The automotive industry is in a state of flux at the moment - more so than any other year. There is a push for new technologies yet the factories are still geared to building older designs and several refreshed models from the big three in the US are putting pressure on the foreign manufacturers. Earlier this year, Nissan announced that it was trimming shifts at one of its … [Read more...]
Ford has to Plan Production Around a Loose Cannon
Last year during the first few months of Donald Trump’s Presidency, Ford made an announcement to invest heavily in manufacturing plants in Michigan. In Trump’s typical mode of operation, he applauded the plan as something that had happened under his watch. The President even tweeted: “Major investment to be made in three Michigan plants. Car companies coming back to U.S. JOBS! … [Read more...]
The New Mexican Town
A few months ago I wrote about Fordlandia - a new town built by Henry Ford in Brazil to try and control the delivery of rubber to his factories in the US. This was his second attempt after trying to build another town in Muscle Shoals in Alabama. There is another attempt at building a town for workers - this time in Mexico. Audi has built a plant in the middle of nowhere, … [Read more...]
Airbag Recall
There has been a growing news story about an airbag recall involving Takata, a Japanese auto parts manufacturer with plants worldwide. Takata was founded in 1933 in Japan and have always made safety equipment of some sorts. Their first product was a lifeline for parachutes and after the war they started to research improvements in seat belts for vehicles. Nash and Ford had … [Read more...]