Congestion at Zarate forces WWL suspension
Following last week’s news that the vehicle terminal at the Argentine port of Zárate was suffering severe congestion, with vessels unable to unload, ocean forwarder Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics has said it has suspended its service to the port.
“Congestion at the port has increasingly worsened in the past several weeks as there have been extended pauses in vehicle processing during government holidays, as well as Customs' prohibition of vehicle imports while it examines tax policies related to automotive imports,” said WWL in a statement.
“At the moment, vehicle processing is at a standstill and inbound lots are excessively congested. The situation is currently in discussion amongst the car manufacturing association and Secretary of Commerce, but there is no clear end in sight,” the statement continued.
Congestion is also reported at car terminals at ports in Brazil thanks to an overflow of export units bound for Argentina. As a result, Brazilian ports are issuing restrictions on advance delivery of export cargo bound for Argentina, as well as other destinations.
Following last week’s news that the vehicle terminal at the Argentine port of Zárate was suffering severe congestion (read more here http://www.automotivelogisticsmagazine.com/NewsItem.aspx?aid=1389#story), with vessels unable to unload, ocean forwarder Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics has said it has suspended its service to the port.
“Congestion at the port has increasingly worsened in the past several weeks as there have been extended pauses in vehicle processing during government holidays, as well as Customs' prohibition of vehicle imports while it examines tax policies related to automotive imports,” said WWL in a statement.
“At the moment, vehicle processing is at a standstill and inbound lots are excessively congested. The situation is currently in discussion amongst the car manufacturing association and Secretary of Commerce, but there is no clear end in sight,” the statement continued.
Congestion is also reported at car terminals at ports in Brazil thanks to an overflow of export units bound for Argentina. As a result, Brazilian ports are issuing restrictions on advance delivery of export cargo bound for Argentina, as well as other destinations.
Schenker signs first deal with Continental Asia
DB Schenker has signed a three-year contract with Continental Temic in the Philippines to provide storage and delivery of materials to the company’s plant in Taguig, which makes electronic brake and security systems. DB Schenker will also handle the loading of finished products into containers as well as looking after customs clearance and the management of an external overflow warehouse.
It is the first contract logistics deal the German provider has signed with Continental Asia.
“This contract could be the kick-off for further warehouse activities for Continental in Asia,” said Marcus Balzereit, director of logistics, Schenker Philippines. “The agreement is an important step towards the development of our business relationships.”
Continental celebrates its 140th anniversary this year.
Port of Barcelona ups productivity for finished vehicles
Setram and Autoterminal, the port of Barcelona's two specialist finished vehicles terminals, have reached an agreement with port stevedores aimed at guaranteeing the competitiveness of vehicles handling over the next few years.
The agreement aims specifically to improve conditions for so-called horizontal movements (those that take place within the terminals), which should boost overall productivity.
Initially, new working practices will be introduced for a trial period of three months, after which they will be adopted as standard as of 1 January 2014. Both working schedules and salary conditions will be adapted to reflect the new working conditions, which it is hoped will help to consolidate existing traffic at the port, as well as helping it to attract new consignments, says the local port union. Increased flexibility in working practices is seen as key to all future vehicles handling contracts.
Seat, Audi, Nissan, Chevrolet and Volkswagen, among others, already make use of the port.
Aston Martin builds presence in India
Luxury British carmaker Aston Martin is accelerating its dealership expansion programme in northern India, which started with the opening of a showroom in Mumbai in April 2011 and has now seen the addition of a showroom in New Dehli, opened in May. The company is shipping vehicles by air and ocean container from the UK.
“We ship to Delhi by air, while for Mumbai we use containerised sea freight, not ro-ro, and we always ship on a ‘landed port’ basis,” said an Aston Martin spokesperson. “Once the cars are in port, the dealer clears the cars through customs, and road-freights them to the showroom in a covered transporter.”
The New Delhi facility includes a new four-car showroom located in upmarket South Delhi that incorporates an approved service centre to cater for the needs of Aston Martin owners throughout the area. In all, the overall facility measures some 13,000 square feet.
The opening of the facility will provide customers with the opportunity to purchase from the company’s 14-model lineup of hand crafted luxury sports cars, including the V12 Vantage, Vantage S, V8 Vantage Coupe, V8 Vantage Roadster, DB9 Coupe, DB9 Volante, DBS Coupe, DBS Volante and the four-door sports car Rapide.
The showroom is operated by the Kapur family’s Select Cars, which also represents Rolls-Royce, while a sister concern–Deutsche Motoren–handles BMW cars, the Mini, and BMW motorcycles, as well as Honda in the mid-market.
“Select Cars has a proven track record in the automotive industry on many levels, with a strong focus on trained staff and customer service, and we look forward to starting a successful relationship,” said Aston Martin’s global sales director, Andy Gawthorpe.
Ceva expands logistics services for Ford in Kansas
Ceva Logistics has expanded its services for Ford at the carmaker’s assembly plant in Kansas assembly plant in the US to include a range of additional logistics functions for F-series truck production.
The company will now provide small lot logistics, returnable container management and transport to and from the plant, as well as the existing activities of sequencing and material control.
Ceva will provide services to cover the delivery of every small part to the line side for assembly. “This includes a variety of items that many people would not recognise as parts for a car or truck and some that are more familiar, such as Ford badging (emblems), window wipers, window strip moulding and fasteners,” said a spokesperson for the company.
Ceva will also be investing in new facility modifications in Liberty, Missouri, as well as adding jobs to the Kansas City area in support of Ford.
“This contract continues the strong relationship we have had with Ford – especially in Kansas City,” said the spokesperson. “It is a Century account – one of the top accounts for the company globally. The Kansas City plant was the location for the first material service centre for both CEVA and Ford more than seven years ago.”
Also commenting on the latest development, Kerry Zielinski, Ceva’s vice president of Business Development and Americas and account leader for Ford, said: “With the movement of the Ford Escape production to Louisville, Ceva assisted in providing an excellent transition solution as the plant prepares for new models in 2013. “We are pleased to continue providing manufacturing support in Kansas City – our longest running Americas Ford operation. Our services here and worldwide for Ford consistently exceed standards in quality, cost and delivery providing robust supply chain solutions.”
Chrysler recognises UPDS with partnership award
Chrysler presented Union Pacific Distribution Services (UPDS) with the 2011 Chrysler Partnership Award at its annual Chrysler Carrier Conference recently held in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The award recognised UPDS’ commitment as a supply chain partner and its cost saving initiatives, such as transit reduction, truck conversion and supplier coordination.
“Union Pacific Distribution Services values our partnership with Chrysler and is honored to receive this prestigious recognition,” said Kate Betsworth, assistant vice president and general manager – UPDS. “This award reflects our commitment to creating value for our customers by providing safe and reliable transportation logistics.”
UPDS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Union Pacific Railroad specializing in designing and executing rail-based logistics programmes.
