The News Review:
- Ford weighs 3rd China plant to meet demand
- Chrysler retools to raise quality
- The Green Issue – Climate Change – Environment – Energy Efficiency -…
- The Problem with Electric Cars
- An Ocean Apart Bridged by Forklift
- Business bulletin board: April 20
Ford weighs 3rd China plant to meet demand
Economic Times – Apr 20, 2008
?We?reexploring opportunities to add to our capacity? John Parker executivevice president in charge of Ford?s operations in Asia said late on Fridayahead of the Beijing auto show. Ford has an assembly plant in Nanjing about 300km from Shanghai in partnership with its affiliate Mazda Motor Co andChina?s Chongqing Changan AutomobileCo. That $510 million plantwhich began operations last year has an initial capacity to produce 160000vehicles per year that could be expanded so it can produce up to 300000 Parkersaid. Through its jointventure Changan Ford Mazda the No… 2 in sales with almost 10% of a highlyfragmented market that now includes all of the global car companies and somefast-growing Chineserivals. Ford Chief ExecutiveAlan Mulally who joined the No. 2 US automaker from Boeing Co in 2006 has beenpushing the company toward a heavier reliance on global vehicle platformscutting engineering and manufacturingcosts. One of the first cars tobe rolled out under that plan will be the revived Fiesta subcompact and Parkersaid Ford had established a supplier hub in Nanjing it was using to sourcelower-cost components from China for export to assembly plants making that carin other markets. In additionParker said Ford was working with more local Chinese component suppliers in abid to reduce costs on cars it is already selling in China like the Focussedan. The Focus now has about75% local content but Ford is targeting sourcing about 90% of parts fromChinese suppliers when it makes the next generation of the sedan Parker said. ?Working on managing margins is very critical? he said.
Chrysler retools to raise quality
Akron Beacon Journal – Apr 20, 2008
”That’s my job (here). ” When Betts arrived six months ago he found Chrysler’s quality operations bogged down with drawn-out decision making and interdepartmental finger-pointing. If there was a problem with an air conditioning system for example the engineering department might suggest the plant didn’t put oil in the unit and the plant might say the unit was improperly designed. Weeks of back-and-forth e-mails would ensue ”and meanwhile the customer is out there saying ‘I’m hot’ ” Betts said. Betts scrapped the old system created standard definitions of quality and he established the view that customer satisfaction starts with a potential customer’s perception of a brand and continues though vehicle ownership and repurchase. He launched dedicated interdepartmental teams to address problems in minutes over conference tables not weeks over e-mail. Seriously addressing quality issues is essential for Chrysler said David Champion the senior director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports… Bennie Fowler is group vice president for global quality. Fowler has responsibility for quality in both the design and production of Ford vehicles. He also is entrusted with deploying continuous improvement strategies throughout the company. At General Motors Corp. there is a vice president for quality in each of its four global regions. Those executives connect with manufacturing engineering and sales and service.
The Green Issue – Climate Change – Environment – Energy Efficiency -…
New York Times – Apr 20, 2008
This house is about being lush and beautiful while having a light footprint. ” A Web-based program called the Smart House Adaptive Control system or SHAC runs things. Created by two computer-engineering students the Jetsons-like system monitors the house and adjusts the interior environment in sync with the exterior weather. If it’s sunny SHAC dims the lights. If the extended weather report calls for clouds SHAC warns you to conserve solar-energy reserves. Empyrean International which manufactures the prefabricated Dwell Homes is working with the Maryland team to bring it to market in 2009. ELIZABETH EVITTS DICKINSON__________POINT SYSTEM: Twelve years ago Boulder Colo… Some saw hope in the devastation. “We were left with a blank slate” says Daniel Wallach a resident from a nearby town who started Greensburg GreenTown a nonprofit group devoted to making the place the ultimate energy-efficient community. There will be a biodiesel plant LEED-certified churches and schools and geothermal-powered homes. “Ninety-five percent of the town was destroyed” Wallach says. “You don’t get opportunities to reimagine towns from scratch. ” Already 26 public and commercial buildings (including the John Deere dealership) and half of the town’s homeowners have committed to sustainable rebuilding Wallach says. The endeavor hasn’t gone unnoticed:.
The Problem with Electric Cars
Seattle Times – Apr 20, 2008
Somebody would figure it out. The real roadblock is the where-does-the-power-come-from problem. If it’s from a coal-burning power plant then you essentially have a coal-burning car. If it’s a natural gas turbine you have a natural-gas car. If its a hydro plant then maybe you can plug the car in at night when demand is less. But even in the Pacific Northwest the hydro system doesn’t have the power to run all our cars and in any case a new automotive system would have to work in all regions of the country not just in hydro territory. If we had cheap fusion power or cheap solar power or cheap wind power then we could do electric cars… Posted by Zack 8:30 PM Apr 20 2008 Bruce The problem is one of engineering and marketing not one of whether or not electricity is as you put it “a better fuel than petroleum. ” You are not the first to realize that electric cars get their electric power from coal gas hydro or other power plants; others have come to this conclusion and have run all sorts of fancy equations to figure out if electric vehicles would be cheaper per mile to operate or would release less airborne pollutants overall than do conventional vehicles. And the results are that yeah generally speaking electric vehicles are more efficient–sometimes vastly so. Which makes a whole lot of sense. Even a coal powered electric plant is dramatically more efficient and cleaner than a really good car engine because of economies of scale.
An Ocean Apart Bridged by Forklift
New York Times – Apr 20, 2008
We were successful for years even opening a manufacturing division in Korea. Then in 2000 we went bankrupt and struggled until a South Korean company Youn-An Hat bought us in 2003. We went from having a satellite manufacturing plant overseas to reporting to headquarters in Korea. It was a big cultural change. I call on customers in several countries and advise the engineers in Korea on product design. I also help ensure that the forklifts and other machinery meet specifications for the United States market. Last October I traveled to Korea to answer questions about a new part designed to carry rolls of carpet on the front of a forklift… Last October I traveled to Korea to answer questions about a new part designed to carry rolls of carpet on the front of a forklift. The factory was producing a prototype. I had sent a CD ahead with the engineering drawings so I sat with a Korean engineer while we reviewed the specifications on his PC. Between his limited understanding of English and both of us pointing to the drawings we were able to communicate. It helps that these drawings use universal symbols. For example we both recognize the weld symbol for joining steel parts. About a year ago we started using video conferencing for group meetings.
Business bulletin board: April 20
Knoxville News Sentinel (subscription) – Apr 20, 2008
The University of Tennessee’s Maintenance and Reliability Center and Reliabilityweb. com are presenting MARCON 2008 a forum for the maintenance and reliability engineering and management industry May 6-8 at the Knoxville Marriott. The forum will be held with a plant engineering and maintenance show. Featured speakers are Dr. Harry McSween author John Mitchell and Dr. For more information call 865-974-9625 or 888-575-1245 or visit.