Automotive Manufacturing Solutions

OEM focus
Domestic strength
& the global growth
of BMW
automotive manufacturing solutions
automotivemanufacturingsolutions.com
january february 2015
Additive manufacturing
The benefits for rapid
prototyping are now
becoming better known
Hale and
hearty
JLR plant director
Richard Else
discusses the
Halewood revival

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AutomotiveManufacturingSolutions
Editor Nick Holt nick.holt@ultimamedia.com Deputy editor Joanne Perry joanne.perry@ultimamedia.com Sub-editor/designer David Fagan
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january february 2015
F
or many outside the automotive industry, vehicle
manufacturing is likely to be viewed as a wholly
automated process – and they can be forgiven
for thinking this, because the vast majority of
images depict lines of robots building cars.
Indeed, I receive so much information on automation and
control systems that it’s easy to forget the human element
involved, but people on the line are still a vitally important
factor in raising quality and efficiency standards.While
there have been some impressive advances in automation,
it’s interesting to see that there is still very much a focus on
people in automotive manufacturing, throughout the entire
scope of OEMs from niche, low-volume to mass-market,
high-volume producers.
An excellent example is Bentley, featured in this issue’s
article on training (p42). This relatively low-volume but
very high-end OEM has been growing and developing
its in-house training programmes to ensure continuity of
essential skills.What makes Bentley a case in point is that
although the company has undoubtedly embraced modern
technology and processes in the manufacture of its cars, it
has also needed to guarantee the pool of skills essential to
certain bespoke operations. Here it is about combining the
automated and the artisan, the latter requiring skills that
have been in diminishing supply in recent years.
Jaguar Land Rover (p12) is another premium
manufacturer that has undoubtedly faced a skills shortage as
demand for its products grows. Lean years and the resulting
reduced volumes ultimately rob OEMs of the skilled
workforce they spend decades building. In developing
economies which have a low-cost workforce, the case for
more automation is not as strong, but leaving aside the
financial argument, the development of workers' skills is just
as important in these regions as anywhere else. Downtime
is expensive and employee safety and job satisfaction are
hugely important. Training addresses all of these factors.
As well as avoiding accidents, improving skills creates a
stronger sense of responsibility and encourages operatives
to take greater ownership of their work; this ultimately
improves efficiency, productivity and quality.
This is becoming increasingly important as OEMs move
production operations into new regions (see Renault, p16
& BMW, p20) and introduce full manufacturing to existing
locations that were previously CKD or SKD. For OEMs
that have developed increasingly sophisticated, automated
production operations in their home markets, the challenge
comes in establishing plants where there will have to be
higher levels of manual operation; add to this the roll-out of
global platforms and processes, and the challenge becomes
greater. In these instances, effective training and people
power are crucial to success.
Nick Holt, Editor
Power to the people
BRAND REPORT
03january-february 2015
editor's note

12 Jaguar Land Rover
Richard
Else &
Halewood
Nick Gibbs
talks to JLR
Halewood
plant director
Richard Else
about the
new sister
plant in
Changshu,
China, set up to provide additional
capacity; an upcoming model;
and £200m of recent investment.
Then AMS takes a tour of the UK
factory that is running at maximum
capacity thanks to demand for the
Range Rover Evoque.
06 Company index
A complete list of the VMs and
suppliers appearing in this issue
08 News
The AMS
graphical summary of the major
automotive developments around
the world as well as more in-depth
coverage of OEMs’ activities within
58 Innovations
A round up of the latest products
and manufacturing solutions
62 Next issue
Outlining features we have planned
for our March-April 2015 issue
contents
04 january-february 2015
27 CAD/CAM Smart
design in the making
The latest simulation software
can speed up vehicle modelling
and compress development
timescales. Mike Farish reports
30 Production software
Staying in the loop
The latest production software
can bridge ‘missing links’ in
manufacturing
32 Rapid prototyping
Hot off the printer
More automotive companies are
manufacturing for rapid prototyping
technology
digital manufacturing
news & data
cover story
Mike Farish reports on CAD/CAM
advances, the development of
powerful production software, and
how rapid prototyping is speeding
up design and manufaturing
16 Renault A taste of
Morocco
The OEM’s latest full factory, at
Tangier, is now considered an
important ingredient in its
European production network,
writes Ian Henry
20 BMW Globally German
Ian Henry reviews BMW’s
international manufacturing
network, including new investments
in Mexico and Brazil
OEMs in focus

january-february 2015
42 People power
The ongoing evolution of training
methods is necessary for
workforce skills to keep pace with
technological change, writes
Karen McCandless
regional focus
South-East Asia
special report
production
training
46 Inovar-Auto
Brazil’s new battle
Recently re-elected President
of stagnation in the world’s
fourth-largest automotive market,
reports Giovanna Riato
48 ZF Lemförder
Taking a new line
Recent investment at ZF Solihull
has seen the introduction of
a new assembly area for JLR
components. Mike Farish went to
take a look
54 Far-UK
Not so Far-fetched
James Bakewell investigates new
technologies that are claimed to
small volumes
24 South-Eastern
success
Turbulent politics aside, tiger
economies such as Thailand and
Indonesia are pushing for further
growth in the automotive industry,
writes Nick Gibbs
environment
36 Control systems
Taking control
Systems for monitoring, measuring
and managing energy use are
sustainability, says Dave Howell
39 Production processes
Making more with less
As the drive for energy
manufacturers are scrutinising
Dave Howell reports
52 Sunderland, UK
Digging deep for growth
Sustained investment by
global vehicle and component
manufacturers, the local authorities
and the government, has helped
Sunderland to become a key
carmaking hub for the UK

