All production articles
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ArticleGhosn scandal and General Motors closures should be viewed in context as world car production trends suggest future not so different from the past
The auto industry has seemingly suffered two major body blows in the last 10 days. The shock arrest of Carlos Ghosn in Japan and GM’s announcement of plant closures in North America give succour to those who believe we are witnessing the beginning of the end of the car industry.
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ArticleFord trials body tracking tech for workers at Valencia plant
Image: Ford Assembly line workers at Ford’s production facility in Valencia, Spain, are testing bodysuits incorporating tracking technology, with a view to improving workstation ergonomics. The technology, often used by sports stars to analyse their games (or for replication of their style in video games) records how a ...
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ArticleIn BMW plant, gesture control is on trial
In BMW's test, a worker can register a problem by pointing to a faulty section of a part (Photo: BMW)BMW, in a test of so-called "Industry 4.0" car manufacturing, is using camera-based gesture detection in a pilot project at its plant in Landshut, Germany. The premium car maker is ...
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ArticleMercedes-Benz consolidates logistics, production systems
Daimler’s production and logistics consolidation started at its Rastatt plant. The whole project will be concluded globally in 2020 (Photo: Daimler)Mercedes-Benz is moving ahead systematically with the modernization of its factories and that involves a consolidation of production and logistics systems.Those systems are the key to maintaining the flexibility today's ...
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ArticleFactory 2.0 challenges Toyota manufacturing concepts
Software can generate manufacturing productivity improvements (Photo: Forcam)New IT systems are beginning to compete with the Toyota manufacturing system, which has been a template for efficient production in the auto industry for many years.Sophisticated production software, which analyzes a plant's production data on a continuous basis, can sharply boost efficiency.At ...
