Automotive

Lean Manufacturing 29 Nov 2004

Vertical Machining Centers For Volume Production

At this model plant for lean manufacturing, Parker Hannifin personnel became convinced that the simple approach was the strongest choice for the application. Part of the lesson learned at this plant is that the most difficult part of going lean may lie in the discussion.

Automotive 16 Sep 2004

Steering To Greater Flexibility

Re-tool aging dedicated machines? For this plant, it makes more sense to spend a bit more to replace them with new, more flexible, machining centers.

Automotive 15 Jun 2004

Humility, Inc.

This shop has capabilities similar to others. It hires employees who have no experience. What sets the shop apart and accounts for its success is an unusual attitude of service toward customers.

Workforce Development 5 May 2004

Securing The Future

Multiple-part fixturing helps boost the output of these high-volume machining cells while preserving flexibility. The success of these cells is proving to be a critical component of this automotive part maker’s turnaround strategy.

CAD/CAM 2 Apr 2004

Slashing Programming Time For Similar Parts

There’s no reinventing the wheel for this shop! It saves machining programs in a knowledge base for use on future jobs.

Automotive 15 Aug 2003

Forging A New Strategy

A manufacturer of automotive parts successfully adopts high speed machining to improve the production of tooling for its forging operations.

Automation 15 Jul 2003

Moving Parts, Moving Data, Keeping People

This Plant's labor-saving automation includes hardware for updating CNC offsets to adjust for gradual process changes. When the plant adopted its automated system, management thought carefully about the impact on staffing.

Measurement 15 Nov 2002

Automotive OEM Employs Shopfloor CMMs To Improve Process Control

GM expects first-time quality from transmissions manufactured at this major manufacturer, which are shipped directly to the GM assembly line. There are no incoming quality checks or receiving inspection routines.

Horizontal Machining Centers 15 Jul 2002

Korea Shows It Can

Machine tool builders in Korea have been playing a catch-up game for the past decade. A review of current developments in machine tool technology indicates that Korea is rapidly pulling up with manufacturers in Japan, Europe and the United States. The products from Korea closely match their counterparts from other global suppliers in terms of capability and quality.

Automotive 15 Apr 2002

Taking Cost Saving Seriously

At this tier-one automotive supplier, cutting costs and improving productivity are everyone's jobs.