Höegh Autoliners commences regular Sagunto service
Höegh Autoliners has launched a new regular service from the Spanish Mediterranean port of Sagunto to the US East Coast, complementing existing services from Sagunto to the Far East, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Vessels will call on a three-week rotation.
The service was inaugurated with a 5,200-unit vessel, which loaded 1,000 Ford Transit Connect vans at the public Carport terminal.
Sagunto first began handling outbound vehicles from Ford's plant near Valencia two years ago, involving shipments to Mexico, but this is the first time a regular service has been established with United States, with vessels scheduled to call at Baltimore, Jacksonville, New York, Halifax and Galveston.
The Ford Transit Connect vans were built at the Turkish factory of Kocaeli, with forecasts for 50,000 similar units to be handled at Sagunto during 2012.
Significantly, Höegh Autoliners already calls at the nearby port of Valencia, where it offers a regular service linking the US, the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Far East.
The ports of Sagunto and Valencia are both managed by the port authority of Valencia.
The addition of a new service has not come soon enough, since Sagunto reported a 30% drop in the number of new vehicles handled in 2011, following five years of uninterrupted growth. In total, it handled 66,000 units, similar to the 60,000 units it reported in 2008.
Chrysler opens Mopar centres in South America
Chrysler has opened two new Mopar parts distribution centres in Argentina and Brazil.
"We are opening Mopar operations in Argentina and Brazil in order to further support our network of dealers and customers in these growing markets," said Pietro Gorlier, president and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler's service, parts and customer-care brand. "We will continue to look for strategic opportunities to provide even more support for our customers around the world."
The parts distribution centre in Argentina is located in General Rodriguez, Buenos Aires. The 3,000-square-metre facility will distribute more than 10,000 part numbers to more than 25 dealer locations.
The 4,500-square-metre facility in Brazil is located in Louveira, Sao Paulo, and will move more than 20,000 parts to support 30 dealers.
Chrysler recently announced that it is integrating its parts and aftermarket services with Fiat under the Mopar brand to deliver better customer service (read more here).
Chrysler and Fiat have recently opened a 16,000-square-metre parts distribution centre in Shanghai and a 18,000-square-metre facility in Dubai, which in total distribute more than 65,000 parts to support Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram Truck and Fiat brands.
This year Mopar is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
Logwin expands in South Africa
Logwin has moved into larger premises in Port Elizabeth, South Africa to support logistics services to the automotive industry. The new premises, which is able to accommodate the two locations it previously occupied, includes warehousing space totalling 1,300 square metres.
The new location is in the immediate vicinity of Port Elizabeth, home to GM and VW's assembly plants, as well as a Ford engine plant. It is part of the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ), which includes the deep water Port of Ngqura adjacent to Port Elizabeth, as well as the Nelson Mandela Bay Logistics Park (NMBLP) near VW's plant in Uitenhage. The seaport Algoa Bay Harbour and the Port of Ngqura as well as the international airport.
Talking about its services for automotive customers there, Patrick Federle, managing director of the Region Africa in the business segment Air + Ocean, said: "We implement solutions for these customers that encompass the entire supply chain: pickup at the factory, consolidation at our worldwide Logwin Gateways, and processing in Port Elizabeth."
Logwin, has a depot license in Port Elizabeth and is permitted to unpack and tranship consolidated consignments.
The new warehouse facility has four dock levellers and eight loading bays. Along with Port Elizabeth, Logwin has further branches in South Africa in Durban, East London, Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Pantos opens Ssangyong logistics centre in the Netherlands
Pantos Logistics, the largest freight logistics business in South Korea, has opened its Ssangyong Motor European Parts Logistics Center (SEPC) in the Netherlands. The 9,424-square metre facility is located in Breda near the port of Rotterdam and will serve as a logistics centre supplying Ssangyong with vehicle parts throughout Europe.
The warehouse handles 470,000 parts comprising 15,000 different component lines.
Pantos Logistics plans to focus on enhancing the operational efficiency of the centre, using a differentiated inland transportation/express airfreight service based on its own logistics network in Europe, to promptly supply parts throughout Europe.
Delphi chooses Protrans for North American LTL
Supply chain management provider ProTrans International has been awarded a new multi-year agreement by Delphi to provide southbound consolidation for all US less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments originating in the Midwest, Northeast and Southeastern states and the provinces of Ontario and Quebec in Canada.
Services include shipments from suppliers destined to all Delphi's Mexican operations and divisions.
"For the past year, ProTrans has done an exceptional job of meeting our goals for the regions that they supported," said Eddie L. Wright II, North American category manager for Transportation Services. "This new assignment for all of our business is based upon the firm belief that they will continue to provide outstanding service levels while supporting Delphi's cost savings and "green" goals. Additionally, we are experiencing enhanced visibility and cost reduction opportunities through the application of their technologies including their business intelligence software and their customised reports.
