Automation – Page 414
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ArticleBrownfield is the new green
Brownfield site makes economic senseWinding up the powerDoing the right thingIn the debate about brownfield versus green, Ford comes down clearly on the side of making new from old. The company’s efforts to revitalise its former Dagenham plant have the environment in mindIt is difficult to precisely recall when big ...
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ArticleEditor's Note: Generals and Mercenaries
So just what is GM’s global outsourcing/insourcing policy? Or does it even have one? The General can be rightly proud of its Global Manufacturing System – rolling out common conveyor, control and robot systems around the world, sharpening its logistics policy with the help of well-controlled providers and good planning ...
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ArticleKnowledge is power at Scania
Global standardAssembly in SodertaljeFoundry knowledgeClean machiningBuffers and flowsCrankshaft contrastReplacing old linesBlocks and headsConrod and linersBenchmarking from the beginningScania schoolingState-of-the-art assemblyScania’s reputation is built on global standards that have their roots in the exemplary Sodertalje facility in Sweden. AMS talks to Production Manager Eric Angquist about the importance of manufacturing know-howWith ...
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ArticleHinrichs wants a revolution in robotics
Forefront of efficiencyCompetitive operatingPriorities for recoveryThe role of robotsQuality gainsPlanning and programmingParamount safetyRobot wish listJoe Hinrichs has got a wish list. He wants to see robots on the shopfloor that will revolutionise productivity and offer new levels of skilled automation and safety. AMS talks to him about the future of ...
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ArticleLooking toward the light
Rising and falling ratesSize and strengthNew launchesLight Land RoverThe percentage of innovative lightweight materials in vehicles continues to increase, but so does the weight of the average car. What’s being done to balance the scales?The recent signing of the Energy Independence and Security Act by President George Bush has brought ...
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Article
Detroit Electric appoints Albert Lam for CEO
Santa Rosa, CA – Former CEO of Lotus Engineering Albert Lam is to be the CEO of Detroit Electric. A collaboration between ZAP and China Youngman Automotive Group, the company is re-launching the century-old electric car brand in the US of the same name.“I’m excited to be given this opportunity ...
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Article
Škoda assembly people have been discriminated
Prague, Czech Republic – Polish workers hired for Škoda assembly have been found to have been systematically discriminated against by the Zetka Auto agency tasked with hiring them. The Czech State Labour Inspection Office and the country’s national ombudsman found that the wages and bonus payments Zetka gave its employees ...
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Article
Kibsgaard takes up the role of Managing Director of BMW UK
Oxford, UK – From March 1 2008 Klaus Kibsgaard will take up the role of Managing Director of BMW’s UK subsidiary. Current Managing Director Jim O’Donnell will take up a new role as President and COO of BMW of North America LLC on April 1.www.bmw.com
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ArticleArmed robotic forces
New trends in roboticsIncreases and decreasesUser-friendly robotsSpeed, accuracy and qualityRobot assemblyProduction flexibilityRobotic relationshipsOEMs and robotics suppliers are collaborating closely on user-friendly solutions to the production processThe automotive sector, with its seemingly neverending quest for greater productivity, has proved to be a fertile breeding ground for robotic innovation. The body shop ...
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Article
Klaus Volkert sentenced two years and nine months for breaches
Stuttgart, Germany – The former head of Volkswagen’s Works Council, Klaus Volkert, received a two years and nine month sentence for breaches of trust in the affair involving bribes to Works Council members paid by former VW executives including fomer Personnel Director Peter Hartz, via whom Volkert is reported to ...
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ArticleWeapons of mass production
Built to sell abroadTraining the engineers of the futureThe seat of innovationStrength in numbersA change in the landscapeThe bean counter’s dreamInvestment in training pays offSupplier parkFocused investments reap rewardsThe landscape of vehicle making is changing, particularly in the manufacturing regions of France, Spain and the United KingdomEurope as a whole ...
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ArticleFollowing the guidelines
Flexible conveyorsChoosing the right AGVAutomatic unloadingControl systemsFinal assemblySafety firstFuture advancesThe specific use of automated guided vehicles between shipping dock and assembly line is offering carmakers safety-conscious production savingsSeveral decades ago, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) were being heralded as the ultimate answer to the material handling requirements of automotive OEMs. Plants ...
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Article
Crunch time for the car industry
Designed to be disposableDrain on resourcesCarmakers need to think about the end to a car’s life right from its beginning if a coherent recycling initiative is to be properly realised. Simon Palmer from recycleyourcar.co.uk gives his view on what needs to be doneCar design has always been governed by function ...
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ArticleHexagon’s BRAVO HP for body and subassembly inspection
Hexagon Metrology has added its new range of BRAVO HP horizontal-arm measuring systems to its existing range. BRAVO HP was developed for flexible and accurate dimensional inspection of thin-walled components like bodyshells, car bodies and subassemblies.The BRAVO HP features a stable and precise mechanical structure with an integrated temperature compensation ...
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ArticleFrom strength to strength
A future for steelSteel innovationsFlat carbon steelQuiet SteelSmooth high strengthCross-car beamSteel solutionsSpecialist high-strength steels are helping engineers and designers save weight while meeting stringent performance and safety targetsWhen you talk to carmakers around the world the theme of high-strength steels as the preferred material for carmakers in terms of performance, ...
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ArticleTwo microns for good measure
Pinpoint accuracyMillion-point metrologyErgonomics 101Safety firstImage is everything when it comes to measuring and inspection, and the meticulous accuracy of the latest digital holography tools promise great leaps forward in quality, safety and performanceThe new wave of digital holographic imaging technology developed at the University of Michigan is emerging as the ...
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ArticleDigital modelling for stamping
Life-cycle harmonyDecision drivers and dependencies in vehicle development life cycleTechnology enablersHolistic benefitsVirtual die technology embraced in the past decade has grown by quantum leaps, and those who embraced the technology in the early stages of its development are starting to realise superiority in competitiveness, productivity and profit margins.Stamping dies are ...
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ArticleHigh stakes and great expectations
Processes are digitally unifiedWork sharing from a global perspectiveVirtual assessment roomsFord’s virtual builds win plauditsProduct development cycles are reducedPressure pointsLean is the new themeDigital manufacturing is only now coming in to its own, and carmakers are using the virtual factory to assist in reducing time to market of products.But this ...
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ArticleCivic interest in Honda grows
Both lines are running at full production“Overtime should be the exception, not the rule”Global platforms for new model introductionsWorking in tandem with suppliersThe success of Honda’s Civic and CR-V models has been nothing short of phenomenal, and production at its UK manufacturing facility has reached capacity 12 months ahead of ...
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ArticleOlympus NDT Introduces the EPOCH LTC
Olympus NDT has introduced its new EPOCH LTC digital ultrasonic fl aw detector. Weighing only 0.96kg, this handheld instrument is now the smallest in its line of EPOCH fl aw detectors. The EPOCH LTC is built for use in a wide range of weather conditions and diffi cult inspection environments. ...