All articles by Marcus Williams – Page 103
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FeatureVolvo shifts V60 to Ghent but Torslanda will still supply parts
Volvo Cars has said it will shift production of the V60 from its plant in Torslanda, Sweden to the Ghent plant in Belgium.The Ghent plant makes the V40, V40 Cross Country, XC60 and S60. The V60 shares parts with the latter two vehicles, which will make the transfer of the ...
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丰田因钢铁供应问题被迫暂停在日生产
丰田被迫暂停所有日本工厂的生产一个星期，原因是供应商Aichi Steel工厂发生爆炸，导致零部件供应短缺。该公司为丰田制造特种钢产品和锻件，丰田掌握公司的部分股份。此次生产暂停将从2月8日延续到13日，从2月15日开始全面恢复生产。此次事件将会影响丰田的4个装配厂 — Motomachi, Takaoka, Tsutsumi，Tahara,以及12个车身制造厂。丰田的一位发言人称，“我们现在缺乏发动机、变速器和底盘，”并称，Aichi Steel公司供应的特种钢用于制造很多零部件。丰田公司没有对零部件的种类数量进行评论。公司在一次声明中称，采取一切措施将事故对生产的影响减少到最低。这些措施中包括在Aichi Steel公司的备用生产线进行生产，还有从其他钢材制造商手中购买等。该发言人称，“经过对零部件供应库存、替代生产流程，其他钢铁供应商支援等方面的综合考虑，决定暂停生产个星期。”供应问题并没有影响到日本以外的工厂，日本国内的发动机和变速器工厂将继续为海外生产供应。在Kamigo, Shimoyama, Honsha, Kinuura, Miyoshi, Myochi和Hirose，有7个工厂制造发动机、变速器和其他配件。据丰田公司称很难估计损失，因为公司并不公布每月生产计划。2015年，全球的Toyota和Lexus汽车的产量达到893万辆，其中320万辆在日本制造，约540万辆是在海外制造的。Aichi Steel工厂（在Chita）的爆炸事件发生在1月8日，事故原因还在调查当中。事故造成再加热锅炉和工厂一部分损坏。事故没有人员伤亡，但是有4人在接收医学检查。Aichi Steel公司在一次声明中称，“我们会继续努力查清事故的原因，并采取措施阻止发生类似事故，”还称会尽力重新开始生产，满足客户的需求。之前也有类似破坏，比如2011年日本Tohoku地震和海啸就对丰田造成直接影响，比如精益生产系统和供应链。然而，之前报道过，丰田在2011年灾害中采取措施，避免了对系统的破坏。丰田公司一位发言人称，“在2011年海啸之后，我们开始检查供应链应对更大风险的能力，找到避免事故造成破坏的战略。其中包括供应链可视性，要求供应商合作对供应链进行可视，能够追踪风险的源头。”据丰田公司称，应对Aichi Steel公司爆炸事故的策略就是公司自2011年之后加强供应措施的体现。该发言人称，“我认为，我们此次应对事故规划和避免更大损害的能力要比过去都强。”
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Toyota forced to suspend production in Japan because of steel supply problems
[UPDATED February 2nd] Toyota has been forced to suspend all production at its plants in Japan for one week because of a parts supply shortage caused by an explosion at the factory of its supplier Aichi Steel. Toyota's Tsutsumi plant was among those affected by the Aichi Steel parts disruptionThe ...
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Nadia Ribeiro returns to Ceva as South America head
Ceva Logistics has appointed Nadia Ribeiro as executive vice president and head of its South America cluster. Ribeiro succeeds Richard Vieites who has moved to the company’s North American operations to become executive vice president of contract logistics. Ribeiro, who previously worked for Ceva for 13 years as senior vice ...
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XPO cuts jobs at LTL business in wake of Con-way takeover
Following XPO Logistics’ takeover of US transport and logistics provider Con-way for $3 billion, the company has announced 190 planned redundancies in its less-than-truckload (LTL) business.XPO said the layoffs would reduce annual costs by more than $20m. The company is aiming to make an improvement in profit of between $170m ...
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FeatureFrench carmakers scale up plans in Iran following sanctions lift
The recent lifting of economic sanctions against Iran has been quickly followed by a rush of interest by international carmakers who are eager to make the most of a market forecast to hit 8m within the next decade, as well as reach the wider market in the Middle East and ...
