Tag Archives: automobiles

Rising US steel prices, global demand trends and supply chain impact

Posted on December 27, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (Dec 24, 2011) describes a 25 % rise in steel prices due to increased US demand from automakers and steel pipe demand for natural gas extraction. But as demand in China decreases, and … Continue reading →

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How many domestic automakers does China need ?

Posted on December 23, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (Dec 19, 2011) describes China’s auto sector has having 70 automakers with 55 of them accounting for 11 % of sales.  Foreign automakers account for 58% of sales.  The Chinese government plans to further concentrate the … Continue reading →

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Toyota’s Supply Chain and Currency and Global Risk Impact

Posted on December 9, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (Dec 9, 2011) describes Toyota’s announcement of a 54 % profit drop due to the appreciation of the yen and the floods in Thailand. The strong yen affects Toyota more than other automakers … Continue reading →

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US Battery companies “shocked” by low demands and high costs ?

Posted on December 8, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (Dec 5, 2011) describes the plight of US battery companies, funded by over $ 2.4 billion in Federal grants, but struggling to win contracts from automakers. In the case of Ener1, low sales … Continue reading →

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US auto jobs growth and supply chain impact

Posted on November 7, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in bloombergbusinessweek (Nov 7,2011) describes growing employment in the us auto industry, projected to be 88,000 by 2015. The reasons – a 10 % sales increase this year, production to rebuild inventory lost due to the earthquake in … Continue reading →

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Fiat’s Italian auto productivity vs Poland’s auto workers

Posted on November 6, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Bloombergbusinessweek article (Oct 31-Nov 6,2011, pg 30) describes Fiat’s Italian workers producing 30 cars per year per worker, earning 3 times their Polish counterparts and operating at 33 % of capacity. In contrast, Polish workers produce 100 cars per … Continue reading →

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Now Thai floods and Japanese auto supply chain impact

Posted on October 29, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (Oct 29, 2011) describes the impact of flooding in Thailand, which has resulted in two Sony plants deluged, Toyota suppliers impacted, a Honda plant impacted for six months etc. Given the disruption caused by the … Continue reading →

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The Details in Free Trade Agreements with South Korea

Posted on October 25, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in BloombergBusinessweek (Oct24-20, 2011, page 30/31) describes details in the free trade agreement with South Korea that define a US made product. For instant hot chocolate, a US made definition requires at least 65 % of the sugar … Continue reading →

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Toyota retools in Japan, plans for a weaker yen

Posted on October 8, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (Oct 7, 2011) describes efforts by Toyota to retool, reduce production batch size and plan to be competitive when the yen gets weaker. This strategy is counter to efforts by other automakers to move production … Continue reading →

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Indian manufacturer exporting Jaguars from Britain to Asia

Posted on October 1, 2011 by aviyer2010

The Economist (Sept 24, 2011) describes the Halewood plant (near Liverpool) , part of the Jaguar Land Rover plant owned by Tata Motors. Addition of the Land Rover to the plant has increased its manufacturing capacity and associated employment.  But … Continue reading →

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