Latest News & Features – Page 120
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ArticleNew Vauxhall plant for emergency units
UK – Claimed to be the largest of its kind in Europe, the factory at Luton in Bedfordshire will convert 2,500 cars and vans per year into vehicles for the police, fire and ambulance services. Production has been transferred from nearby Millbrook.The Vauxhall models to be converted include the Corsa, ...
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Article
Kerscher steps down at Dingolfing
Dingolfing plant director Josef Kerscher will retire at the end of January, after 37 years of service to the BMW Group. He will be replaced by Dr. Andreas Wendt, currently managing the company’s Regensburg plant.In turn, Dr. Wendt will hand over responsibilities at Regensburg to Manfred Erlacher who will switch ...
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Article
Porsche workforce continues to grow
Figures released by Porsche show that the company has increased its workforce by 13% in the past 12 months. The Stuttgart-based car maker says that after nine months of 2016, its team has expanded to 27,115 employees. It’s the latest announcement on a trend which has seen Porsche’s employee headcount ...
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ArticleAt the head of the convoy
Mercedes-Benz’s largest truck plant is piloting new production technologies and transitioning into the lead manufacturing facility for heavy commercial vehiclesGerald Jank, head of Wörth plant and production at Mercedes-Benz Trucks, has much to say about the challenges of producing a huge variety of models in series production while also developing ...
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ArticleColour code
The north corner of Audi’s vast Ingolstadt plant has been transformed into a three-storey, environmental and ergonomic exemplar of the automotive paintshopHandling more than 650 car bodies a day, operations at Audi’s new paintshop at Ingolstadt, Germany, are shared across approximately 200 employees in a three-shift rotation, supported by 54 ...
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ArticleMagneti celebrates 40 years at Sanford
US – The plant in North Carolina was inaugurated in 1976 and initially made carburettors; it now focuses on modern powertrain technologies including intake manifolds, electronic throttle bodies and engine control systems for cars, motorcycles, powersports and industrial engines. The 90,000 sq.m factory currently employs 400 individuals.Key operations at Sanford ...
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ArticleBar magazine upgrade
IEMCA claims it has improved the performance of its KID 80 short bar magazine to keep pace with the higher functionality of modern CNC turning centres. The company says the magazine is suitable for feeding stock between 5 and 80mm in diameter and from 250 to 1,615mm long. It integrates ...
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ArticleCeramic glow plugs and control modules
Designed to heat up more rapidly, BorgWarner says its ceramic glow plugs (CGPs) provide a heat-up time of less than 2 seconds and achieve a maximum glow temperature of up to 1,250°C. The company notes that while comparable models utilise a heating element inside the glow pin that must heat ...
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ArticleNissan commits to Sunderland plant
Japan – Ending weeks of speculation, the company has announced that it will produce the next Qashqai at its UK factory and in addition, will add production of the next X-Trail model. This decision follows the UK government’s commitment to ensure that the Sunderland plant remains competitive as the country ...
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ArticleNew VW plant to build Crafter
Poland – This new production facility at Września will build the company’s all-new Crafter van and is said to have an annual capacity of 100,000 units.Jens Ocksen, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Poznań, said: “We have implemented many innovative solutions. The Września plant was built with an ...
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ArticleFirst EQ vehicle to be built at Bremen
Germany – Mercedes-Benz says the first production model of the new EQ product brand will be produced in Bremen by the end of this decade. The production model will be based on the EQ show car – an electric vehicle in the look of a sporty SUV Coupé, which was ...
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ArticleGM's energy efficiency to save $73m
US – The vehicle-maker estimates that it will make this saving in 2016 through sustainability measures including the installation of 186,000 light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs and fixtures. GM is aiming to use renewable energy to meet 100% of its electrical needs worldwide by 2050.“Energy efficiency can reduce electricity loads, which ...
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ArticleOUT NOW: Mexico 2016 special edition
Mexico, unlike many parts of the world, is currently experiencing a boom in automotive manufacturing. This year, Kia and Audi both unveiled their first factories in the region and a further four plants are due to be launched by 2019 (Renault-Nissan-Daimler, Ford, BMW and Toyota). Long-time veterans of vehicle production ...
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WebinarKUKA Webinar: Future of Robotics
We are all regularly presented with inventions and disruptive technology that prompt us to ask, are they fads or here to stay? Whether it was radio, micro-computers or even the internet, predicting which technology trends would become indispensable always made for fascinating discussion. In automotive manufacturing, an essential innovation under ...
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ArticleHyundai opens Cangzhou plant
The state-of-the-art facility, 200km south-east of Beijing, becomes Hyundai's fourth in China and is equipped with press, body, paint and assembly lines as well as an engine plant. Initial capacity is 200,000 units with the first model being Verna Yuena, a smart urban family sedan developed by Hyundai for the ...
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ArticleEditor's note: A headlong rush
Vehicle-makers can barely get into Mexico fast enough. No fewer than six new factories will be opened between 2016 and 2019 – more than one a year. This September witnessed official plant launches by Kia and Audi, next year it will be Renault-Nissan in partnership with Daimler, Ford will follow ...
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ArticleFeeding the machine
Mexico's strong growth in vehicle production is requiring suppliers to invest in their own manufacturing facilities in the country. AMS takes a look at some of the key developments over the past few years A global supply point A regional supply point A key cog in global production A source ...
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ArticleMexico's boom time
Car plants are popping up across Mexico as OEMs recognise the benefits of manufacturing in the country, but this may put pressure on the labour supply. AMS looks at the latest projects – and potential pitfalls FCA's reshuffle continues Ford's big investments GM pours money into Mexico Kia's new factory ...
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ArticleSwitching to SUVs
FCA has announced big investments in the US and Canada in recent years but its Mexican factories have also received steady funding. At Toluca, this may result in a new focus on SUVs on the CUSW architectureAnnounced investments for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ US and Canadian plants between June 2009 and ...
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Putting in a shift
OEMs are keeping options open on transmission supply. Many are moving from an established in-house option and increasingly looking to source externally Body panels, engines and transmissions are the three fundamental component areas that the major car makers tend to produce in-house. However, behind this established pattern there is a ...