A challenge has been issued by the Affordable Lightweight Automobiles (ALLIANCE) industry group to innovators to present affordable lightweighting solutions in two categories: materials and manufacturing.
Major European automakers, including Daimler, Volvo, Opel, Toyota, Volkswagen, and CRF–the Research Center for Fiat Cars, together with automotive suppliers (Thyssenkrupp, Novelis, Batz,Benteler) and knowledge partners (Swerea, Inspire, Fraunhofer LBF, RWTH-IKA, KIT-IPEK, University of Florence, Bax & Company, Ricardo) — all of which make up the ALLIANCE — invite innovators to participate in this competition.
A major engineering solutions group recently inaugurated a high-tech axle production facility in Toledo, Ohio, where the company will be able to provide support to automakers throughout the geographic region, but particularly those with light-vehicle programs, such as the Jeep Wrangler.
In addition to shoring up its passenger vehicle, commercial truck, and off-highway markets, Dana Incorporated expects the 300,000 sq. ft. facility to be supporting four vehicle programs and employing more than 350 people by 2020.
While the site of the new Dana facility was initially home to Willys-Overland Motors, which developed the original Jeep, the new Jeep Wrangler will be manufactured less than three miles away at FCA US LLC’s Toledo Assembly Complex.
“The investment in this new manufacturing facility supports Dana’s global growth and serves as the latest example of our commitment to the greater Toledo area, which has been our home for nearly 90 years,” said James Kamsickas, Dana president and CEO. “It is an honor for Dana to return manufacturing to the same historic site where Toledo’s automotive industry began more than a century ago.”
Bob Pyle, president, Dana Light Vehicle Driveline Technologies
“Our new Toledo facility will integrate Dana’s best global manufacturing practices and advanced operating systems. The plant’s products will feature Dana’s latest technologies, and the location – in close proximity to our customers and our World Headquarters and Maumee Technology Center – will benefit our customers, employees, and shareholders,” said Bob Pyle, president, Dana Light Vehicle Driveline Technologies.
Global aluminum producer Aleris recently announced the opening of its aluminum automotive body sheet production facility in Lewisport, Kentucky, which includes heat treatment and finishing capabilities, as well as a wide cold mill, and two continuous annealing lines. The company, which is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, launched the project in 2014 in response to the automotive industry’s demand for broader aluminum use in the production of lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles. The Lewisport facility began shipping automotive products to customers in November.
Lewisport is Aleris’s first site in North America that is equipped with aluminum auto body sheet finishing capabilities and houses an automotive innovation center, which includes a state-of-the-art research and development center in Detroit.
“The opening of our new automotive facility in Kentucky marks the completion of a significant piece of our strategic realignment, which includes expanding our capacity and capabilities to serve the automotive industry and other high-value end uses,” said Aleris Chairman and CEO Sean Stack. “As an experienced supplier to automotive manufacturers in Europe, we look forward to partnering with customers more closely now in North America to bring them the most advanced auto body sheet products in the industry.”
Due to an improper heat treating process at a supplier, Honda is recalling 5,404 model-year 2017 Civic 2-door and 4-door vehicles equipped with 1.5-liter engines and automatic (CVT) transmissions in the United States to inspect, and, if needed, replace the right driveshaft, free of charge. Honda has received no customer reports related to this issue, which was discovered during routine quality checks at the factory.
Tthe right driveshafts in these vehicles may break if they are from affected production lots. If a driveshaft breaks, the vehicle will lose drive power when driving or may roll away when parked without the parking brake engaged, each increasing the risk of a crash. Dealers will inspect the driveshafts in the recalled vehicles to determine if they are from affected production lots, and, if so, replace them for free.
Honda is announcing this recall to encourage owners of affected vehicles to take them to an authorized dealer as soon as possible for inspection and potential repair. Mailed notification to owners of affected vehicles will occur in early-December 2017. Owners of 2017 Civics can also determine if their vehicles require repair now by visiting www.recalls.honda.com or by calling (888) 234-2138.
Marc McGrath, President of Automotive Americas, Schaeffler
A global automotive and industrial supplier recently launched the company’s latest expansion, its U.S. center for advanced e-mobility development located at its existing Wooster, Ohio, facility.
Schaeffler Group USA Inc., which delivers high-precision components and systems in engine, transmission, and chassis applications, as well as rolling and plain bearing solutions for a large number of industrial applications, commemorated the facility’s 40th anniversary with a grand opening celebration and unveiling of the $60 million capital investment.
Already established as the center for Schaeffler’s torque converter product line, the newly renovated Wooster campus will equip employees with the capacity for the production of hybrid modules, the first of the electrification projects, which combines the electric motor with a hydrodynamic converter to yield a P2 hybrid solution. Beginning in 2018, the facility will produce the module for a major U.S. automotive manufacturer. The team is also engaged in pure electric vehicle technology development, including the production of Schaeffler’s e-axles.
“From 2007 to 2016, our automotive business has outpaced market growth by nearly double and we have expanded our manufacturing capacity in Wooster to keep pace with growth in our automotive transmission business, ” said Marc McGrath, president Automotive Americas, Schaeffler. “This latest investment, which builds upon our recent $36.5 million expansion of our Fort Mill, S.C. facility, prepares us for the production of future transmission technologies and further optimizes the facility’s vertical integration.”
