Ambitious targets and big investments for India’s carmakers After a period of downsizing or complete withdrawal by some foreign OEMs, investment in Indian production is on the rise again with the domestic vehicle makers leading the way. Ian Henry
Market-driven decisions: Statevolt pivots from EV Batteries to Energy Storage Solutions, and from the US and Europe, to UAE Statevolt pivots from EV batteries to Energy Storage Systems (ESS), focusing on the UAE due to its favorable conditions. CEO Lars Carlstrom explains the strategic shift and challenges faced in the EV sector. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Poor financial results and slow EV transition forces Nissan to rethink plans Nissan looks to cut production costs and rebalance production operations in the face of poor financial results. Ian Henry
Electric promise in the Middle East: Why Statevolt is building a gigafactory in the UAE instead of Europe Despite regional challenges and skepticism, serial gigafactory founder Lars Carlstrom sees untapped potential and strategic advantages in the UAE and Middle East, and worries that Europe is missing a huge opportunity to reindustrialise. With Lucid’s foray into EV production in Saudi Arabia and Ceer’s imminent market entry, is the Middle East primed to embrace electrification? Ilkhan Ozsevim
Statevolt’s $3.2bn UAE Gigafactory to bolster electrification in Middle East Embarking on a significant $3.2 billion endeavor, Statevolt’s Gigafactory in Ras Al Khaimah emerges as a beacon of technological innovation, promising to reshape the global energy storage landscape. This ambitious project not only marks a significant milestone in advancing sustainable industrial development but also underscores the UAE’s strategic vision of becoming a leading hub for green technology and energy transition. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Green Revolution: How renewable energy is fuelling sustainable automotive manufacturing Adopting renewable energy in automotive production requires a comprehensive strategy, integrating solar, wind, biogas and electric solutions to drive sustainability and mitigate environmental impact effectively. OEMs, strategies and technologies are converging on different approaches to achieve sustainability goals across regions. Here are some notweworthy projects to keep an eye on… Ilkhan Ozsevim
Hyundai partners with Saudi sovereign wealth fund (PIF) to establish highly automated vehicle production plant in the region Hyundai Motor Company has entered into a joint venture agreement with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia to establish “a highly automated vehicle manufacturing plant,” in the kingdom. Hyundai to lead as as strategic technology partner. Ilkhan Ozsevim
BMW electrifies South African plant BMW is investing more than 4.2 billion ZAR ($224m) in the electrification of its plant in Rosslyn, South Africa. Megan Kelly
China: European, US and Japanese Vehicle Manufacturers rebalance production and supply chains AMS looks at the changing role of the Chinese operations of European and other long established brands’ operations in China and their changing roles in the global auto sector Ian Henry
Stellantis allocates BEV-centric STLA Large vehicles to Cassino Assembly Plant The Cassino plant in Italy produces premium vehicles for Alfa Romeo and Maserati Rebecca Morley
Going green: Self-generating electricity on-site When it comes to production in the automotive industry, companies including Ford and Audi are increasingly looking at how they can source the energy they use in a more environmentally efficient way. One way to do this is by generating electricity on-site Mike Farish
Mercedes-Benz to deploy Microsoft connected factory software, eyes 20% efficiency boost The software system will optimise manufacturing plans based on available components and enable easy monitoring of energy and water use and CO2 emissions. Peter Murphy
Adjusting to a new climate: Alternative powertrain testing Development and production of new powertrains continues at pace, but robust testing processes are key to ensuring performance and efficiency. AMS visited a newly upgraded test facility to get an insight into the equipment and process requirements for electric and fuel cell powertrains Mike Farish
BMW Digitalisation – Virtual becomes a reality By the early part of next year BMW aims to have doubled its production facilities around the world – not physically, but instead virtually in the digital environment Mike Farish
Renault Trucks to recover, resell parts from used vehicles in circular economy push The recovery of used parts suitable for re-sale builds on the company’s existing initiative to refurbish and modernise second-hand trucks. Peter Murphy
Ford’s e-coating edge for the new Ranger’s chassis frames A key element of a $1bn investment by Ford Motor Company to upgrade operations at its manufacturing plant at Silverton on the outskirts of the South African capital of Pretoria is a completely new e-coating facility for chassis frames Mike Farish
Gigafactories give N. America, Europe more skin in EV game but minerals supply a worry Forecasts for sustained growth in annual global EV sales suggest a minerals supply crunch in the latter half of this decade. Peter Murphy
Man and machine: Using technology to push efficiency boundaries in logistics and assembly Experts discuss how they are using digital technology to streamline time-consuming and expensive processes from supply chain monitoring to assembly planning. Peter Murphy Christopher Ludwig
How Ford will track production planning and suppliers like Uber rides Ford is deploying digital twins and data analytics to bring real-time visibility to production planning and supply chains, according to Balakrishnan Adhi, who leads MP&L plant operations across Asia, Africa and South America. Peter Murphy
From now to 2030: What’s next for a disrupted, post-pandemic auto industry AutoForecast Solutions sees a value-over-volume focus, more shared components and some major shuffles in the ranks of top EV makers Peter Murphy
Watch: Connected factories, predictable futures This AMS livestream explores how Ford, Fraunhofer IPA and other OEMs are advancing smart factories to optimise assembly lines, improve quality and reduce errors, leveraging connected data for digital twins and AI-driven manufacturing planning. AMS
