Managing the Recovery

As we work to 'manage the recovery', we need to pay very close attention to the rate of recovery. All suppliers have recalibrated their operational cost models to support lower production volumes. A 'bounce' (rapid volume increase) will be as painful for us as was the precipitous volume decrease we are struggling to overcome. On a going forward basis, the ability to deliver the right product mix...to the right place...at the right time, will have a significant impact on the bottom-line performance and customer satisfaction. Cooperation in the logistics arena will be the key to our success.

Manufacturers and service providers, are reappraising how they do business. Communication, collaboration and efficiency have become the most important words in the logistician’s lexicon. These and other burning issues feature prominently on the autoMOTIVE Logistics Leaders Congress programme. Senior figures from OEMs, Tier Suppliers and LSPs will discuss best practice and the need to strive for ever-greater synergies.

The global automotive logistics market – inbound and outbound - is worth over $100 billion a year in times of prosperity. We should remember that those days will return. It is the timeframe which is uncertain. Meanwhile, the task facing all of us is to prepare ourselves for better times to come.