A guide to vehicle-makers, suppliers, organisations and institutions appearing in this issue.
(Page numbers indicate the first page of the article in which a company appears)
ABB 12, 58
Aeromotions 32
Aida 12
Aisin 8
AllurGroup 8
AP&T 58
Aston Martin 52
Audi 12, 30
Autodesk 27
Avtotor 20
Axon Automotive 54
BAMC 20
Bentley 8, 42, 52
Bliss 16
BMW 8, 12, 20, 24, 36, 46, 54
BorgWarner 30
Bosch 30
Bosch Rexroth 36,39
Brilliance Automotive 20
Calsonic Kansei 52
CarcoTech 54
Cardiff Business School 52
Chery 46
Chrysler 8
Cognex 58
Coventry & Warwickshire Training 42
Coventry University 42
Cranfield University 54
Dacia 16
Daihatsu 24
Daimler 30
Dassault Systems 27
Datsun 24
De-Sta-Co 58
Denso 16
DMG Mori 58
DOME 32
Ducati 24
Dürr 36, 39
Envisage Group 27
Expert Tooling and Automation 52
Fanuc 42
Far-UK 54
Faurecia 12, 16, 20
Ferrari 54
Foba 58
Forcam 30
Ford 8, 12, 24
Fronious 58
Gaya Motor 20
Geico 58
General Motors 8, 24, 36, 42
Gestamp Tallent 52
Getrag 12
Google 8
Great Wall 24
Grieve Corporation 58
Henkel 58
Henley College 42
Honda 8, 24
HPC Wales 27
Hyundai-Kia 62
IAC 12
ICON 27
igus 58
Isuzu 24
Jaguar Land Rover 12, 48, 52
Johnson Controls 12, 16
JOT Automation 58
Koenigsegg 27
Land Rover 12
Laserlines 32
Lear Corporation 52
Magna Steyr 20
Mahle 30
MarkForged 32
Maserati 8
Mazda 8, 24
McLaren 52, 54
Mercedes-Benz 8, 12
Metalform 58
Mini 20, 24, 36, 52
Mitsubishi 24
Nissan 8, 16, 24, 36, 46, 52, 62
Perodua 24
Porsche Engineering 8
Powertech 24
Premier Group 42
Prima Power 58
PSA 8, 62
Renault 16, 46
Renishaw 58
Rockwell Automation 36, 39, 58
Roemheld 58
Rolls-Royce 8, 20, 52
Saint Gobain 16
Sanmina 36, 39
Schaeffler Group 30
Schaeffler South America 46
Schuler Beutler 58
Scott Bader 54
SICK 58
Siemens 27, 39, 42, 58
Skoda 8
SNOP 16
Strakka Racing 32
Stratasys 32
Suzuki 24
Tata Motors 54
The Midland Group Training Services 42
Toyota 8, 24, 39
TR Fastenings 32
Triumph 24, 42
TRW 20, 52
Ubisense 30
Vauxhall 8
Visteon 16
Volvo 8, 58
Volkswagen 8, 24
Warwick University 42
Yamaha 24
Yamazaki Mazak 58
Yazaki 16
ZF Friedrichshafen 20
ZF Lemförder 48
ZINORO 20
company index

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news
Round-up
In a fast-moving industry that is
constantly churning out production
developments, new plants, new
technologies, investments,
collaborations and manufacturing
milestones, it can be difﬁcult to
keep track of what’s happening in
automotive around the world.
Here we present our global snapshot
of recent news, followed on p10 by the
key stories for each region in full.
All these and much more can be
found on our website, which is
updated daily:
www.automotivemanufacturingsolutions.com
Globe at a glance
• GM to spend $200m on Orion & Pontiac plants, Michigan
• BMW Spartanburg pilots Google’s ‘smart’ eyewear
• Nissan partners with Tennessee for manufacturing
training
• Chrysler KTP, Indiana, gains WCM bronze status
• Volvo NRV, Virginia, implements carbon-neutral
electricity
North America & Mexico

news
Round-up
• VW assigns €85.6 billion ($106 billion) to automotive
over ﬁve years
• Toyota St Petersburg adds facilities for new Camry, Russia
• Bentley to spend £4m ($6.2m) on expanding HQ, UK
• Vauxhall Ellesmere Port, UK, produces 5 millionth vehicle
• PSA & AllurGroup sign CKD deal in Kazakhstan
• Skoda makes 1m units in a calendar year
• Mercedes-Benz Aksaray makes 200,000th truck, Turkey
• Maserati hits 50,000-unit milestone at Grugliasco, Italy
• Ford Bridgend installs wind turbine, Wales
• Rolls-Royce seeks record number of apprentices
Europe
• Toyota’s diesel engines to be consolidated
under TICO, Japan
• Mazda announces new ‘bio-based’ engineering plastic
•Aisin to produce Toyota’s manual transmissions, Japan
• Porsche Engineering founds subsidiary in Shanghai,
China
• Toyota to hasten brake systems consolidation under
Advics, Japan
• Honda hits 300m production milestone for
motorcycles
China & Japan

news In depth
North America & Mexico
China & Japan
US – The pioneering project at
the OEM’s Spartanburg plant,
South Carolina,is aimed at
determining whether
wearable technology can
enhance workflows in quality
assurance.The Google Glass
devices are intended to improve
communication between quality
testers at the analysis centre
for pre-series production and
development engineers.
The smart glasses enable
workers to take photos or videos
to document deviations during
pre-series production testing,
providing a faster and clearer
means of subsequent analysis.
BMW had found that standard
written descriptions prompted
requests for further information
from the responsible specialist
department in 25% of cases.
Each Google Glass device is
fitted with a camera which has
three different settings: photos,
video and background vid-
eo.In background mode,
the video is always turned
on,and every two minutes
the visuals are temporarily
stored; these can later be
permanently transferred to
a plant server.
“During the term of the pilot
project,we are planning to add
a video call feature so that a
problem can be discussed with
the responsible development
areas right there and then,”said
project coordinator,Jörg Schulte.
The promising results of the
pilot project have led BMW to
consider applying the technol-
ogy in the final assembly of
series vehicles; currently,data
from between ten and 25 tests is
entered into stationary computer
terminals.“With Google Glass,
the testing staff could stay right
at the vehicle,look at the test
plans on the device’s integrated
display and sign them off via
voice control.So both hands
would be free to conduct the
tests at all times,”commented
Schulte.
BMW is now assessing how
the innovation could be used in
other production areas and at
other sites.The project is part
of the OEM’s Industry 4.0 cam-
paign to evaluate new technolo-
gies for the optimum support
of workers in production and
production planning.
www.bmw.com
Japan – In collaboration with
Mitsubishi Chemical Corpora-
tion,the OEM has developed
‘Mazda Biotechmaterial’for
vehicle exterior design parts.
Derived from plants,the new
plastic is designed to minimise
environmental impact,primarily
by reducing the consumption of
petroleum resources and cutting
CO2 emissions.
The material can be dyed,re-
ducing emissions of the volatile
organic compounds associated
with conventional painting pro-
cesses.Mazda claims that dyed
parts made from the‘bio-based’
engineering plastic can deliver
a finish which is superior to tra-
ditional painted plastic,making
it“suitable for external vehicle
parts with a high design factor”.
The OEM said that,in combi-
nation with the need for a high
finish quality,the requirement
for exterior parts to be resistant
to scratches,impacts and harsh
environmental conditions posed
a technical challenge in develop-
ment.This was overcome by
optimising the composition of
a new,highly mouldable and
durable‘bio-plastic’base mate-
rial with additive and colouring
agents.Moulding specifica-
tions were also optimised.The
resultant parts are claimed to be
as durable as conventional ABS
plastic components.
Mazda has been working
on biomass technologies for a
number of years and previously
developed a high-strength,heat-
resistant‘bio-plastic’for interior
parts,plus a‘bio-fabric’for seat
upholstery made entirely from
plant fibres.
www.mazda.com
Mazda announces new ‘bio-based’ engineering plastic
BMW pilots Google’s ‘smart’ eyewear for quality control
GoogleGlass
isbeingpiloted
forpre-series
productiontesting;
otherusesare
beinginvestigated

