Latest News & Features – Page 188
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ArticleHarlow to lead Chrysler NAFTA Manufacturing
USA – Chrysler Group has appointed Brian Harlow vice-president – head of NAFTA Manufacturing as the successor to Mauro Pino, who will lead Manufacturing for LATAM. Harlow is now responsible for all assembly, stamping and powertrain manufacturing operations in the US, Canada and Mexico, as well as the implementation of ...
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ArticleFushimi to lead Yokohama’s American business
US – Leaving his role as head of OE Tire Sales and Marketing at The Yokohama Rubber Co. (YRC) in Tokyo, Japan, Takaharu Fushimi will move to California as CEO of Yokohama Corporation North America (YCNA). It will be his second assignment in America.Fushimi will be responsible for strategic operations ...
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ArticleVolvo Gent to cut CO2 emissions by 40%
Belgium – Volvo Car Group and Stora Enso, the global paper products group, have joined forces to reduce carbon emissions at Volvo's plant at Gent by over 40%. Stora Enso will install an underground hot water pipeline, from its biomass fuelled paper mill, to transport compressed water at a temperature ...
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ArticleFord Oakville to add 1,000 workers
Canada – Following the OEM’s selection of the facility to make its Edge utility vehicle, a C$700m ($621m) upgrade is underway to expand manufacturing capability. The cars made at Oakville will be exported to more than 100 countries.By adding more than 1,000 hourly jobs, Ford will have increased the total ...
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ArticleLusting after Latin America
Brazil especially is attracting big investments from global vehicle-makers despite economic uncertainties In this article:Short-term economicsLong-term prospectsBMWCheryDaimlerFiat ChryslerFordGeneral MotorsHondaJAC MotorsJaguar Land RoverRenault-NissanVolkswagenFor almost 15 years, Brazil and Argentina have operated a trade agreement which manages automotive imports and exports between the two countries. While a new deal is being negotiated, ...
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ArticleVW reaches 200m production total
Germany – The milestone vehicle was an XL Sport, made 15 years after the OEM celebrated the 100m mark with an anniversary New Beetle. VW’s global production footprint now encompasses 106 plants in 27 countries.“We are proud to have produced 200m vehicles. This impressive figure also bears witness to our ...
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ArticleEcoDiesel rises to 20% of Ram 1500 production
US – Working with VM Motori of the Fiat Group, Chrysler will increase the EcoDiesel mix to double previous expectations by the end of November, at the Warren and Saltillo assembly plants in Michigan and Mexico respectively. The move has been made to meet demand from North American consumers.The EcoDiesel ...
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ArticleNew robot welding sensor
Meta Vision Systems claims its new SLS ARC laser sensor is optimised for robotic arc welding applications and is suitable for seam finding and real-time weld seam tracking in the usual welding processes, including high current GMAW and FCAW. It offers fully automatic image quality optimisation, combined with new sensor ...
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ArticleCompact portable CMM for on-the-move measurement
The ROMER Absolute Arm Compact offers a high-accuracy shop-floor solution for small to medium parts claims Hexagon Metrology. The company says the system offers high-tolerance 3D measurement in a 1.2 metre volume for use even in confined spaces. A counterweight system enables use without mountings and Hexagon says the absolute ...
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ArticleWeld destruct testing
To effectively deal with tougher materials now being used in vehicle structures, Honsa says it has created a new class of weld destruct tools. The company claims these new impact hammers and chisels utilise improved tool valve designs with a superior barrel assembly material to cut through boron steel and ...
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ArticleParts transfer for press hardening applications
Strothmann says its transfer solution for hot forming applications features three linear axes with dynamic drives. The company says the TransferFEEDER SRT 3/040 performs programmed motion sequences and can achieve parts transfer times of under two seconds, while the press does not need to be opened as wide as in ...
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ArticleBumping up Brazil's parts quality
Faurecia’s automated NewTech process can deliver better, greener results for exteriors productionIn the small laboratory at Faurecia Automotive Exteriors, São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil, it takes a long time to find a part showing the flaws that can occur during bumper painting; one of the team members escorting AMS around ...
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WebinarWEBINAR: Faro scanning technology
CAD-based inspections, especially in the manufacturing and automotive sectors, are changing. Today, optimised scannings of diverse materials such as plastics, metal or a variety of surface finishes and colours is required. Technology from Faro permits high-precision 3D measurement, imaging and comparison of parts and compound structures within production and quality ...
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ArticleFaurecia Interiors: Staying in shape
While vehicle production volumes are on an upward trajectory in South America, interiors remain relatively simple, says Francisco Maciel, regional vice-president for Faurecia Interior Systems Joanne Perry (JP): How important is South America as a production location for Faurecia Interior Systems?Francisco Maciel (FM): South America represents 6% of our turnover. ...
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ArticleChrysler Warren redesigns assembly line for Ram rise
US – A requirement for increased capacity at the 76-year-old plant led to the revamp of 353 workstations, enabling five more trucks to roll off the assembly line every hour, or 100 more per day. With sales of the Ram 1500 on a 52-month streak, the Michigan facility will turn ...
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ArticleEngstler is Bentley’s regional director, Europe
UK – Succeeding Bart Gerris, who is moving to another role within Volkswagen Group, Robert Engstler will take up his new position on October 1, 2014. He will report directly to Kevin Rose, member of the board for Sales, Marketing and Aftersales at Bentley.Engstler was most recently managing director of ...
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ArticleEuroBLECH: Proving its metal
Between October 21-25, the 23rd International Sheet Metal Working Technology Exhibition in Hanover will exhibit numerous solutions that are useful to the automotive industry For EuroBLECH 2014, organisers will bring together over 1,400 exhibitors from more than 40 countries, in an enlarged exhibition area in Hanover. Over half the ...
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WebinarWEBINAR: TRUMPF hot forming solutions
Laser technology is a constant companion to the increasingly common hot stamping process, a primary application being the trimming of hardened parts. But there is an array of laser applications in the process chain of hot stamping, which is maturing and developing in new directions as OEMs exploit its ...
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ArticleWar on waste
OEM efforts to reduce waste range from material recycling, component remanufacturing and new water treatments all the way through to building sustainable factories for the future The spotlight has never shone more brightly on the environmental credentials of automakers around the world. While much of the attention is rightly focused ...
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ArticleHealthy targets
A safe working environment accounts for both regulation and human behaviour, writes Robert Marshall While automotive OEMs and tier suppliers have not been subjected to such intense global scrutiny as that endured recently by the clothing industry following several fatal incidents in low-cost manufacturing locations such as Bangladesh, worker safety ...