Latest News & Features – Page 165
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ArticleArtel to build new plant at Alcester
UK – The manufacturer of tubing, hose and fittings has announced the purchase of land at Springfield Business Park, where it is constructing an 18,000 sq.ft facility that will be almost double the size of its existing plant. The work is due to be completed by the end of this ...
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ArticleMazda launches first transmission plant outside Japan
Thailand – Located in Chonburi province, Mazda Powertrain Manufacturing Thailand (MPMT) has been producing SkyActiv-Drive automatic transmissions – also made at Hofu in Japan – since January this year. The official opening ceremony occurred on August 7.The plant has the capacity to make 400,000 units per year to supply Mazda’s ...
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ArticleTwo-wheeler troubles
Restrictions in urban areas and a lack of brand clarity are threatening China’s two-wheeler dominanceThe once-mighty Chinese motorcycle industry is close to losing its title of the world’s biggest, as restrictions on sales bite at home and it fails to create memorable brands with which to expand abroad. The industry ...
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ArticleOn the count of three
GM is rolling out its innovative three-wet process to more of its paintshops – including those in ChinaIt is now four years since General Motors introduced a three-wet painting process to its portfolio of vehicle production technologies. The location in question was the Orion Assembly plant in Michigan and the ...
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ArticleSetting the standard
As Ford expands its powertrain production in China to meet rising local demand, Indy Singh, director of Powertrain, Ford AP manufacturing team, explains how the company is applying its global standards thereAMS: How has the One Ford programme been applied to powertrain manufacturing in China and is it now operating ...
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ArticleSKA using Schuler’s fine levelling machine
Germany – The equipment was installed at the company’s premises in Attendorn in June last year, upstream of a 400-ton press also supplied by Schuler, and has generated increased output and part quality while decreasing energy consumption.“Until the end of the ‘90s, we used levellers with nine rollers as we ...
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ArticleStamp of approval
Chang Tiejun, body area manager at Changan Mazda's Nanjing facility, discusses the challenges of keeping pace with demand, handling changing materials and vehicle architectures, and planning for the futureAMS: Do you have both blanking and stamping operations here at Nanjing?Chang Tiejun (CT): We only have stamping operations at this location; ...
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ArticleLaser-sintered indexable insert drills
MAPAL UK says it has added laser-sintered indexable insert drills with diameters down to 9mm to its QTD drill range. It says it has used laser sintering – a form of 3D printing – in the production of the new drills. This allows a non-circular profile to be used for ...
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ArticleMobile terminal allows real-time changes
Rockwell Automation claims its new Allen-Bradley MobileView tethered operator interface gives plant and industrial personnel the freedom to take a machine’s human-machine interface (HMI) with them to make real-time adjustments to out-of-view applications.This new interface is suitable for maintenance tasks, machine setup or calibration activities, and other HMI applications that ...
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Article3D vision for production line robots
Scorpion Vision says that using technology developed by Tordivel AS of Oslo, its 3D Stinger camera enables production-line robots to distinguish the exact height, depth and sizes of products on a manufacturing line, sending information to the robot to adjust where the picking arm goes accordingly.The company say that its ...
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ArticleSAIC expanding success
Shanghai Auto has no intentions of giving up its position as China’s number one automaker. AMS looks at its manufacturing operations and future plans SAIC Motor Corporation Limited (SAIC), which is owned by the Shanghai municipal government, operates two major passenger car joint ventures: Shanghai Volkswagen (SVW) and Shanghai GM. ...
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ArticleElectrifying Cléon
The R240 now made at the Renault plant in Normandy is the OEM’s first in-house electric motor and represents considerable progress in its electric vehicle programme – and that of its Group partnersRenault’s electric vehicle (EV) programme took another major step forward in March this year when the company began ...
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ArticleInterview: Renault's Mendi Ammad
The director of Cléon Plant and the OEM's powertrain facilties across Europe discusses his challenge of integrating the R240 electric motor into an already expanding operation – and ramping up productionAMS: What is your capacity for the new electric engine plant?MA: It's 50,000 and we can move to 100,000 very ...
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ArticleGKN breaks ground at new Olesnica plant
Poland – The 14,280 sq.m facility is being built next to the company’s existing facility in the south west of the country, which produces constant velocity joints, and will increase the overall footprint of the site by more than 50%. The expansion will boost GKN Poland’s driveshaft production capacity to ...
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ArticleGM brings Flint into 21st century
US – The Michigan assembly plant, the OEM’s oldest in North America, will receive $877m to build a new bodyshop close to the Flint Metal Center, which supplies it with sheet metal and other parts to make Chevrolet and GMC full-size pick-up trucks. The investment will also cover upgrades to ...
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ArticleDaimler-Renault-Nissan – The alliance in action
normal">We conclude our review of Daimler’s partnership with Renault and Nissan with a look at platform and production sharing projectsThe preceding articles set out the background to and rationale behind the alliance between Daimler and Renault-Nissan. In this article, we look at each of the joint projects in turn, ...
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ArticleDaimler, Renault-Nissan launch JV at Aguascalientes
Mexico – Under 50:50 ownership and with an investment of $1 billion, the Cooperation Manufacturing Plant Aguascalientes (COMPAS) will produce next-generation, premium compact cars for the Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz brands, from 2017 and 2018 respectively. A new plant will be built near to Nissan Aguascalientes A2, with an initial annual ...
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ArticleEngle lands EVP and president role at GM
South America – The current CEO of Agility Fuel Systems will join the vehicle-maker in September to replace Jaime Ardilla as GM’s executive vice-president (EVP) and president of South America. Ardilla will retire after serving the company for nearly three decades.In his new role, Engle will oversee the OEM’s operations ...
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ArticleBBAC: Engine production pioneer
Frank Proksch, senior manager cylinder head machining, talks about the high-quality manufacturing at Mercedes' first passenger-car engine plant outside Germany, which opened in 2013AMS: Beijing was Mercedes’ first powertrain plant outside Germany for passenger cars. So are you pursuing a 'build-where-you-sell' strategy, and how much of the production is for ...
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ArticleVolvo goes global
Now in the hands of Geely, the Swedish OEM is expanding its manufacturing footprint in China and the USVolvo, one of the most iconic and best-known Swedish brands, is also the last Swedish car company, following the demise of Saab. Now owned by Chinese OEM Geely, Volvo is a small ...