WINDSOR,ON--Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV Chairman and CEO Sergio Marchionne said recently that the company is open to furthering its partnership with Google Inc., initially slated to test Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans equipped with Google self-driving technology.
In the past, automobile manufacturers only required basic forms of leak testing to check standard subassemblies, such as, air conditioning, power train and cooling system components. Traditional hard-vacuum and accumulation methods were—and still are—used to test components such as radiators, evaporators, condensers, air-conditioner hoses, torque converters and valve bodies.
Employees at Fiat Chrysler’s Indiana Transmission Plant I (ITPI) in Kokomo, IN, have achieved something few in manufacturing can claim—they have logged 10 million hours, or a span of more than three years, without a lost-time injury.
Manufacturers today are producing a wider range of products than ever. Life cycles are shrinking and demand for customization is increasing. As a result, assembly lines must be as flexible as possible without compromising efficiency. That’s why companies producing everything from pumps to pistols and caskets to chainsaws depend on mixed-model assembly.
Although being part of an international conglomerate has its advantages (such as extensive financial resources and access to cutting-edge technologies), a company still must make good products to establish and expand its customer base. This statement definitely applies to Canadian bus manufacturer Nova Bus Inc., which began in 1993 and has been part of Volvo Bus Corp.—the world’s largest motorcoach and transit bus manufacturer—since 1998.
Back in the day, engines were the exclusive domain of cast iron and steel. But, during the past decade, more lightweight materials, such as aluminum and hard thermoplastics, have been slowly creeping under the hood. The Holy Grail, an engine made almost entirely out of plastic, is finally close to reality.
DEARBORN, MI—Ford will invest $1.6 billion to upgrade assembly plants in Indiana and Ohio, as part of its commitment in the 2015 contract talks with UAW to invest $9 billion in its U.S. manufacturing facilities.
SPRING HILL, TN—General Motors is investing $790 million at its assembly plant here and another $118 million in Michigan. The company will create nearly 800 jobs at the Spring Hill plant as part of the new high-efficiency engine program and other modernization initiatives.