newsIn depth
Germany – The funds will be
spent on new models,innova-
tive technologies and the OEM’s
global presence in its Automo-
tive Division from 2015 to 2019.
“We will continue to invest
in the future to become the
leading automotive group in
both ecological and economic
terms – with the best and most
sustainable products,”vowed
Martin Winterkorn,chairman
of the board of management,
Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft.
In the Automotive Division,
investments in property,plants
and equipment,investment
property and intangible assets,
excluding capitalised develop-
ment costs (capex) will amount
to €64.3 billion ($80 billion),
comparable with planned ex-
penditure for 2014 to 2018.
“For us,efficiency means not
least that capex in the Automo-
tive Division will remain at the
same level over the entire plan-
ning period – despite increasing
demands and the additional
growth we have planned,”said
Winterkorn.
Around 56% of the expendi-
ture will occur in Germany,
which Winterkorn said“clearly
demonstrates our commitment
to our domestic plants and
employees”.
He added:“Our 28 German
locations are the backbone of
the Group – our outstandingly
qualified team and highly ef-
ficient production here are a key
competitive advantage and one
we intend to maintain.”
Nonetheless,VW is also
expanding its international pres-
ence,with plans to build a new
Crafter plant in Poland and a
new Audi factory in Mexico.
In addition,the vehicle-maker
said that press shops and paint-
shops will be further“invest-
ment focuses”.
Around 64% of capex will
be spent on modernising and
extendingVW’s product range,
including SUVs and commercial
vehicles.New generations of
engines will also be launched.
TheVW’s joint ventures in
China are not consolidated and
therefore represent an additional
area of investment; €22 billion
will be spent on new manufac-
turing facilities and products.
www.vw.com
Europe
VW assigns €85.6 billion to automotive over five years
VWisgrowingitsglobalpresencewithnewplantsinPolandandMexico;
inChina,anadditional€22billionwillbespentonproductsandfacilities
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Richard Else Jaguar Land Rovercover story
Nick Gibbs: Halewood has been described as the lead factory
for JLR’s new site at Changshu, China. What does that mean?
Richard Else: We’re supporting them.We’ve moved some
people out to China to help with the launch of the factory,
and 12 months ago around 50 of their workforce came over
for three months to work on our shopfloor to learn about
our culture, processes and quality. That was a real success.
Given that China was your biggest export market, how much
production will Changshu take out of Halewood?
We don’t think it will. It will reduce the number of cars we
make for China out of Halewood, but with the demand
we have right now, especially with the launch of Discovery
Sport, we don’t envisage there being any reduction of
volume. China is very much about delivering really
ambitious growth plans for the future.
Last year you said you were sourcing around 50-55%
of parts by value from the UK. Has that gone up for the
Discovery Sport?
It’s probably a similar sort of number.
But you wanted more? Is a higher level achievable?
As the business is growing, we’ve attracted more suppliers
to set up nearby. Our seat supplier, Johnson Controls, has
just moved from our supplier park to premises a couple of
miles down the road because they’ve outgrown their facility.
The reason they’ve run out of space is there’s an extra row
of seats in the Discovery Sport. In terms of the wider UK,
we brought exhaust supplier Faurecia back into the UK, to
Litchfield, last year from France.
You’ve previously said that you are targeting the Japanese in
terms of productivity. Are you there yet, or thereabouts?
We are on a journey.We’ve copied a lot of the Japanese
learning into our operations and business processes.We’ve
done more in the last 12-13 years than the Japanese did in
the first 20 years of their journey.
We’re always trying to catch up, but I’m very confident
that we are as efficient as any car plant in the UK and we’ll
continue to drive improvements. I’m not going to reveal the
man hours per car figure, but we would compare ourselves
with the premium segment.We’re very competitive with
BMW,Audi and Mercedes in terms of their compact SUV
production.
Has new head of production Wolfgang Stadler made any
significant changes?
Wolfgang Stadler joined us almost 12 months ago
from BMW. He’s got a huge amount of experience in
Halewood, China, unions,
Nick Gibbs talks to JLR Halewood plant director Richard Else about
the new sister plant at Changshu, China, an upcoming model and
£200m of recent investment. Then AMS tours the UK factory that is
running at maximum capacity due to high demand for the Evoque

