All articles by Malcolm Ramsay
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NewsChinese automakers surge amid western withdrawal from Russian market
Analysts at last week’s ECG Spring Congress looked at the rise in Chinese vehicle exports to Russia in the wake of the withdrawal of western carmakers following the start of hostilties in Ukraine
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NewsRebuilding trust is key to solving the European capacity crisis
At last week’s Spring Congress of the Association of European Vehicle Logistics’ (ECG) closer industry dialogue was seen to be helping repair a stubborn capacity crisis in the outbound sector
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FeatureTaking the smoke out of the chain
Vehicle makers including Daimler Truck, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota are working with logistics providers to clean up the inbound parts logistics supporting ambitious EV production targets
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FeatureThreadbare trade on the Silk Road
Logistics providers including DSV, Gefco, Geodis and Maersk are looking at contingenies for parts movements following the breakdown in container shipments by rail between Europe and China
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FeatureDelivering emissions cuts in the face of disruption
Logistics providers including DSV, Inform, Kuehne+Nagel and Maersk are making sustainability a side-effect of supply chain optimisation
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FeatureAn ongoing crisis for terminal throughput
Supply chain delays that were initially viewed as temporary hiccups have now morphed into a prolonged crisis as global trade dynamics have been upended
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FeatureReaching for the stars: how Galileo’s satellites could help automotive logistics
Since launching its first test navigation satellite in 2005, the European Space Agency (ESA) has steadily built up the Galileo global positioning network and today operates 22 satellites. With four further launches due in 2020, the Galileo network is set to become the first fully operational high-accuracy global navigation satellite system (GNSS) – heralding a new era of precision navigation and, for the automotive industry, bringing opportunities for improved vehicle logistics.
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FeatureAutonomy ahoy: Shipping industry moves toward crewless vessels
Autonomous vehicles have been attracting a lot of attention as the automotive industry pushes towards future mobility. But what is the potential for autonomous ships?
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FeatureShipping and climate change: Are we in hot water?
With 2019 set to be one of the hottest years on record, for the shipping sector the issue of climate change is becoming a concern. But how great is the danger to vessels, their crews and cargo? And could there be any upside to global geographical changes?
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FeatureBordering on Brexit
Brexit continues to cause some serious headaches for those involved in the UK’s automotive sector. With the publication of a draft withdrawal agreement on November 14, UK prime minister, Theresa May, affirmed her commitment to a continued customs territory. Whether that intent will be realised is as much in doubt ...
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FeatureMoving on to terra firma
Following sustained pressure on margins in recent years, the global shipping industry has witnessed some radical changes, with consolidation and technology combining to reconfigure the way many shipping lines approach new business. With competition on the waves mounting, one new channel for many car carriers has been to expand ...
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FeatureHitting the gas
Environmental regulations covering the shipping industry are set to tighten across a range of parameters, from the sulphur content in fuel to CO2 emissions. In response, some shipping operators have begun to explore the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in place of traditional marine fuel oil. Offering a reduction ...
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FeatureTaking cover from the heat
In late August 2017, Hurricane Harvey – the storm that devastated the Caribbean, flattening Puerto Rico – made landfall on the Texas coast. The second-costliest tropical cyclone on record and the third hurricane of the exceptionally active 2017 hurricane season, it inflicted a reported $125 billion in damage and, according ...
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FeatureGrappling with the capacity crunch
With demand for automotive exports via North American ports rising again last year, OEMs face a number of new challenges in handling vehicles in 2018. With capacity already strained at many hubs, the threat of increased regulatory restrictions on trade is adding further uncertainty for manufacturers moving forward.Congestion continues to ...
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FeatureTime to fall in line
In April 2016, a fleet of trucks – some of which had driven almost 2,000km – arrived in the Dutch port of Maasvlakte and made modest headlines around the world. A few months later, a three-strong convoy of Volvo trucks hauled three containers on the interstate highway from the port ...
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FeatureA match made in heaven?
According to a study carried out by the European Commission in 2014, almost a quarter of truck journeys on Europe’s roads are carried out empty. In individual member states, the prevalence of empty running can be even higher: in the UK, for instance, Department for Transport (DfT) statistics put the ...
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FeatureReal-time tracking: Is it Here yet?
Real-time cargo tracking has always had its appeal. The problem has been finding a technology that could actually deliver on the aspiration
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FeatureLogistics IT: Is there an app for that?
At US finished vehicle logistics specialist Jack Cooper Logistics, recounts president Andrea Amico, as part of a contract for carrying out the collection and inspection of ex-fleet vehicles on behalf of a US carmaker, the need to supply seven images of each inspected vehicle was suddenly upped to a requirement ...
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FeatureDisaster recovery: Prepared for the worst?
As the scale of the destruction wrought by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated Japan’s north-eastern coastline in March 2011 became apparent, managers within BMW’s purchasing function were asked if it would affect the company. Their answer? No – because BMW had no suppliers in Japan.But that wasn’t quite ...
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FeatureThe twilight of global trade?
Globalisation and free trade may be reversing towards regional supply chains for a mix of policy and economic reasons