Being one of the Detroit Three automakers has its perks and its challenges. The main benefit is widespread brand recognition—which is inherently accompanied by the challenge of making sure that every vehicle produced is safe, comfortable and reliable.
DEARBORN, MI—Since May 2013, more than 8,000 skilled trades and production workers at Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant and Kansas City Assembly Plant have undergone an intensive training program to support production of the new F-150 pickup.
DETROIT—The Aluminum Association has published a free, comprehensive manual that details the range of joining technologies for assembling aluminum parts in automotive applications.
DETROIT—General Motors uses seven joining methods—including spot welding, laser welding, self-piercing rivets and flow drill screws—to assemble the aluminum body of the new Cadillac CT6 sedan.
FARMINGTON HILLS, MI—Alcoa Inc. says it has solved one of the biggest wrinkles automakers wrestle with when stamping aluminum body panels: formability. The company has developed a new manufacturing process that produces aluminum sheet that is 40 percent more formable than current aluminum alloys.