Automation – Page 295
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ArticlePermanova delivers laser station to Volvo in Chengdu
China – The laser station for the welding and cutting of car bodies is operated in full automatic mode and includes seam-tracking technology in the welding tool. A small robot-carried xy stage with a cutting tool is used for laser cutting of shocktowers, plus reference plates in the side and ...
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ArticleRenault-Nissan and IFC support Russian part-makers
Russia – The vehicle-makers’ Alliance and the World Bank member will provide advice and technical support to automotive component manufacturers as part of an attempt to encourage economic growth across Russia. The Renault-Nissan Alliance and IFC will help suppliers to improve their corporate governance, modernise their production facilities and conserve ...
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ArticleSkoda’s Yeti appears in China
China – A special version of the vehicle, tailored for the local market with larger dimensions and an optional spare tyre on the tailgate, is now running off the production lines in China, courtesy of Skoda’s association with Shanghai Volkswagen. The market launch of the new Yeti, called ‘Ye di’ ...
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ArticleCar production in UK nears 1.5m
UK – A total of 1,424,023 units were manufactured in the first 11 months of 2013, representing an increase of 4.5%. The figures were released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which said the UK automotive industry’s performance was the best since 2007. Its CEO, Mike Hawes, ...
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ArticleZF launches first car axle plant in Malaysia
Malaysia – The driveline and chassis specialist opened the production facility in Kulim, where 74 employees will initially produce axle sets for supply to the nearby BMW plant. Production will begin with completely knocked down (CKD) axles. The front and rear axles will be installed in several BMW and Mini ...
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Bridgestone expands in South America
Brazil – The tyre manufacturer is investing US$63m in its plant in Camaçari, Bahia. From May 2015, the increased production will deliver an extra 2,100 passenger car radial tyres (PRS) and light truck radial tyres (LTR) on a daily basis, bringing total production to over 10,000 per day. An extra ...
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ArticleBMW breaks ground at new Araquari site
Brazil – The vehicle-maker is set to invest over €200m in the plant in Santa Catarina, which is BMW’s first in South America. The facility, comprising a bodyshop, paintshop and assembly line, will be able to produce up to 30,000 vehicles per year. Models will include: the Mini Countryman, BMW ...
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ArticleCitroen invests €90m in new C segment vehicle
France – The OEM will devote its investment to the production of a Peugeot-badged model to replace the current Peugeot 5008. The vehicle will be built on the EMP2 platform which has already cost €630m to develop and will roll off the Rennes-La Janais production line in mid-2016, coming to ...
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ArticleGM patents aluminium welding process
US – The vehicle-maker has protected the industry-first technique it uses for the 2014 Corvette Stingray as one of 1,672 patents the company acquired in 2013. GM noted that, according to figures from The Patent Board, this was 176 more than second-placed Toyota and over twice as many as Ford. ...
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ArticleAxalta expands waterborne coatings capacity, Shanghai
China – To support the demand from China’s growing automotive industry the company is expanding its manufacturing capacity for coatings. Axalta is constructing a new $50m eco-friendly waterborne facility in the Jiading district. Expected to begin production in 2015, the plant will manufacture and supply up to 25,000 tonnes of ...
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ArticleHonda Transmission now using wind turbines
US – The company’s facility in Russells Point, Ohio, will be able to obtain around 10% of its electricity from the two turbines, which have been implemented in collaboration with a ConEdison Solutions subsidiary. The installation followed an evaluation of renewable energy sources for the plant, which Honda announced in ...
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ArticleGreenTech begins work on EV plant, Mississippi
US – Steel supports for the new production facility in Tunica are currently being put into place, with structural work expected to continue until mid-February. Exterior walls will be raised early next month; the entire exterior structure, including the roof, is due to be completed halfway through March. The eco-friendly ...
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ArticleHankook to provide tyres for BMW X5
Germany – The third generation of the vehicle will be factory-equipped with the Korean company’s Ventus S1 evo2 SUV, an ultra high-performance product. The tyre, which will mostly be made in Hungary, is described by Hankook as an “all-new” design specially developed for this vehicle category.The Ventus S1 evo2 SUV ...
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ArticleSternberg to lead DuPont research
US – As global automotive technology director, Jeffrey Sternberg will develop DuPont’s portfolio of renewably sourced materials and fuels for the industry.DuPont currently offers 100 product families for automotive applications and is looking to expand its lightweighting solutions, working with vehicle-makers and tier one component manufacturers. One recent project with ...
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ArticleYorii: From zero to hero
AMS visited Honda’s youngest car plant to see how automation and ‘green’ policies have created an ultra modern operationIn July last year Honda’s newest factory, at Yorii in Japan, finally began producing cars, six years after the start of construction work at the site. Now Yorii is a template for ...
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ArticleEditor's note: Sucessful collaboration
The partnering of brands and big companies is nothing new in the automotive industry. In fact the proliferation of joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions makes it hard to keep track of exactly who owns what share of whom. It’s often the failed partnerships that stick in the memory but ...
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ArticleEnergising EVs
As OEMs bring out more electric vehicles, AMS investigates the power behind the wheelElectric vehicles (EVs) have certainly come a long way from 19th century prototypes and small 20th century models such as the Enfield 8000. Following the success of the LEAF, Nissan recently announced plans to introduce its second ...
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ArticleAdaptive assembly
As powertrain options proliferate, automotive OEMs are adopting a flexible approach to the assembly processThere is little doubt that powertrain assembly is bearing the brunt of the global drive to increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. Automotive OEMs are devoting huge resources to developing more efficient powertrains and these are ...
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ArticleBright ideas for energy use
Energy is arguably the largest controllable element in automotive manufacturing. AMS investigates how to get the biggest ‘bang’ for the smallest ‘buck’ Raw material costs fluctuate according to classic supply and demand, leaving aside the impact of leveraging by hedge funds. A car needs metal and is not easy to ...
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ArticleDesigns on digital efficiency
AMS hears from GKN Driveline and McLaren Automotive about recent upgrades to their modelling softwareGKN Driveline, global supplier of automotive driveline systems and solutions, has an OEM customer base which includes Ford, General Motors, Volkswagen, Fiat-Chrysler, Renault, Nissan, Toyota and Jaguar Land Rover. As such, the technologies the company uses ...