All Closures and consolidation articles – Page 3
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ArticleVW to suspend lines for WLTP update
VW Group CEO Herbert DiessGermany - Volkswagen must plan for temporary production closures at the main plant in Wolfsburg to allow a changeover to new laboratory test cycles on fuel consumption and emissions from passenger cars.The Group CEO Herbert Diess announced the expected disruption at a works meeting, and ...
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ArticleMagna opens aluminium casting facility
UK - The supplier has opened a new aluminium casting facility in Telford, England, in order to provide structural castings to Jaguar Land Rover. The facility covers 225,000 sq.m and will employ around 300 people."With this new aluminium casting facility, we have established a world-class centre of excellence to bring ...
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ArticleConstellium provides aluminium for CLS
Netherlands - The supplier has announced that its Surfalex aluminium is being used in the Mercedes-Benz CLS, which went on sale in March 2018. The material is used for outer trunk lid panels and fenders."Constellium is proud to contribute to the new Mercedes-Benz CLS with our Surfalex® aluminium solutions," explained ...
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ArticleExact and to the point
inos took on the task of integrating a new gap and flush system into an existing production line shared by two separate and distinct vehiclesAs modern vehicle design responds to the customers’ growing expectations on fit and finish quality, the demand grows for increasing sophistication in manufacturing techniques. Semi- or ...
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ArticleNew workholding system
The latest One-Lok clamping system from Chick Workholding is available in two sizes – 400mm or 500mm long, offering maximum gripping lengths of 180mm and 280mm respectively. The company says further improvements include a lowering of the clamp profile from 150mm to 134mm, which allows longer spindle travel in the ...
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ArticleStandard bearers
A current programme run by the International Automotive Task Force is looking to revise the technical specification IATF16949, the published standard informing quality management across the automotive industry worldwideThe concept of quality management is now a well-established aspect of all forms of business. It essentially denotes implementing a system of ...
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ArticleTaking control
With the growth in automated assembly applications comes a demand for quality data and improved insightsThe prevalent dimensional control strategy of the automotive industry has been to incorporate various in-line and near-line measurement devices into production lines. Different approaches have been successfully implemented, from a few single cells along the ...
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ArticleA winning formula?
Like all new strategic plans announced by vehicle companies from time to time, the new Opel PACE! plan leaves many questions unanswered. It’s not clear yet what will happen to the enlarged manufacturing network which PSA-Opel/Vauxhall now has; by common consent, the group has too many plants, but CEO Carlos ...
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Article
A winning formula?
Like all new strategic plans announced by vehicle companies from time to time, the new Opel PACE! plan leaves many questions unanswered. It’s not clear yet what will happen to the enlarged manufacturing network which PSA-Opel/Vauxhall now has; by common consent, the group has too many plants, but CEO Carlos ...
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Article
A winning formula?
Like all new strategic plans announced by vehicle companies from time to time, the new Opel PACE! plan leaves many questions unanswered. It’s not clear yet what will happen to the enlarged manufacturing network which PSA-Opel/Vauxhall now has; by common consent, the group has too many plants, but CEO Carlos ...
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ArticleSetting a fast pace
JLR is following up the stunning success of its Evoque SUV with more models and manufacturing operationsNot long ago, JLR was facing the possibility of a factory closure amidst declining sales and a recession. Fortunately, the Evoque model had already been approved for production, and when this vehicle launched it ...
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ArticleToyota ends Australian production
Australia – The OEM has wrapped up its manufacturing operation in the country after 54 years and 3,451,115 vehicles. Toyota stopped production of the Aurion in August and the Camry hybrid in September at its Altona plant near Melbourne, three years after the decision was made to conclude the operation.Dave ...
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ArticleSmall steps – big gains
Mike Farish looks at how a leading tier supplier has implemented an IoT strategy to its manufacturing operationsWhat is the best way to implement an Industry 4.0 or Internet of Things (IoT) strategy – a single, intense company-wide campaign or a gradualist approach in which a series of small projects ...
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Article
An order for progress
After the dips in demand of recent years, car makers in Brazil and Argentina anticipate an upturn in market fortunes and a boost in vehicle productionEmbattled vehicle makers operating in Brazil are predicting a return to growth in 2017 after the market sunk last year to nearly half its 2012 ...
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Article
Suíte presidencial
Conforme Donald J Trump entra na Casa Branca, a Ford opta por fazer uma série de mudanças financeiras e estratégicas essenciaisAs coisas mudaram na Ford nos últimos tempos, tanto financeiramente como estrategicamente. E desde novembro de 2016, a sua estratégia mudou ainda mais, com uma série de decisões importantes tomando ...
