Closures and consolidation – Page 3
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ArticleSchaeffler to shut two UK plants
UK - Global automotive supplier Schaeffler has announced the closure of two plants. The first is located in Llanelli, Wales, and houses the production of mechanical tappets and bearings for car makers. The other is in Plymouth, England, where spindle bearings and machine parts for the company’s industrial division are ...
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ArticleFord Bridgend makes petrol engines
UK - The OEM has started production of its new three-cylinder 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engines at the Bridgend plant in South Wales. This follows on from an investment of £100m (US$128m) in the facility. “I’m personally very proud to see production start of this all-new engine, here in Bridgend,” commented ...
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ArticleVW to suspend lines for WLTP update
VW Group CEO Herbert DiessGermany - Volkswagen must plan for temporary production closures at the main plant in Wolfsburg to allow a changeover to new laboratory test cycles on fuel consumption and emissions from passenger cars.The Group CEO Herbert Diess announced the expected disruption at a works meeting, and ...
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ArticleMagna opens aluminium casting facility
UK - The supplier has opened a new aluminium casting facility in Telford, England, in order to provide structural castings to Jaguar Land Rover. The facility covers 225,000 sq.m and will employ around 300 people."With this new aluminium casting facility, we have established a world-class centre of excellence to bring ...
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ArticleConstellium provides aluminium for CLS
Netherlands - The supplier has announced that its Surfalex aluminium is being used in the Mercedes-Benz CLS, which went on sale in March 2018. The material is used for outer trunk lid panels and fenders."Constellium is proud to contribute to the new Mercedes-Benz CLS with our Surfalex® aluminium solutions," explained ...
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ArticleExact and to the point
inos took on the task of integrating a new gap and flush system into an existing production line shared by two separate and distinct vehiclesAs modern vehicle design responds to the customers’ growing expectations on fit and finish quality, the demand grows for increasing sophistication in manufacturing techniques. Semi- or ...
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ArticleNew workholding system
The latest One-Lok clamping system from Chick Workholding is available in two sizes – 400mm or 500mm long, offering maximum gripping lengths of 180mm and 280mm respectively. The company says further improvements include a lowering of the clamp profile from 150mm to 134mm, which allows longer spindle travel in the ...
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ArticleStandard bearers
A current programme run by the International Automotive Task Force is looking to revise the technical specification IATF16949, the published standard informing quality management across the automotive industry worldwideThe concept of quality management is now a well-established aspect of all forms of business. It essentially denotes implementing a system of ...
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ArticleTaking control
With the growth in automated assembly applications comes a demand for quality data and improved insightsThe prevalent dimensional control strategy of the automotive industry has been to incorporate various in-line and near-line measurement devices into production lines. Different approaches have been successfully implemented, from a few single cells along the ...
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ArticleA winning formula?
Like all new strategic plans announced by vehicle companies from time to time, the new Opel PACE! plan leaves many questions unanswered. It’s not clear yet what will happen to the enlarged manufacturing network which PSA-Opel/Vauxhall now has; by common consent, the group has too many plants, but CEO Carlos ...
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Article
A winning formula?
Like all new strategic plans announced by vehicle companies from time to time, the new Opel PACE! plan leaves many questions unanswered. It’s not clear yet what will happen to the enlarged manufacturing network which PSA-Opel/Vauxhall now has; by common consent, the group has too many plants, but CEO Carlos ...
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Article
A winning formula?
Like all new strategic plans announced by vehicle companies from time to time, the new Opel PACE! plan leaves many questions unanswered. It’s not clear yet what will happen to the enlarged manufacturing network which PSA-Opel/Vauxhall now has; by common consent, the group has too many plants, but CEO Carlos ...
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ArticleSetting a fast pace
JLR is following up the stunning success of its Evoque SUV with more models and manufacturing operationsNot long ago, JLR was facing the possibility of a factory closure amidst declining sales and a recession. Fortunately, the Evoque model had already been approved for production, and when this vehicle launched it ...
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ArticleToyota ends Australian production
Australia – The OEM has wrapped up its manufacturing operation in the country after 54 years and 3,451,115 vehicles. Toyota stopped production of the Aurion in August and the Camry hybrid in September at its Altona plant near Melbourne, three years after the decision was made to conclude the operation.Dave ...
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ArticleSmall steps – big gains
Mike Farish looks at how a leading tier supplier has implemented an IoT strategy to its manufacturing operationsWhat is the best way to implement an Industry 4.0 or Internet of Things (IoT) strategy – a single, intense company-wide campaign or a gradualist approach in which a series of small projects ...
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Article
An order for progress
After the dips in demand of recent years, car makers in Brazil and Argentina anticipate an upturn in market fortunes and a boost in vehicle productionEmbattled vehicle makers operating in Brazil are predicting a return to growth in 2017 after the market sunk last year to nearly half its 2012 ...
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ArticleAn order for progress
After the dips in demand of recent years, car makers in Brazil and Argentina anticipate an upturn in market fortunes and a boost in vehicle productionEmbattled vehicle makers operating in Brazil are predicting a return to growth in 2017 after the market sunk last year to nearly half its 2012 ...
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ArticlePresidential suite
As Donald Trump has entered the White House, Ford has elected to make a number of key financial and strategic changesThings have changed at Ford in recent times, both financially and strategically. And since November 2016, its strategy has changed still further, with a number of key decisions taking on ...
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ArticleBack on track
Automotive manufacturers operating in South-East Asia are seeing the gloom lift as the car market begins growing again after a troubling couple of yearsWith the exception of Thailand and, to a lesser extent, Indonesia, both of which build vehicles for export, local production in South-East Asia is mainly aimed at ...
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ArticleMetrology meets automation
Portable systems have made high-accuracy measurement possible across all plant areas – the next step in this evolution is the integration of metrology with automationIn years past, automotive manufacturers have been forced to choose between very different paradigms in the search to improve the quality, shorten design-to-launch times and better ...