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Factories of the future will feature advanced technology, such as additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, data analytics and digital twins. While many manufacturers are still ramping up their Industry 4.0 initiatives, several assembly plants are already at the forefront. They are embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution and reaping the benefits.
When General Motors opened the Detroit Transmission plant in Livonia, MI, in 1949, the 1.5-million-square-foot facility sym-bolized the resounding success of the most popular component in American automobiles—the Hydra-Matic Drive transmis-sion.
At the Components and Logistics facility in Gastonia, NC, Daimler Trucks fulfills orders and sub-assembly of thousands of parts. The plant provides parts for North American truck and school bus manufacturers, as well as auto parts stores.
LANSING, MI–The Michigan Strategic Fund is supporting planned expansions by three Tier 1 suppliers that will generate nearly $30 million in private investment and create 262 jobs in northern and southeast Michigan, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation recently announced. The three suppliers are Concord Tool and Manufacturing Inc., erae AMS USA Manufacturing LLC and Ventra Evart LLC.
BREMEN, Germany—Although the 2021 Mercedes-Benz EQC electric SUV won't be arriving at U.S. dealers until sometime next year, the first production version just rolled off the line in Germany.
Some assembly technologies evolve too fast or too slow, while others change at a pace that's just right. Hydraulic presses belong in the latter category, according to some suppliers, and that's a good thing.
Manufacturing high-quality products is always serious business, even when the products are used for fun. KTM AG, for example, builds each of its off-road motorcycles with top-notch and thoroughly tested parts so that each model is "ready to race."