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ArticleAn order for progress
After the dips in demand of recent years, car makers in Brazil and Argentina anticipate an upturn in market fortunes and a boost in vehicle productionEmbattled vehicle makers operating in Brazil are predicting a return to growth in 2017 after the market sunk last year to nearly half its 2012 ...
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Article
追随总统
随着唐纳德·特朗普入主白宫，福特公司已经决定制定一系列财务及战略改变最近，福特公司的天空风云突变，从财务上和战略上都经历了很大的变化。从2016年11月起，公司战略发生了深度变化，很多重要决定都蒙上了浓厚的政治色彩和语调，这在很大程度上都收到新任总统的影响。公司2016财政年度上，尽管处于长期亏损的欧洲地区破天荒地出现12亿美元的利润（营业额和销量都出现增长），但公司总体利润出现明显下滑。回头看美国老家，当选总统的特朗普（这要看读者的解读了）恰巧或自然地改变新投资的去向，从而影响整个北美制造的战略。 Flat Rock, Michigan, which currently makes the Mustang and Lincoln Continental, will expand to produce several of Ford’s planned range of electrified vehicles新的战略方向福特公司战略集中在3个目标上，即“强化（Fortify）”，“转变（Transform）”和“发展（Grow）”。“强化”的重点在于公司的核心支柱，就是美国的卡车和欧洲的厢型车销售，高价位高性能车辆销售上涨，而Ford Credit是利润的重要来源。事实上，公司的利润来自这两个领域。“转变”主要是两个产品领域和一个地区，也就是奢侈款和小型车辆，而且在新兴市场中的性能也有提高。最后是“增长”，基于3个核心新技术领域，即电气化、自动化和移动性。具体说，“强化”意味着要建立长期成熟的领导地位，福特公司以F系列皮卡车在美国受宠40年，同时现在在欧洲的厢型车市场中同样享受主导地位；这些地位加上几款电动车（以F-系列电动车和Trasit厢型车为首），公司的领导地位就得到加强；更重要的是，福特将提高SUV的销售，包括新款全铝Expedition和Navigator长款开车（投放美国市场），以及一些列小型汽车投放到北美和欧洲市场。此外，将来还会有12款新性能车辆，包括F-150 Raptor；同时到2020年会加大生产GT。福特公司计划中的“转变”因素着重提高在美国Lincoln系列产品的供应 — 以及销量，并促进Fiesta和EcoSport SUV在欧洲的销售，后者将很快在福特罗马尼亚工厂投入生产。此外，尽管福特减少在墨西哥的投资（Focus的生产仍然会转移到墨西哥，但在现有工厂生产，而不建设新工厂），但仍然继续生产计划，从印度向美国进口EcoSport小型SUV。这多少都引起了新人总统的注意。此外，福特从印度尼西亚市场和日本市场完全撤出，这样公司在东南亚国家联盟地区实现盈利，2016年第四季度盈利8,000万美元。此外，对印度的战略也在重新评估，而在中东地区部署分销渠道，福特在这里还是有发展的潜力的。 The Ohio Assembly plant received a $200m investment to build Super Duty chassis cabs然而，在动力系统电气化和自动化方面，以及最新移动方案方面，福特公司的未来需要肯定的答案，尤其是在北美和欧洲。将来会有13款新车推出，还有一系列EcoBoost混合动力汽车；同时在欧洲，公司要安装超快电动车充电网络，这可能要与其他汽车公司合作。公司将推出全自动汽车 — 符合Level 4的规定 — 在2021年以前在美国推出。这款车基于Ford Fusion混合动力车，在密歇根Flat Rock工厂生产，该厂获得7亿美元的投资，用于电池和混合动力技术的开发。这些改变 ...
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ArticlePresidential suite
As Donald Trump has entered the White House, Ford has elected to make a number of key financial and strategic changesThings have changed at Ford in recent times, both financially and strategically. And since November 2016, its strategy has changed still further, with a number of key decisions taking on ...
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ArticleBack on track
Automotive manufacturers operating in South-East Asia are seeing the gloom lift as the car market begins growing again after a troubling couple of yearsWith the exception of Thailand and, to a lesser extent, Indonesia, both of which build vehicles for export, local production in South-East Asia is mainly aimed at ...
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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 automationIn years past, automotive manufacturers have been forced to choose between very different paradigms in the search to improve the quality, shorten design-to-launch times and better ...