All Logistics articles – Page 18
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ArticleSkoda starts building new paintshop
Czech Republic – The facility at Mladá Boleslav is being developed at a cost of €214.5m ($253.8m) and will have capacity for 600 vehicle bodies per day, bringing the onsite total to 2,700 units including the existing paintshop. Operations are due to begin by mid-2019.In its announcement, Skoda said the ...
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ArticleSmart rotation
SKF looks to digitalise its business model and manufacturing operations. AMS spoke to Luc Graux, director of manufacturing and process development, to find more about the impact of IoTWhat effect is the move to an I4.0 based operation having on SKF’s production?We are certainly trying to apply the same I4.0 ...
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ArticleInterview: Thomas Rennemann, MAN
The company's manager at its 1.1m sq.m Salzgitter parts plant discusses the €30m transformation that will double non-driven axle output to 900 per day; a new assembly line combines MAN and Scania productionGP: How did the idea for the project originate?TR: It started when we built up a new cooperation ...
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ArticleOpel’s ambitious future
After losing around US$16 billion in Europe, GM decided to sell Opel/Vauxhall to PSA. The French company had been transformed from near bankruptcy to profitability under Carlos Tavares’ shrewd stewardship. Tavares was looking for ways to grow PSA; with joint vehicle programmes between GM and PSA already under way, he ...
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ArticleMotor reflex
Brose’s Bernd Kaufer tells AMS how engineering instincts helps him to run the company’s Würzburg plantAt 7:00am each working morning, Bernd Kaufer begins his day by consulting his smartphone. As general manager of Brose’s Würzburg plant, his first task is to check on the status of operations there. Thanks to ...
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ArticleSouthern powerhouse
South Africa's automotive industry has emerged onto the world stage after increased investment from the likes of BMW, Mercedes and VW. Moreover, the country has now attracted the attentions of a Chinese OEM The automotive industry has played a central role in the economic and industrial strategies of successive South ...
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ArticleSetting a fast pace
JLR is following up the stunning success of its Evoque SUV with more models and manufacturing operationsNot long ago, JLR was facing the possibility of a factory closure amidst declining sales and a recession. Fortunately, the Evoque model had already been approved for production, and when this vehicle launched it ...
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ArticleBMW opens Mexican training centre
Mexico – Located at the OEM’s San Lui Potosí plant which is due to open in 2019, the new training centre covers 6,000 sq.m and has 11 workshops for employees plus apprentices from three educational institutions. The centre was built at a cost of $9m.Hermann Bohrer, president and CEO of ...
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ArticleSitting pretty
Brose UK has now insourced the painting of seat structures, bringing efficiency and evironmental savings"This is a massive show of faith and confirms the Group’s intention of giving us the technology and capability we need to take on and successfully deliver higher volumes for our local customers,” said Juergen Zahl, ...
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ArticleOff the grid
By convention, single-seater cars are machines for the racing circuit but one family business is striving to create and manufacture the exceptionSingle seater cars are usually machines for the race track only but there can be exceptions. One of them is the BAC Mono, made by small UK company Briggs ...
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ArticleKobe investigates quality violations
Metal producer Kobe Steel has admitted delivering aluminium and copper products in the past year which did not meet specifications agreed with customers, leaving Japanese car manufacturers concerned about the impact on their own output. Kobe is conducting internal quality and government-ordered safety checks, but has already stated that affected ...
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ArticleHow RFID is changing EDI
With OEMs and tier suppliers seeking benefits on cost, quality, delivery and access to more data than ever before, technology provider Radley Corporation sees manufacturing competitiveness coming not only from emerging technologies but also the adaptation of older, existing technology such as electronic data interchange (EDI) and RFIDFor over 40 ...
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ArticleMazda makes CX-5 at revamped Kulim
Malaysia – Production of the new model began at the end of August after an investment of 2.3 billion yen ($20.5m) to automate part of the body welding process and install a new paintshop. Mazda said the upgrade has brought its Malaysian operation into line with its “parent factories” at ...
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ArticleAutonomy drive
Suzuki has stayed independent of big joint ventures despite becoming increasingly dependent on markets outside JapanIn an industry where mergers and collaborations between major players are increasingly common, Suzuki remains something of an outlier. It has largely eschewed wide-ranging, large-scale alliances with other vehicle companies, especially since its joint venture ...
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ArticleFinding a new Vantage point
In an effort to end its boom-bust cycle, Aston Martin aims to double production capacity by 2019 while cutting manufacturing costsFor a luxury maker so used to luring the rich, profits have proven elusive for Aston Martin over the course of its 104-year existence. But the first signs that its ...
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ArticleVW Amarok production begins in Quito
Ecuador – Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is supplying partner Fisum with completely knocked down parts for assembly by its affiliate, local contract manufacturer Aymesa. Around 2,000 Amarok Trendline vehicles with two-wheel drive or 4Motion will be made per year, potentially rising to 10,000 depending on demand.Josef Baumert, member of the board ...
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ArticleCapital gains
Having made more than 1m Mercedes-Benz cars at its Beijing factory, BBAC is proud of its place in the Daimler portfolio. AMS travelled to China in order to tour the largest Mercedes-Benz car factory in the worldMade in China, for China: that has been the Mercedes-Benz strategy for more than ...
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ArticleBosch to guide Bentley’s production
UK – Effective November 1, Peter Bosch becomes the OEM’s member of the board for Manufacturing. He succeeds Michael Straughan, who is leaving Bentley Motors to pursue other career opportunities.Bosch is joining Bentley from Volkswagen Group’s headquarters at Wolfsburg, Germany, where he served as head of Production Strategy, Processes and ...
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ArticleSpeed of thought
A well-educated workforce within a tried-and-tested process model enables the GAC FCA plant at Guangzhou to achieve rapid ramp-ups. AMS went to the WCM-designed plant in China to take a look at the productionIn April, 2016, Jeep Renegades began rolling off the assembly line at a brand new plant in ...
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ArticleInterview: Bill Russo, Ford
AMS met Ford’s vice-president for manufacturing in Asia-Pacific at its Shanghai headquarters to discuss the challenges the OEM is tackling in the region, especially through its JMC and Changan JVs in ChinaBill Russo has been in China full time for a little over 18 months but in the automotive and ...