All Rail articles – Page 21
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FeatureFinalists for Automotive Logistics Awards – Europe 2018 revealed
The shortlist of finalists for the inaugural Automotive Logistics Awards – Europe has been revealed, with 73 entries competing in 14 different categories. The shortlist forms a cross-section of the industry’s leading carmakers, suppliers and logistics providers (see the full list of finalists here).The finalists were chosen from a large ...
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FeatureBMW Brilliance opens VDC at Ningbo
BMW’s joint venture with Brilliance Automobile in China, BMW Brilliance Automobile (BBA), has opened a vehicle distribution centre (VDC) at the Meishin (Meixi) ro-ro terminal in Ningbo-Zhoushan port, the world’s busiest port in terms of cargo tonnage.The facility, which BBA refers to as a decentralised distribution area (DDA), is being ...
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FeatureVolvo Cars: Outbound evolutions
The vehicle yard at Torslanda, at Volvo Cars’ global headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, is just one part of the OEM’s growing global logistics operations, but it is a good place to glimpse some important changes and innovations. For example, the global shape of the Geely-owned carmaker’s expanding production footprint ...
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FeatureVolvo Cars: Leaning towards greater stability
Since Geely Holdings acquired it from Ford Motor Company in 2010, Volvo Cars has been reinventing itself, from product development through to its industrial base and supply chain. Today, with a refreshed model line-up and amidst several new launches, sales have grown to record levels, with further expansion still to ...
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FeaturePSA Group to sell remaining stake in Gefco
French carmaker PSA Group, which owns Peugeot, Citroën and Opel/Vauxhall, has said it will sell its remaining 25% stake in Gefco, its former logistics subsidiary.The carmaker said in a statement that “Gefco’s operational performance and the diversification of its client portfolio no longer [make] it necessary for [PSA Group] to ...
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FeatureDB Cargo sets up rail service for German deliveries to Barcelona port
DB Cargo is running a rail service for finished vehicle transport between Germany and the Spanish port of Barcelona. The weekly service, for a prominent German carmaker (unconfirmed but thought to be Mercedes-Benz), is the only such link between the two countries and is organised in conjunction with the Spanish ...
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FeatureNavigating an uncertain future
The finished vehicle logistics sector needs to find better ways to communicate and collaborate to meet the challenges of an uncertain future, delegates at this year’s finished vehicle logistics north america conference in California were told in March. Marcus Williams reports The finished vehicle logistics industry may be facing a ...
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FeatureBMW Spartanburg remains top US car exporter
BMW’s Spartanburg vehicle assembly plant in South Carolina remained the largest US automotive exporter by value last year, even though production there decreased.The factory turned out more than 371,280 cars during the year, 9.7% fewer than in 2016 because the X5/X6 assembly hall was shut down for four weeks during ...
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FeatureAMIA calls for government help with blockades
The Mexican Association of the Automotive Industry (AMIA) has called for the government to intervene after a series of blockades that has left vehicle manufacturers in the country struggling for supplies and halted the movement of some finished vehicles.The blockades, which started in late January, have been carried out by ...
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FeatureGefco reveals latest developments in regional strategy
Gefco has revealed a number of recent business developments at a meeting held in Paris this week to launch its new corporate direction, brand identity and the further development of its commercial activity. They include the purchase of rail and compound assets in Russia to support exports to neighbouring countries; ...
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FeatureMexico conference: Uncertainty well-balanced with optimism
While a degree of uncertainty over the future of free trade between Mexico and its Nafta neighbours to the north once again hung over discussions at this year’s Automotive Logistics Mexico conference, it was more than matched by confidence in the future of the automotive sector. That confidence is being ...
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FeaturePort users bemoan slow progress at Veracruz
Carmakers and logistics providers have expressed frustration over the slow pace of expansion at the congested Mexican port of Veracruz.The port is working to install new infrastructure to support growing automotive volumes, which reached 1.03m units last year (up 13.5% on 2016).The project includes a completely new landside and berth ...
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FeatureAuto sector urges caution in Nafta negotiations
As the sixth round of talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) got underway in Montreal, Canada, this week, a number of OEMs and advocacy groups with links to the automotive industry have urged politicians to proceed with caution.Carmakers have begun to hedge their bets as negotiations ...
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FeatureCBI Manufacturing makes first convertible trailer under contract with CTM
Canadian commercial and agricultural equipment maker, CBI Manufacturing, has produced its first convertible finished vehicle trailer, following an agreement signed in May last year with Convertible Trailer Manufacturing Worldwide (CTM).Following several months of development, the companies began trials in November of the prototype 53-foot NA Hi-Mount Convertible Trailer, which is ...
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FeatureSeat: Delivering improvement
After reinventing much of its vehicle logistics following a severe reduction in output in the wake of the financial crisis, Volkswagen Group’s Spain-based Seat has since seen strong growth in production, exports and sales. That has put even more pressure on space and capacity at its main assembly location in ...
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FeatureAudi’s logistics part 2: Pursuing practical progression
There is little question that finished vehicle logistics has been among the least automated segments of the overall automotive production and supply chain process. From loading and unloading vehicles to and from trucks, ships and rail wagons to inspection and parking, as well as scanning vehicles into inventory and tracking systems, outbound logistics has remained, by and large, a manual, labour-intensive operation
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FeatureRenault Nissan Automotive India part 2: Ensuring all brands are ready to go
Renault Nissan Automotive India, the joint venture division of the Renault Nissan Alliance that oversees production and distribution activities in the country, was established with a number of logistics advantages in mind. Its plant in Oragadam, close to the southern city of Chennai, is a manufacturing hub located within a ...
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FeatureA stormy year of negotiations, electric plans and cyber-attacks
As the year draws to close, major uncertainty regarding both Nafta and Brexit remains, as well a lack of clarity on what any changes could mean for the global automotive sector and the logistics industry that supports it.During the past 12 months, OEMs have made major strides towards an electric ...
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FeatureCSX head Hunter Harrison dies after illness
E Hunter Harrison (pictured), president and CEO of North America railroad company CSX, has passed away at the age of 73, following “unexpectedly severe complications” from a recent illness, according to a statement from the company. Harrison was placed on medical leave on Thursday December 14th but died on the ...
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FeatureThe building blocks of demand
China and Europe are far apart, not just in terms of distance, but also culturally, economically and politically. Yet they occupy the same Eurasian land mass and trade between the two regions has been growing strongly. That includes automotive freight, with parts and vehicles moving in greater numbers in both ...