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SME Media Industry Reports Motorized Vehicle Manufacturing Industry Report 2019 Motorized Vehicle Manufacturing Yearbook

Motorized Vehicle Manufacturing Yearbook 2019

The 2019 edition of the Motorized Vehicle Manufacturing Yearbook is available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.
View Digital Yearbook
Mark L. Michalski

On Verge of Structural Changes, Industry Still Strongly Performs

June 14, 2019
As the second-largest producer of automobiles in the world, second to China, we saw the U.S. auto industry post the “…fourth-biggest year on record thanks to December gains” (rubbernews.com); worldwide, there were some 70.5 million cars produced (statista.com).
Mark L. Michalski
By Mark L. Michalski 2019 SME President, SME Member Since 1992
Auto's Big Changes

Auto's Big Changes

June 11, 2019
The perception of the global automobile manufacturing landscape is of one on the verge of structural change, driven in the near term by battery-electric vehicles and Level 5 fully self-driving cars over a much longer time horizon.
By Kevin Tynan Senior Analyst - New Vehicle and Auto Part Manufacturing, Bloomberg Intelligence

Outlook

  • IHS Markit

    Transforming Automotive

    June 12, 2019
    A survey by IHS Markit examines changes in automotive manufacturing. What follows are the findings.
    By Wilmer Zhou - Senior Analyst, Manufacturing Technology, IHS Markit
  • Michigan Central Station
    Research & Development

    Promise and Peril in New Era for Automakers, Suppliers

    August 27, 2018
    In Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, there’s a structure that symbolizes both the promise and the peril of a new automotive era—the 105-year-old Michigan Central Station. The train station has been empty and decaying for 30 years.
    By Bill Koenig - Senior Editor, SME Media

  • Toyota Revamps Design, Manufacturing as Part of Restructuring

    September 28, 2018
    Toyota Motor Corp.’s research and development operations in southeastern Michigan have emerged as a key piece in revamping the automaker in North America.
    By Bill Koenig - Senior Editor, SME Media
  • Peter Loetzner
    Expert Opinion

    Self-Driving Vehicles to Create New Class

    June 12, 2019
    As the autonomous vehicle is quickly developing, the industry’s, as well as the general population’s behavior patterns, will change, creating new opportunities and challenges for all.
    By Peter Loetzner - CEO, EMAG LLC
  • Universal Robots is classified as a collaborative robot – or cobot – due to the built-in safety system that makes the robot arm automatically stop operating if it encounters objects or people within its route. This means that Comprehensive Logistics can have the UR10 operate right next to employees on the line without the need for rigid fencing or light curtain safety guarding.

    Robots Ensure Quality

    June 14, 2019
    At the horseshoe-shaped assembly line in Youngstown, Ohio, engine parts move like clockwork on a conveyor with 60-second takt time for each station. “It’s a fast-paced line; everything is just-in-time, just-in-sequence,” says Gary Bobalik, director of marketing at Comprehensive Logistics.
    By Universal Robots - Press Release
  • Sergio Ramirez programs the toolpaths for a piston.

    Creating a Green Engine

    June 17, 2019
    If San Diego-based Achates Power is ahead of its time now, it was completely revolutionary when it was founded in 2004 by James U. Lemke, former physics professor and founder of Spin Physics Inc. The company designs green internal combustion engines for passenger and commercial vehicles, and for military, marine, and stationary use.
    By Achates Power - Contributed Article
  • Victor Furtado
    Controls

    Software Fuels Smart Factories

    June 13, 2019
    In the fast-changing world of motorized vehicle manufacturing, supply chain companies are now offering numerous software suites, bringing digitalization software and customizable applications to machine tool builders, alongside CNC hardware and operating software.
    By Victor Furtado - Head of CNC Software Business, Siemens
  • Prodomax Co-CEO Carolyn Garvey said parent Jenoptik wants to “expand its global blueprint to include North America and China and India — in conjunction with more vertical integration and being closer to customers.”

    Plan to Expand

    June 13, 2019
    German metrology developer Jenoptik is shifting “from focusing on metrology and laser processing standalone equipment to integrated automation solutions for the automotive industry and other new applications, including aerospace,” so it recently bought Prodomax Automation in Barrie, Ontario, and Five Lakes Automation, in Michigan, Prodomax Co-CEO Carolyn Garvey said.
    By Brett Brune - Editor in Chief, Smart Manufacturing
  • Kiekert AG photo representing its locking system.

