All News articles – Page 318
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FeatureShipping lines need to engage with bunker regs
Shipping lines and associations, including the ECG and ECSA, have vowed to continue fighting legislators to stop or delay the imminent MARPOL regulations designed to cut shipping fuel sulphur content on short sea routes in northern European waters. However, ocean forwarders should take a more constructive approach and cooperate with ...
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FeatureWTO complaints over Brazil import tax
Following the Brazilian government’s decision to impose a 30% tax increase on vehicle imports to the country, Japan and South Korea have complained about the treatment at a committee meeting on market access at the World Trade Organisation. The complaint is being perceived as a warning shot and could escalate ...
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FeatureDirect service answers Russian demand for Toyotas
K-Line has delivered a shipment of Toyota and Lexus vehicles on a direct deep-sea service from Nagoya in Japan to the Yug-2 multimodal terminal at the Russian port of Ust-Luga. It is the first deep-sea delivery of Toyota vehicles through the port, which has previously only handled two deep-sea shipments ...
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FeatureGlobal round up
Horizon saved from bankruptcyHorizon Lines, the US domestic ocean shipping and integrated logistics company, has concluded a comprehensive financial restructuring programme worth $653m to fund ongoing operations and protect the company from bankruptcy. “We now have a new capital structure that eliminates the refinancing uncertainty faced by our company over ...
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FeatureObama intervenes in US rail dispute
The ongoing dispute between 30 of North America’s rail freight operators and 11 US labour unions took another step this week when the US Obama administration appointed a five-person Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) to investigate the conflict. “Freight rail is vital to our economy and our future,” said President Obama. ...
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FeatureThai floods hit supply chain
Carmakers and suppliers are being affected by the devastating floods that have swept Thailand, with Honda suffering the most direct damage due its location in the central province of Ayutthaya, which has been badly hit. Disruption to parts supply from supplier facilities there is also expected to affect production across ...
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FeatureCall for improved dialogue at US ports
Port processors and their OEM customers in the US need to work on better system integration to facilitate capacity improvements in preparation for a return of volumes. They also need to have more regular meetings to assess needs and allocate resources in a more efficient way. “The better that those ...
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FeatureBLG and Fesco team up in Russia
Germany’s BLG Logistics has signed a joint venture agreement with Russian transport and logistics provider Fesco to develop automotive port handling operations at the port of St Petersburg and truck distribution within the Russian market. The joint venture will make an initial investment of €10m in the project including the ...
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FeatureAudi opens second CKD packaging station
Audi has opened a new packaging centre in Wunstorf near Hanover in northern Germany for the preparation of complete knockdown Audi models destined for shipment to the Chinese and Indian markets. The 20,000m2 facility has been established as part of a five-year contract with logistics partner Syncreon to provide export ...
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FeatureGlobal round up
Honda to halve vehicle exports from JapanAccording to reports in Japanese newspaper Asahi, Honda Motor has said it will halve vehicle exports from Japan over the next decade in an effort to tackle damaging currency fluctuations that have hit the company with the rise of the yen. Honda currently exports ...
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FeatureExecutives on the move
Harry Doms has left electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors where he was logistics director of EMEA and APAC to take up a new position outside the automotive industry. Roy Kimber, Tesla's senior logistics manager, has now taken over responsibility for Europe. Doms' departure follows the news earlier in the year ...
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FeatureCapacity concerns put on ice
Fears that the fourth quarter would bring a capacity crunch in the North American outbound vehicle sector have failed to materialise and the general consensus now seems to be that it will not hit any time soon, according to speakers from leading road carriers like Jack Cooper Transport and carmakers ...
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FeatureBrazil hits imports with tax hike
The Brazilian government’s decision last month to impose a 30% tax increase on vehicle imports to the country and on vehicles built from imported parts is expected to have a negative impact on overall sales and particularly on foreign imports–which have grown strongly this year–as Brazil attempts to strengthen local ...
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FeatureSchenker begins BMW rail moves to Shenyang
DB Schenker has confirmed that it will begin regular rail shipments of CKD kits for BMW from its new $33m Leipzig logistics centre in Germany to BMW’s joint venture assembly plant in Shenyang, northeastern China from next month. The Shenyang plant is run as part of BMW’s joint venture with ...
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FeatureDealers need to know more about delivery
Dealers in North America are calling for a better understanding of the upstream delivery process from OEMs and logistics providers as they seek greater visibility on what they can expect and when in terms of vehicles and service parts. “I would ask the OEMs to come up with a one-pager ...
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FeatureIn Profile: Christine Kratwohl
Christine Krathwohl brings 18 years of logistics and purchasing experience to the top logistics position at GM. She spent eight-and-a-half years at Ford and Visteon before joining GM in 2002, where she has held numerous positions in North America, including as logistics business planning manager and director of inbound logistics, ...
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CSA could be a boon for some, but worries persist
Following regulations under the first phase of the Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 programme, introduced last December, the US Department of Transport’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has released a draft strategic plan for 2011-2016, called Raising the Safety Bar.The report outlines a framework for making trucking safety the administration’s ...
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FeatureFlexibility over austerity
Even as the financial markets ricochet up and (mostly) down the prognosis for the motor industry and its supply chain in North America and Europe looks more to be one of caution rather than outright alarm.“We are seeing the return to caution,” said Christophe Stürmer, director of OEM research for ...
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FeatureWhiplash with worry
Manufacturers and logistics providers may find themselves dizzy trying to balance demand and capacity with economic worry.Is the automotive industry in for another whirlwind ride as the global economy hits more sharp turns? The dangers remain, with high unemployment, government debt and austerity measures in Europe and the US coupled ...
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FeatureIn Profile: Evelyn Chiang, Tesla
Evelyn Chiang’s first taste of logistics was when she was 13, virtually penniless, and supporting her family. Today she is the vice president of supply chain and IT at EV-maker Tesla Motors.