All articles by Marcus Williams – Page 65
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FeatureGM builds $65m parts operation in Michigan
[UPDATED] GM’s Customer Care and Aftersales (CCA) division will open a new $65m service parts warehouse near Flint, Michigan, next year that will be more than double the size of its existing facility in the state. Construction begins this month on the facility and it is one of the biggest ...
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FeatureMeridian fire causes parts shortages in US
[UPDATED] A fire last week at the Meridian Lightweight Technologies plant in Michigan has led to parts shortages at a number of carmakers’ plants in the US.The fire, followed by a number of explosions, ripped through the northern part of the Meridian plant in Eaton Rapids, which makes instrument panel ...
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FeatureAudi México: Risk and reward
When Audi opened its assembly plant in Mexico in September 2016, it was a milestone achievement on a number of levels. It was the first factory the German carmaker had set up outside Europe and the first that it was exclusively managing overseas (the two factories in China are joint ...
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FeatureBMW Brilliance further localises production in China
BMW has announced it will be making the X3 SUV in China this year and will add the iX3 electric crossover to production in 2020.The vehicles will be made in Shenyang for the domestic market and, in the case of the iX3, for possible export to Europe and the US, ...
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FeatureContinental extends inbound deal with Kerry Logistics
Kerry Logistics has secured a four-year extension to its contract with the tyre-making division of tier supplier Continental.The third-party logistics provider’s division in Germany will handle international ocean freight export of tyres and provide logistics services for Continental’s procurement of raw materials to production sites worldwide, mainly from Asia.Kerry Logistics’ ...
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FeaturePrologis buys DCT Industrial
Prologis is buying rival US-based logistics real estate developer DCT Industrial for $8.4 billion.The acquisition gives Prologis more than 65 hectares of additional industrial project space and almost 80 hectares of land in pre-development, predominantly in Seattle, Atlanta, South Florida and Southern California.“For some time, we have considered DCT’s realigned ...
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FeatureStrike at Lear plant hits seat supply at FCA Brampton
Union-affiliated workers at the Lear seating plant in Ajax, Canada, went on strike over the weekend, disrupting production at the nearby Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA) plant in Brampton (pictured) to which Lear supplies complete seats from Ajax on a just-in-time basis.In a statement, FCA admitted that the action taken by ...
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FeatureCar hauliers suspend services at Renault-Nissan’s Chennai plant
Car carriers providing outbound distribution services for Renault-Nissan in India suspended their operations at the carmaker’s plant in Chennai last week in protest at what they say was the OEM’s decision to renege on agreed freight rates.According to the Car Carrier Association (CCA), the dispute dates back to meetings Renault-Nissan ...
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FeatureTrusting the market will stay afloat
European vehicle-handling ports saw growth in vehicle vehicle volumes in 2017, however geo-political worries – not least Brexit – is causing concerns. Ports continue to invest but there are worries over future volumes and capacity levels.
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FeaturePorsche to open first PDC in Canada
Porsche will open its first parts distribution centre (PDC) near Toronto by the end of next year as it responds to a 17% increase in sales of its vehicles across Canada during 2017. Last year, the premium sports car manufacturer sold almost 8,250 vehicles at its 19 dealerships across the ...
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FeatureCMA CGM to take 25% stake in Ceva Logistics
International container shipping company CMA CGM has agreed to acquire a 25% share of third-party logistics provider Ceva Logistics, estimated to be worth up to 450m Swiss francs ($458m), in convertible bonds.The deal remains subject to regulatory approval, at which point the bonds can be converted into shares. The deal ...
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FeatureNissan and Mitsubishi to share spare parts resources in Japan
Nissan Motor and Mitsubishi Motors have arranged to jointly use a spare parts warehouse near Tokyo, Japan, and share a regional delivery network as part of efforts to work together more closely to reduce logistics costs.From October this year, the carmakers will share Nissan's 355,000 sq.m Sagamihara Parts Center, about ...
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FeatureSettling into steady growth
China has the biggest car market in the world and is expected to make 25.3m vehicles this year. The city of Chengdu has 4.5m of them driving around it, making it the second largest in China for vehicle numbers behind Beijing – and it was to Chengdu that delegates headed ...
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FeatureAptiv takes a global approach to mobility
In December last year, tier one automotive parts and systems technology provider Delphi Automotive divided its business into two separate companies: Aptiv and Delphi Technologies. The latter continues to supply powertrain and engine management systems and components, including advanced vehicle propulsion, combustion systems, electrification products and software, as well as ...
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FeatureOpportunities grow as China opens its market
China is committed to opening its market to global competition, as shown by the announcement last week that it will lower import tariffs and remove a two-decade old regulation restricting foreign carmakers to making cars there only as part of a joint venture with a Chinese company. And according to ...
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FeatureGefco reports gains in automotive beyond core PSA contracts
Gefco has reported annual revenue gains of 5.1% in its full-year results for 2017, earning €4.4 billion ($5.4 billion). Sales were supported by a 8.1% growth in global automotive accounts outside of its traditional activity for former parent company Groupe PSA (which now includes GM's Opel/Vauxhall divisions). The company noted ...
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FeatureDFDS takes over Turkish ocean forwarder U.N. Ro-Ro
Danish shipping and logistics group DFDS has bought a majority 99% stake in U.N. Ro-Ro, Turkey's largest operator of ocean-going ro-ro freight vessels for €950m ($1.2 billion). U.N Ro-Ro was previously owned by Turkish private equity companies Actera and Esas.DFDS said the purchase would make it a major player in ...
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FeatureJaguar Land Rover to cut production jobs in UK
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has confirmed that it will shed 1,000 agency staff jobs at its Solihull plant in the UK Midlands over the next two years because of “continuing headwinds impacting the car industry”. The carmaker, which is the UK's biggest producer, confirmed that in March sales were down ...
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FeatureCaracatzanis replacing Maure as CEO of Avtovaz
Nicolas Maure is moving out of his role as CEO at Russian carmaker Avtovaz to take up a new position at the beginning of June as Renault Group senior vice-president alongside his role as chairman of the Eurasia region at the carmaker. Yves Caracatzanis will become the new CEO of ...
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FeatureDiess to lead VW Group while Blume heads production
As part of an extensive revision of VW Group’s management structure, Herbert Diess (pictured) is taking over from Matthias Müller as chairman of the board. Diess will also be responsible for VW Group development and research, as well as Vehicle IT.Hans Dieter Pötsch, chairman of the supervisory board, said Diess ...