Latest News & Features – Page 204
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ArticleVW looks to buy Scania
Sweden – Volkswagen has invested in the Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer since 2000 and already holds a majority share in its voting rights and capital, but now seeks to bring it fully under the VW Group umbrella.Leif Östling, VW’s member of the board of management for Commercial Vehicles, said the ...
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Ulbrich joins VW Cars board for Production and Logistics
Germany – Thomas Ulbrich has worked for the OEM since 1989, holding a series of positions before he was made technical executive vice-president at Shanghai-Volkswagen Automotive in 2010, where he looked after production and logistics at five locations.Ulbrich replaces Hubert Waltl, who becomes board of management member for Production at ...
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ArticleTaking the next step
The theme for this year’s Hannover Messe will be: 'Integrated Industry – Next Steps'. The show will run from April 7-11For automotive OEMs, Tier and equipment suppliers, the demands for greater efficiency and flexibility are increasing. Key to meeting these demands are higher levels of integration in the manufacturing process. ...
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ArticleCovering coating innovations
Exhibitors for automotive visitorsAerogen will showcase the latest flame treatment equipment for improving the surface adhesion qualities of plastics prior to coating or bonding, such as polypropylene car bumper mouldings (UK, GU34 2YU)CMA will promote painting robots that offer advanced technology which combines human skills and automation; self-learning programming enables ...
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ArticleA surge in suppliers
The massive growth of the South East Asian auto industry has been accompanied by a similar expansion in the region’s components businessA combination of shrewd government taxation policies and the need to keep a tight lid on costs has resulted in very high levels of local content in the vehicles ...
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ArticleNissan partners with Bhutan for EVs
Bhutan – The OEM has entered into an agreement with the government to support a nationwide transition to an electric vehicle (EV) fleet, in line with Bhutan’s aim to become a zero emissions country. Nissan will supply LEAF vehicles for use by the government and as taxis, plus demonstration units ...
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Engine production in UK declines
UK – The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) figures show that 209,291 units were made in January, representing a 6.1% drop from the same period last year. Output for the home market fell by 17.4% to 71,016 units, while export volumes held steady at 135,275 units.The SMMT linked ...
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CV output drops in UK by 14.6%
UK – According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), 6,681 units were produced in January 2014. Mike Hawes, CEO of the SMMT, said the new Euro-6 emissions legislation which came into effect in the same month was “a contributor” to a decrease in heavy commercial vehicle (CV) ...
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ArticleTaking greater control
Two case studies highlight the development of control systems in manufacturing automationWhat was initially planned as the refurbishment of an automated guided vehicle (AGV) system serving a press at the Toyota plant in Burnaston, UK, turned into something much more radical when the company realised that a simple upgrade would ...
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ArticleIntelligent automation
How automation is being developed for a wider range of production configurationsAutomation has lent itself to the pattern of high production volumes and product uniformity which is particularly required by OEM vehicle assemblers. That pattern, however, has not remained static. While global production volumes remain high, automation now has to ...
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ArticleCar production in UK remains stable
UK – Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that output in January was just 0.3% below the industry’s 2013 performance, with 128,620 units produced.Mike Hawes, CEO of the SMMT, described the production as “a solid start to 2014” and added that domestic output is expected ...
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ArticleBMW to build MINI Hatch at VDL Nedcar
The Netherlands – Production in Born will begin in summer 2014, following on from the manufacturing launch at Oxford last November of the Mini Hatch. According to Harald Krüger, BMW board member Production, the Mini brand is experiencing “substantial growth” which necessitates additional, external capacity.“Splitting production of the new Mini ...
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ArticleGM celebrates 60 years of Texas production
US – The company’s Arlington plant, which was founded in 1954, switched from car to truck assembly in 1997 and is now the only facility which builds the full-size Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade.The SUVs currently manufactured are all new, redesigned for the 2015 model year.Since ...
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ArticleHeavyweight investments
Recent developments at Volvo and Daimler show that staying ahead in truck manufacture requires the input of significant resourcesTrucks are the lifeblood of commerce; for example, the latest figures from the United States show that 19 billion tonnes of freight were carried in a single year – equating to 4.4trillion ...
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ArticleDaimler celebrates half-century at Tramagal
Portugal – The facility has produced over 200,000 vehicles during this time and, according to the manufacturer, has become the European “backbone” of the FUSO Canter, the best-seller in the Daimler Trucks product range. Wolfgang Bernhard, board member with responsibility for Daimler Trucks and Daimler Buses, praised Tramagal as “an ...
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ArticleBDNT picks ABB for DENZA chargers
China – The power and automation technology company will supply fast chargers for batteries powering the electric DENZA vehicle from Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology (BDNT), the subsidiary between Daimler and BYD. The fast chargers are wall-mounted at a user’s home, although DENZA can also be charged via a conventional ...
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ArticleToyota to test hybrid wireless charging
Japan – The verification process will take place in Aichi, starting in late February, and will assess the OEM’s newly developed battery charging system for electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids. According to Toyota, the system can charge a vehicle which is parked over a coil on the ground, making ...
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ArticleOakville to build new Ford Edge
Canada – Following a C$700m investment “to make it one of the most competitive and advanced global manufacturing facilities in Canada”, announced last September, Ford says the Toronto plant will export the utility vehicle to more than 60 countries.Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of the Americas, commented: “Oakville is vital to ...
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ArticleGM celebrates millionth vehicle at Rayong
Thailand – Production of the milestone vehicle, a Chevrolet Trailblazer, was celebrated during a visit to the facility by the company’s new CEO, Mary Barra, and president Dan Ammann.Amman described Rayong as “a key component of our consumer-centric and market-driven strategy for growing our production line-up and Chevrolet brand in ...
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ArticleBosch, GS Yuasa and Mitsubishi to boost EV batteries
Germany – The new Lithium Energy and Power joint venture, headquartered in Stuttgart and with a 70-strong workforce, will begin operations in 2014 with the aim of developing the next generation of lithium-ion battery technology.“In setting up this joint venture, we want to achieve nothing less than a giant leap ...