Latest News & Features – Page 177
-
ArticleFord Bridgend installs wind turbine
UK – The 77 metre-high turbine, owned by AGR Renewables, will supply energy directly to the engine plant in Wales, providing as much as 1,700MWh per annum and reducing carbon emissions by up to 420 tonnes.Ian Pearson, Bridgend plant manager, said: “The installation of the new wind turbine demonstrates our ...
-
ArticleZF Solihull: Taking a new line
Recent investment at the West Midlands factory has resulted in a new assembly area for JLR componentsIn terms of numbers alone, the ZF Lemförder plant in Solihull, UK, would not appear to be a major portion of the German-owned ZF Group; ten years after its establishment, it employs just 113 ...
-
ArticleNot so Far-fetched?
New technologies are claimed to make composite vehicle bodies affordable at small volumesThe production of carbon fibre chassis is an expensive business – just ask BMW. The German vehicle-maker and its partners have between them spent upwards of €700m ($870m) on the mass-production of its i3 and i8 models which ...
-
ArticleNissan & Tennessee partner for manufacturing training
US – The collaboration between the vehicle-maker and the state will involve the establishment of a 150,000 sq.ft education and training facility next to Nissan’s vehicle assembly plant in Smyrna. Groundbreaking took place today.The training centre, which is scheduled to be completed by late 2016, will operate as an extension ...
-
ArticleBentley in £40m HQ expansion
UK – The OEM is adding a 45,000 sq.m centre to its site at Crewe which will include a dedicated styling studio, R&D offices and a technical workshop. The new development is the latest step in infrastructural preparations for the ultra-premium SUVs that Bentley will launch in 2016. Construction work ...
-
ArticleAdditive manufacturing for industrial use
Renishaw is developing a machine specifically for production manufacturing, provisionally named EVO Project. The company says this new machine is designed for single material industrial production. Powder handling is almost entirely hands off, whilst powder recirculation, recycling and recovery are all carried out within the inert atmosphere of the system, ...
-
ArticleNew software-based drive functions
Siemens says it is extending the range of applications for its Sinamics S120 drives family with new, software-based advanced technology functions. The specific functions are synchronous operation (1:1 or with gear ratio), camming and positioning of the synchronous axes. The new functions are part of the DCB (Drive Control Block) ...
-
ArticleInvesting in India
While its growth has so far failed to match that of China, global automotive OEMs and suppliers are still eager to strengthen their production footprints in the countrySmall cars & SUV/MPVsFordGMFiat ChryslerVWRenaultBMWMercedesJLRHondaToyotaHyundaiSuppliersThe political uncertainty which has affected India in recent times has resulted in an uncertain environment for the automotive ...
-
ArticleRenault's taste of Morocco
The OEM’s latest full factory, at Tangier, is now an important ingredient in its European production network Renault’s newest full manufacturing plant, at Tangier, opened in 2012 and now employs nearly 5,500 people. Around 20km from the city and 35km from the port, Renault Tangier is located in a tax ...
-
WebinarWEBINAR: Aida servo technology
This new strategic technology is designed to take the stamping industry to the next level. The key is the high torque/low RPM servo motors designed and built by Aida specifically for stamping press applications. Connected directly to the crank, these servo motors provide the precise accuracy and reliability you expect ...
-
Article
Toyota St Petersburg adds facilities for new Camry
Russia – The Camry has been produced at the plant since 2007, but the new-generation model has seen the introduction of two new production shops costing 2.7 billion roubles (£439m), a resin (plastics) moulding facility and a stamping shop. The investment will boost output and raise local content to 30%.Toyota ...
-
WebinarTrumpf: Laser Remote Welding - new features for automotive industry applications
High-power solid-state lasers underwent significant technological changes during recent years with higher available laser powers, better beam quality, improved electrical efficiency and reductions in price, leading to a new, highly-productive welding technique called “Laser Remote Welding”.The webinar presented an overview of the latest trends in laser remote welding. New and ...
-
ArticleJLR Halewood: Full speed ahead
Invigorated by a £200m investment, the facility has become one of the UK's most productive car plantsOf all the turnaround stories emerging from the recent success of the British car industry, that of Jaguar Land Rover’s plant at Halewood, near Liverpool, is one of most compelling. Started in 1962 by ...
-
ArticleMaserati hits 50,000 units in Grugliasco
Italy – The OEM's Avv. Giovanni Agnelli Plant reached the total less than two years after its official inauguration on January 30, 2013. The facility makes the Quattroporte and Ghibli saloon. Maserati says the production ramp-up which enabled it to reach 50,000 units was "designed to maximise the quality of ...
-
WebinarHexagon Metrology: Fast, rich and actionable 3D process control
Global automotive manufacturers are aiming to improve mechanical and visual assembly quality and reduce rework while accelerating new vehicle launches. 3D Metrology and In-line process control technologies are important contributors for achieving higher quality products, more stable process and faster ramp up for new vehicle programs. The introduction of fast ...
-
ArticleDriving Honda
I’m occasionally offered the opportunity to receive advance copies of books, but unfortunately most of the time the subject isn’t relevant to my work. That’s not to say they aren’t automotive related, it’s just that they don’t cover my specific area of interest. Working on an automotive title, it’s often ...
-
ArticleThin-walled tube bending
To avoid the issue of cracking thin-walled tubing Schwarze-Robitec says it has optimised the transport boost of its CNC machines and adapted the bending tools. These are equipped with a vertically traveling pressure die assembly, which the comapny says improves the adjustability of the forces the machines achieve, offering precise ...
-
ArticleHonda hits 300m milestone for motorcycles
Japan – After 65 years of manufacturing, the OEM produced its 300 millionth motorcycle, a Honda Gold Wing, at its Kumamoto Factory. Honda will celebrate the 40th anniversary of this model next year.Honda began mass production of motorcycles in Japan in 1949, with the Honda 98cc Dream Type-D. The launch ...
-
ArticleDeveloping real drive
Complex nine- and ten-speed gearboxes are requiring fresh investment in manufacturing capabilitiies When Mercedes came to develop its innovative 9G-Tronic transmission, it required an entirely new development process. For the first time, an intensive, computer-based systems analysis and synthesis was used to define the gear set concept. From a total ...
-
ArticleVW assigns €85.6bn to Automotive over five years
Germany – The funds will be spent on new models, innovative technologies and the OEM’s global presence in its Automotive Division between 2015 and 2019. “We will continue to invest in the future to become the leading automotive group in both ecological and economic terms – with the best and ...