All Logistics articles – Page 24
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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, ...
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ArticleLaser-guided success
With an expanding and innovative market, Mohammed Hidayath, national sales manager, TRUMPF (India), tells automotive writer Dave Howell how laser technology is changing automotive productionThe TruLaser Cell Series 7000 gives entry-level users easy and low cost access to laser processingTRUMPF was founded in 1923 as a mechanical workshop. Since then, ...
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ArticleAndreas Lauenroth, VW India
The executive director – technical, VW India, discusses manufacturing operations at the OEM's Chakan Plant, including possibilities for expansionAMS: Which models are you currently producing here?Andreas Lauenroth (AL): At present it’s [VW] Polo, Vento and [Skoda] Rapid. We were producing the Fabia but that was removed from the market last ...
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ArticleEvolution assists tooling relocation
UK – The specialist logistics company, which has British and German locations, recently delivered body panel press tooling to the UK from China by air, cutting the transport time by three weeks compared with sea freight and eliminating any risk of delay to a vehicle launch.“This project has been a ...
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ArticleInterview: Gurpratap Boparai, Fiat India
Fiat's CEO for the region talks of launching new models at Ranjangaon, including vehicles for FCA brandsAMS: Start of production at Ranjangaon was in 2007. What was the installed capacity then, and has this increased?Gurpratap Boparai (GB): It has remained the same at 130,000 units per annum, but if we ...
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ArticleMaruti: Inspired by Japan
By strengthening its focus on quality, the OEM aims to keep its 44% market share despite more competitionWith sales of over 1.15m vehicles during 2013-2014 – encompassing hatchbacks, sedans, vans and SUVs – Maruti Suzuki is by any standards a major carmaker. As its name indicates, Maruti Suzuki is a ...
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ArticleBrazil’s new battle
Re-elected President Rousseff must tackle signs of stagnation in the world’s fourth-largest auto marketThe next four years of automotive manufacturing in Brazil will be marked by the second presidential term of Dilma Rousseff, winner of the general election in October. Among the greatest challenges facing her will be a need ...
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ArticleGosto da Renault pelo Marrocos
A fábrica completa do OEM em Tânger, agora é um ingrediente importante em sua rede de produção europeiaA mais nova fábrica da Renault de fabricação completa em Tânger, foi inaugurada em 2012 e atualmente emprega cerca de 5.500 pessoas. Cerca de 20 km da cidade e localizada a 35 km ...
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ArticleRenault prueba Marruecos
La más reciente fábrica de la marca en Tánger es ya un factor clave en su red de producción europea La más reciente planta de producción completa de Renault en Tánger se inauguró en 2012 y emplea a más de 5.500 personas. Renault Tánger se encuentra a unos 20 km ...
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ArticleZF Solihull: Taking a new line
Recent investment at the West Midlands factory has resulted in a new assembly area for JLR componentsIn terms of numbers alone, the ZF Lemförder plant in Solihull, UK, would not appear to be a major portion of the German-owned ZF Group; ten years after its establishment, it employs just 113 ...
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ArticleRenault's taste of Morocco
The OEM’s latest full factory, at Tangier, is now an important ingredient in its European production network Renault’s newest full manufacturing plant, at Tangier, opened in 2012 and now employs nearly 5,500 people. Around 20km from the city and 35km from the port, Renault Tangier is located in a tax ...
