All Logistics articles – Page 23
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Article
Mercedes-AMG to build 12-cylinder engines in Mannheim
Germany – Assembly of the V12 bi-turbo engines will take place at a new location within Daimler’s manufacturing complex from February 2016. The employees in Affalterbach who currently assemble these products will switch to the eight-cylinder lines.Tobias Moers, chairman of the board of management at Mercedes-AMG, explained the decision by ...
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ArticlePart of the family
As Renault Palencia in Spain introduces CMF vehicles, AMS goes to see the plant-wide preparations There are a couple of words which crop up frequently when talking to Renault executives about the company’s Palencia plant in northern Spain: one is quality, the other is competitiveness. Palencia has long been the ...
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ArticleRenault Palencia: Part of the family
As the OEM's Spanish factory introduces CMF vehicles, AMS goes to see the plant-wide preparations There are a couple of words which crop up frequently when talking to Renault executives about the company’s Palencia plant in northern Spain: one is quality, the other is competitiveness. Palencia has long been the ...
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ArticleIntelligent production
Mercedes has upgraded the van assembly lines at its Ludwigsfelde plant with a new, automated systemAccording to my guide around Mercedes-Benz Ludwigsfelde, Peer Braun, the working environment has been greatly improved; it is much quieter and open, the idea being to view the whole assembly process from one side of ...
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ArticleNew press shop: Skoda Mladá Boleslav
Czech Republic – The OEM has begun construction on the M4 hall and next spring will install a servo press line to produce aluminium body panels – introducing a new capability to the site. The €86m ($93.6m) facility will come online in February 2016.Costing €19.5m, the new hall will be ...
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Article
Sick and Trumpf collaborate on Industry 4.0
Germany – The two companies have announced that they are working together to integrate Sick sensors into a ‘digital platform’ for manufacturing companies which has been developed by Axoom, the IT service provider established by Trumpf. The partners say that logistics processes “are at the heart of this cooperation”.Sick sensor ...
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ArticleInterview with Vadim Sorokin, GAZ
The Russian OEM’s president discusses its drive for new business, improved quality and extra productsVadim Sorokin, president, GAZGAZ has a heritage that stretches back to the earliest days of the automotive industry, but as the organisation’s president, Vadim Sorokin, readily concedes, its present form and character date to just 15 ...
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ArticleSkoda Kvasiny turns out 500,000th Yeti
Czech Republic – The milestone vehicle, a Yeti Monte Carlo, rolled off the line six years after the model was launched as Skoda’s first SUV. The Yeti was redesigned in 2013 to create versions for urban and country driving, both available in front- and all-wheel drive. The sporty Monte Carlo ...
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ArticleEditor's note: All the small things
It’s possible that those responsible for Volkswagen’s emissions-cheating software thought it was only a minor transgression, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. Seismic scandals apart, global carmakers like VW constantly have to deal with a lot of small, and to the casual observer, seemingly insignificant things. But this multitude of ...
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ArticleGAZ Nizhny Novgorod: A new regime
Systematic investment since 2010 has modernised the facilities, production processes and workforce skills at GAZ's key factory. The new discipline has improved efficiency and quality at this complex operationEven before you reach the production areas of the GAZ plant in Nizhny Novgorod, the site’s character is made apparent by two ...
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ArticleAGV can go battery free
Wireless power of IPT enables AGVs to abandon the battery and operate continuously without recharging or risk of down time, writes Eberhard Vonhof of Conductix-WampflerWireless communication has proven to be robust enough for the most demanding manufacturing environmentsAutomated guided vehicles (AGVs) are not solely for delivery and logistics applications. They ...
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ArticleNorth America's rise before a fall?
Global vehicle-makers are investing in their manufacturing operations across the US and Mexico; AMS reviews the latest developments – and how they position the automotive industry for the next downturnGM splashes the cashFord shuffles production line-upFCA holds back on expansionToyota prepares for mega-platformNissan expands in the US and MexicoHonda boosts ...
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ArticleInterview: Ford's Ron Ketelhut
The chief body construction engineer who masterminded the renovation of the F-150 bodyshop to make aluminium pick-ups explains how this was done in just one month – resulting in cleaner, quieter productionAMS: Compared with other projects you have previously worked on, how challenging was the bodyshop renovation for the F-150 ...
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ArticleA lift to prosperity
The next-generation KUKA robots aim to meet the boom in demand and help fuel the growth of the manufacturing industry in ChinaLast year, KUKA established a new robot assembly plant in Shanghai, making it the company’s second production base outside Germany. This plant will supply products of world-class quality in ...
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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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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: Chuck Padden, FCA US Toledo
The OEM's plant manager at its largest factory in North America explains why the home of the Jeep is a top performer – ranked first for WCM in the US and with the second-biggest output of any OEM in the regionAMS: How important is Toledo within FCA’s North American production ...
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ArticleSkoda plants restart after shutdown
Czech Republic – Mladá Boleslav, Kvasiny and Vrchlabí are again running at full capacity after a two- to three-week break for optimisation and expansion. Amid a range of adaptations, the main focus was the planned production conversion at Kvasiny.In order to accommodate a production increase at Kvasiny to 280,000 units ...
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ArticleStamp of approval
Chang Tiejun, body area manager at Changan Mazda's Nanjing facility, discusses the challenges of keeping pace with demand, handling changing materials and vehicle architectures, and planning for the futureAMS: Do you have both blanking and stamping operations here at Nanjing?Chang Tiejun (CT): We only have stamping operations at this location; ...
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ArticleBBAC: Engine production pioneer
Frank Proksch, senior manager cylinder head machining, talks about the high-quality manufacturing at Mercedes' first passenger-car engine plant outside Germany, which opened in 2013AMS: Beijing was Mercedes’ first powertrain plant outside Germany for passenger cars. So are you pursuing a 'build-where-you-sell' strategy, and how much of the production is for ...