All articles by aladmin – Page 109
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ArticleChanging China
Simon Duval Smith investigates how Chinese OEMs are dealing with booming sales, rising labour costs, working in joint ventures and manufacturing abroad.China is a remarkable vehicle making country; subject to dramatic fluctuations in demand and production, driven by the sheer size of the market and the quixotic buying behaviour of ...
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ArticleHeavy work, made light
The diversity of off-highway vehicle manufacturing makes for complex production logistics, reports Sharon ClancyThe introduction of EU Stage IIIB and US (EPA) Tier 4 emissions legislations in 2011 led to the introduction of more sophisticated powertrain systems. As is the case with many commercial vehicle manufacturing operations, to achieve the ...
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ArticleNo truck with waste
Sharon Clancy talks to two European truck OEMs about their manufacturing operationsLike most truck manufacturers, Scania has global standards not just for most components and parts but also for working methods and quality, and environmental standards at all its plants. Likewise, Leyland Trucks, in the UK, is part of US-based ...
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ArticleGrowing bus and coach production with the population
Demand for clean air and higher passenger numbers are driving growth in the bus and coach sectorGlobal bus and coach manufacturing is in a growth cycle, driven by economic growth in the BRIC nations. In countries such as China and India, car-ownership is low, so demand for public transport is ...
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ArticleHeavy pressure to restructure
Sharon Clancy looks at how manufacturers of heavyweight vehicles are restructuring their operations in the wake of economic downturns and greater legislative pressureThe 2008 economic crisis decimated global sales of commercial vehicles, particularly in Europe and Latin America. Asia and North America started to recover in 2011 but only in ...
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ArticleBlue thinking in paintshop and power generation
Intelligent automationSunshine-powered sustainability"Think Blue” is the name of Volkswagen’s sustainability program, alluding to its aim is to increase fuel efficiency in each new vehicle generation by 10 to 15%, and that its aspirations to be ‘green’ will go beyond green to blue. The carmaker is matching its green vehicle development ...
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ArticleA Formula One finish for the road
Ron Dennis and the birth of the chrome racecarProduction paint for road supercarsClean and open paintshop designPartnering for optimum colour consistencyAdvanced booth design and low bake ovensChrome paint on road carsAkzoNobel won the contract to supply paint for McLaren road cars partly through its experience with the chrome finish on ...
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ArticlePaint trends - balancing appearance and sustainability
More eco-friendly pre-treatmentMaterial and application advantagesEnergy efficient dryingUV-tech – the forgotten magic?Customisation and coatingWhether it is the auto body, the interior or the optimisation of the qualitative properties of the paint, coating is one of the challenges faced by the automotive industry and its suppliers. On the one hand, this ...
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ArticleGreat and global
Simon Duval Smith interviews Hu Shujie, Great Wall Motor’s vice-president of manufacturing about transplant strategies and machinery choicesGreat Wall Motor (GWM), one of China’s leading privately-owned domestic carmakers, is most likely to continue to grow despite a slight downturn in demand that started in 2012. GWM showed great agility in ...
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Article
Rhim is the president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Europe
Korea – Byung Kwon Rhim has been appointed president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Europe.Mr Rhim previously held the role of president at Hyundai Motor Russia and replaces Tak Uk Im, who is moving to the company’s global headquarters in Korea to become Head of International Operations Division.www.hyundai.com
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Duncan Aldred named Opel/Vauxhall sales vice-president
Germany – Duncan Aldred, 43, has been named acting Opel/ Vauxhall vice-president, Sales, Marketing and Aftersales in addition to his current position, effective immediately.This follows the resignation of Alfred E. Rieck (56), a member of the Opel Management Board responsible for sales, marketing and aftersales.www.opel.com
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Ken Ramirez takes Renault UK director's post
UK – Renault UK has announced the appointment of Ken Ramirez as managing director, succeeding Thierry Sybord who takes up a new role in Europe.Ramirez joins Renault UK from Alliance partner Nissan, where he was managing director of Nissan Latin America and the Caribbean.www.press.renault.co.uk
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GM appoints Jim Glynn as vice-president
USA – General Motors has appointed Jim Glynn as GM North America Labor Relations vice-president.Most recently Glynn was GM North America Manufacturing manager, leading operations at 10 vehicle assembly, powertrain, metal stamping and battery assembly plants.He succeeds Cathy Clegg, who is now Global Manufacturing Engineering vice-president.www.ford.com
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White leads Volkswagen Group Australia
Germany – John P. White, 57, will lead Volkswagen Group Australia as managing director Volkswagen Group and brand director Volkswagen Passenger Cars, effective April 1, 2013.White’s successor as managing director Volkswagen Group Canada and brand director Volkswagen Canada is Maria Stenström, 54, currently Head of VW Passenger Cars sales in ...
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ArticleHandling with care
Robots, handling systems and windscreens are superficially the same as they always were, but automotive glass installation today is a very different to even a decade ago.With auto manufacturers controlling manufacturing processes more closely in order to eliminate gaps as much as possible, glass manufacturers too have had to develop ...
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ArticleClear improvements
Malcolm Wheatley discovers that even after more than a century of development, the automotive glassmaking industry is still developing innovative technologiesDevelopments such as water-repellent and heat-reflective glass, in-built sensors, ‘headup displays’, and ultra-violet light-reflective glass are now regularly incorporated into windscreens installed during vehicle assembly. Still the first choiceInnovations for ...
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ArticleSheets ahead
Malcolm Wheatley reports on how advanced production processes have enabled automotive glass to be augmented with added-value technologiesFor the most part, glass alone does not provide the capabilities that a driver most values in a vehicle’s glass components. Instead, from road noise reduction to heat-reflective capabilities, and from built-in antennae ...
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ArticleAt the heart of glass
Strong and cost-effective, developments in glass continue to enhance both production processes and vehicle applicationsIt would be a mistake to think that the business of automotive glass was without innovation. While glassmaking itself hasn’t changed much since the development of float-glass production in the late 1950s, a complex range of ...
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WebinarNew trends in the process chain hot forming
Modern automobiles have to satisfy the latest crash test standards. One way to achieve this is using high tensile strength steels in the passenger compartment. Laser technology is used throughout the press hardening process, due to its versatility in multiple applications.One of the new trends in hot forming is the ...
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Stutelberg joins PPG as vice president
USA – PPG Industries has announced that James Stutelberg has joined the company as vice president, automotive OEM coatings.Now based at the Troy, MI global headquarters of PPG’s automotive OEM coatings business, Stutelberg joins PPG from Dow Corning, where he was most recently vice president, global marketing and sales, with ...