Chris Glover to be new president and CEO of Volkswagen Chattanooga Glover will assume the role on January 1 and will lead the plant’s transformation and push towards electric mobility, starting with the localised production of the ID.4 SUV in 2022 AMS
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. Illya Verpraet found out more. Illya Verpraet
Watch: Automotive suppliers charging ahead – Electrifying Production Series (Pt.1) In the first part of our Electrifying Production Livestream series, AMS explores how vehicle electrification is changing major tier-1 suppliers’ manufacturing engineering and design, plant equipment and manufacturing strategies. Featuring experts from automotive suppliers and production specialists including Gestamp and ZF, Henkel and ABB. AMS
Integrating robotics and electric powertrains in BMW production BMW is on an EV offensive and is taking the opportunity to revamp its plants with automation and digital twins. Mark Smyth spoke to the global boss of production, Milan Nedeljković, about the challenges and opportunities Mark Smyth
Watch: How Ford digitalised and insourced global supply chain processes | Your Questions Answered Part II with Amlan Bose Ford is transforming its supply chain and logistics processes in a number of key regions, including creating an in-house 4PL and rolling out a dynamic transport management system. Following discussion on our popular Livestream Hour edition focused on digitalisation in supply chain and logistics, Ford’s Amlan Bose rejoins Christopher Ludwig to address audience questions on topics including challenges to rollout, whether the system and insourcing will spread to other regions, and how digital control towers are helping Ford in the Covid-19 crisis. Christopher Ludwig
Watch: Livestream Hour Episode 8 – Driving innovation in production and logistics Join this special digital transformation livestream session on how IT and technology solutions are supporting supply chain during the crisis, including a major digitalisation project for Ford’s logistics and supply chain management across key regions. Hosted by Christopher Ludwig. Christopher Ludwig
Renault assembly network future under review as management announce cost-saving programme Renault has launched a business transformation plan which includes a 18% cut in production capacity Gareth Price
Watch: Your Questions Answered | The Coronavirus Series: Automotive Supply Chain March Update Following our first Livestream Coronavirus Automotive Supply Chain Update, our panellists reconvene to discuss audience questions that were not answered during the broadcast. Watch this exclusive video recording of the discussion covering the long-term impacts of the coronavirus crisis on global vehicle demand, economic and environmental policy, logistics and manufacturing operations. Christopher Ludwig Daniel Harrison
Calling stop on automotive supply chains: How long can companies survive the Covid-19 crisis? With the coronavirus pandemic causing a level of automotive plant shutdowns not seen since the second world war, suppliers and logistics providers will face failures without direct support from government, and close collaboration with OEMs and industry. Christopher Ludwig
When the Covid-19 crisis is over, what ‘new normal’ can automotive suppliers expect to emerge? As the global automotive industry faces shutdowns, for who knows how long, it is worth considering how it might change or evolve once the pandemic’s peak has passed. Some companies, from vehicle companies down throughout the supply chain, may well go under, owing to the financial shock which Covid-19 is causing. Ian Henry
US giants in Asia: Part 1 – down and nearly out in India As GM and Ford scale back from the subcontinent, the withdrawal is symptomatic of their global challenges and retrenchment back in the homeland Ian Henry
AMS on Africa: Part 6 – Volvo Trucks of the trade Volvo Trucks is a big player in the South African commercial vehicle market and, as demand grows, the team at its Amanzimtoti plant are expecting a busy schedule Michael Nash
AMS on Africa: Part 5 – Heavy-duty headway at Scania There may be less reliance on automation at Scania’s Johannesburg plant but flexibility and workflow keep operations in smart shape for the needs of its commercial vehicle customers Michael Nash
AMS on Africa: Part 4 – Morocco aims for a million Volumes in Morocco have steadily climbed to the point where it may soon be the biggest vehicle producer in Africa Ian Henry
AMS on Africa: Part 3 – Game plan for South Africa Despite competition elsewhere in the continent, South Africa retains its key place among global manufacturing strategies Ian Henry
AMS on Africa: Part 2 – Algeria thinks big Algeria has ambitions to be the Africa’s next major automotive manufacturing hub and the OEMs are lining up to make it happen Ian Henry
AMS on Africa: Part 1 – Next in line OEM announcements around vehicle production plans in countries such as Ghana, Nigeria and Rwanda provide further examples of how the automotive manufacturing industry is gaining traction in Africa. The continent is responsible for assembly of more than one million vehicles each year. Volumes are growing as other nations are joining the list of established plants in South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria… Ian Henry
Bloodhound’s additive challenge Advances in additive manufacturing are being put to the most stringent of tests as the Bloodhound Land Speed Record project makes its first high-speed runs. Chris Pickering speaks to the engineers behind the project and the contribution made by 3D-printed components, one of the key production technologies helping to make the attempt possible Chris Pickering
Russia’s powerhouse Volkswagen has recorded notable growth in Russia over the last few years, but management are being careful not to get excited Michael Nash
Building to order JLR-interiors supplier Auria has big plans for its new facility in Slovakia, both with the fabric of the building and the technology it is housing Mike Farish
Success for Seat Spain’s biggest exporter has turned its finances around and looks to have a bright future Ian Henry