Richard Else Jaguar Land Rover cover story
D
manufacturing; he worked for BMW for 30 years in
Germany and in South Africa, and he is trying to move us
from being a‘here-and-now’ manufacturing organisation
to one with a big focus on the future, on growth and on
efficiency. In 12 months he’s made a real difference.
You’ve said Halewood’s new robots are flexible to allow more
derivatives. How many models could you build here?
We’re running at maximum capacity, so we can’t build any
more. But the opportunity we’ve now got, as we invest in the
future, is that a lot of the infrastructure is reusable.
Could you create more capacity for a new model right now?
Right now I couldn’t. There is space to build and I’m sure
we’d get a lot of support to create that infrastructure, but
right now we’ve no plans to increase the capacity.
You’ve stopped making the Freelander, but you do make kits
for the plant in India. What will happen to that operation?
The plant will continue to make Freelander kits to the
end of year [2014]. I’m not going to say what will replace
Freelander in India, but we’re flexible and we can switch on
a car to KD [knockdown] in about six months.
Will you be doing kits for Itatiaia, Brazil, from 2016?
We’ve not announced what models we’re building there,
because we’ve not actually decided yet. Initially it’ll probably
be a KD operation.
kits & everything Else
Describe Halewood’s journey to get to where it is now.
Since it became a JLR plant in 2000, it’s been one of
complete transformation.When it was making the Ford
Escort, it didn’t have a future. Of all the Ford plants making
cars in the UK, this is the only plant that exists today.
Is that partly down to flexibility with unions?
Huge flexibility. The relationship we have with them is
very constructive. They want to look after the interests of
their members, but equally they want to move the business
forward. They’ll ask me what they need to do to get future
investment into the plant, rather than me asking them.
We’ve now got flexibility to move people around the factory,
moving to different shift patterns. They have delivered real
transformation.When I came here four years ago there were
1,500 people working here; now it’s 4,750.
Of which aspect of Changshu are you most envious?
Building a factory on a greenfield site is a great opportunity.
I can’t remember the last assembly plant built for JLR in the
UK.A factory built 50 years ago like Halewood was set up
very differently. I would lay the plant out a bit differently.
Simple things like, how do you park employees’ cars in
the car park? You park them in an arc, so no matter where
you park or what time you arrive, your walking distance is
exactly the same. Everybody is equal. Our car parks here are
nice and rectangular; you park at the back, you have further
to walk.You underestimate the impact it has on people.
production of its 1 millionth vehicle. In total, the plant
made 180,000 vehicles that year – the absolute maximum,
according to its director, Richard Else.
Last October, Halewood made its last Freelander and
started building its replacement, the Discovery Sport. This
comes as it is also operating as lead plant for JLR’s new full-
scale facility in China, at Changshu near Shanghai, which
started production of the Evoque in the same month. The
Discovery Sport is also scheduled to be built at the Chinese
plant, which will have a capacity of 130,000 vehicles per
annum and also includes an engine facility set to launch
production later this year.
Halewood has been building the Freelander in kit form for
JLR’s plant at Pune, India, but was due to stop at the end of
2014. Meanwhile, it looks likely that Halewood will take the
lead again in setting up JLR’s forthcoming Brazilian facility,
at Itatiaia in Rio de Janerio State, which is due to start
production in 2016.
O
f all the turnaround stories emerging from the
recent success of the British car industry, that
of Jaguar Land Rover’s plant at Halewood, near
Liverpool, is one of most compelling. Started
in 1962 by Ford, the plant was on the verge
of closure at the turn of this century. Even after it won a
reprieve to build the Jaguar X-Type in 2001, the failure of
that model to lure buyers away from the likes of the BMW
3-Series meant Halewood was running well under capacity,
and the end of X-Type production in 2009 brought a three-
week shut-down and job losses.
Today it is a different story. Halewood took on the second-
generation Land Rover Freelander SUV in 2006, but it was
the introduction of the related, yet far more successful,
Range Rover Evoque from 2011 that has really shifted the
plant into top gear again. Demand for the luxury SUV
was such that Halewood moved to 24-hour operations
for the first time in its history and in 2013 celebrated the
Full speed ahead
The Halewood plant, near Liverpool, has
become one of the UK’s most productive
automotive factories. Nick Gibbs reports

