Latest News & Features – Page 134
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ArticleThe plan for Japan
In the face of a strengthening yen and falling home sales, Japan is battling to keep its internationally admired vehicle production network relevant and cost-effectiveThe country last year made 9.28m vehicles, putting it in third place globally behind China and the US. However, the overall number was down 5% on ...
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ArticleHeading in all directions
While Mercedes has invested in and modernised its domestic plants, it is outside Germany where the most significant expansion of production has taken placeWithin Germany, Mercedes-Benz operates three car plants – Sindelfingen, Bremen and Rastatt – and two van plants – Düsseldorf, the main Sprinter plant, with special editions and ...
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ArticlePrinting the future
Additive manufacturing offers many benefits and the technology is seeing wider application in the automotive industryAmong the most recent additive manufacturing (AM) trends are the advantages it can bring to mould-making processes. The quality of plastic components in modern cars has increased greatly over the years in terms of precision, ...
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ArticleKia expands green space at factories
South Korea – Collectively, the area added last year was 136,289 sq.m, an increase of 3.9% which brings the total to 3,507,276 sq.m. The green space is located at Sohari, Hwasung and Gwangju in South Korea; Žilina in Slovakia; Georgia in the US; and Yancheng in China.Kia Motors says it ...
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ArticleBoosting production
Turbochargers are a key technology in the drive to cut emissions and boost fuel efficiencyEurope has the highest fitment rates for turbochargers, but other major markets, such as North America and China, are catching up. They are standard on diesel engines in Europe and North America, where diesels cannot to ...
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ArticleTravel blog: Shaping up at Nissan Aguascalientes
After nine days of traipsing across Mexico to visit even the remotest automotive facilities, Aguascalientes ('Hot Springs') sounds like an ideal stopping point on my journey, with its distinctly spa-like connotations. But this is no time for a back rub. It's Nissan I've come to visit, and the only water ...
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ArticleNissan Tochigi starts Q60 production
Japan – Production of the new sports coupe has required several upgrades in the press shop, paintshop and assembly hall, including the introduction of what Nissan describes as “innovative manufacturing processes”. The plant has been making Infiniti vehicles since the brand was launched in 1989.The changes include deep-body stamping technology ...
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ArticleSupercapacitor module
The new XLR supercapacitor module is suitable for use in hybrid or electric vehicles, public transportation, material handling, heavy equipment, claims Eaton. The company says the device can reduce battery size and weight or replace batteries altogether depending upon the load profile.The 48V, 166F, 5mohm supercapacitor module is a self-contained ...
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ArticleMulti-metal machining system
Zimmermann says its new FZ40 compact (c) solution allows the machining of both aluminium and steel. The company says it has developed this system particularly for model and mould makers that want to boost their toolmaking activities.The FZ40 c uses a VH60 2-axis milling head, delivering 63kW of power and ...
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ArticleTravel blog: The final frontier with Kia in Pesquería
And for my next mission... Mars! Or Monterrey in Nuevo León, which is similarly arid but uncomfortably hotter. At least I have the benefit of oxygen as I journey to Kia's new factory at Pesquería. I'd heard that Kia had been experiencing problems (Houston!) with this development, but as I ...
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ArticleTravel blog: Meeting Mexico's Lord of the Rings
The picturesque south-central state of Puebla bears little resemblance to J.R.R. Tolkien's Mordor of Middle-earth, other than the active volcano that occasionally breathes out a light sprinkling of ash; in fact, the first day of my nationwide tour of automotive facilities brings me to a bright, open plain circled by ...
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ArticleSilva to lead BMW in Western Region
US – Effective from August 1, Charles Silva is now regional vice-president of the Western Region. He has already been working with the Western Region team for one year, leading Sales and Marketing.Silva joined the BMW Group in 1992 as an IT project manager and helped to launch the company’s ...
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ArticleAudi Ingolstadt reaches 1m Q5s
Germany – The milestone vehicle was an SQ5 in Sepang Blue, which was dispatched to a domestic customer. The Q5 mid-range SUV was launched in 2008 and is now also produced in China and India for the local market, meaning that almost 1.6m units have been delivered worldwide.The Ingolstadt plant ...
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ArticleAutomatic inline surface inspection
The Car Paint Vision solution uses four robot-guided sensors within a production run, for the automatic inline inspection of painted car bodies says Isra Vision. The company claims that all relevant defects – (defects in coating and pigmentation, inclusions and craters, scratches and indentations) are reliably detected and classified.The company ...
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Ricardo and SGMW sign agreement
China – This strategic co-operation agreement between Ricardo Shanghai and SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile (SGMW) includes the adaptation of Ricardo’s product development process in order to enable the Chinese OEM to achieve global standards for its new vehicle products and reduced time to market.This will see Ricardo assisting with the upgrade of ...
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ArticleCompact 40-ampere power supply
For industries that have high reliability requirements, Siemens UK & Ireland has added a new 24-volt, 40-ampere power supply to its modular SITOP product line for single-phase networks. The company claims SITOP SU8200 contributes toward high system availability by supplying up to three times the rated current for 25 minutes, ...
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ArticleGM to test robotic glove in production
US – Originally developed by General Motors and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for use on the International Space Station, the glove will now be piloted at some of the OEM’s factories. Sweden-based company Bioserve Technologies will make and sell the gloves for a range of industries; GM ...
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ArticleRenault Captur to be made in Paraná
Brazil – The vehicle will be assembled on the same line at São José dos Pinhais that produces the Renault Duster, Sandero, Logan, Duster Oroch and Sandero Stepway. The launch of the Captur in the increasingly popular C-SUV segment will boost Renault’s growth in Brazil, says the OEM.“”With this new ...
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ArticleZanlunghi to lead FCA in Australia
Australia – Currently managing director of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) UK, Steve Zanlunghi now takes up the role of president and CEO, FCA Australia, The appointment is effective from August 1.Zanlunghi joined FCA in 1997 and worked in Chrysler's Customer Center before taking up several senior executive positions in the ...
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ArticlePartners in production
The Renault-Nissan Alliance has pursued an ambitious programme of new model launches and volume increases at its Chennai plantTake one plant add two manufacturers with two engineering philosophies, multiply the complexity with different platforms and variants with high volume targets, and for good measure throw in a couple of new ...