OEMs and Suppliers in Focus
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ArticleVolkswagen to develop 3D printing process for vehicle production
VW has entered into a software partnership with Siemens and expanded its existing collaboration with printer manufacturer HP to develop 3D printing processes to support future production operations
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Lotus starts pre-production of its all-new Emira
The sportscar maker has made a £100m investment in its UK facilities that will support the production of new models and the expansion of engineering and consultancy services
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The software-defined assembly line
The manufacturing industry is on the cusp of a revolution, where investment is led by software rather than hardware. That in turn enables a raft of new possibilities in creating the factory of the future, according to experts from Audi, ABB and Cosmo Tech.
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Audi cuts production again because of chip shortage
Audi has confirmed that it will be putting 10,000 of its employees working at the Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm assembly plants in Germany on reduced hours in June. A shortage in the supply of semiconductors, which is affecting the automotive industry globally, means Audi is having to cut output at the plants.
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Electrification and digitalisation go hand in hand at Ford and VW
As the automotive industry electrifies, manufacturing is changing dramatically and OEMs are using big data to keep pace with that change. Increasingly moving into the world of tech, old quality control processes may no longer suffice since a lot of EV components cannot be reworked like traditional equivalents. Manufacturing has to be ultra-precise like never before.
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VW and Ford invest in flexible production for an uncertain future
The speed of change in the technology of cars and rapid electrification requires new manufacturing equipment and is making expensive old machines redundant, but exactly where the industry is going next is hard to predict. More flexible manufacturing is the answer.
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Cellular manufacturing adds flexibility in Mercedes-Benz bodyshop
For the production of the new C-class, Mercedes has taken the opportunity to add flexibility by way of cellular manufacturing in the body shop and with so-called ‘TecLines’ for assembly.
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Seat adds logistics cobots at Martorell
Spanish carmaker Seat has started using two autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) at its plant in Martorell for the picking of parts from its onsite storage warehouses.
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How the European automotive industry aims to build back semiconductor and chip supply
OEMs, suppliers and EU officials are considering how best to develop Europe’s semiconductor manufacturing to mitigate current and future shortages, but the broad gaps at many levels – including for older, larger chips – mean there will be no magic bullet
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Audi takes the next step in the digitalisation of production and logistics
The OEM will collaborate with the Technical University of Munich and the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO as part of its Automotive Initiative 2025 to develop a network for digital factory transformation and innovation
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Hino Motors and REE Automotive sign business alliance agreement
The two companies say they will collaborate on developing next-generation commercial mobility solutions by combining Hino’s knowledge and technologies as a commercial vehicle manufacturer with REE’s proprietary EV technologies
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Volkswagen builds supply chain efficiency through industry-wide data exchange
The OEM will be a founding member of Catena-X an industry network created to establish data standards for the automotive value chain and promote industry-wide data exchange
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New paintshop sealing process for the Taycan
Porsche, in collaboration with Tesa SE has developed a new production process to seal the holes in the car body that are required to ensure the complete application of the anti-corrosion coatings
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REE Automotive and Magna sign strategic collaboration agreement
Aiming to service the EV requirements of new electric mobility players, this collaboration plans to develop fully modular electric vehicles using REE’s corner technology and accelerate their time-to-market at scale
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Global suppliers need modularity and flexibility in the EV age
Electric vehicles bring with them high development costs and large expenses for retooling plants. To get around that, OEMs and tier suppliers must work together to develop flexible, modular production systems, according to panellists from ZF and ABB at last week’s AMS Livestream on electrification.
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Mercedes and Siemens cooperate on the digitalisation of sustainable production
The two company’s will combine their expertise and technologies to further develop flexible, efficient and sustainable automotive production operations
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All systems go at Schaeffler
E-mobility is increasingly changing Schaeffler from a component manufacturer to a full-system supplier. Matthias Zink, CEO of the company’s Automotive Technologies division, talks to Ralf Bretting and Pascal Nagel about how the supplier is preparing for the powertrain mix of the future and why the discussion about electrification could do with more honesty
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Renault joins Veolia and Solvay in closed-loop battery recycling project
Together with power provider Veolia and chemicals company Solvay, Renault is setting up a trial plant in France to recycle batteries from electric vehicles (EVs). The plant will be able to extract and purify end-of-life EV battery metals.
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VW to have 240 GWh of battery plants in Europe by 2030
Volkswagen Group plans to significantly increase battery cell production capacity and reshape the EV battery supply chain in Europe, with plans to have six ‘gigafactories’ by the end of the decade – including an expansion of its partnership with Sweden’s Northvolt.
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Carmakers pledge to switch to all-electric vehicles
The wave of electrification is slowly turning into a tsunami, in Europe at least. Illya Verpraet takes a look at some of the big manufacturing plans in 2021
