current rules, foreign companies benefit from discounted tariff rates of no more than 5% compared with a standard rate of between 5-15%.
The rules stipulate that 30% of vehicles assembled by foreign companies in Russia should be equipped with engines made in the country according to Russia’s economic development minister Elvira Nabiullina.
Import tariffs on finished vehicles will remain unchanged until 2014-2015. Earlier this year Russia said it would increase import duties on foreign cars to boost investment in local manufacturing and vehicle production and had increased import duties on new vehicles to 25% from 20% since early 2009 in support of local manufacturers.
DB looks for closer links with China
German rail provider Deutsche Bahn has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Ministry of Railways to further cooperation on rail freight transport and expand the Chinese rail infrastructure to include new routes between Asia and Europe.
Jan Mücke, parliamentary state secretary at Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport, and Liu Zhijun, Minister of Railways of the People’s Republic of China, were present at the signing of the MoU in Beijing on Tuesday.
“We are ready for closer cooperation with China. German expertise and German technology will play an important role in stepping up cooperation,” said Mücke. “Rail is the backbone of our freight transport. We want to become even more efficient, particularly on long hauls, and that will also help on transports to and from China,” he added.
Federal minister of transport Peter Ramsauer and his Chinese counterpart Li Shenglin had already signed an MoU to cooperate more closely and exchange expertise, specifically in the logistics sector, during Ramsauer’s visit to China.
“China offers growth potential for our customers and for us. The more Chinese production sites that move from the coast inland, the more interesting rail transport to Europe becomes for many manufacturers. We want to meet this demand,” added Dr Karl-Friedrich Rausch, Member of the Management Board of DB Mobility Logistics responsible for Transportation and Logistics. The aim is also to involve the Russian Railways, RZD, to beef up trans-Eurasian rail freight transports.
FTA welcomes emissions guidance
The UK’s Freight Transport Association has welcomed guidance issued by the government’s Department for Transport designed to help logistics carriers calculate and report direct emissions of greenhouse gases from their transport operations. The builds on existing guidance taken from voluntary reporting which was published in October 2009 and provides more specific information and examples relating to freight transport activities.
Simon Chapman, FTA’s chief economist said: “More and more hauliers and rail service providers are being asked by their customers for greenhouse gas data linked to the freight movements they are undertaking. This new guidance will help ensure that carriers can provide data using a consistent approach.
“In addition, when they are moving freight for several customers on the same journey, the emissions from that journey can now be allocated using an approach that is recognised across the industry.”
The guidance is based on the established international approach created by the Greenhouse Protocol and should fit into existing measurement and reporting activities undertaken by companies said the FTA.
“Additionally, the datasets are aligned to the Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme, a voluntary approach by the logistics sector to record emissions and report progress over time towards helping to meet Government targets for carbon dioxide reduction to 2020,” said the company in a statement.
Ceva wins award for GM service in Argentina
Ceva Logistics has won the 2010 AutoData Award for Best Logistics Provider in the Brazilian automotive industry for its partnership with General Motors. The award recognised the inbound transport services Ceva provides at the carmaker’s factory in Rosario, Province of Santa Fé, Argentina.
Ceva manages GMs returnable packages, controlling its inventory level at each point of the flow including suppliers, factory and transport. Inside the plant, the operation includes collecting packages from several different points, consolidating them by type, separating packages that are unfit for use, preparing them to be sent to suppliers and programming and loading the trucks.
This is the first milk-run transport operation for Ceva using TMS (Transport Management System) software developed by the company’s Information Services & Solutions team in Latin America. This web-based system enables automatic receipt of GM’s production schedule, definition of routes and online tracking of travel status and transported merchandise, while also managing the corresponding financial flow, integrating the management of aggregates and transporters, which allows the customer visibility of its good throughout the supply chain.
Hyundai signs distribution deal with Bergé
Spanish importer Bergé Automocion has signed a deal with Hyundai Motor for the distribution of commercial vehicles in Spain and Portugal.
Bergé is setting up a new company to handle the movements called Hyundai Trucks Iberia headed by Jaime Fernándes Gasset who has been working with Bergé for more than 12 years. The new company will focus on creating a network of Spanish dealerships during the first half of next year starting with 12 authorised dealers in Spain and three in Portugal. The dealerships will initially handle 5.5 and 6.5 ton models and a total of up to 30 dealers is targeted for 2012.
The move follows a rise in commercial vehicle registrations in Spain of 32.4% year-on-year in October 2010 to 1,876 units, though October 2009 showed the lowest CV volumes for the year, with registrations down 49.1% on the previous year. The increase in truck registrations was due to the heavy-duty segment, which posted registrations of 1,353 units, up 48.5% year-on-year.
