Custom metal fabricator Miller Welding & Machine Co. has experienced steady growth since its founding in 1963. The keys to this growth are implementing process control, creating high-quality products and always being open to using new technology.

Some Tier II suppliers provide a wide range of parts to the automotive industry, while others are better suited to focus on only one type of part. Grand Rapids, MI-based Erwin Quarder Inc. (EQI) specializes in making plastic-injection overmolded, two-shot-molded and insert-molded parts.

Faurecia has been the world's largest manufacturer of vehicle interiors for the past several years. Automotive OEMs all over the globe install the company’s seats, dashboards, center consoles, door panels, acoustic modules and decorative elements.

In May, the European Union’s sweeping new Medical Device Regulation (MDR) will take effect. (The law had been scheduled to go into effect last May, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)

Plastic clips and fasteners are becoming increasingly popular in the automotive industry. They are lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and quick and easy to install.

In November, Cook Group Inc. announced plans to invest $7 million to build a 40,000-square-foot assembly plant on the northeast side of Indianapolis, creating 100 jobs for residents in an impoverished neighborhood.

Many automotive engineers have nightmares about noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) issues. Ironically, one of those pests, vibration, is widely used to assemble many types of plastic auto parts.

Component uniformity and product quality often go hand in hand. Knowing this, manufacturers do all they can to find the right equipment that ensures such uniformity batch after batch, day after day.