ProductionLineBlogsSuppliers’ optimism declines as hiring and expansion plans continue 12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 14, 2012 Automotive suppliers in North America are less optimistic than they were in May, but they still plan to hire workers and expand production, a recent survey by the Original Equipment Suppliers Association concludes.... Read More »
Q&A Bosch expanding production and sourcing in North America 12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 14, 2012  Robert Bosch has targeted North America as a high-growth market. The German supplier is spending $350 million this year to expand production in North America, and it is buying more components here, too.... Read More »
Supplier personnel 12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 14, 2012 Personnel changes for Eaton, Alea Leather Specialist, Alcoa, Freescale Semiconductor and Commercial Vehicle Group.... Read More »
DAVID SEDGWICK Production bottleneck? That's a good thing -- really 12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 14, 2012  At an auto conference here last week, all the chatter was about production bottlenecks and suppliers that were running six days a week to keep up with demand.... Read More »
Alliance touts industrywide infotainment software 12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 14, 2012  The Genivi Alliance, an industry group that is creating a common software for infotainment systems, has scored an initial success: BMW AG will introduce Genivi software next year.... Read More »
Study: 127 mpg is feasible -- with compromises 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 10, 2012  What technology would it take to produce a gasoline-powered car that could get 127 mpg on the highway? The answer: very little that is not already on the road. Lotus Engineering Ltd. has done an internal design study of a 1,150-pound three-seater powered by a 600cc two-cylinder motorbike engine.... Read More »
VW shuffles Chattanooga management 10:41 am U.S. ET | July 10, 2012 Now that its Chattanooga assembly plant is up and running, Volkswagen Group of America is bringing in local managers to replace the international team that launched the factory.... Read More »
Supplier personnel 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 10, 2012 Personnel changes for Behr GmbH & Co., Pi Innovo and Timken Co.... Read More »
Raw materials prices drop amid Europe and China slowdowns 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 10, 2012  For automotive suppliers, the economic slowdown in Europe and China has a silver lining: Raw materials prices have declined sharply. Over the past year, a price index of 16 key raw materials has declined about 21 percent, according to a study by AlixPartners, a financial advisory firm based in suburban Detroit.... Read More »
Carmakers maintain solid output despite slow economy 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 10, 2012 Despite slow jobs growth in the United States and a tepid economy, automakers are maintaining solid North American production schedules this summer. Mike Jackson, IHS Automotive's director of North American forecasts, says U.S. sales have slowed a bit from the strong monthly rates early this year. But it's still going to be a good year for the industry.... Read More »
DAVID SEDGWICK Insurance institute gives stamp of approval to collision avoidance 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 10, 2012  You could hear suppliers sighing with relief on July 3 after the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released its safety analysis of collision-avoidance technology.... Read More »
Rush to add gears to trannys is ending, ZF says 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 10, 2012  The auto industry's race to add gears to automatic transmissions is running out of steam. After ZF introduced its eight- and nine-speed transmissions, a press report said that Hyundai Motor Group was developing a 10-speed gearbox. Julio Caspari, president of ZF's North American operations, says that additional gears may fail to improve fuel efficiency enough to justify the cost.... Read More »
DAVID SEDGWICK Supplier seeks solution to dated computer chips 2:00 am U.S. ET | June 13, 2012  For automakers, one of the biggest headaches posed by infotainment systems is instant obsolescence. The auto industry, with its stately three- to five-year product cycles, simply can't keep up with the rapid product cycles of smartphone makers. But that might be changing.... Read More »
Rail-car shortage hampers auto shipments 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 12, 2012  North American automakers are struggling with a shortage of rail cars used to transport cars and light trucks from assembly plants to dealerships.... Read More »
Supplier seeks solution to dated computer chips 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 12, 2012  For automakers, one of the biggest headaches posed by infotainment systems is instant obsolescence. The auto industry, with its stately three- to five-year product cycles, simply can't keep up with the shootout-at-the-O.K.-Corral product cycles of smartphone makers. But that might be changing.... Read More »