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FeatureXPO cuts jobs at LTL business in wake of Con-way takeover
Following XPO Logistics’ takeover of US transport and logistics provider Con-way for $3 billion, the company has announced 190 planned redundancies in its less-than-truckload (LTL) business.XPO said the layoffs would reduce annual costs by more than $20m. The company is aiming to make an improvement in profit of between $170m ...
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Rail providers look for balance as coal revenues plummet
The largest ever decline in coal production recorded in the US in 2015 has hit revenues at several of the North American Class 1 rail companies, with drops in revenue from that commodity of between 30%-40% recorded in the fourth quarter. At the same time, revenues from automotive shipments have ...
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Car shipments start at the UK port of Ramsgate
[Updated 1st February] Last week saw the first delivery of finished vehicles to the port of Ramsgate in the UK, marking the start of a new port operation, which is being handled by transport and logistics provider Gefco.Around 1,000 Peugeot-Citroën vehicles were delivered aboard the UECC-operated car carrier Autopremier from ...
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ERL ro-ro vessel abandoned in Bay of Biscay
The ro-ro vessel Modern Express, operated by European RoRo Lines (ERL), is currently drifting at a severe list in the Bay of Biscay following a loss of stability in heavy seas and Force 8 gales. All 22 crew members have been evacuated.The Panama-flagged vessel, which remains afloat but has ...
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BMW begins local engine supply to JV plants in China from new facility
BMW’s joint venture with Brilliance China Automotive Holdings – BMW Brilliance Automotive – has opened a new engine plant in Shenyang to supply its assembly plants in the nearby districts of Dadong and Tiexi.This will be the first time that engines for those plants are supplied exclusively from China. Previously ...
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Jan de Rijk buys out De Rooy Logistics
Jan de Rijk Logistics has finalised its takeover of rival Dutch provider De Rooy Logistics, a specialist in transport, warehousing and value added services for the automotive sector.Jan de Rijk said the undisclosed acquisition would reinforce its automotive logistics activities for commercial vehicles service parts and create a basis for ...
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UK hits vehicle export milestone; engine production boosted by overseas demand
The UK exported a record number of vehicles in 2015 – at more than 1.2m – equal to more than 77% of the country’s total production for the year, which stood at more than 1.5m units according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). That production ...
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Gefco provides GefBox packaging service for Caterpillar
Transport and logistics provider Gefco has extended its contract with construction equipment maker Caterpillar in the UK to include the provision of a reusable packaging programme that will use its GefBoxSystem.Gefco has been supplying a European road transport solution between the Caterpillar suppliers and its plants for a number of ...
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Jens Wollesen to take up contract logistics role at BLG
German transport and logistics provider, BLG Logistics, has appointed Jens Wollesen to head its contract logistics division from the beginning of July this year. He also becomes a member of the board of management.Wollesen will move from his current role where he is member of the executive board at Kuehne ...
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Ford will stop all operations in Japan and Indonesia by end of year
[Updated 26th January] Ford has confirmed that it is ceasing all operations in Japan and Indonesia, including sales and imports of Ford and Lincoln vehicles to the countries, in the face of weak market share.According to a statement on Monday (25th January) from Ford Asia Pacific’s vice-president of communications, Karen ...
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FeatureTaking ownership of the supply chain
The acquisition of UTi Worldwide looks set to substantially boost DSV’s already impressive growth in the automotive sectorWhen DSV’s chief executive officer, Jens Bjørn Andersen, spoke to Automotive Logistics in September 2015 at the opening of its 168,000 sq.m Krefeld-Fichtenhain logistics centre, near Düsseldorf in Germany, he said that the ...
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Kia begins moving cars through Paragon’s Grimsby facility
Kia Motors has started processing vehicles through its new UK facility at Stallingborough near the port of Immingham on the north-east coast, managed by transport and logistics provider Paragon Automotive.The start of operations follows the signing of a £115m ($176.5m) 10-year deal last year that will see Paragon receive, store ...
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FeatureIran back on the map as a contender in the car market
Last week’s official lifting of many international economic sanctions against Iran could mark a major step forward for both its domestic car producers and those international brands eager to make the most of pent up demand in the Iranian market. Carmakers and global shipping lines are among those companies who ...
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DB Schenker launches London Eurohub
DB Schenker Rail UK has launched a rail hub near London that can handle the unloading, storage, preparation and distribution of 150,000+ finished vehicles per year. The London Eurohub, situated in Barking, is the only rail-linked facility of its type, according to DB Schenker. It is connected to the HS1 ...
