Automotive Assembly

Toyota, Tesla and BYD Rank Among World’s Best for Revenue and Profit per Employee

sprovierij@bnpmedia.com (John Sprovieri) — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400

BYD might produce and sell more EVs than Tesla, but Tesla operates with significantly fewer employees and generates higher revenue per worker model.

USMCA Renegotiation Could Create Manufacturing Uncertainty

moorej@bnpmedia.com (JJ Moore) — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 17:48:11 -0400

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it will seek to renegotiate the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) rather than renew the trade pact, a move that could create new uncertainty for manufacturers with integrated North American supply chains.

GM and Rheem Honored for Digital Manufacturing Transformation

webera@bnpmedia.com (Austin Weber) — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 10:00:00 -0400

WASHINGTON—General Motors and Rheem Manufacturing Co. recently received top honors in the 2026 Manufacturing Leadership Awards Competition sponsored by the Manufacturing Leadership Council.

25 People Who Shaped American Manufacturing

webera@bnpmedia.com (Austin Weber) — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 00:00:00 -0400

In honor of the country’s 250th birthday, here’s a brief look at 25 people who were responsible for breakthroughs and innovations that helped U.S. manufacturers grow and thrive.

Ford Pivots From EVs to Energy Storage Systems

sprovierij@bnpmedia.com (John Sprovieri) — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Ford is shifting its focus to hybrid vehicles and conventional gas-powered models, and it’s repurposing two new assembly plants that suddenly have nothing to make.

Ford Rehires Veteran Engineers to Improve AI, Vehicle Quality

moorej@bnpmedia.com (JJ Moore) — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 10:25:23 -0400

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. — Ford has rehired some 300 experienced engineers and technical specialists over the past three years after determining that artificial intelligence and automated quality systems alone were not enough to improve vehicle quality.

Automated Machine Tending Boosts Output

sprovierij@bnpmedia.com (John Sprovieri) — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Manufacturers continue to struggle with a lack of skilled workers, and for many, robots are the obvious answer to the problem.

Humanoids Take on New Role at BMW’s U.S. Assembly Plant

webera@bnpmedia.com (Austin Weber) — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 15:00:00 -0400

SPARTANBURG, SC—BMW Group is expanding its use of humanoid robots at its assembly plant here.

GM to Invest $275 Million at Tennessee Engine Assembly Plant

webera@bnpmedia.com (Austin Weber) — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 09:00:00 -0400

SPRING HILL, TN—General Motors plans to invest $275 million to upgrade its 36-year-old flexible assembly plant here.

Daimler-Volvo Joint Venture Advances Software-Defined Truck Platform

moorej@bnpmedia.com (JJ Moore) — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 07:00:00 -0400

GOTHENBURG, Sweden — Coretura, the software-defined vehicle platform company founded by Daimler Truck and Volvo Group, has signed an engineering agreement with Accenture to accelerate development of a software platform for trucks, buses and other medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles.

ABB Robotics Named Ford Supplier of the Year

moorej@bnpmedia.com (JJ Moore) — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 07:00:00 -0400

DEARBORN, Mich. — ABB Robotics has been named a 2026 Ford Supplier of the Year.

Slate Unveils Bare-Bones Electric Pickup Truck

webera@bnpmedia.com (Austin Weber) — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 01:00:00 -0400

LOS ANGELES—Slate recently unveiled the design of its much-anticipated electric pickup truck.

Cyber-Physical Systems in Automotive Assembly

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Our new flexible transportation positioning device (FTPD) enables rapid, model-specific reconfiguration within the BIW manufacturing process.

Robots Cause a Ruckus in the Motor City

webera@bnpmedia.com (Austin Weber) — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400

DETROIT—General Motors is facing a backlash from the UAW for installing collaborating robots at its Factory Zero complex here, which recently laid off more than 1,000 workers.

Mercedes-Benz Turns 100

webera@bnpmedia.com (Austin Weber) — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 09:00:00 -0400

STUTTGART, Germany—Mercedes-Benz is celebrating its 100th birthday this year.

Quaker Houghton Adds CV Joint Grease Testing System

moorej@bnpmedia.com (JJ Moore) — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0400

AURORA, Ill. — Quaker Houghton has installed a custom dynamometer at its Center of Innovation in Aurora to support grease development and qualification for CV joint and universal joint manufacturers and automotive OEMs.

