Global news in brief

Hyundai will begin exports of the Accent model from its St Petersburg plant in Russia this month following the start up of mass production at the plant in January.

 

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Rus will supply Russian-made cars to a number of neighbouring countries, including Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. No import duties will be imposed on the CIS nations importing the Accent said the company

 

The company plans to export 7,000 to 8,000 vehicles from the plant in 2011 and will gradually increase the number of markets to which it exports.

 

To make sure that export orders are filled on time, we’re planning to increase the plant’s manufacturing capacity to 200,000 vehicles per year and to launch a third shift this year,” said Chun Gui Il, general director of HMMR.

 

Hyundai originally announced that the plant would have an annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles.

 

HMMR carries out full-cycle manufacturing at the St Petersburg plant, being the first foreign carmaker to run full production in Russia, as opposed to knock-down kits.

NYK Group has announced a new medium-term management plan that includes the utilisation of its automotive logistics capabilities in Asia.

 

Called ‘More Than Shipping 2013’, the main strategies of the investment plan, which begins this month and runs to March 2014, are to more effectively capture Asia’s growing transport business and actively respond to all automotive transport supply chain needs there. The company is also looking at building advanced energy transport in the region and expanding overseas natural resources by leveraging its global network.

 

As part of these plans, NYK is looking to increase investment in its car carrier business to 190 billion yen ($2.2 billion) by 2016, an additional investment of 110 billion yen ($1.3 billion) on its current investment. 

Containership investment will remain at ¥29 billion over the mid-term plan.

 

NYK is also combining it logistics and airfreight business sinto a new company, Yusen Logistics, which is currently being rolled out globally. Read a feature interview in the current issue of Automotive Logistics here.  

 

European risk management and claims specialist Sevatas (formerly known as Pound Gates) has opened an office in Moscow to provide transit damage claims and risk management services for the Russian market.

 

The Russian car market is recovering strongly from the slump in 2009, and Sevatas said that the specialised approach to damage and claims it provides is underdeveloped there.

 

Director Matt Holmes revealed: “The incidence of damage in transit is, at 4.5%, 50% greater in Russia than in Western Europe, and, based on 2010 vehicle registrations, cost the industry more than a billion roubles last year.”

 

 

US-based 3PL Kontane Logistics has extended its partnership with parts supplier Behr America Service Parts (BASP), with the expansion to an off-site distribution centre adjacent to BASP’s production plant at Charleston, South Carolina.

 

Kontane Logistics handles labelling and packaging for BASP’s aftermarket components manufactured at Charleston, including charge air coolers, condensers and other engine cooling systems parts.  

The parts are received and stored at Kontane’s facility before distribution throughout the continental US, Mexico and Canada. Kontane processes roughly 500 packaged components per day (3,000 per week) from the BASP plant.

 

Kontane Logistics, also recently signed a contract with MTU Detroit Diesel to support packaging, export and distribution services for the powertrain maker’s Graniteville manufacturing plant, also in South Carolina.

 

Japanese ocean forwarder Mitsui O.S.K. Lines is working with Akishima Laboratories on the joint development of an ‘optimum trim system’ to save fuel expenditure on its vessels, beginning with a 6,400-unit car carrier.

 

A trim system addresses the lengthwise inclination of the hull and pilot tests on the car carrier have shown fuel savings of up to 4% compared to a conventionally equipped vessel.

 

MOL reports that tank testing by Akishima Laboratories showed that trim adjustments can significantly reduce wave drag, and the results were confirmed in practical tests using the car carrier.

 

The latest trials are part of MOL’s Sempaku ISHIN project to develop concepts for next-generation vessels. The company will adopt the optimum trim system on additional types of ships combined with the optimal operational system together to reducing CO2 emissions on a fleet-wide basis.