Category Archives: manufacturing

Kia Motors to Build $1 Billion Plant in Mexico

Kia Motors said today that it has reached an investment agreement with the Mexico government to build a manufacturing plant in Monterrey in the northeastern state of Nuevo León. Construction planned to begin in late September. Continue reading

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New VW SUV Goes to Chattanooga. UAW forms a Local. Further State Subsidies in Anti-Union South in Doubt?

In a compromise that involves the formation of a UAW local, Volkswagen Group has announced that its new midsize SUV will the built in Chattanooga starting at the end of 2016. The expansion was held up over the lack of a union and a works council structure that exists in every other VW plant in the world. State and local officials – including the Governor and Senior Senator – threatened to withhold subsidies if a union was formed for the expansion that doubles the workforce to 4,000. Continue reading

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Giant Sucking Sound – Nissan and Daimler to Build Luxury Cars in Mexico under new Joint Venture

The new plant will be built close to an already existing Nissan plant, and will have an annual capacity of 300,000 vehicles when completely operational. Many of the common platform luxury models – 2017 Infiniti, 2018 Mercedes-Benz – will of course be headed in the U.S. under the job destroying NAFTA deal. Continue reading

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GM Names Cathy Clegg to Lead North America Manufacturing

General Motors has appointed Cathy Clegg as North America Manufacturing vice president, effective 1 July. She will lead a team of more than 74,000 employees with responsibility for 55 facilities including assembly, stamping, powertrain and component operations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. She succeeds Gerald Johnson, who recently was named vice president, Operational Excellence. Kurt Wiese is named Global Manufacturing Engineering vice president, replacing Clegg. Continue reading

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Automakers Flub Launch of High Tech Vehicles, IQS Shows

The latest IQS or quality data revealed today at the Automotive Press Association meeting in Detroit shows that the number of problems experienced by new-vehicle owners has increased from the previous year, as automakers continue to have severe problems with complicated technologies now being deployed in new vehicles. Continue reading

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Subaru to Stop Building Camry in U.S. as it sets Record Sales

The Japanese company, which made the Zero fighter during WW2, has now posted 29 consecutive months of year-over-year growth and is already on its way to its sixth successive annual sales record. Subaru is also planning on selling its first hybrid and adding a full-size minivan to its U.S. production. Continue reading

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Baseball, Apple Pie and Red Sox v White Sox at White House

“We’re all on the same team.” And I think Big Papi put it better and more colorfully than any of us could. I won’t repeat his quote. But the point is, Boston and the Red Sox were one this season.” Continue reading

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Milestones – Honda Builds 20 Millionth Vehicle in the U.S.

The Marysville Auto Plant, of course, is the site where the first Honda Accord was produced in America on 1 November 1982. This made Honda the first Japanese automaker to begin production of automobiles in the United States, a move that caught Toyota and Nissan the two reigning Japanese sales giants by surprise. Continue reading

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Ford to Build New Edge in Canada with No jobs Added

The announcement comes after the Canadian Auto Workers Union accepted its first two-tier wage contract during the 2012 labor negotiations. For the first time at Ford Canada under a “New Hire Grow-In program” fledgling union workers who replace retiring CAW members will start at C$20.40, equal to 60% of the previous highest member $34 base rate, and then they only get full compensation after ten years. Continue reading

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Toyota to Export U.S.-Built Highlander SUVs to Australia, New Zealand and Eastern Europe

Toyota said today announced it would export U.S.-assembled Highlander SUVs to Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Continue reading

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GM and Isuzu to Update Ohio Diesel Engine Plant

The investment – in the depressing language of the jobless auto recovery – retains 500 jobs at what is a joint venture between General Motors and Isuzu. DMAX has produced 1.6 million engines since opening in 2000. Continue reading

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Jim DeLuca to Head GM Global Manufacturing

DeLuca is currently Vice President of Manufacturing for GM International Operations. During 2013, GM launched more than 40 vehicles and more than 20 powertrains around the world, but the automaker is still struggling with commonality and the loss of scale that the overly complex GM lineup causes. Continue reading

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GM to Invest More than $1 Billion on Five U.S. Plant Upgrades

General Motors said today it will invest almost $1.3 billion in plant upgrades at five manufacturing sites in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana to produce new fuel-efficient engines and transmissions, improve quality and streamline logistics. The investments combined will create or retain about 1,000 jobs. Continue reading

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GM to End Manufacturing in Australia by 2017

There has been a whirlwind of announcements recently from GM as the U.S. government sold all its stock, Mary Barra appointed the next CEO, and numerous actions taken to clean up its balance sheet and improve its ability to produce vehicles with the economies of scale that GM lost during the past couple of decades. Continue reading

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Saab 9-3 Production Restarts in Trollhättan. Cars Going to China

Sales are initially in China with a small number of vehicles sold directly to Swedish customers via the NEVS’ website. The aging 9-3 design, introduced in 1992, comes with a 220 horsepower, 2-liter turbo, the traditional high-performance engine of the Saab cars. Continue reading

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