Tag Archives: auto parts

GM Automotive to Hire 245 Die Casting Employees

General Motors announced plans on April 27 to add a manufacturing line at a southern Indiana factory in a $111 million project that is expected to add 245 jobs in the coming years.

Workers at the Bedford factory and area residents were worried a year ago that the plant would close amid GM’s restructuring. The factory, which once had more than 1,200 workers, is one of the world’s largest aluminum die-casting facilities and now has some 370 employees.

The Bedford plant is part of an $890 million investment GM is making at five factories to make more fuel-efficient V-8 engines and preserve or create roughly 1,600 jobs.

Mayor Shawna Girgis said GM’s decision was especially welcome in a city that saw a 600-worker Visteon Corp. auto parts plant close two years ago.

“With other losses in the community, I think to have lost this facility would have been absolutely devastating,” she said.

GM’s restructuring plan announced last year included closing its Indianapolis metal-stamping plant, while keeping open Indiana plants in Bedford, Fort Wayne and Marion.

Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, who is from Bedford, said GM’s expansion at the plant was a sign of confidence in its work force and community.

The new jobs are expected to be added by 2013, with many of them expected to be filled by idled GM workers from other factories.

“I personally have another 15, 20 years before I can look at retirement,” worker Curtis Jewell said. “Anything that we can do for the community to try to provide not only these jobs but creates cash flows to other businesses — it’s a plus for everybody.”
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The advantages of Aluminum Automotive Parts over steel

The advantages of Aluminum Automotive Parts over steel. In recent decades, aluminum is used more and more in car manufacturing. It has started to replace steel as base metal for car frames and other parts. Aluminum is said to be stronger and less likely to be corroded than steel. It is also easier to form, that is why aluminum parts require less labor costs. However, while labor cost is low, aluminum as a material is also expensive. It is in fact five times more expensive than steel.

But the advantages of aluminum automotive parts over steel outweigh its disadvantages. More and more manufacturers are experimenting with relatively expensive aluminum because it is lighter than steel. It makes the car leaner and faster. It also helps achieve fuel efficiency standards – since lighter vehicle means less fuel used. So the expensive material makes up for the cheaper fuel consumption of the car in the long run. There are several luxury models that are made with aluminum car frames. This is in fact a few times more expensive than steel cars but the user will be ensured that it would help save energy. Environmental advocates will love it more because it is almost a hundred percent recyclable – another standard that aluminum helps achieve.

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$16 Million Fine Against Toyota Automotive

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Monday said it was seeking a $16.38 million fine against Japanese auto manufacturing giant Toyota for its failure to quickly notify authorities about vehicle safety problems.

After poring over 70,000 pages of evidence, the NHTSA said it was seeking “the maximum civil penalty against Toyota” after it failed to report safety defects in a timely manner.

According to the NHTSA, Toyota failed to report “the dangerous ‘sticky pedal’ defect for at least four months, despite knowing of the potential risk to consumers.”

It is the largest civil fine against an automaker ever sought by the NHTSA.

Toyota has recalled around 2.3 million cars in the United States for the pedal defect and more than eight million cars worldwide over several problems, including the sticking accelerator pedal which caused cars to speed out of control.

“Auto manufacturers are legally obligated to notify NHTSA within five business days if they determine that a safety defect exists,” the department said in a statement.

“We now have proof that Toyota failed to live up to its legal obligations,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in the statement. “Worse yet, they knowingly hid a dangerous defect for months from US officials and did not take action to protect millions of drivers and their families. For those reasons, we are seeking the maximum penalty possible under current laws.”

The recalls have caused an outcry in the United States, with Toyota executives hauled over the coals by Congress and the company’s previously stellar reputation for safety left in tatters.

Toyota insists the problems were caused by mechanical defects including a sticking accelerator pedal, but is facing allegations it is due to an electronic failure.

The NHTSA said Monday’s announcement related only to the sticky-pedal issue and said it “is still investigating Toyota to determine if there are additional violations that warrant further penalties.”

Toyota has two weeks to agree to pay the fine, or contest it. If the two parties cannot agree to a settlement they could go to court.

In a statement Toyota said it had not yet received a letter from the NHTSA, and said it was taking steps to rectify the manufacturing company failings.

“We have already taken a number of important steps to improve our communications with regulators and customers on safety-related matters as part of our strengthened overall commitment to quality assurance.

“These include the appointment of a new chief quality officer for North America and a greater role for the region in making safety-related decisions,” the automaker said.

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Toyota adds non-Japanese to Management

Toyota said on March 30 it will reshape its global operations as part of efforts to “regain consumer confidence” after its mass safety recall crisis. Stepping away from a traditional reluctance to involve foreigners in its highest decision-making bodies, it has included seven non-Japanese executives in a new team charged with “radically” improving global operations.

The committee, which will investigate defects that necessitate recalls and quality control issues, held its inaugural meeting on March 30, company president Akio Toyoda said at a press conference at the Toyota City headquarters.

Its focus will be on speeding up the recall decision-making process, boosting transparency and “listening carefully to the voice of the customer as a crucial key to regaining customer confidence,” he said.

He added that the firm would also enlist “third-party experts” in each region, including business leaders, academics, consumer group representatives, scientists and engineers. Their findings will be released in June.

Heavily criticized for being slow to react to initial reports of problems, Toyota was encumbered by the fact that “decisions on recalls can only be made at the headquarters in Japan,” said Mamoru Kato, senior analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Center. “The committee on quality now has foreign members. This should help the company learn accurate information from customers and ground personnel and make decisions swiftly.”

Among other measures, Toyota said it will incorporate globally a “brake override” safety system from this year onwards that reduces engine power to prevent runaway car accidents.

In North America it will expand the use of event data recorders (EDRs), which can record information regarding vehicle condition and driver operation. It will also increase information-sharing between regions, boost onsite inspections and promote safer driving.

In an effort to demonstrate its new quest for transparency, Toyota gave journalists a tour of its testing facility where cars were put through their paces in simulated weather and road conditions and tested for defects.

Such an effort represents “a major change from the past,” said Kato. “It is unthinkable if you consider how things were years ago”.

Kato added that the recall crisis “might have served as a good opportunity for Toyota to become truly a global company in a speedy manner.” Auto Parts

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Toyota Motors Quality TasK Force to halt Recalls

Toyota Motor announced the creation of a North American “quality task force” as it struggles to repair its reputation in the wake of a series of mass recalls.

The task force will answer to Toyota chief executive office Akio Toyoda and will be responsible for implementing a six-point action plan aimed at improving quality, cooperation with regulatory authorities and creating greater regional autonomy.

Toyota has come under intense criticism for its handling of deadly safety defects which led to the recall of more than eight million vehicles worldwide.

“We are making fundamental changes in the way our company operates in order to ensure that Toyota sets an even higher standard for vehicle safety and reliability, responsiveness to customers, and transparency with regulators,” said Steve St. Angelo, a top executive at Toyota’s North American manufacturing unit who was appointed chief quality officer for the region.

“The new organization will open the lines of communication globally and enable us to respond faster here in North America to any concerns about our vehicles,” St. Angelo said.

“In keeping with Akio Toyoda’s mandate, North America will have greater autonomy and play a critical role in decision making on recalls and other safety issues.”

St. Angelo will join his counterparts in Japan on March 30 for the first meeting of the automotive manufacturer’s special committee for global quality. The North American task force will also work closely with an independent advisory panel led by former U.S. transportation secretary Rodney Slater.

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