TheHalewoodbodyshophasbeen
furnishedwith260robots,raising
theautomationlevelto80-85%
Richard Else Jaguar Land Rovercover story
Pressure to achieve
higher efficiency
Normally the‘job number
one’ ceremony for a new
model takes place at the
end of the line, but the
first unit of the Discovery
Sport – the seven-seat SUV that will take on the likes of
the Audi Q5 and BMW X3 – was revealed in the shadow of
Halewood’s immense Aida servo press line.
According to JLR, this 13-metre high and 85-metre-
long piece of equipment swallowed up £45m of the £200m
investment to build the Discovery Sport, and is the first of
its kind in the UK.
The five individual presses (one 2,500 tonnes, one 1,800
and three rated at 1,200 tonnes) are encased in a giant sound
enclosure that required the raising of the roof by ten metres
to incorporate the overhead crane which lifts the dies into
place. Meanwhile, the basement area had to be dug down
a further two metres to seat the foundations and fit the
conveyor belt that removes the off-cuts for recycling. The
installation of the press line took 18 months.
The 30,000 sq.m press shop at Halewood is hugely
important for JLR, as it makes 80% of the parts required
by its UK operations, including the plants at Solihull and
Castle Bromwich in the West Midlands. The new line can
press both aluminum and steel, and JLR claims that the dies
(of which there are 234 sets) can be changed in under five
minutes, compared with 55 minutes for the quickest of the
nine other press lines alongside it.
Such efficiency will be crucial in JLR’s rush to build cars
fast enough to meet demand – particularly its more recent
Land Rover models. The flexible and highly controllable
Aida press line will run a 24-hour shift, making parts
ranging in size up to body side panels at its maximum strike
rate of 20 per minute.An additional advantage of the new
line is its lower energy use, which is helped by a regenerative
feature during the draw process that feeds power back into
the grid rather than storing electricity in resistor banks.
The press shop employs 600 of the 4,750 workers at
Halewood and is currently operating on four shifts. The
headcount is a long way off the 14,500 individuals who
worked at the plant in its Ford heyday, but the number has
tripled in the last three years.
Re-equipping the bodyshop
After the press shop, it was the bodyshop which received the
largest chunk of investment from the £200m total, primarily
for greater automation.As at Jaguar’s new Solihull bodyshop
which is making the aluminium-intensive shell for the new
XE sedan, most of the 260 new robots were supplied by
ABB.Automation in the Halewood bodyshop now stands at
around 80-85%, according to Else.
New to the shop is an enclosed laser welding station that
puts together the aluminum tailgate for the Discovery Sport.
The part is too complex to be pressed in one go, hence the
welding. Else admits the kit was expensive (he does not
name a price) but says its four-laser head operation uses
less electricity. Each laser consumes 4kW, but such is the
concentration of the energy that it equates to 14 billion watts
per sq.m. Enclosing it has resulted in a class-one laser safety
rating – the same as a CD player. Despite the investment,
the company is looking at ways of applying more traditional
welds to the aluminium components.
Nearby, new enclosure cells house a subassembly area
where robots make doors for the Discovery Sport, including
welding and hemming them.“I always say doors are one
of the most important parts of the car because it’s the first
thing a customer will come in contact with,” explains Else.
“You’ve got to get the doors absolutely right. The reason
we use robots in this area is to really get the dimensional
precision correct on the doors. It’s so important in terms
of their premium feel.” This subassembly process is similar
to that of the Freelander (the facilities for which were
being dismantled at the time AMS visited), but Else says
the equipment is now more flexible.“It gives us the ability
to do new derivatives in the future. This is a big piece of
investment,” he says.
The finished bodies are sent off to the paintshop (situated
in the roof) then down to the four assembly lines that
stretch for a vast distance within the building.“I always joke
you can see the curvature of the Earth down here,” says Else,
pointing along a line. The whole site covers 300 acres.
Heading abroad
Right now, Halewood makes 4,000 cars a week, with one
vehicle coming off the line every 82 seconds.An impressive
80% are exported to 170 countries, with China the biggest
market. The only way to expand production would be to
build a new facility on site – something that can be done,
Else confirms. Land Rover estimates that the arrival of
the Discovery Sport has resulted in £3.5 billion worth of
contracts for 55 UK suppliers, some of which share the site,
including interior specialist IAC, which trims and assembles
cockpits for the Evoque. Getrag also has a plant here, in
partnership with former JLR owner Ford, although it does
not make gearboxes for the two Land Rover models built
less than 500 yards away.
Halewood’s survival is remarkable in light of the many
threats to its existence over the last 50 years; the next one
could well be the dilution of production as its bestselling
models are farmed out to production sites overseas,
including China. However, Else and JLR are so confident
of growth that they
predict Halewood
will still run at full
capacity despite the
loss of its biggest
export market.
TheDiscoverySport
createdaround£3.5billion
inUKsuppliercontracts

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Renault TangierOEM focus
R
enault’s newest full manufacturing plant, at
Tangier, opened in 2012 and now employs
nearly 5,500 people.Around 20km from the
city and 35km from the port, Renault Tangier
is located in a tax-free zone, which means that
vehicles made there can be imported into Europe without
being subject to import duty. This effectively makes it part
of Renault’s EU production network, and certainly Renault
Tangier has become a key plant within this group. The
factory supplies Dacia Dokker, Lodgy and Sandero models
to Europe and regional markets and has recently added
production of the soft-off-road versions of each model,
which are badged as Stepway.
Renault Tangier also supplies body pressings to other
group plants in Brazil and India, where the Dacia Lodgy
and Dokker models are or soon will be assembled. The
supply of body pressings will shortly also include Renault/
Dacia facilities in Colombia and Russia, further embedding
Tangier’s role within the Renault manufacturing network. In
addition, this export programme involves Renault shipping
parts from its Moroccan suppliers to Russia and India.
Besides the new plant at Tangier, Renault has a smaller,
older plant in Morocco: Somaca, at Casablanca. This factory
A taste of Morocco
The OEM’s latest full factory, at Tangier,
is now considered an important
ingredient in its European production
network, writes Ian Henry
supplies the Logan and Sandero for the local and regional
markets. Renault is committed to retaining production at
Somaca until 2017, and according to local press reports, it
is currently in discussions with the Moroccan government
regarding what will happen thereafter. It may be that Somaca
will be closed to maximise production efficiency at Tangier.
Meanwhile, in November 2014, Renault launched
production at Oran in Algeria. There, it has installed annual
capacity for 25,000 Renault Symbols, with the possibility to
quickly raise this to 75,000 per year.
In 2013, Renault Tangier produced approximately 101,000
vehicles, while the Somaca plant achieved record production
of just over 66,500 units. Tangier’s production in 2014 is
expected to be around 180,000 units, although the running
rate in the later months of 2014 was closer to 200,000
units per year. Full capacity at this plant, in its current
configuration, is actually 340,000 per year.
Over the longer term, the plant’s capacity could be 400,000
per year, but with the additional space (allocated to Nissan)
yet to be brought into action, it remains to be seen when this
will be fully utilised.
An expanding line-up
Renault Tangier started production with three models: the
Lodgy (a five- or seven-seater MPV) and the Dokker, which
comes in two formats (a five-seater kombi and a two-seater
conventional van).A fourth model, the new Sandero, started
production at the plant in September 2013 and is exported
to Europe. However, because of its EU tax-free status, the
Tangier plant cannot currently export to those countries

