Ford – Page 11
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Toyota aims for top slot
Toyota is by some distance the largest Japanese vehicle company but on the global stage it is engaged in a battle for primacy, alongside GM and the VW GroupGlobal production in 2015 totalled nearly 8.7m vehicles under the Toyota name, a fall of just over 290,000 units, damaging its attempt ...
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Webinar
ROFIN Webinar: How to select the most suitable laser for automotive applications
As the importance of electric vehicles continues to grow so does the rate of their production.While EV battery technology regular prompts wide discussion there is also much to be explored around the other elements of the EV powertrain.In this webinar, we look at all the crucial elements in the electrified ...
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Real recycling
An innovative, closed-loop, aluminium recycling project for series vehicle production continues to developThe RealCar (short for: REcycled ALuminium CAR) programme has aimed to address two major challenges currently facing the automotive industry, namely sustainability and weight reduction. The project is a collaboration between Jaguar Land Rover, Innovate UK, Novelis, Zyomax, ...
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Creating kerb appeal
Optare build bespoke buses, but the firm faces similar challenges to high volume car manufacturersBespoke isn’t necessarily the term you would associate with mass market public transport, but according to Optare president, Graham Belgum, it’s a key USP for the company’s work with public transport providers. Criteria such as low ...
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The plan for Japan
In the face of a strengthening yen and falling home sales, Japan is battling to keep its internationally admired vehicle production network relevant and cost-effectiveThe country last year made 9.28m vehicles, putting it in third place globally behind China and the US. However, the overall number was down 5% on ...
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Heading in all directions
While Mercedes has invested in and modernised its domestic plants, it is outside Germany where the most significant expansion of production has taken placeWithin Germany, Mercedes-Benz operates three car plants – Sindelfingen, Bremen and Rastatt – and two van plants – Düsseldorf, the main Sprinter plant, with special editions and ...
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A call for Quality
GM India plans to focus its production at Talegaon as they increase output and add new models This year the plant may become the company’s only production facility in India as it plans to closes the older Halol site in Gujarat. But this isn’t a reduction in operations, far from ...
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Swift system switchover
When a company needs to replace a major manufacturing-related IT system it has to find a way that has minimal negative impact on production schedules.Downtime is a word that no-one in the automotive manufacturing business likes. Any interruption to production outside of scheduled annual breaks can quickly rack up into ...
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Influential India
India’s automotive component sector is relishing its new place on the international stageChanges in the Indian component sector have prompted growth in the role of its companies worldwide in recent years. Likewise, European, Japanese and American suppliers have moved into India. Until around a decade ago, the Indian automotive components ...
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A visão de operadores humanos trabalhando lado a lado com 'colegas' automatizados está em crescimento, cada um trabalhando com seus pontos fortes e compartilhando as tarefas.A ideia de robôs como grandes equipamentos para tarefas árduas em ambientes perigosos já não é totalmente válida. Embora esse cenário ainda seja familiar, os ...
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Cobot companions
The sight of human operators working side by side with automated 'colleagues' is a growing one, each working to their strengths and sharing the task at handThe idea of robots as large, expensive pieces of equipment for arduous tasks in hazardous environments is no longer wholly valid. Though that scenario ...
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Cast learners
Academic research into casting is helping OEMs and suppliers bridge a knowledge gap Almost every piece of metal used in the manufacture of an automobile will have gone through a casting process at some point previously – whether to shape through a technique such as sand-casting or simply as a ...
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Rings around the world
Like its premium brand competitors Audi is now establishing a global manufacturing networkThe geographic expansion of Volkswagen’s vehicle production beyond Germany, into Mexico, China, Spain, India, Brazil and South Africa, is now well-established. Meanwhile, parallel expansion at Audi is, with the exception of China, a much more recent phenomenon.Despite the ...
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Hitting the gas
As OEMs step up their sustainability programmes, two leading players are arriving at key milestones. AMS reports on how biogas projects have contributed greatly to the renewable energy success of GM and BMWLast year, for the first time, the BMW Group met the majority of its electrical energy needs by ...
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Bearing in mind PTFE
There may be a tendency to pay little regard to the humble PTFE bearing but when it comes to assembly and performance this small component can make a big difference The hinges on doors, bonnets and other car-body closures seem at first to be among the most straightforward elements of ...
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Bearing in mind PTFE
The hinges that allow doors, bonnets and other closures on a car to open and close seem at first sight to be among the most straightforward elements of the componentry on any vehicle. But, as is often the case, the appearance of simplicity can disguise a surprising amount of technical ...
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EU referendum
As the UK‘s EU referendum campaigns gather speed, I am frequently asked for my views on the impact of a vote to leave on the industry. A year or so ago, I would have said that leaving the EU would be unremittingly bad news for the UK auto industry. Now, ...
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AGVs find their way
Automated guided vehicles are carrying the assembly lines to a flexible futureHistorically, the automotive industry has relied heavily on the use of robotics technologies for pure manufacturing operations like assembly, welding and stamping – but in recent years other robotics applications such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs) have become more ...
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Cool down, clean up
Beside selecting the right coolant or cutting fluid for the material being machined, ensuring the fluid is kept clean for as long as possible is just as important, both for quality and cost savingMachine shops using water-based metalworking fluids are being urged to initiate a regular system cleaning regime, amid ...