All Logistics articles – Page 20
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ArticleUnder contract
Valmet Automotive is experiencing rapid growth with a new Daimler contract to build its GLC SUV, partnership with a leading Chinese battery supplier and engineering acquisitions in EuropeIt might have been a chilly -12°C outside the Uusikaupunki plant on the day of our visit, but things are certainly heating up ...
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ArticleSquaring the circular economy
Given the continued increase in global production, vehicle-makers have had to take action on waste managementWaste management in automotive manufacturing has moved beyond the simple recycling of materials toward a concept known as ‘the circular economy’. This is where materials that may previously have either been scrapped or recycled are ...
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ArticlePSA and Opel? Why, Carlos... why?
Periodically, the car industry goes through a burst of rationalisation, with companies closing plants and merging or creating alliances. This is typically accompanied by a flood of headlines and stories about the need for structural change, realignment in the industry and so forth. It has happened before and will happen ...
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ArticlePrincipled reasoning
Investing €500m to expand its operation at Leipzig means that, for the first time, Porsche can take three models on a single route through identical stationsSince production of the Macan began in 2014, Porsche Leipzig has operated as a fully-fledged production facility with a modern paintshop and a dedicated bodyshop. ...
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Article
Seven key issues for tier suppliers
Taking examples from across the world of automotive tier supply, AMS looks at the seven key considerations from supply base consolidation, vertical integration and outsourcing to the changes that the move to electric, autonomous and connected vehicles might mean for the supplier industry1. Supply base consolidationWhile car companies make most ...
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ArticleEnsuring global productivity
With low heat input, high welding speed and short weld-to-weld times, laser welding is helping meet the demand for increased output and use of lightweight materialsAs a system integrator of high-end automatic welding equipment, the Dutch company AWL-Techniek has grown into a global partner for its customers with branches in ...
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ArticleAssembly language
A flagship plant in Portugal provides Visteon with the platform to innovate and find best practices it can roll out worldwideFrom Palmela, its key European production base and centre of excellence based on the outskirts of Lisbon, Visteon supplies to almost every OEM in the market. Half of the Palmela ...
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ArticleKaizen in Karben
As one site in a huge global network, Continental’s plant near Frankfurt provides a fine example of how improvement by knowledge sharing comes in forms both old and newEvery morning at 9am, the managing director of Continental’s plant at Karben, Germany takes a gemba walk. Following a different route each ...
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ArticleSkoda Kvasiny reaches 2m vehicles
Czech Republic – The milestone car was a Kodiaq, the brand’s first large SUV. For the launch of this model, the factory recruited an extra 2,600 personnel by the end of 2016 and is still progressing with a modernisation and expansion programme.Skoda has invested 7 billion crowns ($269.4m) at Kvasiny ...
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ArticleCarlos Ghosn – hungry for even more power?
As the end of the year approaches, news from Japan has emerged about what Nissan – or more specifically, Carlos Ghosn – intends to do with Mitsubishi. Japanese corporate law allowed Nissan to take control of its troubled compatriot by acquiring just 34% of the company for 237 billion yen ...
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ArticlePlant Oxford reaches 3m Minis
UK – The milestone vehicle was a John Cooper Works Clubman, the first all-wheel drive (AWD) ALL4 model. Around 1,000 Minis are now built at the factory per day – up from 300 in 2001, when production began.Since 2000, BMW Group has invested £1.75 billion ($2.2 billion) at Oxford, Swindon ...
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ArticleVW and SOVAC agree production JV
Algeria – According to the deal signed today, SOVAC will make the Volkswagen Golf, Seat Ibiza, Skoda Octavia and the Caddy van from early 2017. A new assembly hall will be constructed on a 150-hectare site in Relizane, and after a phased ramp up will produce over 100 vehicles per ...
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ArticleStackers of steel
Six Kuka KR 1000 titan robots are providing new flexibility in production at steel supplier MannstaedtBased in Troisdorf in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Mannstaedt can trace its origins back nearly 200 years. Today, the company is part of the Georgsmarienhütte Group and specialises in the manufacture of hot-rolled ...
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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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ArticleThe cutting room
Bringing in Lectra’s expertise, suppliers are finding more ways to streamline their production of fabric and trim for automotive seatingMature and dynamic, Mexico is an especially attractive location for companies aiming to establish or maintain a North American manufacturing footprint. Drawn by the appeal of Mexico’s low wages and improved ...
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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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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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ArticleInterview: Fidel Otake, GKN
GKN Driveline has had a manufacturing presence in Mexico since the 1970s and has grown strongly in recent years. The company's operations director for the country discusses its new propshaft facility in GuanajuatoJoanne Perry (JP): GKN Driveline has many facilities around the world but relatively few in the Americas. Is ...
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ArticleRevitalising a veteran
VW has been making vehicles at Puebla in Mexico since 1967, but a $1.7 billion investment has added new facilities for the Golf 7 and long-wheelbase Tiguan. AMS takes a look at a vast but still expanding footprintThe automotive industry is a prime example of globalisation; major manufacturers span the ...
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ArticleInterview: Alfons Dintner, Audi
The company's CEO for Mexico explains how it became the first premium brand with a plant in the countryJoanne Perry (JP): San José Chiapa is Audi’s first factory in Mexico – and North America. Can you elaborate on its significance?Alfons Dintner (AD): This plant is a major building block for ...