All Ford articles – Page 57
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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 ...
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Article
Shen is appointed as President of Changan Ford Mazda Automobile
Detroit, MI. – Jeffrey Shen has been appointed President of Changan Ford Mazda Automobile. Previously Marketing & Sales Vice President of Ford Lio Ho, he joined the company as an Engine Engineering Supervisor in 1976. Phil Spender, the former President of the company will undertake a new assignment as Chief ...
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Article
Visteon has named Quigley III as Chief Financial Officer
Van Buren Township, MI. – Visteon has named William Quigley III as Chief Financial Officer from March 9. He will also continue as the company’s Chief Accounting Officer.“Bill Quigley brings strong financial acumen and industry knowledge that positions him to take on this key role to help Visteon continue driving ...
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ArticleNorthern lights
Volvo’s new C70 convertible is a stronger car thanks to the application of four new welding techniques. Niclas Palmquist, Manufacturing Engineering, Volvo Cars, describes how the Swedish company has surpassed its standardImproved body featuresLaser station from PermanovaA pillar accessWhen Volvo Cars set out to develop the new C70 convertible the ...
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ArticleGE imagination at work in China
Joint venture Shanghai GM has chosen GE to implement a turnkey communication and control system at its plant in Pudong, ChinaSupplying ChinaPress and partsCommunication and controlEfficient troubleshootingAVI correlationQuality and material subsystemJust-in-time productionProficy TrackerNot every facility has the luxury of designing a production control system from the ground up. The majority ...
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ArticleFrom rack to track
In age of increased automation, getting parts to the assembly line in a reliable way has led to an increase in the use of automated guided vehicles. AMS looks at the latest developments in material handling and the safety advantages of the AGV.Hands-free futureFlexible facilitiesServer informationLaser guidanceMyths and challengesBMW LeipzigDearborn ...
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ArticleBuilding the perfect light curtain
We don’t give them much thought, and nor should we – assuming they’re doing their job properly. AMS in conversation with Joe Lazarra and Sergio Aguilar at Omron STIFrequency selection/Scan codesCascading light curtainFixed blankingFloating blanking and mutingReduced resolutionOmron STI’s Joe Lazarra wants to change the way you think about light ...
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ArticleKnock down construction
BMW has pulled apart its Spartanburg plant in the US in order to convert it to a one-line flexible assembly system. New demands are defining the OEM's manufacturing infrastructureFlexible footstepsExpansion plansRobot buildTime constraintsNew process efficiencyMinutes after the last BMW Z4 rolled off the line at the carmaker’s Spartanburg, South Carolina ...
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ArticleRunning a three legged race at GM
GM’s Conveyors, Controls, Robotics & Welding group has implemented a common conveyor strategy with benefits for modules engineering and integrationGlobal standardisationRewards out of the boxDigital efficienciesGetting one’s bearingsExpanding bundleDuring the AMS 2004 AutoMan Global conference in Dearborn, Michigan, GM’s Phillip Disch, General Motors’ Executive Director of Controls, Conveyors, Robotics and ...
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ArticleBuilding on common ground with Fanuc
GM’s drive for a common assembly technology is aimed at a more streamlined and stable global supply base. AMS looks at what the Global Mid-Size Vehicle platform means for Fanuc.Common approachNew applicationsFixed supplyRobotic consolidationGeneral Motors is going truly global in the next few years with its Global Mid-Size Vehicle platform. ...
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ArticleWelcome to the House of Flex
Gary Cowger, Group Vice President for Global Manufacturing and Labour Relations at General Motors discusses the carmaker’s “avowed aim” of manufacturing flexibility using its Global Manufacturing System“House of Flex”Making flex work: a global initiativeMoving east in Europe and beyondCowger’s views on technologyAGV applicationsShifting biasWhile flexibility is a much-used term that ...
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ArticleEditor's Note: Wanted: one careful owner
Who will buy Chrysler? High level talks were taking place recently between DaimlerChrysler and General Motors. Could another major merger work? Whatever the outcome, industry analysts expect DaimlerChrysler to cut thousands of jobs and close two North American plants at the Chrysler group. But to put today’s situation in perspective, ...
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ArticleLaser marking with the Electrox Raptor
A British company has launched a unique laser marking system that sets a new four-year warranty benchmark and which places it at least two years’ ahead of its competitors.Letchworth-based Electrox claims its new Enhanced Fibre laser technology platform provides an optimum balance between performance, price and product lifetime.“This enables us ...
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ArticleFlomerics’ EFD.Pro supports Pro/ENGINEER Mechanica
Flomerics Engineering Fluid Dynamics (EFD) analysis software – EFD.Pro – now supports Wildfi re 3 as well as an integrated interface with Pro/ENGINEER Mechanica for structural analysis. EFD.Pro, which is embedded in Pro/ ENGINEER, is used to design and optimise products in the automotive industry and now, Pro/ENGINEER Mechanica users ...
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ArticleThe new standard in compact horizontal machining centres
DMC 55 H duoBLOCK® – at its OpenHouse in Pfronten DECKEL MAHO will be presenting its new horizontal machining centre in the compact class.Optimised for the high demands of fl exible series production the new DMC 55 H duoBLOCK® horizontal machining centre from DECKEL MAHO is a convincing successor to ...