FLAT ROCK, MI—No one was hurt after a fire started outside Ford’s assembly plant here Tuesday evening. Racks outside the plant caught on fire and spread flames to the building.
BATTLE CREEK, MI—Global automotive supplier DENSO will invest more than $37 million in machinery and equipment to expand automation at its assembly plant here.
TOLEDO, OH—FCA US will invest more than $1 billion in its assembly plants in Illinois and Ohio to retool them to increase production of the Jeep Cherokee and Wrangler.
DETROIT—Robotic glove technology developed out of a partnership between General Motors and NASA for use on the International Space Station is finding new life on Earth in health care, manufacturing and other industrial applications through a licensing agreement between GM and Bioservo Technologies AB, a Swedish medical technology company.
LAURENS, SC—Yanfeng Automotive Interiors plans to build a $71 million assembly plant here to supply interior assemblies for BMW. The factory is expected to create 35 new jobs.
AIKEN, SC—Diesel engine manufacturer MTU America hosts an annual Girls Day event at its assembly plant here. The goal of the event is to educate young girls on careers in manufacturing and to encourage their interest in a typically male-dominated field.
SUNDERLAND, UK—Nissan has installed a 4.75-megawatt solar farm at its assembly plant here. Together with other renewable energy sources, the farm will generate enough power to build more than 31,000 cars every year.
Washers are a vital component of many fastened joints. Washers are critical to the operation of virtually every device with moving parts. They perform a variety of functions beyond just securing bolts, nuts, screws and rivets. They can insulate, seal, lock, provide spacing, improve appearance, supply spring force, align parts, and distribute loads.
When an assembly process proves to be even a tad too costly—even a penny or less per cycle—a cheaper alternative must be found. This is why many manufacturers have replaced die-cut or molded solid gaskets with form-inplace (FIP) and cure-in-place (CIP) liquid gaskets.