Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp., the two companies that pioneered mass production and lean manufacturing, are each celebrating important milestones this year.
Carbon-fiber reinforced composites are popular in the aerospace and marine industries as a lightweight alternative to aluminum, steel and other metals. The material is also used to produce railcars, wind turbine blades and sporting goods.
For example, according to the Precision Metalforming Association, 69 percent of U.S. metalworking companies have job openings. However, 91 percent of those companies are experiencing challenges finding qualified employees, and 42 percent describe that difficulty as “severe.”
TIPTON, IN—Chrysler is investing $162 million at its assembly plant here to produce nine-speed automatic transmissions for front-wheel-drive vehicles. The project is expected to create 850 jobs.
DETROIT—Ford Motor Co. plans to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills for each vehicle that it builds by 41 percent as part of a five-year plan through 2016. Ford will reduce the waste generated per vehicle from 22.7 pounds in 2011 to 13.4 pounds.
SMYRNA, TN—Workers from Nissan’s assembly plant here met on Tuesday with United Auto Workers union representatives to discuss another organizing effort at the Japanese automaker’s first U.S. factory.
WINNIPEG, MB—Picture an assembly line not that isn’t made up of robotic arms spewing sparks to weld heavy steel, but a warehouse of 3D printers producing light, cheap and highly efficient automobiles. If Jim Kor’s dream is realized, that’s exactly how the next generation of urban runabouts will be produced.