All articles by aladmin – Page 42
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ArticleSolihull produces 6 millionth Land Rover
UK – The Range Rover LWB Vogue SE was completed on April 2 at the company’s West Midlands plant, marking the 45th anniversary of Range Rover production. The landmark vehicle is destined for export to China, a growing market for the brand.Solihull has been producing Land Rover SUVs since 1948 ...
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Article2016 MX-5 Miata now made for North America
US – The model is available at three trim levels – Sport, Club and Grand – and the first vehicles are expected at dealers imminently, following the April 20 start of production. The first 1,000 cars will be Limited Edition.Described by its maker as “smaller, lighter and more focused”, the ...
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ArticleChrysler using 3D printing for axle development
US – Engineers at the Chrysler Technology Center (CTC) are now printing transparent plastic components for test purposes, providing Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) with a better understanding of axle durability and efficiency.In conventional methods of evaluating oil flow inside axles and pinion carriers, ‘windows’ are cut into the components so ...
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ArticleSmart scanning sensor with collaborative robot technology
AUTOSCAN are a series of industrial metrology products that bring automated 3D scanning and dimensional measurement to the shop-floor using the latest collaborative robot technology claims Perceptron. The company says AUTOSCAN’s self-teach programming capability allows the robot to be programmed quickly without the need for off-line software tools. All robot ...
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ArticleHeavy lifting collaborative robot
Fanuc says its CR-35iA collaborative robot uses integrated vision technology, iRVision, to ensure safety by automatically stopping when the robot touches a human operator. This removes the need for safety fences, a previous requirement for all industrial robots, increasing production efficiencies and enabling a higher level of automation, claims the ...
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ArticleFord to build new Mexican plants
Mexico – The engine facility in Chihuahua will be constructed within the OEM’s existing engine plant at a cost of $1.1 billion and will make a new gasoline unit; a further $200m will expand existing lines for I-4 and diesel engines. The $1.2 billion transmissions plant will be built at ...
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VW reaffirms faith in chairman
Germany – In a statement, the OEM’s executive committee of the supervisory board said that Martin Winterkorn was “the best possible chairman of the board of management for Volkswagen”.Amid reports of disagreements at the top, the vehicle-maker went on to say that Winterkorn would continue in his role “with the ...
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ArticleHonda Alabama starts automated engine assembly
US – The OEM’s new, $71.4m engine facility is supplying V6 units for the Honda Odyssey minivans, Pilot SUVs and Acura MDX luxury SUVs made at Lincoln, Alabama. Its more highly automated assembly process is being hailed by the vehicle-maker as “a breakthrough for Honda engine production in North America”.The ...
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Ford and DowAksa formalise carbon-fibre deal
US – The two companies have signed a joint development agreement to advance research on the cost-effective, high-volume production of carbon fibre for automotive applications. The partnership will combine Ford’s expertise in design, engineering and high-volume manufacturing with DowAksa’s feedstock capacity, carbon-fibre conversion and downstream intermediates.The collaboration will enable the ...
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McLaren and AkzoNobel extend partnership
UK – Entering its fifth year, the agreement will see the OEM’s technical partner continuing to provide high-performance coatings and paint solutions, including the development of colours for the McLaren Super Series, Ultimate Series and upcoming Sport Series.“We have a close relationship with each of our technical partners and suppliers ...
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ArticleToyota to realign North American operations
US – The OEM will spend $1 billion on a new plant in central Mexico and will also adapt its factories at Cambridge and Woodstock, Canada, to produce mid-sized vehicles of higher value. The recently announced plans will support the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) for achieving sustainable growth through ...
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ArticleMagneti Marelli’s Chinese expansion
China – The company has inaugurated a new lighting systems plant in Xiaogan, Hubei Province, and enlarged an electronic systems facility in Guangzhou, Guangdong. The total investment comes to around €36m ($40m).Operated by the Hubei Huazhong Magneti Marelli Automotive Lighting joint venture, the Xiaogan factory is located on a 44,000 ...
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ArticlePollock is McLaren’s new regional director, Europe
UK – A fresh recruit to the company, Jonathan Pollock assumes the role of regional director, Europe, and will report to Jolyon Nash, executive director – global sales and marketing.Pollock joins McLaren after more than 12 years in senior sales and marketing roles within Europe, most recently as sales director ...
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ArticleAston Martin installs Siemens plant system
UK – At the OEM’s facility in Gaydon, Warwickshire, Siemens SIMATIC WinCC SCADA has been implemented as a scalable process visualisation system to monitor and control all aspects of production.The system operates all equipment and provides instant access to important data such as trend logging of temperature curves in the ...
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ArticleBBAC compact-car plant opens
China – With the production launch of the GLA, Beijing Benz Automotive Corporation (BBAC) becomes the most comprehensive Mercedes-Benz car plant worldwide, turning out front- and rear-wheel drive vehicles plus engines. The GLA is the company’s first locally made compact car.Built in less than three years and stretching over 1.5m ...
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Waupaca celebrates sustainability success
US – The Hitachi Metals company has been admitted to the state of Wisconsin’s Green Tier programme, which is run by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to recognise businesses that voluntarily meet environmental targets. Waupaca Foundry has also won two awards for its reuse of metal-casting byproducts.Waupaca has been ...
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ArticleDaimler and Renault-Nissan co-operation expands
Germany/Japan – The five-year partnership will extend into the pick-up truck segment, with the development of a one-ton model for Mercedes-Benz. The pick-up will share some architecture with the new Nissan NP300 but be engineered and designed by Daimler, displaying “all of Mercedes-Benz’ distinctive characteristics and features”, say the OEMs.The ...
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ArticleFord recognised for water conservation
US – The OEM was mentioned in the ‘Michigan Blue Economy’ report by the Michigan Economic Center at Prima Civitas and the Grand River Valley State University Annis Water Resources Institute. The document notes that Ford has cut water use across its operations since 2000, ranging from cooling towers to ...
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ArticleGM wins fourth EPA award for sustainability
US – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave the vehicle-maker its 2015 Energy Star Partner of the Year accolade for employing innovative energy-efficiency strategies, setting ambitious goals and achieving reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.Last year, the OEM reduced its energy intensity by 6% worldwide, implementing a number of measures to ...
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ArticleFCA’s ITPI works 10m safe hours
US – Indiana Transmission Plant I (ITPI) and its 2,700 personnel, including 1,100 new hires, have now operated for three years without a lost-time injury. The facility makes six-speed transmissions as well as nine-speed units for the Jeep Cherokee, turning out 500,000 of the latter since May 2013.“The most important ...