Renault Tangier OEM focus
which, along with Morocco, are party to the Agadir
agreement, namely Egypt, Jordan and a number of other
countries across the Middle East; these markets are supplied
with Sanderos and Logans from the Somaca plant. It is
widely expected that another Dacia model, a city car, will be
added to Tangier’s portfolio within the next year.
Nissan’s manufacturing plans remain unknown, with
some reports suggesting there could be a Dokker with
a Nissan badge or that Nissan could decide to make the
Evalia van – currently made in India – at Tangier.As well
as uncertainty over which models it will make in Morocco,
there has been no confirmation from the OEM as to when
it will start production there. However, once Nissans are in
production, a further 60,000 vehicles per year could come
out of Tangier, raising total capacity to 400,000 units.When
running at full capacity, the plant is expected to employ
6,000 workers, with a further 30,000 Moroccan jobs created
in the supply chain.
Although the launches of the Dokker and Lodgy models
were initially successful and well received, the uncertain
nature of European demand has actually resulted in a small
fall in H1 2014 production compared to H1 2013. In H1
2013, Dokker output was just over 32,500 units, but this
fell by more than 3,000 in H1 2014; more significantly,
Lodgy output fell from nearly 19,000 to just over 11,000.
This even led to reports that Renault would cancel the
Lodgy programme, something the Moroccan operation has
strenuously denied.
Low labour cost, low automation
The cost of labour is much lower in Morocco than in
Europe; not just lower than in France, but also much lower
than that borne by Dacia in Romania or Renault in Turkey.
Dacia’s monthly labour cost in Romania is, on average,
€950 ($1,200), slightly above Renault’s Turkish cost of
€925 a month. By contrast, the average Moroccan monthly
labour cost is just €350. One of the key consequences of this
disparity is the lower degree of automation and investment
in capital equipment in Morocco compared with plants in
Europe. The Tangier assembly lines are very labour-intensive
and there are also far fewer robots in the bodyshop than in a
typical EU plant.
The cost advantage which Morocco offers has also
played a key role in the geography of Dacia production,
specifically the decision to move a large part of Sandero
manufacturing from Romania to Morocco. Most of the
Sandero production for Europe now takes place in North
Africa, with capacity freed up for the Romanian plant to
focus on the higher-value Duster SUV and the Logan MCV,
including production of right-hand drive models for the
UK; these were formerly sourced from the Renault-Nissan
plant at Chennai in India.
Despite the labour-intensive nature of much of the work
undertaken at Tangier, the factory is a full manufacturing
operation, with its own stamping plant in addition to body,
paint and trim facilities. Tangier runs three press lines, one
of which uses Bliss presses which were originally used at
Renault’s Sandouville factory in north-west France.
The press shop produces enough sheet metal parts for
the plant to have a minimum of 3.5 days’ stock in place at
all times; this is in addition to sheet metal parts which are
produced for shipment to India and Brazil. Exports of loose
parts to Brazil started in Q1 2014, while exports to India
started in October, although assembly of these parts into
vehicles will not actually start in India until January 2015.
Exports to Russia and Colombia will also begin in 2015.
There are two assembly lines at Tangier, both running
at 30jph; Line One is dedicated to the Lodgy and Dokker,
while Line Two is for the Sandero.All the Sanderos made in
Tangier are for export markets, with Sanderos for the local
and some regional markets coming from Somaca (which
also makes the Logan, again for local and other regional, but
not European, markets).
Raising local content
A key issue for Renault – and indeed the Moroccan
government, which provided significant incentives to build
the Tangier plant – is increasing the local content of the
vehicles produced in the country.
ThetwoassemblylinesatRenaultTangieroperateat30jph
Inauguratedin2013,RenaultTangier’sLineTwoproduces
Sanderosforexportmarkets
D

Renault TangierOEM focus
established new operations on brownfield sites. In addition,
one supplier to Renault’s other plant in Morocco has set up a
second plant dedicated to Tangier.
At Kenitra, which is between Somaca and Tangier, Saint
Gobain has established a new greenfield operation; at
Tetouan, to the east,Visteon has built a plant for dashboard
and door panel production; and at Somaca there is a
brownfield operation dedicated to the Tangier plant – here
four existing Somaca suppliers also deliver to Tangier.When
Tangier opened, there were 17 major tier ones, including
JCI, SNOP and Yazaki (and the others mentioned above)
operating in Morocco. There are now more than 20 such
suppliers, most of which came to Morocco specifically to
supply the new plant.
Two companies, Denso of Japan and Faurecia of France,
have operations in the country which supply both Tangier
and also factories on mainland Europe. Faurecia, for
example, has a major cut-and-sew operation for seat covers
in Morocco which delivers to Faurecia’s seat assembly plants
for a variety of vehicle manufacturers all over Europe.
Logistics optimised from the outset
At Tangier, it was not just the factory itself which was
designed from scratch; the supporting in-bound and out-
bound logistics systems were also planned for optimal
efficiency from the outset. The factory has a direct rail link
to the Port of Tangier to ship vehicles all over Europe, while
in terms of in-bound logistics, the factory receives at least 15
trucks a day from Europe, mostly from Spain.
Renault’s Valladolid factory supplies engines and other
body parts which are not made in Tangier, while Renault
Sevilla supplies transmissions. In addition, a number of
parts come from Renault’s French factories at Le Mans and
Cleon, and these are consolidated in Spain with Spanish
parts for onward shipment to Morocco. There are also
sea-borne deliveries from further afield; more than a dozen
containers arrive on a daily basis from Romania, Turkey and
Renault-Nissan group supply points across Asia.
Most of the exports from Tangier go to the EU. In the first
six months of 2014, just over 97,000 vehicles were exported
from Morocco, of which two-thirds were Logan and
Sandero cars; around 25,000 were Dokker vans. The balance
comprised Lodgy MPVs, and although volumes for this
vehicle have, Renault admits, been disappointing, the vehicle
will remain a key element of production at Tangier.
When Lodgy and Dokker production started, local
content was close to 50%, but the introduction of the
Sandero caused this figure to fall because of its high
Romanian content.As a result, overall local content is now
just under 40%. In order to achieve a significant increase,
Renault is understood to be considering the production of
engines in Morocco; at present, they come from the Renault
plant in Valladolid, Spain. However, a timeframe for a new
engine plant has yet to be confirmed.
Local content at Tangier will reach 42% by the end of
2014, with an objective of 56% by 2016. The Moroccan
government has said it would like to see this figure reach
65% by 2020. Raising the local content will take place in
parallel with re-designs and mid-lifecycle upgrades for
the Dokker and Sandero, plus attendant re-sourcing of
components.
Soliciting suppliers
To help meet current, and indeed future, local content
targets, Renault has encouraged numerous suppliers to
locate themselves in Morocco to supply directly into Tangier.
There is also some in-house assembly of components,
such as seats, axles and exhausts, and also the painting of
bumpers. Most of these tasks are carried out by external
suppliers because Renault has so far been unable to
persuade suppliers to invest in Morocco for these roles.
The local supply base consists of distinct groups: the
first, near Tangier, consists of 12 suppliers, eight of which
have built operations on greenfield sites, while three have
RenaultTangier,afullmanufacturingplant,openedin2012andnowemploys5,500individuals
Liketheplantitself,thelogisticsatRenaultTangierweredesignedfor
optimalefﬁciencyfromtheoutset

