Automation – Page 423
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ArticleA big cat that’s light on its feet
Aluminium has riveted Jaguar’s attention and its latest models are being made from this material to save on weight, while maintaining performanceInnovative features – the shape of things to come?Aircraft influenceUnique combination of riveting and bondingAluminium presents its own challengesStarting with the supercarImproving the hardness of aluminiumJaguar may have been ...
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ArticleCulture club delivers
With the launch of the new Freelander, Ford’s Halewood plant has come back from the brink of disaster to become one of best examples of quality manufacturing the company hasChange for the betterGateway ProcessMeeting deadlinesQuality supplyBenchmark pressingEfficient weldingPaint flowTrim and final assemblyIn 1990 it was the subject of a $1 ...
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ArticleTesting time in Europe
Between 8-10 May, 2007 at Messe Stuttgart Killesberg in Germany there will once again be plenty of products and services making their debut in the world of test, evaluation and quality engineeringDürr Assembly Products GmbHMetrisLMS Engineering InnovationBodycote Testing Europe BVMoog GmbHITK Engineering GmbHConverteam Group SASAries Ingenieria Y. Sistemas, S.AnCode InternationalESG ...
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ArticleQuality control in Germany
Control 2007, to be held between 8-11 May in Sinsheim, Germany, is the world’s leading exhibition for measuring technology and quality assurance featuring 750 exhibitors. Quality is increasingly important as vehicles become more sophisticated and complex.Hexagon GroupCarl Zeiss 3D Metrology Services GmbHGE Inspection TechnologiesJenoptik Automatisierungstechnik GmbHSick Vertriebs-GmbHSiemens AG Automation & ...
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ArticleTurning 60 at Hannover
In April the Hannover Messe celebrated its 60th year, bringing the latest innovations in automation, energy technology and power transmission and control to the automotive sectorSchneider ElectricSiemens AGEOSEuchner GmbH + Co. KGFestoKawasaki Robotics GmbHRockwell AutomationTurckMoellerSICK AGBosch RexrothDemagHabasitUnigraphics SolutionsJenoptikLeoniThe Hannover Messe remains the world’s leading showcase for industrial technology. Over the ...
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ArticleSuccess at Skoda is a digital process
Skoda is making more cars than ever, and the success of its venture is being supported by DELMIA digital factory solutions Process Engineer for integrated product and process planning, and the DELMIA V5 DPM Assembly for assembly planningShared processesAssembly planningAfter the end of the Cold War, Czech carmaker Skoda, the ...
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ArticleFlanders – a cornerstone in European production
At the forefront of vehicle making for more than a century, Flanders is home to a vehicle making industry that has grown steadily on the strength of quality engineeringProduction in proximitySupplier supportEmployment – growth through automationFord in FlandersSetting the paceVolkswagen in VorstVolvoPoint clouds for precisionRapid programming Flanders, in the northern ...
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ArticleMaximum overdrive for MINI
BMW’s Plant Oxford is a benchmark for getting the most out of what you’ve got. AMS reports on a prosperous production strategy for the MINIGlobal successCustomer-driven complexityTime managementBrand buoyancyRestructuring at OxfordIn a rare example of consensus, the automotive industry seems to have decided that the global economy is a good ...
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ArticleHot stamping technology moves on
High strength-to-weight ratio, high part complexity and high shape accuracy are all benefits of an exciting new manufacturing technologyAchieving austenitisationHeat transferStamping and hardeningCooling speeds are criticalWeight saving, reduction of CO2 emissions and the improvement of crash safety, these are some of today’s important goals for the automotive industry. An innovative ...
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ArticleWaste not, want not
Environmental initiatives at GM and Ford are bringing real benefits across the manufacturing process and adding up well on the bottom line GM gets waste wiseBy products initiativeDesign, build and purchasingRemoving metalGreen oil and glassReplacing emulsionsPressing need for MQLMinimum lubricationVacuums and air conditioningModel for wasteSimple curesIn the early days of ...
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ArticleEditor's Note: Souls over shares – the way forward is through the workers
As the automotive manufacturing world has seen contraction of demand and subsequent over-production issues come to influence carmakers’ strategies, so the influence of the labour force has returned to the fore.In Eastern Europe, Skoda’s workers have threatened to strike. The driving issue for this is wage negotiations – the workforce ...
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ArticleThe drive for stronger steel at Corus
The high performance demands of powertrain mean the steel used must be strong and machined with precision. AMS looks at the latest innovations at CorusConnecting rodsHigh-strength crankshaftsDiesel injectorsClean steelTough core gearsThe demands on modern manufacturing technologies, such as dry machining, fracture splitting and the elimination of excessive heat treatment place ...
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ArticleEuroMold 2006 makes the right impression
The 13th World Fair for Moldmaking and Tooling, Design and Application Development, which took place at the end of last year in Germany, represented the entire production cycle from design to prototyping to series productionCGTechD-M-E Europe C.V.B.A.Delcam plcEOS Electro Optical SystemsFanuc Europe ServiceFritz StuderHasco HasencleverHuron Graffenstaden SASMissler SoftwareMitsubishi CarbideMori SeikiRenishawSSAB ...
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ArticleAll about motion, mechatronics and efficiency
The latest offerings in the world of automotation products were showcased at the SPS/IPC/Drives show which was held in Germany at the end of 2006EuchnerFestoigusLeuze ElectronicPhoenix ContactPilzRockwell AutomationSchneider ElectricSchunkSICKSiemensA record 43,000 visitors – an increase of 24 per cent increase over 2005 figures, say the organisers – complemented very positive ...
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ArticleLabour pains in Germany
Germany has always been an attractive region for car manufacturers because of its central location in the heart of Europe, and access to a pool of skilled labour. But competition from low-cost regions has led to a rethink in strategyGradual growthCompetitive cost structuresChallenges facing the German car industryBMW keeps on ...
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Article
Goeschel joins the board of directors at Maxwell
San Diego, CA. – Professor Burkhard Goeschel, who retired in November 2006 as a member of the six-person Management Board of BMW Group, with overall responsibility for research, development and purchasing, has been appointed to the ultracapacitor maker Maxwell Technology’s board of directors.www.maxwell.com
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Article
Nissan North America reduces large number of its workforce
Nashville, TN. – Nissan North America is offering buyouts to 6,200 workers at two manufacturing plants in Tennessee.In a press release it said that higher demand for passenger cars and lower demand for trucks and SUVs has resulted in a manufacturing mix that is less labour-intensive to build and thus ...
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ArticleCross-breeding the brand in Kentucky
Toyota’s popular Camry now comes in a hybrid version thanks to innovations and investment in the assembly line at Georgetown, Kentucky. AMS looks at how the manufacturing process has been modified to accommodate the new, cleaner model.Smooth transitionDesigned with visionMinor changesSimplified assemblyBypass processesToyota teamIncreasing hybrid ratiosProduct levellingToyota celebrated the production ...
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ArticleFollowing a magnesium and aluminium diet
Demand for steel has sent prices for the metal rocketing, but alternatives such as aluminium and magnesium are being combined to find favour with carmakers.Raising the steel bar for safetyAluminium alternativeLAFE at BMWFifty-fifty weight distributionMagnesium IP reductionsMagnesium castings for automatic housingsIt’s a sad irony that the world seems to be ...
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Article
Mark Schulz leaves Ford
Detroit, MI. – Ford recently announced that Mark Schulz, EVP, and President of International Operations, will retire from the company early this year. Schulz is responsible for the Ford’s business in Europe, Africa and the Asia Pacific region. He oversees the global activities of Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and ...