Opening ceremony for the expansion of the Wooster plant. Among the guests were (from left) Patrick Lindemann, Vice President Transmission Systems; Bruce G. Warmbold, Regional CEO Americas; Bob Breneman, Mayor of Wooster; Klaus Rosenfeld, CEO of Schaeffler AG; Mary Taylor, Lieutenant Governor of Ohio; Georg F. W. Schaeffler, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Schaeffler; Matthias Zink, CEO Automotive; Oliver Jung, Chief Operating Officer; Shelly Flint, Director Human Resources Transmission Systems and Automotive; and Marc McGrath, President of Automotive Americas. Photo credit: Schaeffler
More than 400 Hyundai vehicles have been recalled due to concerns about defective crankshaft assemblies, according to information released by the National Transportation Safety Administration. In May 2017, Hyundai Motor America (HMA) received a report from a customer about a knocking sound during operation of his 2017 Santa Fe sport utility vehicle and initiated an investigation. An inspection of recovered engine assemblies revealed that engine bearings had seized due to improperly produced crankshaft pin surfaces, a condition traced back to a crankshaft heat treatment coil that was improperly positioned during production in January 2017.
A total of four reports of 2017 Santa Fe vehicles exhibiting abnormal engine noise were received by the company. In addition, one of these reports indicated the vehicle had stalled due to eventual failure of the engine. Although Hyundai is not aware of any accidents, injuries, or customer complaints related to this condition, HMA decided to conduct a voluntary safety recall and notified dealers in September. Owners were informed via first class mail in October. It is estimated that no more than 25 percent of the vehicles affected by the recall actually contain the defective parts.
To view the Safety Recall Report posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or to learn what to do if you own a 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe, click here: Part 573 Safety Recall Report.
A flat-rolled aluminum sheet manufacturer recently broke ground on Phase II of its expansion project in Logan County, Kentucky, where the company’s Phase I facility opened late last month, an investment of $240 million expanding recycling/new ingot casting capabilities to 600 million pounds of cast ingot annually, increasing the capacities of rolling mills, scalping, and pre-heat operations, and creating approximately 190 employment opportunities.
Logan Aluminum Inc.’s new project includes a planned mill that will strengthen cold rolling production and boost capacity for heavier gauge rolled sheet manufactured into automotive body and structural panels. When completed, the $125 million project is expected to provide 60 jobs for the area.
“Almost two years ago to the day, we held our groundbreaking for the new DC4 Recycle Facility, and now we are here today for the ceremonial ribbon cutting of DC4, and for the groundbreaking of Logan’s new Cold Mill – CM4,” said Ken Perdue, Logan Aluminum Plant Manager. “It’s an exciting time for aluminum and it’s a really exciting time for aluminum in Kentucky.”
Logan Aluminum Inc. was established in 1983 and is a joint venture between Tri-Arrows Aluminum Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, and Novelis Inc., based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Photo by Karen Logan Logan County Chamber of Commerce
Aluminum manufacturer Hindalco Industries Ltd is considering a bid to acquire a U.S. maker of aluminum rolled products as a move to advance the India-based company’s efforts to expand its reach into the automotive and aerospace sectors.
The private equity owners of Aleris Corporation, located in Cleveland, Ohio, ended talks with China Zhongwang Holdings last month due to heightened U.S. national security concerns and now find the company courted by Hindalco, through its U.S.-based subsidiary Novelis, as well as several other firms, including Norsk Hydro of Norway, Japan’s UACJ Corp., and Arconic (formerly Alcoa). Aleris Corporation is valued at approximately $2.5B, although a bidding war could escalate that figure to greater than $3B.
A Mexico-based automotive supplier recently awarded a contract for the design and manufacture of a 1,500 lb/hr mesh belt furnace system for the austenitizing and molten salt quenching of unique components used in the manufacture of its drivetrain systems.
This contract was awarded to Can-Eng Furnaces International Ltd, which has scheduled the project to be commissioned early 2018 in Mexico’s centralized automotive manufacturing corridor. Incorporating several technological advancements for continuous atmosphere processing of products requiring carbon diffusion and quenching via a molten salt system, known as austempering, the new system includes: automated bin-dumping loading, mesh belt atmosphere hardening furnace, salt quench, post-quench wash and rinse system, mesh belt temper oven, and endothermic gas generator.
A Canadian automotive parts manufacturer recently contracted a chain conveyor oven to preheat aluminum billets prior to forging into automotive suspension components under high pressure. This forging process produces high-strength parts that are ideal for applications where performance and safety are critical, but a lighter-weight metal is needed for speed or energy efficiency.
The natural gas-fired indexing conveyor oven, constructed and shipped by Wisconsin Oven Corporation, has a maximum operating temperature of 1,100°F (593° C) and work chamber dimensions of 6’6” W x 23’6” L x 1’0” H. The oven is designed with the capability to heat 1,995 pounds of aluminum per hour and a production rate of 360 parts per hour. The equipment achieved temperature uniformity of +/-10°F (5.6° C) at 1,050° F (565° C) for the last 90 index positions. The patented Expandable Surface™ design includes 2 inches of high-temperature block insulation backed with 4 inches of semi-rigid batt type insulation.
