FRANKFURT—Daimler will buy battery cells worth more than $23 billion by 2030, as it readies mass production of hybrid and electric vehicles, the maker of Mercedes-Benz cars announced on Tuesday.
When lean tools are used effectively every day, manufacturers eventually arrive at a destination: lean culture. All the continuous improvement efforts along the way will drive a cyclical culture that's sustainable.
The past year brought blockbuster headlines for U.S. manufacturing. Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn unveiled plans to build a $10 billion assembly plant in Wisconsin that would make liquid-crystal display panels and employ as many as 13,000 people.
DETROIT—General Motors said Monday that it will cut 15 percent of its salaried workforce, estimated to be around 14,700 people in North America, and that it will idle factories in Michigan, Ohio, Maryland and Canada.
NORTH CHARLESTON, SC—The Cummins Inc. factory here assembled its 5 millionth turbocharger earlier this month, marking a milestone at the plant, which is on track for a record year of production.
FRANKFURT—Volkswagen is reportedly planning to sell an entry-level electric vehicle for less than 20,000 euros, or approximately $23,000. At a board meeting scheduled for November 16, executives will gather to discuss the automaker's plans to manufacture its I.D.-branded electric vehicles in place of its internal combustion offerings.
Engineers at Clemson University are tackling the lightweighting challenge by developing new applications for carbon-fiber composites and other nontraditional materials.
In many automotive parts, a small defect can cause big problems. This explains why Tier 1 suppliers increasingly use machine vision to inspect parts used for steering, air bags, seat belts, brakes, electronic controls and exhaust.