All Opinion articles – Page 5
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FeatureIn these uncertain days, supply chain reaction times are critical
Given current political and economic uncertainties, there may be many twists and turns in the track ahead... making it all the more important that supply chains can plan and react with real efficiencyStrip the global outlook to pure numbers, and the story for the automotive industry is quite positive. China ...
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FeatureECG anniversary: It was 20 years ago today…
ECG president Wolfgang Göbel reflects on a celebration of the association's 20th anniversary and looks forward to a year of milestone events.In late 1996, 25 people from 22 different companies sat around a table in a Cologne hotel and signed a paper agreeing to form a group to represent their ...
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FeatureTrump’s campaigning ignores supply chain might
The president’s relentless criticism of trade terms and regulation often ignores some of the automotive industry’s most important developments for the futureSince his election victory, many have wondered about the extent to which Donald Trump, the president, would resemble Donald Trump, the presidential candidate. For the automotive industry and its ...
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FeatureMaking the most of the future in automotive logistics
The right technical partnership is critical to allowing logistics networks to derive full value from the internet of things Byrne: failure to share data is a common pitfallBrand advocacy is key in the high-value world of automotive sales, making the need to provide a convenient and enjoyable customer experience ...
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FeatureHow logistics automation can revolutionise the aftermarket
Automation of logistics processes is the key to an efficient automotive aftermarket supply chain. Tim Fawkes thinks aftermarket services are better managed through good systems and multiple carriersThe availability and distribution of vehicle parts to meet service and installation needs are critical to the aftermarket industry. Rising demand from quicker ...
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FeatureVehicle logistics: Why the only certainty is uncertainty
Constantly shifting political, industrial and logistical currents will ensure change remains the only constant in vehicle logisticsFinished vehicle logistics, perhaps more than other supply chain disciplines, is focused on operations at hand and responding flexibly to changes rather than speculating about future trends. While 2017 could be a year of ...
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FeatureECG column: More of the same or all change?
This year will be one of substantial change, but change brings opportunity… including the opportunity to treat our drivers better Wolfgang Göbel is president of the Association of European Vehicle Logistics (ECG) Welcome to a new and probably rather interesting year. We entered 2017 in Europe with a ...
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It may not be popular, but collaboration is still the only smart option
Despite the rise in populist protectionism so clearly underlined by the UK's recent vote to leave the EU and Donald Trump's surprising US election win, working together remains the only sensible way forwardSupply chain experts will spend 2017 dealing with the aftermath of the protectionist sentiments that helped propel the ...
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FeatureBrexit: Why a nod of recognition is not enough to calm the nerves
Insights from British prime minister Theresa May this week into how she sees the UK's exit from the European Union panning out have done little to address the main concerns of the automotive sectorYou might accuse the current British government of many things in its strategy for leaving the European ...
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FeatureSelf-driving vehicles will do more than just reinvent road transport
Autonomous vehicles will do much for road safety but their benefits will extend far beyond this, with particular gains for businesses managing fleets of mobile service engineers...Self-driving vehicles are becoming increasingly popular, with some 10m projected to be hitting the road by 2020, according to BI Intelligence. The most compelling ...
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FeatureBuilding momentum in the high and heavy sector
After years of decline, increased demand for mining equipment shows Australia’s raw materials producers are gearing up for growth Ari Marjamaa is vice-president, head of global market intelligence at Wallenius Wilhelmsen LogisticsThe spectacular bust that followed the boom in commodity markets for the better part of the 2000s placed a ...
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FeatureWhat to watch in 2017
The automotive supply chain could take several knocks in 2017 from rising protectionism and regulatory changes. Automotive Logistics consults its crystal ball to highlight some of the potential hotspots…North AmericaWhich way will Trump blow? There will be worries, especially in Mexico, about overhauls to Nafta or import rules, though it ...
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FeatureEmerging trends of a modern, agile supply chain
The automotive industry is evolving. The pressures experienced by suppliers are altering, to which manufacturing and supply chain strategies are having to adapt.We have seen intricate supply chain balancing come to the fore as carmakers aim to streamline operations; the result being fewer parts moving more quickly between a greater ...
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FeatureIndia’s logistics landscape is set for structural change
New rules designed to support transport safety and simplify taxation are helping to create new multimodal opportunities in the nationTwo separate regulatory changes are set to impact on logistics business for transport providers and their customers in India.The first – a change to the maximum length of road trailers – ...
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FeatureBrexit: Are you ready for the impact?
In light of the recent Brexit vote and looming technology advances, those in the UK’s automotive logistics sector would be well advised to take some bold decisions to prepare themselves for the future...Analysing trends and predicting change in the logistics industry has been relatively simple over the last few years ...
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FeatureWhy getting outbound logistics right can take a lot of time
Clearly, vehicle logistics is tactically important in the successful launch and sale of new models. OEMs need sufficient logistics services in place to meet campaign dates and, most importantly, get vehicles to end customers as promised.[in_this_story align="right" border="yes"]Launches tend to require a surge of trucks or rail wagons before deliveries ...
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Feature'Brexit' may mean 'Brexit' – but then again, it may not
After the shock result in the UK's referendum on membership of the European Union back in June, many questions still remain about the implications for the country's relationship with the EU...Automotive Logistics prides itself on global coverage beyond our base here in Britain, but lately we’ve had reason to look ...
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FeatureWWL ASA poised to shape the future of vehicle logistics
Having recently taken over as joint chief executive for WWL and Eukor Car Carriers following the company’s restructuring news, Craig Jasienski shares some of his thoughts on the ro-ro shipping market, his career so far and priorities ahead of the WWL ASA listing next yearThe car and ro-ro shipping markets ...
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FeatureLast Mile: Another brick in the wall?
We should celebrate the breaking down of barriers in trade and business, not encourage their construction through stubborn rhetoric and isolationist policy.We may be re-entering an age of wall-building, whether towering in barbed-wire reality, or constructed by barricading political language. Often, such physical and rhetorical enclosures go together, cemented by ...
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FeatureThe new industrial age – are you prepared?
The impact of automation on society in general and on industry in particular – especially the automotive and logistics sectors – is growing, suggests Dr Julian Francis (pictured)In Britain and all over the Western world, large numbers of people feel the system is no longer working for them. Globalisation has ...