Latest News & Features – Page 77
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Gestamp opens two new facilities
Spain - The company has opened a new plant in Matsusaka - it's first in Japan. Costing around €40m (US$46m), the facility will be used to make body-in-white components using hot stamping, and will initially supply Honda."Gestamp’s strategy is always to accompany our customers and we are proud to be ...
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Alpine scales new heights
One of the most interesting plant revivals in the last 12 months has been Renault’s overhaul of its factory in Dieppe, which now builds the A110 sports car. Nick Gibbs reportsThis is the home of Alpine, the revived sporting brand that Renault may or may not expand to become a ...
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Hyundai/Kia test wearables
South Korea - The companies have recently demonstrated the use of the Hyundai chairless exoskeleton (H-CEX), and now plans on testing the Hyundai vest exoskeleton (H-VEX) technology. These could then be used at plants across North America before the end of 2018."The field of robotics has the potential to usher ...
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Rolls-Royce appoints production head
UK - Johann Wolf has been named director of manufacturing at the company. He has 40 years of experience working in the BMW Group and holding various different manufacturing roles, in the latest of which he was responsible for integrating new products into the company's Dingolfing plant."I am delighted to ...
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Porsche to make Mission E concept
Germany - The Mission E Cross Turismo was previously a concept study, but has now been cleared for series production at the OEM's Zuffenhausen plant. It was first shown at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.It includes a 800-volt (800v) system, and is now made alongside the 911 and 718. Porsche ...
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Faurecia takes on four plants
China - The supplier will operate four new plants under a new name: Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies. This company has been formed as the result of a joint venture agreement between Faurecia and Liuzhou Wuling Automotive Industry - a
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Renault/Brilliance to make electric LCVs
China - The two companies have teamed up and signed a strategic agreement with Chinese officials from Liaoning province, which is situated in the northeastern part of the country. Here, the companies will produce three new light commercial vehicles (LCVs) from their plant in Shenyang."Ten months after our initial launch ...
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Ford extends GT production
UK - The OEM has said it will re-open the application window for its GT in certain markets in order to make and sell around 1,350 additional units of the supercar. This, says Ford, is the result of high demand."The response to our Ford GT has been unprecedented, with demand ...
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Ford starts Ranger production
US - The midsize pick-up is now being built at the OEM's Michigan Assembly Plant, which was previously used to make the Focus. By moving away from compact car production to larger vehicles, the company believes it is becoming more aligned with current consumer preferences."Ford truck fans demanded a midsize ...
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Dyson to build EV plant
Singapore - The company has announced plans to make its first electric car at a new plant in Singapore. According to a memo that was sent to staff by chief executive Jim Rowan, the location has been chosen due to its proximity to “high-growth markets” and availability of skilled workers. ...
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Audi uses AI in press shop
Germany - The company has worked with the production technology division of the equipment and metal forming technology competence center to develop software that automatically recognises and marks cracks in sheet metal parts in a matter of seconds. It is currently being tested at Audi's factory in Ingolstadt, but could ...
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Grid reference
Mike Farish visits Williams Advanced Engineering to see how the company delivers a distinctive F1 take on an innovative electric vehicle platformOne of the implications of the growth of the market for electric vehicles is the opportunity it provides for newcomers possibly to become major players in the automotive industry ...
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Wolfsburg plant makes SEAT Tarraco
Germany - Volkswagen's Wolfsburg plant has started making the SUV, which is based on the MQB platform. This marks the first time in 20 years that the facility will make a model without the VW badge, the last of which was the SEAT Arosa in 1998."The car was completely designed ...
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GAC Mitsubishi makes engines
China - The company has started making its 4B4 and 4J1 engines at a new plant in Changsha, Hunan. These were previously imported from Japan before being dropped into the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SUV and the Outlander SUV.The engine plant has an annual production capacity of 200,000 units, and according ...
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Magna opens seat facility
Czech Republic - The supplier recently started making seats at its new plant in Chomutov, which is located in north west of the country. It is being used to provide seating in various configurations for a number of BMW models."This is a big win for our employees as well as ...
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Skoda hits 1m milestone in 2018
Czech Republic - The company recently produced its millionth vehicle in 2018 alone, two weeks earlier than it hit the same milestone in 2017. It also marks the fifth consecutive year that Skoda has made over a million vehicles."The current financial year shows that a modern model range allows Skoda ...
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Ford names VP of manufacturing
US - John Savona has been appointed vice president of North American manufacturing. He is now responsible for the company's entire production footprint across the country, which consists of over 30 plants."John has nearly 30 years of experience in Ford manufacturing, having held leadership positions in many of our manufacturing ...
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Mazda appoints new R&D VP
Japan - Hajime Seikaku has been named the new vice president of Mazda's European Research & Development Centre, which is located in Oberursel, Germany. He was previously working at Mazda's vehicle development division in Japan."Mr. Seikaku brings a wealth of vehicle development expertise and knows the requirements and preferences of ...
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MAN prepares for electric buses
Poland - The commercial vehicle maker is readying its plant in Starachowice, which is located in the south east, for the mass production of its Lion's City E buses in 2020. Work is expected to be fully completed in 2021, and will cost around €27.4m (US$31.41m).MAN has not revealed details ...
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Maruti Suzuki takes on 362 students
India - The company's Japan-India Institute for Manufacturing (JIM) has welcomed its second batch of 362 students, after recording 100% placement for the first 254 in June 2018. JIM is located at Ganpat University in Mehsana, Gujarat."Growing skill gap is a crucial challenge faced by young India," said A. K. ...