All Logistics articles – Page 24
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ArticleTaking care
OEMs are adopting a more proactive approach to employee wellbeing, including improved ergonomicsAs the baby-boom generation grows older and the average age of employees rises, automotive manufacturers are responding to the need for more ergonomic workplaces. In addition, the younger generation coming through is bringing with it a different set ...
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ArticleOlive takes new role at Renault-Nissan
France – The OEM has appointed Jérôme Olive as executive vice-president, Alliance Manufacturing Engineering and Supply Chain Management, effective August 1.Olive, who is currently senior vice-president, Manufacturing and Logistics Europe at Renault, replaces Shohei Kimura, who moves to a new leadership position in manufacturing within the Nissan group. Kimura has ...
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ArticlePorsche takes over Kuka’s tool-making division
Germany – With locations in Schwarzenberg, Germany, and Dubnica, Slovakia, and a workforce of 600 individuals, the business will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the sports car manufacturer. Kuka Systems will soon be turned into ‘Porsche Werkzeugbau’, subject to approval under anti-trust law.“By taking over the tool-making division, Porsche ...
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ArticleSkoda halves production energy per car
Czech Republic – Over the 20 years the OEM has been working with its energy provider, Sko-Energo, production has seen a drop of more than 50% in energy use and a “significant” reduction in water consumption (including 15% in 2014).“Using energy efficiently gives companies a real competitive edge,” said Michael ...
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ArticlePorsche extends Blume’s contract
Germany – Although the OEM’s member of the executive board – Production and Logistics only joined the company in January 2013, he will start a new, five-year deal in January 2016.A mechanical engineer by training, Oliver Blume has 20 years of experience within the Volkswagen Group. At Audi, he was ...
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ArticleGorlier is FCA’s new COO Components
US – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) confirmed that Pietro Gorlier’s appointment is effective from June 30 and that he retains his responsibilities as head of Parts and Services (MOPAR) and a member of the executive council, held since September 2011.As COO Components, Gorlier will replace Eugenio Razelli, who is leaving ...
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ArticleHonda’s Civic centre
A £200m investment will secure the future of the OEM's troubled Swindon plant while also signalling a radical shift in the way the company builds cars for EuropeHonda’s plan is to turn its Swindon facility into a global production centre for just one car: the next-generation Civic C-segment five-door hatchback. ...
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ArticleSommerlatte to drive Alcoa Wheel’s EMEA sales
Belgium – Effective May 1, Kai Sommerlatte will take the role of sales director for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, Alcoa Wheel Products Europe. He moves from his position with the company’s Western European sales team, which he has led since February 2012.Sommerlatte arrived at Alcoa in July ...
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ArticleSkoda makes 750,000th Superb
Czech Republic – The milestone vehicle rolled off the production line at Kvasiny, just a few months before the market launch of the third generation of the model. The Skoda Superb has been the brand’s flagship car since 2001.Winfried Vahland, Skoda’s CEO, claimed the Superb has been “synonymous with the ...
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ArticleInterview: Porsche's Michael Drolshagen talks Spyder manufacture
An entirely new production area has been designed and built for Porsche's hybrid supercar. The director of production for the 918 Spyder talks about the creation of the ‘Manufactory’ at Zuffenhausen, GermanyAMS: What were the criteria for the 918 production area?Michael Drolshagen (MD): At the start of the project in ...
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ArticleAllied to success
The collaboration between Renault, Nissan and Daimler continues to progress – but what makes it tick?Renault and Nissan established their cross-shareholding and wide-ranging alliance in 1999. It is now the most enduring international partnership between two major car companies in the modern automotive industry. Renault has a 43.4% stake in ...
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ArticlePorsche's Manufactory
Hand-built but high-tech, the 918 Spyder is made in a specially adapted production area at ZuffenhausenA space that formerly housed a paintshop and presents numerous logistical challenges might not sound like the ideal setting to hand build a hybrid supercar, but Porsche has created just such a production area. The ...
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ArticleLear, TRW and Expert Tooling grow in Sunderland
UK – The three expansions are being completed at Rainton Bridge Industrial Estate, increasing the local automotive manufacturing workforce by 250. More than 100 jobs will be created at Lear, 130 at TRW and 25 at Expert Tooling.The 3,500 sq. m expansion at Lear, which established its first UK site ...
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ArticleSkoda expands further at Kvasiny
Czech Republic – The plant and surrounding public infrastructure are to be modernised and expanded over the next three years, after the OEM signed a memorandum of cooperation with the government and the Hradec Králové authorities.Skoda will invest 7.2 billion CZK ($298m) in the Kvasiny site by 2018, boosting capacity ...
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ArticleMercedes' $500m for SC van plant
US – To be built in Charleston, South Carolina (SC), the new facility will produce next-generation Sprinters for the North American market. A bodyshop, paintshop and assembly line will be constructed on 800,000 sq.m of land, beginning in 2016. Around 1,300 jobs will be created.“Charleston is an excellent location for ...
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ArticleEurope: In recovery
The region's vehicle market is healing, but plant closures have not prevented excess production capacityEuropean automakers will be breathing a cautious sigh of relief after 2014 showed sustained growth there following the prolonged slump triggered by the 2008/9 financial collapse. All 12 months showed growth in the region (excluding Russia ...
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ArticleThe pulling power of GAZ and Komatsu
AMS takes a look inside the OEMs' heavy-vehicle production sites at Yaroslavl, Russia, and Awazu, Japan Since early 2013, Russian heavy-vehicle manufacturer GAZ has been producing its latest generation of medium-duty diesel engines at what it describes as the "most up-to-date engine production" facility in the country. The engines are ...
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ArticleThe aluminium age
The main alternative to steel is becoming more popular with vehicle-makers for its lightweighting potential but there are challenges in its wider use, including the need to secure a steady supply of recycled contentThe use of aluminium in automotive applications is poised to explode over the next five to ten ...
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ArticleHyundai-Kia: Moving on up
Expanding production has seen the Korean group break into the top five OEMs worldwide; with new plants on the way in China and Mexico, the vehicle-maker may soon challenge rivals for a place in the top three In this article:Korean productionHyundai plantsKia plantsExpansion in China & EuropeTrouble in the US ...
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ArticleThe rise of robotics
Robots now play a key role in boosting quality, reliability and efficiency at automotive plants worldwideRobot sales to the automotive sector have increased from 19,300 in 2009 to 69,400 in 2013, with China, Germany, the US and Japan the main takers. Indeed, a recent report by independent business information provider, ...