How pickups could lose 800 pounds with aluminum 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 12, 2012 OK, so automakers are designing sedans that can get 35, 40 or even 50 mpg. But what about full-sized pickups? With the judicious use of aluminum and magnesium, it appears that automakers can reduce a pickup's weight by about 800 pounds without degrading performance.... Read More »
Automakers snap up aluminum; body-in-white coming to N.A. 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 12, 2012  Automakers are expected to triple North American use of aluminum sheet by 2015, a surge that could lead to spot shortages. Automakers have made wide use of aluminum wheels, engine blocks, heat exchangers and suspension components to save weight. Now they are using more aluminum sheet for hoods, liftgates, fenders and doors. To meet demand, two major aluminum producers are adding production capacity.... Read More »
'Car trains' show possibilities for collision-avoidance technology 9:00 am U.S. ET | June 12, 2012 Commercial prospects for "driverless" cars got a boost last month when four vehicles on autopilot successfully trailed a lead car on a 124-mile route near Barcelona, Spain. The test run -- dubbed Project Sartre -- involved three Volvos and a semitrailer that maintained a 20-foot distance between each other at 53 mph. Ricardo PLC, which organized the test with six other companies, used off-the-shelf radar and sensors.... Read More »
Supplier personnel 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 12, 2012 Nexteer Automotive President and CEO Bob Remenar, 56, stepped down to become chief executive of Diversified Machine Inc., an aluminum castings supplier in suburban Detroit. Effective immediately, Nexteer COO Laurent Bresson, 40, becomes president and Chairman Guibin Zhao, 48, adds the CEO title.... Read More »
Renesas losses will force it to restructure 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 12, 2012 Despite the loss of its biggest factory after last year's tragic earthquake, Renesas Electronics Corp. managed to retain its status as the world's largest producer of automotive semiconductors. Still, the company had a net loss of 63 billion yen, or about $630.5 million, in the fiscal year that ended March 31. Reuters reports that Renesas plans to raise nearly $1.3 billion in capital and eliminate 12,000 of its 44,000 jobs worldwide.... Read More »
With TRW touch pad, drivers write commands to cut distraction 8:57 am U.S. ET | May 8, 2012  TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. has introduced an infotainment touch pad that can be molded onto the surface of a vehicle's armrest, steering wheel or dashboard. The touch pad, similar to the finger pad on a laptop that controls the cursor, allows motorists to write numbers or letters with their fingers to issue instructions for the navigation system, radio, smartphone and other infotainment functions.... Read More »
Price dispute won't hinder supplies to Eberspaecher - for now 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 8, 2012 Eberspaecher North America's price dispute with a Tier 2 supplier won't affect its ability to receive parts, at least for now. A federal judge in Detroit has granted a preliminary injunction against Nelson Global Products Inc. that requires the company to continue providing exhaust system parts to Eberspaecher until their contract dispute gets resolved.... Read More »
Cooperation is best solution to material shortages 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 8, 2012  Increasingly, automakers are finding themselves in a Darwinian competition for raw materials with other industries. Over the past couple of years, automakers and suppliers have been whipsawed by spot shortages caused in part by fluctuating demand in other industries.... Read More »
Q&A: AUTOLIV'S STEVE FREDIN Small cars need smarter seat belts, airbags 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 8, 2012  Airbags and seat belts -- mature products for suppliers -- are getting a fresh look from automakers that are trying to secure five-star crash ratings for small cars, says Steve Fredin, president of Autoliv Americas. For example, he says automakers are equipping small cars with knee bolsters and even "pre-pre-tensioners" for seat belts to compensate for the vehicles' smaller "crush zones."... Read More »
Nylon snafu highlights need for many sources of raw material 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 8, 2012  The auto industry has become acutely aware of the dangers of a supply chain in which one Tier 3 manufacturer might produce the bulk of a key raw material such as nylon 12, a material used to coat fuel lines and other components. Automakers and suppliers are working to line up multiple producers of key raw materials to avoid the kind of disruption caused by the March 31 explosion that wrecked Evonik Industries AG's nylon factory in Marl, Germany.... Read More »
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 Dealer O.C. Welch's big-truck turnaroundAfter Mercury's demise, South Carolina Ford-Lincoln dealer O.C. Welch had to find a way to replace lost revenue. He decided to load up on Super Duty pickups – and sell them online. Mon., June 17» Watch the Video |
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