Inserting glass windows into car bodies has been, and remains, a challenge for automotive OEMs. Manual insertion is labor intensive and imprecise, and carries with it the risk of bodily injury to assemblers due to broken glass.
Little things not only mean a lot, they can also explain a lot. Consider a spent blind-rivet mandrel, which is only 1 to 2 inches in length, but has tiny markings that provide a wealth of information to veteran rivet-tool-supplier salespeople like Michelle Donath at Yamazen Inc.
Like a third-string quarterback awaiting his moment in the spotlight, magnesium has been sitting patiently on the light-weighting sideline. But, it may finally get its turn to shine in automotive applications, thanks to several recent breakthroughs.
TOKYO—Kenichi Yamamoto, who led the engineering team that produced a commercially viable rotary engine at the company now known as Mazda Motor Co. and later became its president and chairman, died on Dec. 20. He was 95.
CHARLOTTE, NC—Three manufacturers plan to bring 639 jobs and almost $73 million in investment to the extended Charlotte area. Automotive supplier Tristone Flowtech USA Inc. is investing $23.6 million to build a new assembly plant in Iredell County, creating 302 jobs. Dhollandia Manufacturing, which makes hydraulic lifts, will spend $30 million to open a new assembly plant in Gaston County, creating 150 jobs. And, Sunrise Global Marketing, which makes battery-powered outdoor equipment, will hire 187 people and spend $23.2 million to open an assembly plant in Burke County.
CHICAGO—Two vehicles assembled in the greater Chicagoland area—the Ford Taurus and Ford Explorer—rank among the top vehicles with the most American-made parts, according to two studies.
NORTH CHARLESTON, SC--According to a permit application filed last week with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Mercedes-Benz Vans plans to ramp up production of its Sprinter commercial vehicles in three phases at its campus here.
Being the welding equipment supplier for several of the world’s leading automotive OEMs is a big responsibility, but not an impossible one. Hirotec America (HA) is proof of that. Since 1988, the company has provided this equipment to GM, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, Toyota and BMW.
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