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Article- 雷诺在摩洛哥
雷诺在丹吉尔(Tangier)的新工厂，眼下成为欧洲生产网络中的一个重要组成部分 雷诺汽车2012年在丹吉尔开设了完整的新制造厂，目前拥有近5,500名员工。雷诺丹吉尔工厂离城市20公里，离港口35公里，坐落在一个免税区内，在那里生产的汽车不需要缴纳进口税就可以进口到欧洲。这里成为雷诺欧盟生产网络中重要的一部分，雷诺丹吉尔已经成为集团内举足轻重的一个工厂。工厂向欧洲及区域市场提供Dacia Dokker, Lodgy以及Sandero车型，最近又为每个车型添加了软越野版本，贴上Stepway的标识。 雷诺丹吉尔还为巴西和印度的其他集团工厂，提供车体冲压件，在这些地方马上也要装配Dacia Lodgy和Dikker车型。工厂马上还要为哥伦比亚和俄罗斯的雷诺Dacia工厂提供车体冲压件，进一步加强丹吉尔在雷诺制造网络中的作用。除此之外，该出口计划中还包括雷诺公司从摩洛哥的一些供应商那里，向俄罗斯和印度运输组件的事项。 除了在丹吉尔的新厂，雷诺在摩洛哥还有一个稍小一些的老厂：卡萨布兰卡的索麦卡工厂。该厂向当地和区域市场提供Logan汽车和Sandero汽车。雷诺将努力保持索麦卡工厂的生产到2017年。而且根据地方媒体报道，工厂正在与摩洛哥政府讨论有关之后的事情。索麦卡有可能为了实现丹吉尔的最高生产效率而关闭。 同时，雷诺与2014年11月在阿尔及利亚的奥兰启动生产，规定Renault Symbol汽车的年产量为25,000辆，但是很快年产量就会达到75,000辆。 2013年，雷诺丹吉尔工厂生产了大约101,000辆汽车，而索麦卡工厂也突破了历史记录，超过66,500辆。丹吉尔工厂2014年的产量有望达到180,000辆左右，2014年末的数月里，运转率已接近年产量200,000辆。 以当前的形式，丹吉尔工厂如果全速生产，可达到年产量340,000辆。从长期来看，如果加上额外场地（分配给日产公司了），丹吉尔工厂的年产量能达到400,000辆，但在此之前，还需保留意见。 阵容不断扩大雷诺丹吉尔工厂开始生产3种车型：Lodgy(一款5座或7座MPV)，以及Dokker的两个款式（一个5座Kombi和2座传统厢型车）。第4个车型，即新款Sandero于2013年9月投入生产，并出口到欧洲。然而，由于欧盟免税状况，丹吉尔工厂目前无法出口到包括摩洛哥的阿加迪尔协议（Agadir agrrement）成员国，包括埃及、约旦和中东的许多国家；由索麦卡工厂向这些市场提供Sandero汽车Logan汽车。丹吉尔工厂极有可能在明年增加一款都市车，Dacia车型。 日产公司的制造计划还无人知晓，有些报道猜测，会在丹吉尔以Nissan标识生产Dokker汽车，或者会决定制造Evalia厢型车 — 目前是在印度生产。但是该原始设备制造商既没有确定在摩洛哥制造哪种车型，也没有证实是从什么时候开始投入生产。 然而，日产一旦投入生产，在丹吉尔每年能生产处60,000辆汽车，总产量将达到每年400,000辆。如果工厂全力生产，预计会雇佣6,000名工人，而在供应链上，摩洛哥可以再获得30,000个就业岗位。 虽然Dokker和Lodgy车型在开始时获得成功、广受好评，但是欧洲需求不稳定的特性确实影响了2014年上半年的生产，比2013年上半年有所下降。2013年上半年，Dokker的产量超过32,500辆，但是在2014年上半年却下滑超过3,000辆；更重要的是，Lodgy的产量从近19,000辆下降到仅仅超过11,000辆。因此有些报道称，雷诺将取消Lodgy项目，摩洛哥方面在尽力辟谣。 低劳工成本，低自动化摩洛哥的劳工成本要比欧洲低很多；不仅比法国低，甚至要比罗马尼亚的达契亚，或土耳其的雷诺都要低。达契亚在罗马尼亚每月的劳工成本品均达到950欧元（约合1,200美元），要比雷诺土耳其每月925欧元稍微高一些。相比之下，摩洛哥每月的老工成本只有350欧元。造成这种差距的一个主要原因是，摩洛哥的工厂相比欧洲的工厂，在自动化程度和固定设备上的投资都很低。丹吉尔装配线是高劳动密集型的，车体修理厂的机器人要比欧盟典型工厂里的少得多。 摩洛哥的成本优势在达契亚生产的地理位置上起到关键作用，尤其是在将Sandero的生产从罗马尼亚转至摩洛哥的决定上。出口欧洲的大部分Sandero汽车都是在北非生产的，使罗马尼亚工厂的生产力空出来，集中在高价位Duster SUV和Logan MCV，包括为英国提供右座驾驶车型；之前，这些都是由印度金奈的雷诺-日产工厂完成的。 尽管丹吉尔工厂的许多工作都是劳动密集型的，但是这是一个制造工序完备的工厂，拥有自己的冲压工厂、以及车体修理长、喷漆厂和装修厂。丹吉尔工厂拥有3条冲压线，其中一条使用Bliss压力机，这是之前在法国西北部Sandouville的雷诺工厂里使用过的。 冲压车间为工厂生产足够的板金件，能始终保持3.5天的最少库存；这还不算向印度和巴西生产的板金件。