Latest News & Features – Page 211
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ArticleGM celebrates millionth vehicle at Rayong
Thailand – Production of the milestone vehicle, a Chevrolet Trailblazer, was celebrated during a visit to the facility by the company’s new CEO, Mary Barra, and president Dan Ammann.Amman described Rayong as “a key component of our consumer-centric and market-driven strategy for growing our production line-up and Chevrolet brand in ...
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ArticleBosch, GS Yuasa and Mitsubishi to boost EV batteries
Germany – The new Lithium Energy and Power joint venture, headquartered in Stuttgart and with a 70-strong workforce, will begin operations in 2014 with the aim of developing the next generation of lithium-ion battery technology.“In setting up this joint venture, we want to achieve nothing less than a giant leap ...
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BorgWarner appoints Sato to the board
US – Vicki Sato has served as professor of management practice, Harvard Business School, and professor of the practice in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University since 2006.Sato was previously president of Vertex Pharmaceuticals and is currently a director of Bristol-Myers Squibb, Perkin Elmer and Galapagos.www.borgwarner.com
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ArticleBus-making moves in the right direction
Buses are a sustainable form of public transport, but only if they are manufactured in similar fashionLike all sectors of the automotive industry, the drive is on to increase sustainability within the coach and bus sector. One such programme is under way at Thomas Built Buses, the manufacturer of the ...
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ArticleBig challenges off the road
The volumes may be lower and the unit size larger, but the logistical and manpower issues involved in off-highway manufacturing are similar to the automotive industryThe manufacture of huge off-road vehicles follows many of the same processes found in automotive production. Most of these models are made using flow line ...
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ArticleTata and Westport launch natural gas engine
India – The new spark-ignited (SI) natural gas 3.8-litre turbocharged engine features Westport’s WP580 engine management system (EMS).According to Westport, the EMS features engine control strategies which offer reduced fuel consumption and emissions, increased load carrying capabilities with launch torque, and integrated vehicle functionality. The system is also designed to ...
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ArticleToyota: The titan marches on
While production is set to decrease in Japan, the OEM is expanding its worldwide footprintOn December 5, 2013, Toyota passed a notable production landmark when the total number of vehicles made in Japan since the company’s inception passed 150 million, 78 years and five months since the first model, a ...
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ArticleValenciennes to make Toyota Yaris in 3 shifts
France – The move has been made to accommodate an increased production plan for 2014 of 220,000 units, following particularly successful sales of the Yaris Hybrid. The 15% boost in output will require an expansion of the workforce by 500 temporary personnel to a total of 4,000. Toyota Motor Manufacturing ...
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GM ploughs €250m into engines at Tychy
Poland – The OEM has allocated a new generation of mid-size diesel engines to its facility in the Katowice Special Economic Zone, with production set to begin in 2017. Annual capacity will be 200,000 units.The investment is the largest in the history of the Tychy plant and will enable the ...
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ArticleCoping with coatings
The latest solutions for steel include metal-cored welding wires, zinc-magnesium-aluminium alloys and a nanoceramic methodA car body goes through the GardoFlex galvanising bath at Kia Motors SlovakiaThe automotive industry has found steel such a useful material that it seems almost churlish to mention its habit of bonding with oxygen and ...
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ArticlePositively attractive
Magnetic filtration of industrial fluids such as coolants and cutting oils can improve process efficiency reports Steve McAllorum of Eclipse MagneticsMagnetic filtration is widely used in the automotive industry within OEMs and Tier 1 and 2 suppliers for the manufacture of powertrain and engine components. It overcomes the problems associated ...
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ArticlePorsche opens expanded Leipzig plant
Germany – Following two years of work, the facility now includes a bodyshop and a modern paintshop in addition to final assembly in order to accommodate production of the new Macan. Porsche’s Leipzig plant, which was designed to meet strict environmental standards, has been assembling the Cayenne and Panamera models ...
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ArticleExpanding horizons
AMS reports on sustained growth at Volkswagen during 2013 and expectations of more to come in 2014The seemingly unending expansion of the Volkswagen Group continued last year and looks likely to continue into 2014 and beyond. The company is engaged in a three-way battle with GM and Toyota for the ...
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ArticleAutomotive’s new powerhouses
South East Asia has transformed itself from a backwater of protectionism to become one of the world’s vehicle manufacturing powerhouses and analysts believe there’s a lot more room to grow.In combination, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia now build more vehicles than Brazil or India. Thailand is by far the biggest of ...
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ArticleAbsorbing competition
Lightweighting is driving continuous improvement in all materials, but especially steelLighter weight equals less power equals lower carbon emissions. The equation is simple and the quest to find ever-lighter materials for use in automotive production is unending. Aluminium is a lot lighter, plastics are both lighter and easier to form ...
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ArticleToyota to end all Australian production
Australia – The move comes as a result of “various negative factors”, according to Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC). He said these included “an extremely competitive market”, “a strong Australian dollar” and “forecasts of a reduction in the total scale of vehicle production in Australia”. Toyoda described ...
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Continental buys Veyance
US – The tyre manufacturer, headquartered in Germany, has agreed a price of €1.4bn with The Carlyle Group in the US for the rubber and plastics company, which has 27 plants worldwide and a workforce of around 9,000.“Veyance’s business and geographic presence complements Continental’s existing global footprint,” commented Elmar Degenhart, ...
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ArticleA shared manufacturing future
AMS investigates what the formation of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) means for the global production footprint of two previously separate OEMsEven before they officially tied the knot in January, Fiat and Chrysler had been planning a shared production future, in countries where it makes sense to do so. Jeeps made ...
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Brose expands in Africa’s East London
South Africa – Together with long-term partner Gulmini Family Trust, the provider of systems for vehicle doors, liftgates, seat structures and electric drives has opened a new production facility in the Industrial Development Zone (IDZ).The joint venture RG Brose will deliver just-in-sequence C-Class door systems plus lightweight seat structures for ...
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ArticleBASF supplies paint for BMW i3
Germany – The chemical company is providing basecoats in four colours for the i3 production line at BMW Leipzig, which started manufacturing in September last year.The electric vehicle (EV) consists of a carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) body-in-white (BIW) on which coated plastic add-on parts are mounted, creating new challenges for coating ...