Among the most innovative features on a new car is the keyless antenna, which emits a radio frequency signal to identify the owner’s key and open the car.
SPARTANBURG, SC—BMW plans to invest $600 million to expand production at its assembly plant here, adding 1,000 jobs to the workforce. The investment is part of a push to produce 450,000 vehicles annually at the plant.
LOUISVILLE, KY—Ford Motor Co. is investing $900 million to upgrade its Kentucky Truck Plant to build all-new Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. This investment is in addition to a $1.3 billion investment the auto maker announced in late 2015.
TOKYO--Shattered by recall costs and lawsuits, Japanese air bag maker Takata Corp. filed Monday for bankruptcy protection in Tokyo and the U.S., saying it was the only way it could keep on supplying replacements for faulty air bag inflators linked to the deaths of at least 16 people.
SPARKS, NV--Three years ago, Tesla began construction of its Gigafactory here. This past weekend, the facility began battery production. By the end of 2018, it is expected to produce enough batteries for 500,000 cars, primarily the company's Model 3.
The main objective for manufacturers of commercial transportation equipment is to profitability build high-quality products. One way to meet this objective is to assemble trailers and truck bodies with advanced structural adhesives and seam sealers.
Plastics and polymer composites are essential to a wide range of safety and performance parts in cars today. In fact, the use of plastic and polymer composites in light vehicles has increased from less than 20 pounds per vehicle in 1960 to 334 pounds per car in 2015.
Robots are increasingly being made to mirror humans. The best example of this is the dual-armed robot—such as ABB’s YuMi and Rethink Robotics’ Baxter—designed specifically to work closely with people on the assembly line.
The popularity of cordless tools on the assembly line continues to grow. Battery-operated devices allow assemblers to more easily work on platforms or inside car interiors, tractor cabs, aircraft wings and other tight spaces.