All News articles – Page 147
-
Feature
Musk highlights 'production hell' as first Model 3 vehicles are delivered
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has admitted the company faces a 'production hell' in ramping up manufacturing rates. Musk was speaking as the OEM delivered the first Model 3 vehicles to customers in a ceremony at its Fremont plant in California last Friday.The company is aiming to ramp up production to ...
-
Feature
VW begins assembly at joint venture plant in Algeria with Sovac
Following last November’s announcement that VW was setting up a joint venture with its local partner in Algeria, Sovac, for the assembly of VW Group vehicles, the two companies have held an inauguration of the plant in Relizane, 280km south of the capital Algiers.VW will begin by supplying semi knockdown ...
-
Feature
Flash Europe announces takeover of Schwerdtfeger Transport
Premium freight provider Flash Europe International has made another step towards its goal of doubling in size by 2020 by acquiring German company Schwerdtfeger Transport for an undisclosed sum.Schwerdtfeger is an time-sensitive premium freight distributor which reported €20m ($23m) in revenue for 2016 and manages around 70,000 deliveries per year.Flash ...
-
Feature
Mercedes-Benz Trucks uses 3D printing for metal service parts
The Mercedes-Benz Trucks division of Daimler has printed its first spare part made of metal. The thermostat cover, which is produced in small numbers for older trucks and Unimog models, was 3D-printed from a die-cast aluminium alloy and has passed testing for original part quality, according to the truckmaker.The company ...
-
Feature
Petrol and diesel ban raises questions over UK’s ability to adapt to electrification
Last week’s proposal by the UK government to ban sales of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 raises some serious questions over the UK’s ability to adapt to greater electrification, senior industry observers have pointed out.Reacting to the joint announcement by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and ...
-
Feature
DHL sets up dedicated semiconductor logistics service
To support forecasts of a near-17% growth in the semiconductor market this year, DHL has set up DHL Semiconductor Logistics, an operation combining various existing services into an end-to-end supply chain solution covering inbound and outbound logistics for chip manufacturers.Strong growth in the semiconductor market is in part being driven ...
-
Feature
Further stark warnings issued over impact of Brexit on UK automotive sector
The UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has warned that a sudden exit from the European Union in 2019 could knock the country’s production rate back to 2016 levels.Its warning was issued in the same week as separate analysis highlighting the risk of cost increases for the aftermarket ...
-
Feature
Wen replaces Worthen at Opel/Vauxhall as PSA takeover is completed
Michelle Wen (pictured) will join Opel from September 1st as head of purchasing for the German-headquartered carmaker, as well as for its Vauxhall brand in the UK.The news emerged as the takeover of the General Motors’ Europe subsidiary by PSA Group was completed on Tuesday.Wen will replace Katherine Worthen, vice-president ...
-
Feature
Russian 3PLs fear further road transport crisis while rail's surplus grows
Russian automotive logistics providers have begun to raise concerns about a further capacity crisis in road transport this autumn, as finished vehicle volumes pick up after the summer.Speaking to Automotive Logistics around the presentations at the recent Automotive Logistics Russia summit, Kirill Glukhov, business development director at Vectura, said a ...
-
Feature
LCVs recovering better than passenger cars in Russian market
The light commercial vehicle (LCV) market in Russia is experiencing a better recovery than that of light passenger vehicles – though it will be some time yet before it achieves pre-crisis levels, Tatiana Hristova, manager CEE – European Light Vehicle Sales Forecast at IHS Automotive, has suggested.Speaking to Automotive Logistics ...
-
Feature
Škoda opens automated warehouse at Czech plant
Škoda Auto has opened an automated small parts warehouse at its Kvasiny plant in the Czech Republic.The company said the €8m ($9.3m) investment was one of the biggest logistics projects in its modern history, adding that it would improve efficiency and make its on-site logistics processes more flexible.“With the new ...
-
Feature
Bo Andersson named as president of Yazaki Europe
Bo Andersson (pictured) has replaced Horst Rudolph as president of parts supplier, Yazaki Europe. The former CEO at Russian carmaker Avtovaz officially took on the role in mid-July.Amongst its products, Japan-headquartered Yazaki says it is the world’s largest producer of wiring harnesses.Last year, Andersson stepped down as CEO at Avtovaz, ...
-
Feature
time:matters extends flight services from Germany to UK and Ireland
German freight expeditor time:matters has announced additional flights for its spare parts logistics service, adding a route from southern Germany to Birmingham in the UK and to Dublin, Ireland.A third Saab 340 aircraft will join the existing planes departing every night from Baden-Airpark, west of Stuttgart, near the French border.“Almost ...
-
Feature
Report warns of costs and jobs threat from border adjustment tax
A new report by the Boston Consulting Group has estimated a border adjustment tax, encapsulated within the broader corporate tax reform being pursued by US politicians, would result in US carmakers and suppliers paying $34 billion in annual import taxes while recouping only just over a third of that on ...
-
Feature
Evolution Time Critical expands Atlanta control centre
UK-based time-sensitive logistics services supplier, Evolution Time Critical (ETC), has expanded its North American control centre in Atlanta, adding what it terms “significant numbers” of additional staff in response to growing demand from the automotive sector.The Atlanta, Georgia office was only established late last year. Since then, demand for ETC’s ...
-
Feature
UK to invest in battery technology as it targets 2040 diesel and petrol ban
UK business and energy secretary Greg Clark (pictured) has announced the first phase of a £246m ($320m) government investment in battery technology in the country. Known as the Faraday Challenge, the four-year investment round is a part of the government’s Industrial Strategy.The investment was revealed just a day before the ...
-
Feature
Fraunhofer IIS to test new multi-directional RFID antenna
The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS) has invited applications from companies interested in helping it test a new, multi-directional RFID reader antenna that it believes will provider higher read range and accuracy than current antennas in difficult environments.The Multibeam Antenna, which features nine directional beams, can be used to ...
-
Feature
Electric Mini to be built in UK with drivetrains from Germany
BMW has confirmed it will build the fully electric version of the Mini at its existing plant in Oxford in the UK – although the drivetrain will be manufactured at the OEM’s e-mobility centre at the Dingolfing and Landshut plants in Germany.The BMW Group currently produces electrified models, including hybrids, ...
-
Feature
Jaguar Land Rover’s first overseas engine plant opens in China
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the Tata Motors subsidiary, has opened its first overseas engine plant in Changshu, China, as part of its joint venture with local car company, Chery.The plant will initially build the new Ingenium 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine at a rate of 130,000 units a year. The production line ...
-
Feature
Russian automotive industry concerned by rising Platon toll rate
Concerns are growing in the Russian automotive sector about the rising costs of the Platon electronic toll system, Elizaveta Korshunova, head of outbound logistics at Gaz Group, revealed at the recent Automotive Logistics Russia summit.Korshunova said the toll had already raised transport costs for finished vehicles in Russia by nearly ...