Latest News & Features – Page 154
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ArticleDaimler and Renault-Nissan celebrate alliance
Germany – At the Frankfurt International Motor Show, the two companies said their collaboration had “accelerated and strengthened” as it entered its sixth year in 2015, with Renault-Nissan chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn describing it as “one of the most productive in the auto industry”. Daimler’s chairman, Dieter Zetsche, added: ...
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ArticleEVolution
As the EV market expands, some vehicle-makers are experimenting with different powertrain technologiesThe global EV market these days is worth big money – over $73 billion in 2014 and expected to reach about $109.8 billion by 2019, with a compound annual growth rate of 8.5% from 2014 to 2019. There ...
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Article
Honda hits 30m vehicles in North America
US – The OEM started production at Marysville, Ohio, in 1982 and has since established plants in Canada and Mexico as well as the US. Today it has eight North American manufacturing locations, accounting for 97% of the Honda and Acura vehicles sold in the region. The 30m cumulative production ...
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Webinar
ROFIN Webinar: State-of-the-art lasers for automotive applications
Systems for industrial laser applications such as cutting, welding and surface processing are well established, reliable and cost efficient due to their wear free highly localised material interaction. ROFIN offers a complete range of high power industrial laser sources including fibre lasers, diode lasers and CO2 Lasers. Together with a ...
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ArticleLightweight Vehicle Manufacturing
UK – The inaugural joining, forming and assembly summit will take place in Birmingham on November 18-19 2015, as part of the GALM series of events. Taking place over three continents, the previous ten shows have attracted the support of 150 exhibitors and 1,500 delegates, according to the organisers.The event ...
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ArticleMercedes: At home in Alabama
The first full Mercedes-Benz plant outside Germany continues to prosper, with multiple expansions and the recent addition of the C-Class and GLE Coupe. AMS reviews the manufacturing operation at TuscaloosaFounded in 1995, Tuscaloosa was the first full production plant for Mercedes-Benz outside Germany and marked the initial step in the ...
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ArticleLDT: GM's Delta force
As GM splashes the cash across North America, AMS goes to see $583m worth of improvements to the OEM’s newest factory in the region – including a new bodyshop capable of mixed-material joining methodsLansing Delta Township (LDT) in Michigan is General Motors’ newest plant in North America, opened in 2006 ...
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ArticleInterview: GM's Mike Trevorrow
The regional plant manager for the OEM's two plants in Lansing talks about its $583m investment for a new bodyshop at Delta Township – including $520m of equipment for mixed-material joining technologiesMike Trevorrow, regional plant manager, GM LansingAMS: How important is Lansing Delta Township within GM’s North American production network?Mike ...
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ArticleFord, Alcoa collaborate on aluminium
US – The OEM had already selected Alcoa’s Micromill product for its aluminium-bodied 2016 F-150 pick-up truck, but the two companies have now also entered a joint development agreement to expand the range of next-generation aluminium alloys for automotive components.Micromill was made public in December 2014 and is claimed to ...
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ArticleForming in the hot seat
A number of recent innovations are boosting the capabilities of hot forming/press hardening operationsA number of innovations have come to market recently that push press hardening to new levels of performance. Schuler, for instance, has unveiled what it describes as a pressure-controlled hardening process to help improve costs and energy ...
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ArticleKeeping it clean
As OEMs take their sustainability campaigns to the next level, AMS reports on three of those which have been recognised for their efforts by the US Environmental Protection Agency – Toyota, GM and NissanToyota’s twin pioneersThe Japanese OEM has two model plants for sustainability and energy efficiency in North America: ...
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ArticleToyota's in town
The global giant has muscled into America’s top tier of automotive manufacturers – and is still expandingThey were known as the 'Big Three': General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. Together, they mobilised the post-World War Two ‘American Dream’ and put wheels under the freedoms enshrined in US national culture. The carmaking ...
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ArticleSmall-diameter high-feed endmill
Kyocera has announced the launch of the MFH mini, a small-diameter, high-feed endmill for processing metal parts. The company claims this new product achieves highly efficient processing by utilising its proprietary, newly designed insert.The insert design reduces impact on the insert when making initial contact with the workpiece, thus achieving ...
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ArticleTesting the water
Hydroforming is making quite a splash among automotive companies seeking to produce lightweight yet robust components which also meet stringent safety requirements; AMS reviews the latest techniquesThe fact that Vari-Form has been selected by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) US as its 2015 Supply Chain Management Supplier of the Year speaks ...
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Webinar
ABB Robotics Webinar: Remote services and the Internet of Things, services and people
This webinar presented the impact the Internet of Things will have on the way systems are managed, strategies are coordinated and how services are delivered. A short presentation was followed by the opportunity to ask questions.We covered:–ABB Robotics' vision for the Internet of Things, Services and PeopleThe major trends in ...
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ArticleAlliance in action
AMS examines the joint projects between Daimler and Renault-Nissan in terms of vehicles, powertrains, technologies, factories, geographies and timescales – and the advantages for each partnerFrom a near standing start in 2010, the Daimler-Renault-Nissan alliance has quickly grown to encompass projects across the globe. There has been significant technology transfer ...
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ArticleHonda: Getting Fit in Mexico
The Japanese OEM has designated its Mexican factory at Celaya as its centre of small-car production in the Americas – while a new transmission plant will take its total investment in the region to $21 billionWith the opening of its Celaya plant in central Mexico at the start of last ...
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ArticleInterview: Håkan Ivarsson, Volvo
The new XC90 is the Swedish vehicle-maker's most important model yet, introducing the latest SPA architecture. The technical director for this big SUV tells the story behind its developmentAMS: As technical director, are you head of engineering for just the V526 [the new XC90] or all other future big Volvos?Håkan ...
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ArticleHow vehicle-makers can be ever green
With OEM energy-efficiency programmes now well established, the drive to find extra savings is challengingEnergy-efficiency and sustainability targets are nothing new; automotive manufacturers have not only been setting them for years, they have also made significant progress towards meeting them. But how can OEMs continue to make energy savings when ...
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ArticleSpartanburg: SUV superstar
As the BMW factory in South Carolina prepares to introduce its fifth and largest SUV, the X7, AMS looks at what makes this operation so important for the German brand within its worldwide production networkOne of BMW’s biggest success stories is not a car but a plant. Spartanburg in South ...