Latest News & Features – Page 169
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ArticleNissan Sunderland to install new press
UK – At a cost of £37m, the plant will be extended to accommodate a new, extra-large press line. Scheduled to become operational in 2017, the 2,500-tonne press will support production of the Qashqai and Juke crossovers, the Note and the all-electric Leaf. It will also make panels for the ...
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ArticleDaimler opens new Latin American plant
Colombia – The $2m factory at Funza, near Bogotá, covers 11,000 sq.m and has the capacity to make 4,000 units per year, supplementing the output of the company’s existing assembly facility in Bogotá, which launched in 2012. The new development will create around 220 jobs.The Funza plant will assemble vehicles ...
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ArticlePSA Rennes to make Bluesummer
France – The plant will make Bolloré's four-seat cabriolet from September this year, with an installed capacity of 15 vehicles per day for a maximum of 3,500 each year. PSA will also distribute the electric vehicle (EV).In a joint statement, the two companies said the strategic cooperation reflects their “shared ...
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ArticleFord's annual sustainability report
US – The OEM’s 16th such publication highlights environmental achievements at its manufacturing facilities plus mobility experiments to tackle transportation challenges and address future trends, in line with the Ford Smart Mobility plan.Ford is targeting a drop of 30% in CO2 emissions per vehicle produced by 2025 worldwide, and from ...
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ArticleSE Asian struggles
OEMs are reassessing their investments in the region amid a slowdown in car, CV and motorcycle salesIn this article:Non-Japanese brands struggleVast market potentialChinese brands push onMarket opportunitiesFree trade in futureMotorcycle market stallsPlummeting vehicle sales in Thailand and Indonesia are hurting manufacturers and causing some to rethink their plans in the ...
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ArticleBMW debuts street-light EV charging
UK – The OEM’s Light & Charge system is an LED street light combining energy-efficient lighting with cost-effective charging for electric vehicles (EVs). The innovation is being showcased at Mini Plant, Oxford, during the city’s Low Carbon Oxford Week.According to BMW, Light & Charge has an adaptable modular design and ...
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ArticleGM and Isuzu team up for CVs
US – According to a statement from the two companies, their commercial vehicle (CV) collaboration in the US will enable Isuzu to strengthen its product line-up and GM to expand its CV portfolio.Isuzu will produce low-cab forward models for GM, based on the Isuzu N-Series. The vehicles will be distributed ...
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ArticleBenecke-Kaliko’s Mexican expansion
Mexico – Costing around €11.4m ($12.8m), the new 7,000 sq.m production hall will sit next to the company’s existing plant in San Luis Potosí. It will produce Tepeo and Tepeo 2 foils for the North American market from the third quarter of 2016.“All of our customers in the NAFTA region ...
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ArticleHazardous-area safety light curtains
The deTec4 Core Ex, C4000 Select Ex and C4000 Advanced Ex light curtains are all-in-one pre-assembled safety devices suitable for automotive and manufacturing spray booth industries, say SICK.The company states that the light curtains, designed to ATEX and UL Listed hazardous area standards, offer a range of protective field heights ...
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ArticleNew heavy lift robot
Fanuc claims to have launched the strongest robot in the world, the M-2000iA/1700L. The company says this new robot can lift payloads of up to 1.7 tonnes and is capable of lifting and positioning entire car bodies. It has a reach of up to 4.7 metres, operates through six axes ...
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ArticleGKN’s expertise used for Volvo XC90
UK – The company worked with Volvo Cars in the development of the front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD) drivelines for the new model, which will hit British roads this month. The collaboration aimed to find technical solutions to maximise efficiency, rear interior space, durability and performance.“The system created ...
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ArticleToyota Technical Center expands, Michigan
US – The $126m project, which includes the construction of two new buildings in York Township, got underway today with a groundbreaking ceremony. Besides a prototype facility for vehicle development and a supplier centre, the development will enlarge Toyota’s powertrain development facility at its Ann Arbor Township campus. The work ...
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ArticleMercedes-Benz Pune starts making GLA
India – The compact car will join five other models in the plant’s production line-up: the S-, E- and C-Class sedans plus the GL- and M-Class SUVs. The factory was recently extended to produce 20,000 units per year and was also upgraded with new technology for the GLA, including extra ...
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ArticleGreat leap forward
Thanks to its Haval SUV brand, Great Wall Motor is experiencing record production levelsThe rate of market growth might be slowing, but Great Wall Motors (GWM) is going from strength to strength in its home country. A decision taken five years ago to pour resources into the then Hover brand ...
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ArticleStriving for safety
With OEM footprints stretching worldwide, consistency is key to tackling danger points in productionSafety in automotive manufacturing starts with boosting awareness about global safety requirements – which can be a tough ask, given the way some local engineering teams operate. According to George Schuster, TÜV-certified functional safety expert and senior ...
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ArticleNissan Sunderland expands for Q30
UK – The workforce at the OEM’s plant in the north of the country is growing by 300 individuals, more than the 180 originally announced in 2012 following the allocation of the Infiniti model. The factory has already been extended by 25,000 sq.m at a cost of £250m ($388m), incorporating ...
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ArticleAll tooled up for part production
The latest cutting-tool innovations are better able to tackle part complexity while coping with heavy wearTool wear is undoubtedly one of the biggest threats to automotive component production. With this in mind, a familiar practice at automotive part shops is to change tools before maximum tool life is reached, just ...
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ArticleAutomatic fanatics
Lathe manufacturers are offering single- or multi-spindle machines to meet cost and productivity demandsAutomotive turning shops face numerous market demands, with piece-part price heading the pack. Automatic-lathe manufacturers have been well aware of customer requirements for many years and many now offer both single-spindle and multi-spindle versions. So, which to ...
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ArticleNew Employee Relations head, FCA
US – With Al Iacobelli retiring from the company, Glenn Shagena will assume the role of head of Employee Relations for North America with immediate effect. Shagena was most recently head of FCA Mexico Human Resources.Shagena joined the company in 1985, working in the Labor Relations department at the Sterling ...
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ArticleRenault Dieppe starts making Bolloré Bluecar
France – Assembly began this month of the all-electric city car, which was previously made only in Italy. The vehicles are being assembled from bodies and parts brought into the plant by Bolloré.Renault Dieppe, which was established in 1969, specialises in small production runs and currently makes the Clio RS ...