Automotive OEMs and Tier 1s are increasingly separating specific assembly processes from the main production line as part of their lean manufacturing model.

Some manufacturers quickly embrace automated assembly. Others require many years before they’re able to take the plunge.

EVANSVILLE, IN—Systems integrator Evana Automation Specialists has received a contract to supply three automated assembly machines to a Tier 1 automotive supplier. The machines will produce electronic key fobs.

If someone tells you his leak test system is superior because of its control software, kick the tires, so to speak. In many, if not most, applications, it is the hardware, not the software, that makes or breaks the ability to get high throughput without compromising gauge R&R.

DETROIT—General Motors engineers are planning to use material from diapers to simulate snow in tests of vehicular heating systems.

Manufacturers must react promptly or they risk getting a Warning Letter.

Helium-based leak detectors can quickly find even microscopic leaks in cast aluminum components.

In the latter part of the 18th century, the advent of water and steam power enabled manufacturers to transition from manual production to mechanized production. Historians know it as the Industrial Revolution, but let’s think of it as “Industry 1.0.”

About 30 miles north of Detroit—in Auburn Hills, MI—the global automotive supplier Faurecia operates a unique research and design center.

With the automotive and aerospace industries humming, our annual Capital Equipment Spending Survey predicts robust growth in investment.