Latest News & Features – Page 79
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Cobo is new production VP at Opel
Antonio Cobo appointed vice president of manufacturing, Opel/VauxhallGermany – Antonio Cobo has been appointed vice president for manufacturing and supply chain of Opel/Vauxhall, the company has announced. From January, 2019, Cobo will succeed Rémi Girardon who is moving to an executive position within the manufacturing and supply chain division ...
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Eisenmann to extend paint shop
US - The German factory engineering specialist Eisenmann has won a contract to extend the paint shop at a major truck manufacturing facility in the east of the US. Construction starts at the end of 2018 and is due to finish in the summer of 2020."Above all, our customer was ...
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Eisenmann to extend truck paint shop
Mazda Thailand US - The German factory engineering specialist Eisenmann has won a contract to extend the paint shop at a major truck manufacturing facility in the east of the US. Construction starts at the end of 2018 and is due to finish in the summer of ...
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Three Audi models enter production
Algeria - Assembly of the Audi A3 Sportback, A3 Sedan and Q2 has started in Relizane. The plant is operated by Sovac Production S.P.A - a joint venture between the German OEM and the Algerian car dealer Sovac."This entry into the Group’s multi-brand factory is a logical step into the ...
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New year, new arrangements
As 2018 draws to a close, the pace of change in vehicle manufacturing is accelerating. The move to EVs is gaining speed while the companies themselves continue to realign and optimise their manufacturing footprints. The future of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance has been thrown into doubt with the arrest of Carlos ...
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Steel wars
Bridges are being burnt in today’s automotive industry. Political decisions are having a significant impact on the price of vehicles, the way in which they are sold, and where they are made. One factor that could soon play a key role is the trade war between the US and the ...
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Groupe PSA opens powertrain plant
India - Groupe PSA has recently inaugurated a new plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. Costing around US$85m, it is being used to house the production of powertrain components for both the global and domestic automotive market."We want to be Indian in India. With this inauguration, we have taken another critical ...
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Testing times
With the automotive industry in Europe implementing WLTP, new controls that replace NEDC rules on vehicle emission limits, AMS spoke to powertrain component specialist Cosworth to assess the likely impact of the incoming regime Since September 2017 the automotive industry in Europe has been getting to grips with the implications ...
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Passing the test
As modern vehicles become more sophisticated, production testing technologies and processes need to keep up. Mike Farish looks at developments with both carmakers and tier suppliers
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The clean machines
Paintshop cleanliness is a vital aspect of the coating application process. Mike Farish finds out what it takes to keep the paint finish blemish-free
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Paint technology and investments
We report on the new technology, techniques and investments in the world of paintshop being implemented by vehicle-makers around the world… Eisenmann’s E-Shuttle 200 pre-treatment/electrocoating system will be part of the Leipzig upgrade Expansion at BMW Leipzig Eisenmann says it has been given overall responsibility for expanding ...
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Going gets tough for Ghosn
The alliance Ghosn championed is now cutting ties with him In recent days, Carlos Ghosn has been ousted as chairman of both Nissan and Mitsubishi and questioned by authorities in Japan on allegations of serious financial misconduct. Ghosn is the architect of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance (he ...
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Cool paint for hot cars
Ferrari is renowned for the high quality paint finish on its supercars. So creating a workable paint formulation that would cure at much lower temperatures without compromising these exacting standard would be a challenge. PPG’s Technical director, William Brunat, discusses the project with Nick Holt The project with Ferrari was ...
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Seven plant closures at GM
In a bid to operate more efficiently and to cater for consumer demand, General Motors has announced plans to close seven different plants across the world. Five of these are in North America, while the location of the two remaining plants set to close is yet to be released.Capacity utilisation ...
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A focus on fibres
Lightweight, high-strength benefits are being offset by materials and process costs. James Bakewell looks at the challenges of making carbon fibre cost effective Used for the first time in earnest by Volvo, carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) will feature in the £135,000 ($176,400) Polestar 1’s bonnet, boot lid, side panels, doors ...
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Sticking together
The use of a wide variety of materials throws-up significant production challenges and chief among those is joining. How can this plethora of materials be fixed together without affecting their structural integrity or their individual characteristics? The automotive industry is mostly set-up for resistance spot welding (RSW). This method has ...
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Mercedes starts B-Class production
Germany - Mercedes-Benz has started series production of the second model in its newest compact car generation - the B-Class - at its plant in Rastatt. The car is being built alongside the GLA SUV and the A-Class compact sedan, which is also made in Kecskemét (Hungary), Uusikaupunki (Finland) and ...
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Volkswagen to alter European output
Germany - Volkswagen has revealed plans to expand production capacity by building a new plant in Eastern Europe. It will be a multi-brand plant, making various vehicles under the different marques of the VW Group, and will play a key role in the company's competitiveness in the region."We have redefined ...
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Travel blog: Big game in SA
There are a handful of countries in the world that remain relatively untouched when it comes to the new car market, with sales of used cars traditionally dominating. In South Africa, for example, sales of used cars outweigh those in the new car market by more than two to ...
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Unease in the East
Falling sales, electrification and mega mergers: Nick Gibbs provides an overview of the current automotive industry trends in China A fascinating year for China’s automotive industry has seen the world’s largest car market undergo a series of seismic shifts as it moves to a new level of maturity, bringing both ...