All Process Improvement articles
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ArticleStable growth post-Covid will depend on greater supplier collaboration
At last week’s Livestream Hour Joe McCabe, CEO and president of AutoForecast Solutions, said 2021 was going to be a recovery year in global vehicle production and that continued recovery to 2027 would be based on greater stability. A more globally integratred supply chain, thanks in part to revision of Trump policy following last week’s election, and provide opportunities for tier suppliers, who are getting more involved complex subassembly
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Mercedes advances its digital production ecosystem
The OEM says it will create a highly transparent and connected digital network across its global production network to deliver real-time data in support of manufacturing operations
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Transforming a field into a factory – Jaguar Land Rover in Slovakia
Plant launch specialist Mark Parody reflects on the approach he took when set the daunting task of launching production at Jaguar Land Rover’s state-of-the-art factory at Nitra, Slovakia, including putting together a new team and coordinating significant complexity at each stage of manufacturing
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Mofid Elkemiri, LEVC manufacturing operations and quality director
LEVC’s Mofid Elkemiri was recruited to the Geely-owned company back in 2016 as launch director for the TX5 electric taxi. Prior to that he spent six years at UK-based trim supplier CAB Automotive, where he rose to the position of engineering and quality director. AMS speaks to him about his current role, ramping up production, battery cell supply and the relationship with the parent company. But first, we ask how the factory has been affected by the recent coronavirus measures and the suspension of production…
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Audi mobile maintenance app keeps Ingolstadt in the know
Maintenance teams at the Ingolstadt factory have a new app on test, developed an inhouse to provide live updates from across the assembly process direct to their smartphones
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Dürr: Boxing clever in the paintshop of the future
Scalability and flexibility are essential in the automotive industry production processes, and Dürr’s paintshop of the future is reimagining the car body finishing process
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Viewed from the “lighthouse”: Renault plants connected to smart production
Recognised by the WEF Global Lighthouse Network, Renault’s deep dive into industry 4.0 has launched a plethora of active improvement projects
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Morgan Motors: twinning tradition and technology
The Morgan Motor Company’s workshop is a car factory like no other…
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GM assigns Detroit-Hamtramck as its first EV-dedicated plant
General Motors has announced plans to make Detroit-Hamtramck its first fully-dedicated electric vehicle assembly plant
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New recycle system at Bentley puts waste water to work
A paintshop water treatment innovation is helping Bentley achieve sustainability targets and reduce consumption
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Production records set at Skoda’s domestic plants
As it marks the 125th anniversary of the company, Skoda is chalking up record-breaking output
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Toyota tops up US investment
Toyota has completed its US plant modernisation project, first announced in January 2017, with an additional $700 million for its Indiana facility
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Nissan lines up its next-gen factory technology
In preparation for its next generation of electrified, intelligent and connected vehicles, Nissan is introducing a programme of major advancements in its production operations
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Setting the pace – AP Racing speeds up smart production
A new €1m assembly line is helping UK-based high-performance brake component supplier AP Racing take a smarter approach to production
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Breaking the mould: Grainger & Worrall go beyond the block
With the onset of the EV age, casting specialists are demonstrating versatility and diversifying away from engine block production. Mike Farish reports on the solutions Grainger & Worrall has developed to produce its new generation of cast parts
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Material changes guide the new additive manufacturing routes
Additive manufacturing is offering not only a wider range of application techniques but also materials with polymers now joined by metals and even ceramics
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BMW takes additive manufacturing from prototype to serial lines
OEMs and tier suppliers are now integrating additive manufacturing processes into their production operations – a prime example is BMW
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Exoskeleton trials underway at Audi
Audi has begun testing the ergonomic benefits of exoskeleton systems for workers at its Ingolstadt plant
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Al around the weld
Joining aluminium parts gives the bodyshop a number of challenges not encountered when welding steel. But a variety of weld techniques are helping OEMs to adapt and extend use of the lighter metal
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Drawing attention: aluminium hot form quench
Better known as a niche process for parts with deep-drawn and complex geometries in high-strength aluminium, hot form quench is now being adapted for high volume production
