All articles by Steve Garnsey – Page 18
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FeatureKuehne + Nagel builds in blockchain
Logistics provider Kuehne + Nagel is applying blockchain technology to upgrade its existing Verified Gross Mass (VGM) portal. VGM is the weight of cargo, including the dunnage, bracing and tare weight of the container.Since 2016, the IMO has enforced the regulation that requires the shipper to provide the weight of ...
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FeatureBridgestone buys ETB to extend British retail reach
Bridgestone has taken over UK tyre distributor ETB and will add 32 branches in the south of the UK to its distribution and service network. ETB (Exhaust Tyres Batteries) also trades under the name of Britannia Tyres.“The tyre sector is constantly evolving and, by partnering with ETB, we can ensure ...
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FeatureVolvo Trucks takes Swedish tyre trial
Volvo Trucks is testing a tyre management service in Sweden in a move which it says will help it take care of potential malfunctions before they become serious.The pilot scheme, at this stage for selected customers in Europe, provides advanced monitoring of tyre pressure and temperature in real time. The ...
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FeatureSmart logistics behind Mercedes-Benz US van plant
Production of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van range has now begun at an expanded assembly plant in North Charleston, South Carolina, after a two-year construction period.Plans for the $500m Sprinter-focused expansion to the North Charleston site date back to March 2015. The investment there has included a body shop, paint shop ...
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FeatureTrump rejects tariff offer in trans-Atlantic car trade
Donald Trump has rejected an EU offer to eliminate tariffs on cars, saying the proposal is not good enough.Trump said that ending duties on US car imports into the EU would do little to help the automotive industry in the US because Europeans would still not buy American-made cars. “Their ...
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FeatureGearbox shortage halts Peugeot assembly
Production of the Peugeot 308 was halted for a second day at the French carmaker's Sochaux plant in eastern France last week due to a shortage of gearboxes.Taking potential orders into account, the best solution was to temporarily halt the compact car’s assembly at the plant, a company spokesperson said.[mpu_ad]Though ...
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FeatureNVD adopts Inform system for moves in Ireland
National Vehicle Distribution (NVD) is using a system developed by German IT specialist Inform to manage finished vehicle distribution and yard management in Ireland.The SynchroTess system can track the approximately 400,000 vehicles NVD handles every year through each stage of storage, preparation and delivery.Michael Howlin, head of IT at the ...
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FeatureHarring becomes Bridgestone’s logistics chief in EMEA
Ulf Harring (pictured) has joined global tyre maker Bridgestone as chief operating officer (COO) for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).He will be responsible for logistics, supply chain management and procurement, along with manufacturing, quality, IT, environment, and health and safety matters. He took up his new role on ...
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FeatureV8 engine production restarted at Scania
Swedish truckmaker Scania is trying to reduce the order backlog for trucks, and industrial and marine V8 engines, because of a strike at an unnamed supplier of cast engine components, which began on June 14 and is reportedly continuing. However, last week the supplier started to produce engine blocks for ...
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FeatureDana McBrien takes lead role at AutoSphere
Dana McBrien (pictured) has moved from his role as associate chief advisor at Honda North America to become ‘guiding architect’ for AutoSphere, a digital supply chain system (previously referred to as the Automotive Supply Chain Data Ecosystem) developed by US information technology and packaging specialist, Surgere.McBrien worked for Honda for ...
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FeatureChanging Chinese market boost for Sorl
The growing number of OEM warranties expiring in China from earlier new vehicle sales is proving to be a boon for auto parts maker Sorl.The need for replacements helped generate higher aftermarket sales for the company, which is based in Zhejiang province, eastern China.Sales revenue from the domestic aftermarket went ...
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FeatureHella starts to reorganise its business
German components supplier Hella has embarked on a company-wide reorganisation to take advantage of growth opportunities in a European aftermarket sector undergoing extensive changes.“On the one hand, we see an increasing consolidation within the wholesale business in Europe, which has given rise to increasingly bigger market players,” group spokesman Markus ...
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FeatureContinental buys Australian tyre network
German tyre manufacturer Continental is purchasing the 258-branch Kmart Tyre and Auto Service chain (KTAS) from Australian conglomerate Wesfarmers for 350m Australian dollars ($253m).Continental plans to drive forward what is already a strong network of outlets and expand the existing product portfolio, said Ferdinand Hoyos, head of Continental’s passenger and ...
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FeatureUS Auto Parts Network counts cost of imports seizure
US Auto Parts Network has stopped importing automotive grilles after the country’s customs service held a shipment, which was allegedly counterfeit and infringed the original automobile manufacturers’ trademarks.The online seller of aftermarket automotive parts and accessories says it is now procuring grilles from alternative sources to avoid future supply chain ...
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FeatureSeat debuts duo trailer
Spanish OEM Seat and transport provider Grupo Sesé have begun to pilot a double trailer truck combination to see if it can reduce the cost of delivering inbound components by a quarter.The double trailer approach could help reduce the number of large trucks on the road by 50%, which implies ...
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FeatureHella disposes of two operations
German automotive components and services firm Hella Group is selling its wholesale companies in Denmark and Poland to Swedish aftermarket company Mekonomen to concentrate its activities on the independent spare parts business and develop workshop equipment.“As part of this, we are accelerating the interaction between the divisions and opening up ...
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FeatureNissan opens up new production Frontier
Japanese OEM Nissan has started manufacturing the Frontier pick-up truck in Argentina – the fifth country to make the vehicle. Known as the Nissan Navara elsewhere in the world, the vehicle is already produced in Mexico, Spain, China and Thailand.The company has opted to produce the truck in Alliance partner ...
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FeatureCaterpillar highlights rising costs
Supply chain expenses, materials prices and tariffs all conspired to raise costs for US heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar in the second quarter of this year, the company has reported.Despite revealing that net profits more than doubled in the period to $1.71 billion from $802m a year ago while turnover rose ...
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FeatureBAIC opens compact SUV plant in South Africa
Chinese vehicle-maker BAIC has officially opened its 11 billion rand ($834m) assembly plant in South Africa, which will start making the X25 compact SUV from imported semi-knockdown (SKD) kits in the fourth quarter of this year. BAIC has been exporting the vehicle to South Africa from China since 2017.The plant, ...
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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 ...