Latest News & Features – Page 129
-
ArticleVolvo announces Chinese expansion
China – The vehicle-maker outlined a new strategy which will involve a significant increase in capacity in the country and the development of a global manufacturing and export hub serving growing demand for Volvo’s new range of cars in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific.Volvo said it will make ...
-
ArticleShifting priorities
OEMs are keeping their options open on transmission supply, with many moving away from established in-house production and looking to source externallyBody panels, engines and transmissions are the fundamental component areas that the major carmakers tend to produce in-house. However, behind this established pattern lies a changing supply network for ...
-
Article3D scanning inspection system
The CyberGage360, a metrology-grade, 3D scanning and inspection system, provides a 360°, 3D scan of complex parts and will generate a full 3D inspection report in less than three minutes, claims CyberOptics.Designed for use in general purpose metrology, the company says this system is suitable for automotive applications where high ...
-
ArticleFabric exhaust insulation
Federal-Mogul Powertrain says its ThermFlex exhaust insulating sleeves can now be tailored to fit almost any combination of exhaust pipe and tube geometries. The company says it has developed a family of different fabrics, capable of withstanding temperatures up to 1,100°C.The product design can accommodate the flanges and bends common ...
-
ArticleReflections on the Paris Motor Show
This year’s show was notable for a number of intriguing launches, corporate reinventions and absences – no Mazda, no Volvo, no Bentley, no Lamborghini and, most interestingly, no Ford. Mazda stated that the strength of PSA and Renault in France made it difficult for it to have much of an ...
-
ArticleSpectrophotometers for the automotive industry
Konica Minolta has introduced two new handheld instruments for the automotive industry: A two-in-one spectrophotometer that measures colour and gloss for interior measurements, and a multi-angle spectrophotometer for measuring metallic and pearlescent paints.The CM-25cG model offers 45°c:0° geometry and a 60° gloss sensor for simultaneous colour and gloss measurements, says ...
-
ArticleNew Vauxhall plant for emergency units
UK – Claimed to be the largest of its kind in Europe, the factory at Luton in Bedfordshire will convert 2,500 cars and vans per year into vehicles for the police, fire and ambulance services. Production has been transferred from nearby Millbrook.The Vauxhall models to be converted include the Corsa, ...
-
Article
Kerscher steps down at Dingolfing
Dingolfing plant director Josef Kerscher will retire at the end of January, after 37 years of service to the BMW Group. He will be replaced by Dr. Andreas Wendt, currently managing the company’s Regensburg plant.In turn, Dr. Wendt will hand over responsibilities at Regensburg to Manfred Erlacher who will switch ...
-
Article
Porsche workforce continues to grow
Figures released by Porsche show that the company has increased its workforce by 13% in the past 12 months. The Stuttgart-based car maker says that after nine months of 2016, its team has expanded to 27,115 employees. It’s the latest announcement on a trend which has seen Porsche’s employee headcount ...
-
ArticleAt the head of the convoy
Mercedes-Benz’s largest truck plant is piloting new production technologies and transitioning into the lead manufacturing facility for heavy commercial vehiclesGerald Jank, head of Wörth plant and production at Mercedes-Benz Trucks, has much to say about the challenges of producing a huge variety of models in series production while also developing ...
-
ArticleColour code
The north corner of Audi’s vast Ingolstadt plant has been transformed into a three-storey, environmental and ergonomic exemplar of the automotive paintshopHandling more than 650 car bodies a day, operations at Audi’s new paintshop at Ingolstadt, Germany, are shared across approximately 200 employees in a three-shift rotation, supported by 54 ...
-
ArticleMagneti celebrates 40 years at Sanford
US – The plant in North Carolina was inaugurated in 1976 and initially made carburettors; it now focuses on modern powertrain technologies including intake manifolds, electronic throttle bodies and engine control systems for cars, motorcycles, powersports and industrial engines. The 90,000 sq.m factory currently employs 400 individuals.Key operations at Sanford ...
-
ArticleBar magazine upgrade
IEMCA claims it has improved the performance of its KID 80 short bar magazine to keep pace with the higher functionality of modern CNC turning centres. The company says the magazine is suitable for feeding stock between 5 and 80mm in diameter and from 250 to 1,615mm long. It integrates ...
-
ArticleCeramic glow plugs and control modules
Designed to heat up more rapidly, BorgWarner says its ceramic glow plugs (CGPs) provide a heat-up time of less than 2 seconds and achieve a maximum glow temperature of up to 1,250°C. The company notes that while comparable models utilise a heating element inside the glow pin that must heat ...
-
ArticleNissan commits to Sunderland plant
Japan – Ending weeks of speculation, the company has announced that it will produce the next Qashqai at its UK factory and in addition, will add production of the next X-Trail model. This decision follows the UK government’s commitment to ensure that the Sunderland plant remains competitive as the country ...
-
ArticleNew VW plant to build Crafter
Poland – This new production facility at Września will build the company’s all-new Crafter van and is said to have an annual capacity of 100,000 units.Jens Ocksen, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Poznań, said: “We have implemented many innovative solutions. The Września plant was built with an ...
-
ArticleFirst EQ vehicle to be built at Bremen
Germany – Mercedes-Benz says the first production model of the new EQ product brand will be produced in Bremen by the end of this decade. The production model will be based on the EQ show car – an electric vehicle in the look of a sporty SUV Coupé, which was ...
-
ArticleGM's energy efficiency to save $73m
US – The vehicle-maker estimates that it will make this saving in 2016 through sustainability measures including the installation of 186,000 light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs and fixtures. GM is aiming to use renewable energy to meet 100% of its electrical needs worldwide by 2050.“Energy efficiency can reduce electricity loads, which ...
-
ArticleOUT NOW: Mexico 2016 special edition
Mexico, unlike many parts of the world, is currently experiencing a boom in automotive manufacturing. This year, Kia and Audi both unveiled their first factories in the region and a further four plants are due to be launched by 2019 (Renault-Nissan-Daimler, Ford, BMW and Toyota). Long-time veterans of vehicle production ...