Automotive Assembly

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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.

SAO PAULO, Brazil—GM could build another assembly plant in Brazil if sales in the world’s fourth-largest auto market continue expanding at approximately 5 percent annually. The automaker’s existing facility here is already producing some 60,000 vehicles per year.

CLEVELAND—Ford is planning to invest $200 million at its engine assembly plant here to produce its new four-cylinder EcoBoost engines.

WINDSOR, ON—A parts shortage has halted production at Chrysler Canada’s assembly plant here.

BERLIN—Mercedes-Benz USA is planning to launch 30 new models to the market in the upcoming seven years.

EVANSVILLE, IN—Systems integrator Evana Automation Specialists has received a contract from a Tier 1 automotive supplier to provide two custom, semiautomatic assembly cells that will simplify the production of automobile seat rail link arms.

DETROIT—The recovery of the U.S. auto market, which produced big earnings for the U.S. Big Three, has also been a boon for Germany’s big three—Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen.

WARREN, MI—Chrysler is on track to build more than 300,000 Ram 1500 pickups at its assembly plant here this year—the most in the plant’s history.