    Fail-Safe Door Latch

    June 14, 2019
    Despite increasing levels of digitalization, cars are still equipped with lock cylinders to ensure the door can be unlocked at any given time. Kiekert’s ReactiWake locking system guarantees this on a purely electronic level, thus creating new opportunities in vehicle design and operating concept.
    By Kiekert AG - Contributed Article
  • Designing the Semi-Truck of the Future
    Expert Opinion

    Designing the Semi-Truck of the Future

    June 14, 2019
    An emerging design revolution is profoundly affecting the look and feel of one of the most iconic manufactured products on the American scene – the semi-truck.
    By Chris Ito - Director, Industrial Design, Navistar
  • Automotive Industry Improves Automation, Adopts Advanced Tech
    Automation

    Automotive Industry Improves Automation, Adopts Advanced Tech

    March 1, 2019
    The U.S. auto industry has been automated for decades. Production of cars and trucks is associated with large, hulking robots fenced off from human employees. Inside those fenced off areas, tasks such as welding are performed. The industry, though, is advancing on the automation front.
    By Bill Koenig - Senior Editor, SME Media

  • When Will 5G Arrive? What Will It Mean for Manufacturers?

    March 20, 2019
    If you believe Glenn Longley, VP for IoT product management at Inseego, manufacturers in the U.S. will be adapting to 5G connectivity within the next 18 months.
    By Brett Brune - Editor in Chief, Smart Manufacturing
  • Cathy Martin
    Controls

    Software: The Road to Zero Defects

    June 13, 2019
    Reducing the risk of automotive defects is one of the most critical issues facing manufacturers today – to protect the well-being of consumers, as well as their own reputations and financial health.
    By Cathy Martin - Vice President, BigLever Software
  • Supply and (Uncertain) Demand for Electric Vehicles

    Supply and (Uncertain) Demand for Electric Vehicles

    August 28, 2018
    The hype around electric vehicles and self-driving cars seems to grow louder by the day. The potential environmental and social benefits are trumpeted generally without reservation.
    By Geoff Giordano - Contributing Editor, SME Media
  • A battery pack for an electric vehicle. Leak testing will be vital to ensure long battery life.

    Leak Testing: Key to Future

    June 13, 2019
    Leak testing plays a crucial role in the production of individual battery cells, the smallest component of traction batteries. Specifically, tracer gas procedures are acceptable for determining adherence to extremely low-limit leak rates. However, new methods of construction allow manufacturers to do more to provide leak-tightness for their cells.
    By Daniel Wetzig, Inficon, Helmut Hartl, Schott
  • Gordon Styles
    Expert Opinion

    Some Predictions for the Auto Industry

    June 13, 2019
    Before we delve into what’s ahead in the automotive industry for 2019, first let’s look at what is not going to happen this year. Autonomous vehicle technology – although it’s devouring a lot of venture capital money – is not going to be the next big thing in automotive, with a few caveats.
    By Gordon Styles - President and CEO, Star Rapid
  • Diagram of how a car would work with a Trelleborg system.

    Making EVs a Reality

    June 18, 2019
    Although the sale of electric cars is growing, mass adoption remains a pipe dream. And it will remain so until electric cars deliver the same mileage per battery charge as a tank of gasoline. The pressure is on to find a solution, as the quest for ever-lower CO2 emissions increases and the desire to retain vehicle access in some of the world’s most-populous cities becomes paramount.
    By Harlan Hart, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions
  • Expert Opinion

    Bringing in New Solutions to Honing Users

    June 11, 2019
    With the rapid evolution in engine and powertrain technology occurring in the market today, it is imperative for production machine suppliers to respond to the changing needs of their customers without sacrificing the core concepts of quality and service.
    By Michael Schaefer, Gehring LP

Workforce

  • Terni Fiorelli
    Workforce Development

    Talent Issues Impede Tech

    June 17, 2019
    In a recent study, over 80 percent of survey respondents listed workforce issues as one of their top three challenges to adopting new technology at their plants. New technologies are coming not only to cars, utility vehicles and trucks but also to the manufacturing plants that produce parts, components and vehicles.
    By Terni Fiorelli, Center for Automotive Research

Online Extra

  • CAD/CAM Software Keeps Race Car Design and Production on Track

    CAD/CAM Software Keeps Race Car Design and Production on Track

    July 19, 2019
    Students at the University of Connecticut School of Engineering enjoy a host of extracurricular opportunities, but few measure up to the hands-on experience provided by the UConn Formula SAE project.
    By CNC Software Inc. - Press Release