All OEMs articles – Page 71
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FeatureSika sets up plant in Mexico with integrated logistics
German components supplier Sika is opening a manufacturing plant in Querétaro, Mexico to supply acoustic treatments and body structural products to carmakers operating in the country. The new factory includes an integrated logistics centre and will also house the Mexican subsidiary of Faist ChemTec, which makes sound abatement and weight ...
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FeatureP3 to develop warehouse near Mercedes-Benz
European logistics property developer P3 is expanding its business in Germany with the acquisition of a 6.5-hectare site in Horb am Neckar, near Stuttgart.P3, which is based in Prague, Czech Republic, plans to build a new 33,900 sq.m warehouse there by the end of 2019.The site is near Mercedes-Benz’s ...
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FeatureEmissions test and product recalls hit BMW
New emission tests, product recalls and trade wars have forced BMW to warn it anticipates a poorer financial performance this year.The shift to the new Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) has led to significant supply distortions in several European markets and unexpectedly intense rivalry, the German luxury marque ...
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FeatureFord cancels Focus imports to US from China
Ford has scrapped plans to export the Focus Active model from China to the US because of tariffs of 25% being imposed by the US government. Exports from China were due to begin next year following plans first announced in 2017, when the carmaker decided to supply the car from ...
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FeatureUS announces tentative deal with Mexico
Following a year of renegotiations over the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (Nafta), the US administration has this week outlined the basics of a new bilateral agreement with Mexico on trade in agriculture and manufactured goods, including finished vehicles and automotive parts.The move follows President Trump’s rejection of the existing ...
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FeatureManta reports huge increase in vehicle traffic
The port of Manta, in northern Ecuador, has reported a doubling in the volume of finished vehicles it handled over the first seven months of this year to 42,056 units, compared to 20,691 units in the same period last year.Roberto Salazar, president of Manta Port Terminals (TPM) – the private ...
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FeatureStandoff between the US and Turkey raises questions for OEMs
The collapse in the value of the Turkish lira and the political stand-off between Turkey and the US have some potentially serious consequences for the continued growth of the automotive sector in the country.Car and light van production in Turkey has grown steadily in recent years, to around 1.4-1.5m vehicles ...
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FeatureFord uses motion tracking to improve workstations
Ford is using motion tracking technology on workers at its Almussafes plant, in Spain, to help it design less physically stressful workstations on the production line. The OEM said the goal was to reduce worker injuries while making the workstations more efficient and improving manufacturing quality.In a pilot project, workers ...
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FeatureHonda’s Celaya plant out of action until mid-November
Damage caused by the flooding of Honda’s car assembly and engine plant in Celaya, Mexico, which happened at the end of June this year, has forced the carmaker to suspend production there until November. The company said that expert teams had completed an investigation of the damage to the tooling ...
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FeatureExports prop up UK car production despite trade uncertainty
The number of cars made in the UK fell by 5.5% to 128,799 last month, with domestic demand plummeting by 47.2% to 15,647, according to figures from the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). However, production was bolstered by a 6% rise in exports to 113,152 units, with almost ...
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FeatureVehicle makers grapple with cost of trade wars
Carmakers are faced with shifting production, higher purchase costs, lower profits and the possibility of raising the price of their products as a consequence of the continuing global trade conflict.Volvo Cars of Sweden is shifting production of its XC60 SUV for the US market from China to Europe to avoid ...
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FeatureBMW to build €1 billion assembly plant in Hungary
BMW has announced it will build an assembly plant in Hungary next year, near the town of Debrecen in the east of the country. The German carmaker said it had chosen Debrecen because of the advantages it offered in terms of infrastructure, logistics connections and proximity to the supplier network. ...
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FeatureABP invests in quality control for BMW at Southampton
Port operator Associated British Ports (ABP) is installing quality control equipment at the port of Southampton, representing the first phase of a multi-million pound investment.Digital imaging technology provided by Degould, including two drive-in booths, have been built in the multi-deck areas of the facility, which will be used to monitor ...
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FeatureA rising tide – with political undercurrents
Mexican production and exports continued to grow through 2017, both to the US and globally. At the same time, US sales remained strong and were fed by an increase in imports from established and emerging markets. It is only in Canada that both sales and assembly are showing a decline. ...
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FeatureSeeking to harmonise supply and demand
In May, supply chain specialist Kinaxis announced that Volvo Cars had chosen its software for work on volume forecasting and production planning. According to Kinaxis, the Swedish carmaker will use its RapidResponse software to model the impact of rising production volumes, as well as other ‘what-if?’ scenarios. Accurate forecasting will ...
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FeatureWhen will services be back on track?
The state of the rail freight service in the US has been a leading topic of conversation for several months within vehicle supply chains, with discussions still ongoing between OEMs and rail providers. Questions around the availability of capacity and transit delays that have disrupted the timing of finished vehicle ...
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FeatureAfrica awakes
Africa’s vehicle production and distribution sector still trails much of the rest of the world, but the signs are that this is beginning to change
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FeatureTrump’s tariffs attract worldwide disapproval
Carmakers, parts manufacturers, trade bodies and the European Union have all sharply criticised the Trump administration’s proposed import tariffs on vehicles and auto parts.Hinting at potential supply chain disruption, Toyota said: “There is no vehicle [made] in the United States … that is sole-sourced from exclusively US parts and components.”The ...
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FeatureGM breaks ground on Michigan parts centre
General Motors has stated construction of a $65m (€56m) parts processing centre (PPC) in Burton, Michigan. The development represents the company’s largest single investment in a US warehousing and logistics facility for almost 40 years and it is being managed by General Motors Customer Care and Aftersales (GMCCA). (left to ...
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FeatureBrexit’s unaccustomed burdens
Nine months before the UK’s planned departure from the European Union, uncertainty over customs arrangements is emerging as one of the major concerns of manufacturers – perhaps just as much, if not more so, than the prospect of tariffs and taxes. The risks and impacts from delays in logistics flows ...