Europe – Page 32
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ArticleDeveloping the sustainable paintshop
Dermot Healy spoke to Dr Luigi Lazzari, executive director (Europe-Africa) at Geico Taikisha, about the company achieving its goal of a sustainable paintshop ahead of schedule Geico targeted a sustainable paintshop by June 2020, yet you’ve achieved this almost three years early. How did that come about? The sustainable paintshop ...
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ArticlePaint technology and investments
We report on the new technology, techniques and investments in the world of paintshop being implemented by vehicle-makers around the world… Eisenmann’s E-Shuttle 200 pre-treatment/electrocoating system will be part of the Leipzig upgrade Expansion at BMW Leipzig Eisenmann says it has been given overall responsibility for expanding ...
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ArticleGoing gets tough for Ghosn
The alliance Ghosn championed is now cutting ties with him In recent days, Carlos Ghosn has been ousted as chairman of both Nissan and Mitsubishi and questioned by authorities in Japan on allegations of serious financial misconduct. Ghosn is the architect of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance (he ...
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ArticleAGVs drive industry revolution
JBT is working with automotive manufacturers to offer a range of a provider of automated guided vehicle solutions, in line with the transformation to Industry 4.0 Automotive manufacturers have become experts on automation. However, from the vantage point of automation suppliers, the needs of their automotive clients are ...
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ArticleA focus on fibres
Lightweight, high-strength benefits are being offset by materials and process costs. James Bakewell looks at the challenges of making carbon fibre cost effective Used for the first time in earnest by Volvo, carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) will feature in the £135,000 ($176,400) Polestar 1’s bonnet, boot lid, side panels, doors ...
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ArticleVolkswagen to alter European output
Germany - Volkswagen has revealed plans to expand production capacity by building a new plant in Eastern Europe. It will be a multi-brand plant, making various vehicles under the different marques of the VW Group, and will play a key role in the company's competitiveness in the region."We have redefined ...
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ArticleA positive response
Daimler is embarking on a major corporate restructuring in the hope of improving its ability to face upcoming challenges in the automotive sector The restructuring currently underway at Daimler is due to be complete by 2020 and the plan centres on creating legally independent AG companies, Mercedes-Benz AG, Daimler Truck ...
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ArticleInterview: Daniël Bottema, AWL-Techniek
Daniël Bottema, research and development manager at AWL-Techniek BV, talked to Dermot Healy about the role AWL hope to play developing the fully automated factory of the future You have been speaking recently about the fully automated factory in presentations to customers. How far along the automation road are ...
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ArticleThe break-up of Fiat Chrysler gathers pace
A couple of years ago, Ferrari became an independent quoted company, separate from Fiat Chrysler. This was followed by the separation of CNH Industrials, the holding company for Iveco Trucks. Now Fiat Chrysler has spun off its components activity, Magneti Marelli, to CK Holdings in a deal worth over 6bn ...
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ArticleTo gauge the new age
Mike Farish visits a new facility operated by Mahle designed to help OEMs transition to the updated compulsory emissions testing regime, WLTP From the 1st September 2018 it became compulsory for all new cars registered withinthe area of the European Union to comply with a strict new vehicle fuel consumption ...
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ArticleAcademic circles
Mike Farish visits Oxford-based start-up YASA, a special electric motor company sprung from academia that’s now attracting the attention of premium OEMsEarly this year a bland-looking industrial estate a few miles to the north of Oxford officially became the manufacturing site for what one of its residents believes to be ...
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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 automates hot-forming process
Germany - Ford has integrated a automated hot-forming line at its Saarlouis plant, which is located two hours south west of Frankfurt, where it makes the Focus. The company says it is the first time this process has been automated.It works by subjecting boron steel to temperatures of up to ...
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ArticleOpportunity 4.0
Nick Gibbs travels to Barcelona to discover how Gestamp’s own digital revolution is driving efficiency improvements in its energy-hungry hot-stamping operations When your company has expanded to more than 100 production plants, you want to keep a close watch on the production lines in those plants. Especially when you require ...
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ArticleBMW Dingolfing to make Mini batteries
Germany - BMW is investing an undisclosed amount in its Dingolfing plant in order to house the production of batteries for the all-electric Mini. The 'mid-double-digit-million-euro' amount will be used to construct a new assembly line and to implement 'extensive remodelling' measures."With the launch of new models and growing demand ...
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ArticleSet the controls
Expertise in plastic component manufacturing will be in ever greater demand during the emobility age. In preparation, global supplier Novares has taken on a new form Following a period of reorganisation and rebranding, the Mecaplast-Key Plastics group spent 2018 settling in to its new identity – Novares The chosen name ...
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ArticlePiecing it all together
Ian Henry identifies six themes from the moves, mergers and makeovers underway in the global automotive tier supply sector Six themes characterise the automotive supply sector at present, namely: ongoing M&A, the financial challenges faced by the supply base, restructuring and realignment of product portfolios, investment in new facilities, the ...
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ArticleToyota makes hybrid transaxles
Poland - The OEM has started production of its hybrid electric transaxles at its plant in Wałbrzych, situated in the south west of the country. They will be fitted to the new Corolla Hybrid, which is being built at Toyota's Burnaston factory in the UK, and the C-HR Hybrid, which ...
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ArticleJLR opens Nitra plant
Slovakia - Jaguar Land Rover has opened its manufacturing facility in Nitra, which is located in the west of the country, an hour’s drive from the capital Bratislava. It cost the company €1.4bn (US$1.59bn) to build, covers an area of 300,000 sq.m, and has an annual output of 150,000 vehicles. ...
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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 ...