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BMWOEM focus
B
MW may be a German company,
and its core production facilities
remain in its home nation, but it is
by no means resting on its domestic
or European laurels. In recent years, the OEM
has established and grown a global manufacturing network
far beyond Europe.Within the continent, its German
vehicle manufacturing plants are complemented by engine
production facilities in Austria, plus Mini and Rolls-Royce
factories in the UK, together with an engine plant which
supplies both BMW and Mini vehicles. However, it is
beyond Europe that some of the company’s most significant
and interesting investments have taken place.
BMW has been producing cars in South Africa since
1973, but this was a low-volume operation for many years
Globally German
Ian Henry reviews BMW’s international
manufacturing network, including new
investments in Mexico and Brazil
and did not become a full manufacturing operation until
the mid-1990s. In fact, BMW’s first manufacturing plant
outside Europe opened in the US in 1994. Since then, as
well as transforming its South African facility and greatly
expanding its US factory, the company has set up full
manufacturing operations in China and most recently
Brazil, with a plant in Mexico on the way. There are also
CKD operations in India, Thailand, Egypt, Indonesia
and Malaysia. Meanwhile, in Russia the company has a
manufacturing partnership with Avtotor. In total, including
European operations in Germany,Austria and the UK,
BMW has 30 production locations in 14 countries.
The company has emphasised recently that the expansion
of its operations beyond Europe does not represent a policy
of reducing production or capacity in Europe. It is worth
noting that 2013 was the third year in succession when
BMW made more than 1m cars in Germany. Moreover,
with German production to September 2014 coming to just
under 850,000 units, it seems certain that the 1m barrier will
have been breached again when the full-year data for 2014
is released. Thus, production outside Germany is growing at
the same time as output within the country remains strong
and can be expected to continue in the same vein.
In fact, expansion beyond Germany is in direct response
to growing demand outside Europe and the need to localise
production near to customers. In the cases of Brazil, China
and Russia (the latter two in association with local partners),
the establishment or expansion of full manufacturing
operations is a reaction to import duties on CBU vehicles.
Meanwhile in the US, Spartanburg in South Carolina has
become BMW’s global centre for midsize and large SUV
production, with four models already in production there
(the X3, X4, X5 and X6) and a fifth, the X7, due to launch in
a few years’ time, following a recently announced expansion
plan. Currently making around 1,100 vehicles a day, the
factory’s cumulative production is well over 2.5m units.
Full manufacturing plants
The US: Spartanburg
BMW announced its US plant in 1992 and in 1994 the
factory in South Carolina opened, making the 3-Series
E36 model. This was a trial arrangement and once BMW
systems were fully established, the company added the X5
SUV and Z3 sports car. The successor to the Z3, the Z4, was
only made at Spartanburg for three years (2006-2008) before
it moved to Germany; X5 production has remained in the
US and Spartanburg now also provides kits for X3/X5/X6
assembly around the world, at the locations noted below.

BMW OEM focus
Spartanburg added the X3 in 2010 at its first model
change, taking over production from Magna Steyr in
Austria, having earlier added the coupé version of the X5 –
the X6 – in 2008. Most recently, when the third generation
X3 went into production, the plant also won the contract
to produce the coupé version of this model, with the X4
starting production in 2014.
The assembly line at Spartanburg is highly automated; as
well as fully automated welding, the new X3 line features
the first case within BMW’s production network where the
hang-on parts – the doors, hood and tailgate – are attached
entirely automatically.
Production in 2013 was just over 297,090 units, of which
201,000 were exported, a figure which it is claimed makes
BMW the largest non-US car exporter to non-NAFTA
markets. The plant has around 170 North American
suppliers, 40 located within South Carolina. Currently,
the plant has an annual capacity of around 300,000 units
per year, but in early 2014 – some 20 years after the
first US-made BMWs rolled off the line – the company
announced a further investment programme.
The OEM is now spending over $1 billion to take capacity
to 450,000 units per year; as part of this, a fifth model, the
X7, the company’s largest SUV, will also be produced at
Spartanburg. Interestingly, although the US is the world’s
largest SUV market, around two-thirds of the factory’s
current output is actually exported to over 130 countries.
BMW has not only invested to make cars in the US but
also has a major joint venture at Moses Lake,Washington,
which produces carbon fibre for the i3 and i8 models that
are assembled in Europe from parts made in Germany. This
facility, SGL, is actually the largest carbon fibre plant in the
world, with a capacity of 3,000 tonnes per annum. However,
this output is insufficient for current and medium-term
demand, and will be increased in two stages, firstly to 6,000
tonnes and then to 9,000 tonnes per year. The investment
programme comes to over $200m, bringing BMW’s total
investment in the US to more than $2 billion by 2019.
South Africa: Rosslyn
Between 1973 and the early 1990s, BMW’s plant at Rosslyn
made 3-, 5- and 7-Series models in low volumes for
the local market only.At this time, the factory was a kit
operation, with a high degree of manual assembly. In the
mid-1990s, as South Africa emerged from years of economic
isolation, BMW decided to transform the plant into a full
manufacturing operation and also encouraged a number of
its core European suppliers – including Faurecia, TRW and
ZF – to follow it to the factory near Pretoria.
Full manufacturing operations began in 1997 when the
E46 3-Series went into production. Moreover, Rosslyn was
allocated production of the sedan model not only for South
Africa, but also for Japan,Australia, New Zealand and D
BMW’sSpartanburgplantin
SouthCarolina willreceive
over$200mtoboostcapacity
FaureciaisoneofseveralEuropeansupplierstofollowBMWtoSouth
Africa,wheretheOEMestablishedfullproductioninthemid-1990s

