All Bodyshop articles – Page 6
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ArticleCollective thinking
Closer collaboration between product development and production teams could lead to significant improvements in vehicle manufacturing processes. Ford Otosan holds a unique position. Michael Nash reports The scenery in Turkey is full of surprises. A quick car journey can lead to towering mountains, pristine beaches and lush forests, while historical ...
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ArticleFirst 'Full Flex' factory build underway
Hungary - Construction has begun on Mercedes-Benz's first “Full-Flex Plant“ in Kecskemét, 90km in the south of Budapest.The company is investing €1bn in the new facility that will comprise presses, bodyshop, paintshop and assembly lines. It is anticipated that more than 2,500 jobs will be created.Its first global “Full-Flex Plant”, ...
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ArticleA global future
Now Chinese-owned Volvo enters its tenth decade looking stronger than ever. Ian Henry reportsFord had owned Swedish carmaker since 1999, but had never been able to integrate it into the rest of its operations. Nonetheless, when Geely bought Volvo it found a company full of new ideas and plans which ...
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ArticleVolvo Cars increases XC40 capacity
Sweden - Around 80,000 orders have been made for the XC40 since it was launched in late 2017. As a result, the OEM has announced it will expand production of the model, which is the first to be based on its compact modular architecture (CMA), at its Ghent manufacturing plant ...
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ArticleBMW starts Leipzig extension
Germany - The OEM revealed its intension to expand the plant back in July 2017. It originally said the cost would total around €200m (US$234.82m), but has revised that figure to €300m.Construction work has started to extend and update both the bodyshop and paintshop. 500 new robots are being ...
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ArticleFord invests in Craiova plant
Romania - The OEM has confirmed it is spending €200m (US$236.17m) to ready its Craiova plant for the production of a second vehicle, the name of which will be confirmed closer to launch. It will be built alongside the EcoSport small SUV and the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine."This new investment will ...
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ArticleSPA in the DNA
Rising global demand for Volvo vehicles and the arrival of models using the SPA platform is having a considerable impact on the company’s Torslanda plant. Michael Nash investigatesAs they typically employ thousands of people, mass-market vehicle production plants often have a significant influence on local and indeed national economies. But ...
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ArticleIntegrating i vehicles
Separate production lines are used to build conventionally powered vehicles and the electrified i models at BMW Leipzig, but this could soon changeA gulf remains between electric vehicles (EVs)and those that are powered solely by internal combustion engines (ICEs). This is evident in consumer demand, in range, in cost and ...
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ArticleTracking and training
Digital technologies are providing new training solutions for the automotive industry. Nick Holt reportsEye tracking systems are now being successfully used to create training programs that reduce errors in manufacturing operations. Mike Bartel, senior research developer at Tobii Pro Insights provided an overview of what this technology offers: “Eye tracking ...
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Articlei8 Roadster enters production at Leipzig
Germany - BMW has started the production of its i8 Roadster two months ahead of market launch. The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is being made at the company's Leipzig plant in Germany, which also produces the BMW 1 and 2 Series as well as the i3. The updated i8 ...
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ArticlePorsche doubles e-mobility investment
Expansion at Porsche Zuffenhausen will facilitate Mission E projectsGermany - Porsche is to invest significantly more funds into its electromobility development to produce both plug-in hybrids and purely electric vehicles at its Zuffenhausen plant. The move will see the Stuttgart-based OEM take its expenditure on e-mobility from around €3bn ...
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ArticleNot too posh to push
Porsche has been expanding its production and achieving record results – with some assistance from Volkswagen Group facilitiesBoth an iconic name in the automotive industry and a core part of the Volkswagen Group, Porsche has been facilitating its rising production in recent years by relying heavily on Group resources while ...
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ArticleSpain’s rising star
Renault’s Valladolid plant is piloting some of the latest digital manufacturing technologiesThe Spanish plant has become a star in Renault’s production network for making one of the brand’s most successful new-segment launches: the Captur small SUV. Since start of production in 2013, the car has passed the ‘1m built’ milestone ...
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ArticleVolvo Ghent starts XC40 production
Belgium – The company’s first small premium SUV is based on the Compact Modular Architecture which will underpin all new cars in the 40 series. Volvo has already taken more than 13,000 orders and deliveries will begin early next year.“Our people have put in long days and many hours to ...
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ArticleMAN to invest €2.4 billion by 2020
Germany – The funds, equivalent to $2.8 billion, will go towards modernising the company’s sites and improving efficiency across all divisions, and will include a €1.1 billion upgrade at its main plant in Munich between 2015 and 2020. In Munich, MAN is opening a new paintshop, expanded bodyshop, a combined ...
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Article
Building for the future
Subaru has spent $1.3bn at its US plant to increase its capacity and is now preparing to produce a new SUVSubaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA) reports that it has invested $1.3 billion at its 832-acre site in Lafayette, Indiana, over the last four years. This has increased both powertrain and ...
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ArticleSouthern powerhouse
South Africa's automotive industry has emerged onto the world stage after increased investment from the likes of BMW, Mercedes and VW. Moreover, the country has now attracted the attentions of a Chinese OEM The automotive industry has played a central role in the economic and industrial strategies of successive South ...
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ArticleMazda Hofu starts making new CX-5
Japan – Plant 2 in Yamaguchi Prefecture has joined Hiroshima Plant and other facilities in China and Malaysia as a producer of the new model. Mazda said this will enable it to “flexibly and rapidly” meet growing global demand for crossovers.At the production launch, Hidenori Kawakami, executive officer and plant ...
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ArticlePutting the Kia into Slovakia
With its production numbers continuing to increase, the Kia Motors Slovakia facility in Žilina is flying the flag for smaller car-producing nationsA picturesque setting is not a metric that OEMs necessarily value when selecting production sites, but it is one in which Kia Motors Slovakia (KMS) scores highly. The facility ...
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ArticleFinding a new Vantage point
In an effort to end its boom-bust cycle, Aston Martin aims to double production capacity by 2019 while cutting manufacturing costsFor a luxury maker so used to luring the rich, profits have proven elusive for Aston Martin over the course of its 104-year existence. But the first signs that its ...