All Bodyshop articles – Page 9
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ArticleInterview: Alfons Dintner, Audi
The company's CEO for Mexico explains how it became the first premium brand with a plant in the countryJoanne Perry (JP): San José Chiapa is Audi’s first factory in Mexico – and North America. Can you elaborate on its significance?Alfons Dintner (AD): This plant is a major building block for ...
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ArticleNissan heads in a new direction
The OEM has been manufacturing vehicles in Mexico since 1966 but the new COMPAS collaboration with Daimler will add premium cars to the line-up by next year. AMS went to check on the progress so farThe rush among carmakers to set up a manufacturing base in Mexico will see no ...
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ArticleKia's brave new world
The South Korean OEM has just opened a state-of-the-art factory at Pesquería in Mexico, but political problems are preventing this first Latin American manufacturing base from reaching its full potentialA sun-scorched hilltop in Monterrey provides the perfect view of Kia Motors’ first Latin American factory: a gleaming white press shop, ...
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ArticleAudi inaugurates San Jose Chiapa plant
Mexico – The factory in the south-central state of Puebla will produce the Q5 SUV for all global markets except China, with an annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles. Audi’s investment in the site exceeds €1 billion ($1.1 billion) and has enabled it to become the first premium carmaker with manufacturing ...
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ArticleBMW Dingolfing prepares for 5 Series
Germany – Production of the seventh-generation vehicle will ramp up by the end of the year, ahead of a market launch in early 2017. An investment of several hundred million euros has enabled the refurbishment of the plant and the construction of additional facilities, including the adaptation of drivetrain installation ...
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ArticleSkid-free flexibility
With the energy savings it brings, the skidless paintshop is proving to be a popular ideaThere are some real heavyweights on the move inside automotive manufacturers’ production facilities: 200kg skids transfer 300kg vehicle bodies from the bodyshop to pretreatment, and on through the entire paintshop. Over 1,200 conveyor components and ...
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ArticleTravel blog: The final frontier with Kia in Pesquería
And for my next mission... Mars! Or Monterrey in Nuevo León, which is similarly arid but uncomfortably hotter. At least I have the benefit of oxygen as I journey to Kia's new factory at Pesquería. I'd heard that Kia had been experiencing problems (Houston!) with this development, but as I ...
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ArticleExercise in efficiency
Toyota’s famed philosophy of constant improvement is well represented at its plant near BengaluruIt’s a given that all automotive manufacturing plants are continuously monitoring costs and efficiency, but at Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s (TKM) Bidadi plant there has been a real sense of urgency revealed in the detail of the operation’s ...
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Article
Exercise in efficiency
Toyota’s famed philosophy of constant improvement is well represented at its plant near BengaluruIt’s a given that all automotive manufacturing plants are continuously monitoring costs and efficiency, but at Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s (TKM) Bidadi plant there has been a real sense of urgency revealed in the detail of the operation’s ...
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ArticlePacifica progress
As FCA US smoothly implements a $744m upgrade at its Windsor plant in Canada, AMS focuses on the new equipment in the paintshop, including innovative oil separation technology and a robotic sealing system“What we were asking the Windsor team to do had never been done before,” said Brian Harlow, vice ...
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ArticleKeeping finishes up to scratch
As vehicle-makers add more innovative materials in body construction and change their production processes to meet new environmental regulations, paint suppliers are striving to match their requirementsThe majority of consumers take them for granted, but exterior coatings have to cover a lot of ground. Ray Schappert, global director of product ...
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ArticleCarry forward
State-of-the-art electrified conveyors contribute to production levels and offer a safer working environment Self-propelled electrified carriers, monorail systems and skillet lines with lifting platforms are state-of-the-art solutions in today’s automotive manufacturing process. Electrification with conductor rail systems has been in common practice for several years, continuously adapting to real-world ...
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ArticleMonitoring vital statistics
As OEMs look to reduce energy consumption in their paintshops, the latest software can improve efficiencyPaintshops account for the greatest energy use at any automotive manufacturing operation – around 70%, says Bill Sarver, senior consultant, Global Automotive at Rockwell Automation – and that makes efficiency in this area crucial to ...
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ArticlePanamera made completely at Leipzig
Germany – The Porsche factory in Saxony will take over the production and painting of the new-generation bodies-in-white from Volkswagen Hanover, which has held this responsibility since the launch of the model in 2009. Previously, Leipzig undertook the pre-assembly and final assembly.Porsche has spent around €500m ($556.4m) on a fourth ...
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ArticleMetrology meets automation
Portable systems have made high-accuracy measurement possible across all plant areas – the next step in this evolution is the integration of metrology with automationFrom the progressive assembly line to lean manufacturing principles, the automotive industry has always led the way in manufacturing technology. As the industry faces ever shorter ...
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ArticleInterview: Klemens Bartmann, Axalta
As the coatings company turns 150 years old, its global technology director reflects on the sector’s trends, challenges and opportunities – including new materials, environmental concerns and multi-functionality Klemens Bartmann, Axalta Coating SystemsJoanne Perry (JP): Can you briefly outline the differences in requirements between coatings for light vehicles and those ...
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ArticleBMW breaks ground at San Luis Potosí
Mexico – Once construction is complete, the plant in the north-central state will make BMW 3 Series sedans, with capacity for 150,000 units per year. Production is expected to begin in 2019.The new factory will have a bodyshop, paintshop and assembly hall, and represents an investment of $1 billion. Its ...
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Article
Aço está em movimento
Ao produzir materiais mais fortes e mais versáteis, fabricantes de aço estão ajudando OEMs a fazer mais com menos.A indústria do aço está inovando em um ritmo furioso - e é necessário. Seu domínio de longa data na indústria automotiva está sob ameaça devido a uma variedade de alternativas leves. ...
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ArticleInterview with Oliver Blume, Porsche
The premium OEM’s global head of Production and Logistics talks about its recent expansion in Leipzig for the addition of the new Macan SUV.