Sealants Protect Pins and Busbars in EVs

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Today’s sealants offer very good resistance to common oils and coolants, as well as stable mechanical performance at elevated temperatures.

Consumers Question Autonomous Vehicle Safety

webera@bnpmedia.com (Austin Weber) — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 10:00:00 -0400

TROY, MI—Despite growing adoption of self-driving vehicle technology on American roads, consumers remain skeptical of the technology.

New UV-Cure Adhesives Do Not Contain TPO

sprovierij@bnpmedia.com (John Sprovieri) — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Adhesive suppliers have begun introducing new versions of their products that do not contain TTrimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide (TPO).

GM and Lockheed Martin to Collaborate on Defense Manufacturing

webera@bnpmedia.com (Austin Weber) — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400

DETROIT—General Motors and Lockheed Martin plan to collaborate on a defense manufacturing initiative.

Automotive Manufacturers Expand AI Use in Assembly Operations

moorej@bnpmedia.com (JJ Moore) — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0400

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. — Automotive manufacturers are expanding AI and automation deeper into assembly, validation, inspection and production coordination as mixed powertrains and rising electronics content make vehicle production more complex, according to a new report from Rockwell Automation and the Center for Automotive Research.

UAW Members End Strike at American Axle Plant

moorej@bnpmedia.com (JJ Moore) — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:14:23 -0400

THREE RIVERS, Mich. — United Auto Workers Local 2093 members have ratified a new agreement with American Axle, ending a two-week strike at the company’s Three Rivers plant.

Toyota Deploys Geekplus Robots for Factory Material Handling

moorej@bnpmedia.com (JJ Moore) — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 07:00:00 -0400

BEIJING — Toyota Motor Corp. is using 436 Geekplus autonomous mobile robots at multiple plants in Japan to automate in-plant material movement from inbound receiving to picking and processing areas.

Manufacturing Industry "AI Leaders" Focus on Production, Quality and Maintenance

moorej@bnpmedia.com (JJ Moore) — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 07:00:00 -0400

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. — Manufacturers generating the strongest returns from artificial intelligence are concentrating investments on production planning, quality, maintenance and supply chain operations, according to a new report from NTT DATA.

Chinese Automaker Chery May Hire Nissan to Assemble Cars in the UK

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:59:00 -0400

SUNDERLAND, UK—Nissan may soon produce cars for Chinese automotive OEM Chery International at its assembly plant here.

Tariffs, AI and Automation Reshape Global Manufacturing Strategy

moorej@bnpmedia.com (JJ Moore) — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 07:00:00 -0400

BOSTON — Artificial intelligence, advanced automation and rising tariff pressure are beginning to reshape where automotive and aerospace manufacturers choose to build products, potentially reducing some of the long-standing cost advantages of lower-wage production regions, according to a new report from Boston Consulting Group.

Volvo Redesigns EV Manufacturing

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Volvo Cars has begun production of its new, fully electric EX60 SUV at its assembly plant in Torslanda, Sweden. The plant has been heavily upgraded in recent years in preparation for production of the EX60 and other EVs.

PODCAST | Why OEM-Supplier Relationships Improved Despite Tariffs and EV Uncertainty

moorej@bnpmedia.com (JJ Moore) — Thu, 28 May 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Despite tariffs, EV disruption and supply chain pressure, supplier relationships improved across all six major North American OEMs for the first time in 26 years. Dr. Angela Johnson explains what changed — and why communication and trust are becoming critical competitive advantages.

Drones, Humanoids and AI Vehicles Are Driving Robotics Growth

moorej@bnpmedia.com (JJ Moore) — Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. — Robotics technologies are expanding across manufacturing, logistics and autonomous driving applications as advances in artificial intelligence, sensing and automation continue accelerating development, according to research firm IDTechEx.

Schaeffler to Deploy Hundreds of Humanoid Robots

webera@bnpmedia.com (Austin Weber) — Tue, 26 May 2026 15:00:00 -0400

HERZOGENAURACH, Germany—Schaeffler AG plans to deploy hundreds of humanoid robots in its factories.