All Environment articles
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ArticleToxic haste
Suzuki tackles boron and fluorine leakageBMW implements water management strategiesLife after vehicle manufacturingDecontaminating waste water with sunlightThe clean-up of old – and even bomb-damaged – vehicle plants is a challenge for OEMs. The former Zastava car production facility, now located in Serbia, has only recently been cleaned in arguably the ...
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ArticleGreen materials from start to finish
Lightweighting by JSPEnvironmental swings and roundaboutsMaterial reuse at FordRecycling carbon fibreThe bigger pictureFlexible polymerThe quest for higher quality at the same price point or retained quality at a lower cost has driven the automotive industry forward for a century. Yet in recent times, the game has dramatically changed. Through a ...
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ArticleEnergy revolution
Honda’s ‘Green Factory’ InitiativeHyundai Total Energy Management SystemNew wind turbines at Ford of Europe’s Genk PlantNew flower species absorb factory emissionsSEAT installs 13m kWh of annual electricity capacityAs a result of shrinking markets, automotive manufacturers are looking at new, innovative techniques to reduce production costs. As part of this drive, ...
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ArticleGreen = lean at Reva
US production for the Reva NXREfficient beautyVolvo uses local resourcesToyota’s Tsutsumi ‘Eco-Factory’Methanol fuel cells reduce Nissan CO2 emissionsIf India’s Reva Electric Car Company has its way, a new term will soon be added to the automotive lexicon: ‘Born green’. This, says the India-based firm, is how all its cars will ...
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Article
Fischer appointed to Plant Manager of Ford Southampton
Southampton, UK – Thomas Fischer has been appointed Plant Manager of Ford Southampton following the promotion of Martin Chapman to Operations Manager, Cologne plant.Fischer joined the Southampton plant in 2007 as area manager of trim and fi nal. More recently, he was responsible for quality and manufacturing engineering.Originally from Ulm, ...
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Article
Binger is named as Plant Manager at Ford's site
Detroit, MI. – Charles Binger has been named Plant Manager of Ford’s Cleveland engine production site, which includes Engine Plants No. 1 and No. 2 and Cleveland Casting.A 19-year veteran with the company, Binger replaces Jan Allman, who was named plant manager at the Chicago Assembly Plant.Most recently Binger served ...
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ArticleColour it green in construction
Green and leanTurning paint fumes into electricityWaste gas used to power BMW paintshopThe ‘living’ car factoryGreening the distribution chainGreen smartOEMs and Tier suppliers derive not only good public relations from minimising environmental damage in the vehicle manufacturing process, but may also realize significant cost savings.One area that has seen a ...
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ArticleWhat lies beneath the site
History in the makingNew beginning for Browns LaneEven before the recent slowdown, questions of how to deal with a industrial plant at the end of its useful life had preoccupied automakers for some time. The core concept of what an automotive manufacturing site should be has, after half a century ...
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ArticleThe right chemistry for cleaning
Cleaner running applies as much to manufacturing processes as to finished automotive products – more so, in the case of water and chemicals used in manufacturingWhat are the alternatives?The sweet smell of successWhen plastic is not so fantasticZero is the new heroKind on the balance sheetWater on the brainEvery drop ...
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ArticleGreen is the new brown
Sometimes it just isn’t possible to build on a brownfield site, so those building on greenfield sites must do so in an environmentally sensitive wayAs you might expect of a country as environmentally sensitive as Canada, the major OEMs and Tier Ones – most of which are concentrated in Ontario ...
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ArticleMaking cars while the sun shines
Pre-heated airLiving in a material worldSunshine came softlyGeo-heat pumpsShooting the breezeGeneral savings globallyGovernment assistanceThe enthusiasm for alternative energy sources is heating up as carmakers face increased cost, but it seems that solar and wind power can only fulfil their promise if the right subsidies are in place Alternative energy. Why ...
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ArticleWaste not, want not
Air today, gone tomorrowEfficiency firstMade to measureHeat harvestingPinch pointFrom lean to greenAlternative energy has yet to provide enough power to run a factory, but when it comes to cutting operating costs it’s worth looking at what can be improved on the factory floorChildren’s programmes around the world show how to ...
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ArticleWasting away
Reduction is increasingBalancing the conflictWaste not, want notMetal and plasticFluids – the environment’s worst enemyUsing recycled materialsInformed workforceOutsourcing waste managementTough regulations on recycling are coming into force on an almost monthly basis, but for vehicle makers waste management is not a new idea. Some have been sorting the swarf from ...
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ArticleRace for green engineering
Can motor racing ever be environmentally sustainable? It depends what questions you ask. AMS talks to Honda Formula One environmental engineer Jamie Shaw to find out how green the industry really isThroughout the 2007 season, the Honda Formula One team ran with a distinctive livery. Eschewing traditional sponsors, Honda ran ...
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ArticleBrownfield is the new green
Brownfield site makes economic senseWinding up the powerDoing the right thingIn the debate about brownfield versus green, Ford comes down clearly on the side of making new from old. The company’s efforts to revitalise its former Dagenham plant have the environment in mindIt is difficult to precisely recall when big ...
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Article
Crunch time for the car industry
Designed to be disposableDrain on resourcesCarmakers need to think about the end to a car’s life right from its beginning if a coherent recycling initiative is to be properly realised. Simon Palmer from recycleyourcar.co.uk gives his view on what needs to be doneCar design has always been governed by function ...
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ArticleAn industry up in the air
Damage limitationNew European legislationRegulation outside EuropeSwitch to waterborne paints in EuropeEnergy costs and system choiceOxidizers and VOCsFuture legislationThe paint shop accounts for almost all the VOCs coming out of a car plant. AMS considers the range of air quality legislation around the world and the ways that vehicle manufacturers are ...
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ArticleA platform for reduction
Zero wasteTotal system approachCommon compatible chemistryValue analysisFord is minimising environmental impact while maximising cost efficiency and performance at its Dagenham plant in a collaboration with BPReducing manufacturing costs, whilst simultaneously minimising the effect automotive production activities can have on the environment, seems like an impossible task.Ford and BP have worked ...
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ArticleCutting out the carbon
Volvo Trucks is paving the way for CO2-free truck making while Ford embraces wind power and the photovoltaic cell. These are just two of the innovations emerging from an industry committed to reducing both carbon output and the cost of manufacturingBiomass and windpowerEnergy reduction remains criticalDifferent energy models for each ...
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Holding the energy line at GM
General Motors is embracing energy savings and improved performance with a new decentralised vacuum system from PIAB. AMS talks to Senior Manufacturing Project Engineer Dan Anfinson about getting a grip on the competitive edgeA firm grasp on safety and performanceIncreased up-timeDan Anfinson recognises that competition is the driving force in ...