Logistics and the globalization of the automotive supply chain: A case study on the Parts Consolidation Centres in the Seine Valley Corridor

Résumé En

During the past decades, the geography of the automotive industry has changed considerably. Today (2021) almost half of the production and sales take place in emerging economies compared to about 10% in 2000. Supply chains have been transformed to follow manufacturers towards the emerging economies. While most parts are sourced locally, non-negligible amounts are conveyed in containers from suppliers' plants in the advanced economies. To save transport costs and to ensure the reliability of these pipelines, car manufacturers rely on Parts Consolidation Centres (PCCs), i.e., cross-docking facilities where parts are sorted and packed in containers depending on their final destinations. Through an in-depth case study on the Seine Valley Corridor, this chapter unveils the logistics operations realized at PCCs, creating opportunities for upgrading through innovation and new technologies such as Hybrid and Electric vehicles, but simultaneously underlines the continued prevalence of low value-added logistics operations and the overall instability of demand.