The problems hitting the commercial vehicle sector will be the topic of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ second online conference to be staged this week.
Friday’s event will be held against the background of a slump in van and truck sales, the collapse of LDV and doubts about the future of Vauxhall’s van plant at Luton.
The SMMT said that while the new car market has been boosted by the government scrappage scheme, the economic downturn is still having a major impact on the CV market, with the figures for July showing a 37 per cent drop in registrations of vans and trucks.
The UK is home to eight commercial vehicle manufacturers which produce over 200,000 vehicles each year, adding significant value to the manufacturing sector of the economy.
During the conference, SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt will discuss the key issues and give an update on the latest industry initiatives.
Professor Alan McKinnon, director of the Logistics Research Centre at Heriot-Watt University, will summarise the results of a survey of 100 UK logistics specialists.
Funded by the Green Logistics research project, the survey examined likely future trends in freight demand, vehicle utilisation, energy efficiency and emissions.
The SMMT says the web conference will be an opportunity to hear the latest information on the UK commercial vehicle market. The session is expected to last for 30 minutes, followed by a question and answer session on all aspects of the sector.
The series of online conferences is designed to ensure UK automotive companies are informed of the latest issues, have up-to-date market intelligence and are aware of opportunities as they emerge.
