All articles by Steve Garnsey – Page 14
-
FeatureGefco launches mission control for urgent deliveries
Automotive transport and logistics provider Gefco has set up a dedicated mission control centre in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, to manage emergency shipments worldwide within its freight forwarding business line.The French company claims the 24-hour service has already proved a success, after organising a charter flight, obtaining the necessary permits ...
-
FeatureAuto sector wins out in EU-Japan trade deal
The automotive industry has secured special terms in the EU-Japan free trade agreement (FTA) that came into effect on February 1.To address specific sensitivities in the 28-member trading bloc, the EU said motor vehicle tariffs would be lowered in stages during a seven-year transition period, before being eliminated. The EU-Japan ...
-
FeatureBridgestone to buy TomTom Telematics
Tyre manufacturer Bridgestone Europe has agreed to buy TomTom’s telematics business for €910m ($1.03 billion).Subject to closing conditions being met, Bridgestone says the transaction will bolster its goal of becoming a mobility solutions leader in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, a strategic priority for the Japanese-owned group.Data ...
-
FeatureToyota and Panasonic form battery JV
Toyota and battery producer Panasonic have agreed to establish a joint venture (JV) to develop prismatic (soft pack) batteries, with a view to sell them to OEMs through Panasonic. Toyota Motor president Akio Toyoda (left) and Panasonic president Kazuhiro Tsuga The lightweight batteries are seen to offer weight, ...
-
FeatureMercedes-Benz to produce batteries in Poland
Markus Schäfer (left), Mercedes-Benz Cars divisional board member with responsibility for production and supply chain, with Polish prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki Mercedes-Benz Cars is to build a lithium-ion battery factory in Jawor, Poland, at the same site where the German OEM is building its new engine plant. ...
-
FeatureVW sets up new components division to drive efficiency
Volkswagen has established a new division – Volkswagen Group Components – tasked with reducing costs by €2 billion ($2.27 billion) while improving efficiency and taking on board the increasing importance of electric vehicles. Thomas Schmall (right), chairman of VW’s new Group Components division, with Stefan Sommer, VW Group board member ...
-
FeatureSubaru resumes production at Gunma after shutdown
Subaru has restarted vehicle production at its Gunma assembly plant in Japan after a prolonged shutdown due to a possible defect in an electric power steering unit.The company, which ceased all production and distribution at the plant on January 16, also suspended new registrations of potentially affected vehicles for the ...
-
FeatureBMW to raise stake in Chinese joint venture
Shareholders of Brilliance China Automotive Holdings (CBA) have approved the sale of a 25% stake in BMW Brilliance Automotive (BBA) to joint venture (JV) partner BMW.The German carmaker said it intended to increase its stake in BBA to 75% from 50% last year. CBA agreed to the change, with the ...
-
FeatureGenuine Parts acquires Hennig Fahrzeugteile
US-based automotive parts distributor the Genuine Parts Company has acquired German parts supplier the Hennig Fahrzeugteile Group.The transaction was conducted through Genuine Parts’ wholly-owned subsidiary the Alliance Automotive Group, based in London.Hennig Fahrzeugteile, which has its headquarters in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, has 31 branches across Germany and serves more than ...
-
FeatureMercedes-Benz plans production in Egypt
Mercedes-Benz Cars is planning to build a car plant in Egypt with an as-yet-unnamed local business partner. Markus Schäfer, member of the divisional board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, production and supply chain (left) with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi“Egypt is an attractive and competitive location for production and supporting logistics,” ...
-
FeatureDSV makes an offer for Panalpina
DSV has confirmed it has made an indicative and private proposal to acquire fellow international transport and logistics provider, Panalpina. The Danish logistics giant is bidding just over $4 billion for Panalpina.The move was confirmed by the Danish company after Swiss-based Panalpina revealed its directors had received an unsolicited proposal ...
-
FeatureACEA warns of EU steel import tariffs
European Union (EU) measures to protect the steel industry “pose a real risk” to the competitiveness of the region’s car sector, according to Erik Jonnaert, secretary-general of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).A total of 26 categories of steel from all countries will be limited to a quota, based on ...
-
FeatureNissan marks millionth export from Thailand
Nissan has marked its millionth vehicle export from Thailand, 20 years after exports first began from the South-East Asian country. The millionth vehicle exported was a Terra premium SUV. Foreign sales by the OEM from Thailand began with a Frontier sent to Australia in 1999. Since then, Nissan’s Thai assembly ...
-
FeatureGerman automotive body warns on US trade tensions
German sector association the VDA has warned that ongoing trade tensions between the US and Europe and, separately, the US and China should not be allowed to derail the mutually beneficial relationship its OEMs currently have with the North American country. The warning coincides with news that VW and Ford ...
-
FeatureBMW Regensburg named as ‘manufacturing lighthouse’
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has named BMW’s Regensburg car assembly plant as a “manufacturing lighthouse” of the so-called fourth industrial revolution, thanks to the factory’s innovations in logistics.The plant, in south-eastern Germany, is one of just seven worldwide awarded the honour this year for successful implementation of industry 4.0 ...
-
FeatureScania trials first CNG truck in Lithuania
Truck and engine manufacturer Scania has started trialling the use of trucks fuelled by compressed natural gas (CNG) in Lithuania.The Swedish company has partnered with Lithuanian logistics provider Vlantana and natural gas developer SG Dujos.Potential advantages for Vlantana following the successful adoption of CNG-fuelled lorries, include being able to drive ...
-
FeatureToyota entrusts US vehicle handling to Corman
Japanese carmaker Toyota has chosen RJ Corman Switching Company as the automotive loading provider at four of its locations in the US.Building on an existing contract which covers switching, preparing and loading railway wagons and providing track maintenance, Corman will now handle all new vehicles produced by Toyota in the ...
-
FeatureBysouth becomes logistics chief at IAC
Kelly Bysouth (pictured) has joined International Automotive Components (IAC) as chief supply chain officer, with global responsibility and operational control of procurement and logistics.She brings 25 years of related experience to the company, which is based in Luxembourg.[mpu_ad]Bysouth moves from Adient, where she held a variety of leadership positions in ...
-
FeatureHonda to halt UK production during Brexit
Japanese OEM Honda is to suspend production at its British plant for six days in April after the UK leaves the European Union on March 29.The decision follows an assessment of how best to prepare for any logistics and border problems following Brexit.“These contingency provisions have been put in place ...
-
FeatureBergé Gefco JV in Spain gets the go-ahead
Logistics providers Bergé and Gefco have gained regulatory approval for the merger of their finished vehicle operations in Spain into a 50:50 joint venture called Bergé Gefco, based in Madrid.Creation of the new company, which will handle new and second-hand vehicles, took place days after the European Commission approved the ...