工厂从2014年第一季度开始向巴西出口散件，从10月份开始向印度出口（虽然印度的汽车装配生产要从2015年1月才开始）。向俄罗斯和哥伦比亚的出口从2015年开始。 丹吉尔拥有两条装配线，运转率达到30jph；第一装配线专门用于Lodgy和Dokker汽车，而第二装配线用于Sandero。在丹吉尔生产的所有Sandero汽车都用于出口，而本地和地区的Sandero汽车则来自索麦卡（工厂还生产Logan，在地方和其他地区出售，但不面向欧洲市场）。 提高当地含量雷诺的主要问题 — 事实上摩洛哥政府为丹吉尔的工厂建设提供极大激励政策 — 是提高在该国生产的汽车中的当地含量。在开始生产Lodgy汽车与Dokker汽车时，当地含量接近50%，但Sandero汽车的引进却使这个数字下降了，因为它拥有高罗马尼亚含量。结果，整体当地含量不足40%。为了大幅度提高含量，有人认为雷诺正在考虑在摩洛哥生产发动机；目前，发动机是来自西班牙Valladolid雷诺工厂。然而，建设一个新的发动机厂的日程还有未得到证实。 丹吉尔的当地含量，将在2014年末达到42%；目标是要在2016年达到56%。摩洛哥政府已经说，政府希望这个数据到2020年能达到65%。提高当地含量的举措还将在Dokker与Sandero汽车的重新设计与生命周期内进行升级，以及组件的再生领域同步进行。 为了达成当地含量目标，雷诺还鼓励供应商们到摩洛哥安营扎寨，直接在丹吉尔供应。有些组建的装配，比如座椅、车轴、排气装置，以及保险杠的喷漆，都是在工厂内进行的。绝大多数工作都是由外部供应商实行的，因为到目前为止，还没有公司愿意在摩洛哥投资来完成这些工作。 当地的供应商基地由不同的集团组成：第一个集团（在丹吉尔附近）有12家供应商，其中8家已经在绿色地带建厂，另外3家是在棕色地带。此外，有一个为雷诺在摩洛哥的其他工厂供应的供应商，已经建立第二个工厂，专门为丹吉尔供应。 在索麦卡与丹吉尔之间的盖尼特拉，Saint ...
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ArticleJLR Halewood: Full speed ahead
Invigorated by a £200m investment, the facility has become one of the UK's most productive car plantsOf all the turnaround stories emerging from the recent success of the British car industry, that of Jaguar Land Rover’s plant at Halewood, near Liverpool, is one of most compelling. Started in 1962 by ...
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ArticleIncreasing flexibility & performance
Comau discusses how vehicle manufacturers can improve efficiency through innovative engineering solutionsWhen balancing the needs of a dynamic global marketplace, greater flexibility and higher performance in production operations are essential to automotive manufacturers. The challenge to achieve this is frequently linked to their production facilities, many of which were built ...
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ArticleVW reports ‘Think Blue.Factory’ success
Germany – The OEM says it has completed over 2,700 projects and made its production processes 17% more “environmentally compatible” over the past three years. The results were presented by more than 250 experts from 27 plants of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and the company’s Components division.The objective ...