VW California unit to aid growth of electric vehicles
Volkswagen Group Test Center California has finished an expansion project where the facility will have an enhanced focus on electric vehicle range testing and analysis.
The site, which will be called the Oxnard Engineering Campus, supports Volkswagen Group brands and also works on power train engineering services that support product development, and governmental compliance and emissions testing.
“The next few years are going to be transformative for the Volkswagen Group as we are introducing our first long-range battery electric vehicles,” said Johan de Nysschen, chief operating officer for Volkswagen Group of America. “The campus has been completely upgraded to further support the successful development, design and testing of products that will be sold in this market.”
Now covering nine acres, the campus footprint has grown from 65,000 square feet to 150,000 square feet, according to the automaker.
VW is building an $800 million expansion at its Chattanooga assembly plant where it will produce a new electric SUV by 2022.
Georgia inland port triples shipments
Despite COVID-19 disruptions, total tons crossing all Georgia Port Authority docks reached a record 37.77 million in the fiscal quarter ended June 30, up 0.6 percent, or 223,000 tons, compared to the previous year. Container tons grew 2% to reach 33.5 million tons for the year, another record.
“Cargo volume reductions related to COVID-19 were offset by the strength of our export markets and record volumes earlier in the year,” said Griff Lynch, GPA’s executive director.
Even during challenging times, port activity coupled with ongoing expansion projects such as the harbor deepening and Mason Mega Rail have quickened the pace of commercial infrastructure investment. According to the latest report from Colliers International, 5 million square feet of industrial space are currently under construction in the Savannah market.
“What sets Savannah apart from the competition is the sheer capacity of the port’s ever-expanding footprint, on and off the terminal,” said Will McKnight, chairman of the Georgia Port Authority, which operates the third largest port in America
In Northwest Georgia, the Appalachian Regional Port (ARP) handled more than three and a half times the cargo it did the year before, moving 27,132 containers, up 19,610 boxes.
“The inland port is a real success story for GPA, and we forecast business there to continue growing,” Lynch said.
Pessina steps down as Walgreens CEO
Walgreens’ Stefano Pessina will step down as CEO and become executive chairman once the drugstore chain finds a replacement for him.
The current executive chairman, former McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner, will remain on the board after Pessina takes over.
The company announced no time frame Monday in finding a successor to the 79-year-old Pessina.
Pessina told Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. board members in a letter dated July 23 that he has thought about stepping down “for some time, but for the reasons the Board knows, the time was not right to do so.”
In the letter, he said he thought now was the right time to find a successor. Pessina still has a stake of more than 16% in Walgreens, according to FactSet.
The change in leadership comes a couple weeks after Walgreens announced a huge quarterly loss and a major business pivot. Walgreens posted a $1.7 billion loss in the quarter that ended May 31 with millions of people sheltering at home due to the rapidly spreading COVID-19 pandemic.
Delta and Lysol join in disinfection effort
Delta Air Lines is striking a partnership with the maker of Lysol as it works on further improving how it disinfects airplanes and airport areas amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Microbiologists from Lysol will work with Delta’s new global cleanliness division to develop new protocols for areas such as lavatories, the Atlanta-based airline said Monday. Lysol, owned by Reckitt Benckiser, or RB, also will provide disinfectant spray and wipes.
United Airlines, one of Delta’s main rivals, said in May it was teaming up with another big cleaning products brand, Clorox. The partnership calls for United to use The Clorox Co.’s namesake products in airport gate and terminal areas, and improve disinfection procedures and amenities for customers.
The moves come as U.S. airlines try to convince travelers it’s safe to fly again even as coronavirus cases rise across much of the country. Air traffic had begun rebounding in recent months but is still down more than 70 percent, triggering huge financial losses.
Delta and Lysol will also work on disinfection procedures at departure gates and in Sky Clubs, and Delta will deploy “care carts” with EPA-approved Lysol disinfection products.