All production articles – Page 4
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FeatureBCG report suggests the ‘factory of the future’ is still some way off
A survey of over 750 production managers by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has revealed that while most recognise the potential benefits of the ‘factory of the future’ concept, only one in four are achieving targets actually related to the initiative.Of the respondents to the survey, which focused on the automotive ...
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FeaturePSA to assemble pick-up trucks in Tunisia for local market
PSA Group has announced a deal with its long-term partner in Tunisia, STAFIM, to assemble and sell a Peugeot pick-up truck in the North African country.The French carmaker said the assembly plant would start operations in mid-2018 and produce about 1,200 vehicles a year for the Tunisian market. PSA generates ...
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FeatureAlfa Romeo boosts staff at Cassino in advance of production push
Italian carmaker Alfa Romeo expects to add 1,800 staff at its Cassino plant in Italy by 2018 as it gears up towards increased production of the Giulia model and Stelvio SUV.Currently the plant, which is located about 100km from Naples and has produced over 7m vehicles since 1972, employs 4,300 ...
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FeatureChanging trade agreements in the spotlight after US election
A week after Donald Trump’s surprise victory in the US presidential election, automotive manufacturers and experts are still piecing together what his new administration could mean for vehicle production, trade and investment across North America and beyond.Global trade deals with the US seem likely to fall back in priority or ...
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Tesla planning battery ‘gigafactory’ in Europe
Following its buyout of Grohmann Engineering last week, electric vehicle maker, Tesla, is looking for a site in Europe to build a lithium-ion battery ‘gigafactory’ similar to the one it is currently building in Nevada, in the US.CEO Elon Musk made the announcement at a press conference in Germany last ...
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FeatureVolvo Cars plans to make China a global export hub
Volvo Cars is starting production of a number of new model series at its facilities in China as part of plans to increase production capacity there and turn China into its global manufacturing and export hub.A spokesperson for the carmaker said it expected China to eventually account for between 30% ...
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FeatureRussian overcapacity forces some strategic changes in logistics
Overcapacity in the Russian automotive market looks set to be a long-term problem, the Russian Economic Development Ministry has admitted, and is starting to prompt changes to supply chain strategy.By 2020, the gap between production capacity across Russia’s automotive plants and sales volumes there will remain at 1m cars a ...
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FeatureVW ramps up Brazil output following assembly disruption
Volkswagen is accelerating its production in Brazil to 50,000 vehicles a month, following a widespread shutdown across its four plants in the country because of a parts supply problem. The stoppage is thought to be related to seat supplier Keiper, owned by Prevent DEV Group, though Volkswagen do Brasil (VW ...
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FeatureFord appoints Piva to key logistics role in South America
Marcelo Luis Piva (pictured) will take up the role of director of supply chain and logistics at Ford’s division in South America from the beginning of next year. He takes over from Edson Molina, who has held the position since 2007.Piva is currently Ford’s Sao Barnardo Cars final assembly manager ...
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FeatureFord working with Stratasys on 3D printing of parts and tooling
Ford has begun working with 3D printing and additive manufacturing provider Stratasys to test and develop automotive-grade 3D printed interior parts, such as side and ceiling panels, instrument panels and centre consoles.According to Stratasys, the parts being developed could not be made by this method previously because of limitations on ...
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FeatureBox of delights
A box is a box is a box, right? Well no, actually. Returnable container manufacturer Schoeller Allibert reveals that there is far more to returnable containers than four walls and a lid, if the sector is to keep up with its customers’ needsThere isn’t an automotive company in the world ...
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FeatureToyota begins RAV4 production in St Petersburg
Toyota has begun producing the RAV4 compact SUV at its plant in St Petersburg alongside its ongoing production of the Camry sedan there, following an investment of 9.7 billion roubles ($149m) to double plant capacity. The move was originally announced in March.Previously the RAV4 was imported into Russia as a ...
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FeatureChina’s BAIC to invest $800m in South African plant
Beijing Automobile International Corporation (BAIC) has signed a deal with the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) in South Africa to build an 11 billion rand ($800m) plant for the assembly of complete knockdown (CKD) kits of pick-up trucks, SUVs and sedans. The plant is expected to open toward the end of ...
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FeatureAudi starts making transmissions in Tianjin
Audi is working with VW Automatic Transmission Tianjin (VWATJ) in China to supply seven-speed S tronic transmissions to the FAW-Volkswagen plant in Changchun, which makes the Audi A4L.The two companies have set up a new €577m ($654m) facility in Tianjin to make the transmissions.It is the first time the Audi ...
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FeatureBrexit vote leads Opel to cut output in Germany
GM’s Opel division is cutting production at two of its plants in Germany as a consequence of the UK’s vote in June to leave the European Union (EU).The company said it was anticipating slower sales of the Corsa and Insignia models and that this would affect production at the Eisenach ...
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Mercedes-Benz to build second plant in Kecskemét
Mercedes-Benz is investing €1 billion ($1.1 billion) in a new assembly plant at Kecskemét in Hungary that will be making front- and rear-wheel drive cars on a more flexible production basis by the end of the decade.The announcement follows the German carmaker’s decision in April to invest a further €580m ...
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UK car output hits 16-year high amid 'Brexit' concerns
The UK passenger car market has enjoyed its best half-year performance in terms of vehicle production since 2000, latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have shown, manufacturing more than 897,000 cars – a rise of 13% on the same period last year.June saw the eleventh ...
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FeatureMercedes-Benz Vans starts work on US plant to cut lead times
Nikki Haley, governor of South Carolina, and Volker Mornhinweg, head of Mercedes-Benz VansMercedes-Benz Vans is to end supply of semi-knockdown (SKD) Sprinter van kits to the US from Germany and set up a new $500m plant in North Charleston, South Carolina before the end of the decade. The company ...
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FeatureDaimler granted preliminary approval for new plant near Moscow
Daimler has applied to Russia’s Ministry of Industry for a special investment contract (SIC) to start assembling Mercedes-Benz passenger cars at a site near Moscow by 2018. Regional governor Andrey Vorobiev said at a recent press conference that the plant would be located near Sheremetyevo International Airport and would have ...
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FeatureJLR gets real about recycled aluminium loops
Jaguar Land Rover is taking steps to increase the amount of recycled aluminium it uses. Automotive Logistics finds out more… JLR's target is to use 75% recycled aluminium in its body structures by 2020Recycled material is playing a growing role in Jaguar Land Rover’s use of aluminium in its ...