Automotive

Ford Drives Closer to Landfill-Free Status

February 12, 2016

Ford Motor Company North American World Headquarters facilities now send no waste to landfill – another major step in the automaker's quest to reduce its environmental impact globally. Sites in Dearborn, Michigan, Oakville, Ontario, and Santa Fe, Mexico, are diverting more than 240,000 pounds of waste from landfills annually.

Consumer-Generated Content Gives Turtle Wax Website New Shine

February 10, 2016

MultiChannel Merchant

Turtle Wax drove 1.3 million page views with its content when it added consumer-generated content to its website. The goal for Turtle Wax was to transform a static website into a dynamic place where showcasing its products was a priority.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics Takes Over South African Venture

February 9, 2016

Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics

Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL), a global provider of roll-on/roll-off shipping and vehicle logistics services, has entered into an agreement with its partner company Groupe CAT to acquire the latter's 50-percent share in CAT-WWL, a joint venture of 10 vehicle-processing facilities based in South Africa.

Innovative Solution Resolves Sticky Situation in Headliner Sub-assembly Process

February 5, 2016

Challenge: Our company faced a quality issue originating during our sub-assembly of headliners for a major customer, a Fortune 100 automotive OEM. Strands of the glue used to affix wiring harnesses and other parts to headliners’ C-surfaces were ending up on their A-surfaces as well and were not detected in the QA process. The problem was discovered after finished headliners were installed on vehicles. We needed to make detection easier and meet production cycle times and quality standards.

Accenture Launches Digital Portal for Product Developers

February 4, 2016

Accenture

Accenture has launched a digital portal to support efforts by product developers and engineers to speed up delivery of products to market, while improving efficiencies.

Nexteer Automotive Enhances China Trade Management Capability

January 27, 2016

Amber Road

Nexteer Automotive, a multibillion-dollar global manufacturer of advanced steering and driveline products, has expanded its ability to meet China's trade regulations with Amber Road's China Trade Management solution.

Four Technology-Driven Trends Could Upend Automotive Supply Chain

January 22, 2016

McKinsey

Today's economies are dramatically changing, triggered by development in emerging markets, the accelerated rise of new technologies, sustainability policies, and changing consumer preferences around ownership. Digitization, increasing automation, and new business models have revolutionized other industries, and automotive will be no exception. These forces are giving rise to four disruptive technology-driven trends in the automotive sector: diverse mobility, autonomous driving, electrification, and connectivity.

In Wake of Difficult Year, Construction Equipment Market Could See Almost 4 Percent Growth in 2016

January 22, 2016

Off-Highway Research

Global sales of construction equipment are forecast to grow 3.9 percent in unit terms in 2016, to 760,508 machines, according to economic forecasting and market research consultant, Off-Highway Research.

European Auto Sales This Year Expected to Slow After Robust Activity in 2015

January 19, 2016

IHS Automotive

As 2015 came to a close, the results show that the European market has performed above expectations, according to Carlos Da Silva, manager for IHS Automotive's European light-vehicle sales forecast. The main reasons for this dynamism include economic improvement, better macro conditions, and a natural catch-up process after the longest sales downturn Europe has ever suffered. In addition, there has been a fair share of artificial support from government stimulus packages, OEM incentives and the use of tactical sales.

Sub-Par Growth in Global Auto Sales in 2015 Should Give Way to Slight Improvement in 2016

January 12, 2016

IHS Automotive

Last year was a good one in the mature car markets, though it was largely offset by a very poor showing for many of the world’s emerging markets. The net result is estimated to be a sub-par 1.5 percent growth in global auto sales – the slowest pace of growth since 2010 – once all numbers are reported and analyzed. However, sales forecasts from IHS Automotive -- part of IHS Inc. and a source of critical information and insight to the global automotive industry -- the outlook for 2016 is likely to be defined by smaller gains, but also less pain than 2015.