Latest News & Features – Page 80
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ArticleVW opens SUV assembly facility
China - Volkswagen has officially opened an assembly plant with FAW at the port city of Tianjin, China. The FAW-VW Tianjin Plant will make VW and Audi brand SUVs, including PHEV models, with chassis parts and transmissions supplied from two other Tianjin-based facilities. The carmaker said that daily production was ...
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ArticleSprinter production starts in US
US - Mercedes-Benz Vans has started making the Sprinter in North Charleston, South Carolina. This follows on from an investment of US$500m in the facility, which was announced back in March 2015."The USA is already the second largest market for our Sprinter today," commented Volker Mornhinweg, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans. ...
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Porsche and Schuler build press shop
Germany - The two companies have announced that they will work work together to construct a ‘Smart Press Shop’ as part of a new joint venture, the location of which is yet to be revealed. Both Porsche and Schuler will invest a double-digit million euro amount in the project. “Porsche ...
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ArticleDaimler to print aluminium components
Germany - The OEM has been working with Premium Aerotec and EOS to develop an additive manufacturing production cell that can make parts out of aluminium. The cell is fully automated, and is located at the Premium Aerotec facility in Varel, northern Germany.A EOS M 400-4 four-laser 3D printing system ...
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ArticlePorsche begins building new Macan
Germany - The new compact SUV, which debuted at an event in Shanghai in July 2018, has started rolling off production lines at the Leipzig factory. This follows on from a previously announced extension to the plant, whereby the OEM built a body shop and paint shop.According to Porsche, demand ...
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ArticleAudi starts making e-tron electric SUV
Belgium - The company's first all-electric SUV started rolling off production lines at its factory in Vorst - a southwestern municipality of Brussels. This follows significant investment in the plant."The Audi e-tron is a real pioneer," commented Peter Kössler, board member for production and logistics at Audi. "It has innovative ...
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ArticleVW to build two new plants
Ghana - The OEM has signed memorandums of understanding with the governments of Ghana and Nigeria, revealing plans to build a plant in each country. VW thinks it could turn Nigeria into an "automotive hub," where it already operates a small facility with an output of around 5,000 vehicles a ...
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ArticleDrones take off at Ford Dagenham
UK – Maintenance teams at Ford's Dagenham Engine Plant are now using camera drones to inspect the hard-to-reach parts of the facility.Previously, access to areas such as high-rise gantries, pipework and roof areas required automated extendable platforms and scaffolding to assess the 40-metre-long gantries that support the plant’s heavy machinery. ...
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WebinarLower weight and higher strength in tubular vehicle structures
This webinar provides an overview for automotive manufacturers looking to make effective use of high strength tubular structures in modern vehicle design. The presentation examines the possibilities offered by these materials as a high strength and low weight alternative in various structural applications. About the ...
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ArticleE-mobility and the role of steel
With electrification shaping ideas in future vehicle structure design, ArcelorMittal explains why advanced steel grades remain the materials of choice While sales of battery electric vehicles (BEV) are still far behind conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, BEV technology and sales continue to improve at a rapid pace. Globally, BEV ...
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ArticleEberspaecher and Yuchai build plant
China - The two companies have announced the formation of a joint venture (JV) to produce and sell exhaust emission control systems for commercial vehicles. These will be made at a new plant in Yulin, which is located in southern China."As the market leader for commercial vehicle emission control technologies ...
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ArticleVW Wolfsburg to make 1m cars a year
Germany - The company has stated that it will boost output at the plant by some 185,000 units, allowing it to produce one million cars a year. Wolfsburg is already the largest plant in the VW network, currently covering an area of around 70m sq.ft."We are planning to increase productivity ...
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ArticleDongfeng Nissan starts making Sylphy
China - The zero emissions vehicle is now rolling off production lines at the Dongfeng Nissan plant in the Huadu District of Guangzhou. The model has been designed specifically for Chinese consumers, and the company hopes it will "usher in a new era of electrification.""We're confident that the Sylphy Zero ...
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ArticleAMS Infographic: NAFTA numbers
The most recent production numbers from NAFTA, shown here, highlight the continuing inter-relationship between the partner nations, the boom in pick-up and SUV (light truck) production and the march of Mexico. Read more in The saga so far Sources: OICA, Automotive News, AMIA, US Department of Commerce, CARThe saga so ...
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ArticleOut now: North America 2018
When it comes to America and automotive manufacturing, some things are impossible to ignore. Foremost among them are: The Big Three, the light truck segment and Trump. In our latest global region supplement, we bring you the full set.In this AMS special supplement we examine a region that produces around ...
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ArticleForging the deals
Ian Henry examines the key trends in the North American automotive supplier sector where technological progress and feisty trade policies continue to present a range of business challengesWith rapid technology change across the sector as the automotive market accelerates into the era of electrification, the uncertainty over the future of ...
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ArticleStamp of approval
Nissan’s Smyrna facility in Tennessee is home to the largest stamping plant in the Japanese OEM’s global network. Gareth Price reportsAny visitors to the Nissan plant at Smyrna, Tennessee, can’t fail to notice the proclamation above the door, The highest volume plant in North America. There’s a strong case. Plant ...
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ArticleFord announces manufacturing lead
US - Bruce Hettle, Ford's group vice president of manufacturing and labor affairs, is due to retire on 1 October, and will be replaced by Gary Johnson. In this role, Johnson will manage the operations of 67 assembly, stamping and powertrain production plants across the world."Under Bruce’s leadership, Ford has ...
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ArticleSouthern hospitality
Gareth Price visits Hyundai’s major manufacturing facility in Montgomery, Alabama, as it welcomes the return of an SUV to its production linesBack in 2005, Hyundai’s plans to open its first US manufacturing facility came to fruition and the $1.7 billion automotive assembly and manufacturing plant in Montgomery, Alabama, was up ...
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ArticlePacific standard
Responding to the boom in SUV and crossover markets, the OEMs of Japan and Korea continue to invest in manufacturing operations across their long-established North American networks. Ian Henry reportsCross-border CorollaAfter a period of not investing in North America, Toyota is once again expanding in the region. It is building ...