BMWOEM focus
models for the local market; the 1-Series five-door, 3-Series
sedan, X1 and X3 BMWs, plus the Mini Countryman. The
groundbreaking ceremony for this plant was in December
2013, so to have started production within ten months can
be counted as a remarkable success.
Vehicles made in Brazil will feature BMW’s Active Flex
technology, the first time a twin-turbocharged engine with
direct injection has been designed for both ethanol and
petrol. The first car which came off the Brazilian assembly
line was a 3-Series, 328i with Active Flex technology.
Mexico: San Luis Potosí
Reflecting strong and indeed rising demand for BMWs
(and Minis) in North America, the OEM decided to open a
second NAFTA plant, this time in Mexico. In July 2014, the
company announced that a plant at San Luis Potosí would
open in 2019, at a cost of more than $1 billion.
The company has announced neither the capacity to be
installed at San Luis Potosí nor the models it will make
there. However, given the size of the investment – five times
the initial investment in Brazil – a capacity of 100,000 units
per annum is likely, and it could possibly be higher. It is
probable that the models to be made will be on the new
UKL1 platform, and therefore include Minis and various
versions of the new front-wheel-drive 1-Series.
various Asian markets. Since then, the plant has started
supplying vehicles to South America and more recently
NAFTA. The factory remains a one-model plant, still
making only the sedan version of the 3-Series, although it
has been tooled up to be flexible and is theoretically capable
of making other versions as well.
Since 2010, Rosslyn has also made the xDrive (all-wheel-
drive) version of the 3-Series sedan for NAFTA markets.
Exports of the current F30 3-Series head for eight key
markets: Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore,
Taiwan, Japan, the US and Canada.
Despite recent investment and its key role in supplying
major markets, further expenditure at Rosslyn has been
put on hold following long-running labour problems in the
country. In October 2013, BMW said export sales had fallen
by 75% because of labour disputes affecting the whole of the
automotive industry in South Africa, meaning that future
investment at Rosslyn had become extremely unlikely.
China: Shenyang
Like all other vehicle companies in China, BMW has had
to establish a manufacturing operation there in association
with a local company, in this case Brilliance Automotive.
The JV operates two factories in Shenyang; at Dadong,
which produces the 5-Series long wheelbase model, and
Tiexi, which produces the 3-Series sedan in standard and
long wheelbase formats, the X1 and also cars under the local
brand, ZINORO.
This operation also includes an engine factory which
supplies both of the vehicle sites. The first BMW engine
plant outside Europe, it makes a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder
petrol engine. Production at Dadong began in 2003, while
Tiexi launched in 2012.
Brazil: Araquari
The final, most recent, addition to the company’s global
production network is the small plant at Araquari, Santa
Catarina State in southern Brazil, which started production
in September 2014.With an initial investment of €200m
($249m), this factory has started life with a capacity of
just 30,000 units per year. It will produce a wide range of
BMW’sChinesejoint
venturewasformed
withBrilliance
Automotive
BMW’splantatAraquari,Brazil,startedproductioninSeptember2014
InJulylastyear,BMWannouncedthatitwouldopenaplantatSanLuis
Potosí,Mexico,atacostofmorethan$1billion.Thefactoryisscheduled
tolaunchin2019andislikelytohaveacapacityofatleast100,000units

More than CKD, less than full manufacturing
Russia: Kaliningrad
BMW has hinted on several occasions in the recent past
that a full manufacturing operation in Russia would launch
at some point, but for now its production in the country
centres on a joint venture with Avtotor in Kaliningrad. This
plant was opened in 1999 and was the first Russian assembly
facility of any German car company.
Currently, the plant assembles the 3-Series, 5-Series
and 7-Series (all in sedan format), plus the 5-Series long
wheelbase and the X3/X5/X6 SUVs. In April 2014, it was
announced that Avtotor and BMW had signed an agreement
to build a new facility in Kaliningrad, with construction
starting in July; details of what will be made there, volumes,
and a start date have not been announced, although in 2012
there were reports that the companies would build a 50,000-
unit plant at a cost of $500m, with investment from Magna,
JCI and Lear as part of the scheme.
The 2012 report suggested there was a 48% local content
target that would be an important step along the road to
achieving 60% by 2016, which is required under Decree 166
in order to avoid punitive import duties for vehicles made in
Russia with low local content ratios.
BMW OEM focus
The CKD operations
Thailand: Rayong
BMW has been operating a facility in Rayong since 2000.
The plant assembles a very wide range of models from
imported parts, including: the 1-Series, 3-Series, 3-Series
GT, 5-Series and 7-Series, plus three SUVs (the X1/X3/
X5). It also assembles Mini Countryman and BMW
motorcycles, making this the only plant in BMW’s global
network producing BMW and Mini vehicles as well BMW
motorcycles.
India: Chennai
The OEM started operations in 2007 at a facility near
Chennai which is capable of making a very similar range to
the Thai plant, as well as the 7-Series. Like Rayong, it also
assembles the Mini Countryman – though not motorcycles.
A second plant is apparently under construction, as the
14,000-unit capacity of the existing plant is not deemed
enough to meet local demand in the medium term.
Egypt: Cairo
BMW has had partners in the country since 1997, but
switched to its current partner, BAMC, in 2004, when a new
facility opened in Cairo. The plant assembles the 3-Series,
5-Series, long wheelbase version of the 7-Series and the
X1/X3.
Indonesia: Jakarta
The German manufacturer has a local partner, Gaya Motor,
in Jakarta which assembles the 3- and 5-Series and the
X1/X3.
Malaysia: Kulim
BMW has had an assembly partner in the country since
1979. Its current partner is Inokom Corp, with a plant at
Kulim which assembles the following on two assembly
lines: the Mini Countryman, 1-Series (three- and five-door
versions), 3- and 5-Series sedans and the X1/X3.
Reportsin2012suggestedthatAvotorandBMWwouldbuilda50,000-
unitplantinKalingradwithinvestmentfromMagnaandothersuppliers
BMWbeganCKDoperations,including
buildingtheMiniCountryman,in
Chennai,India,in2007

T
he tigerish automotive markets of
South-East Asia were somewhat
subdued in 2014, as the turbulent politics of
its two leading vehicle-producing countries,
Thailand and Indonesia, put a downer on the
industry. Thailand’s politics are nearly always in turmoil, but
this year a military coup deposed the democratically elected
government; the fallout has badly knocked local car sales,
with the local Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) predicting
sales of 900,000 in 2014, down from 1.33m the year before.
The good news for vehicle-makers is that Thailand is
relatively well protected from local shocks thanks to a
healthy export market. The FTI predicts that the country
will make 2.1m vehicles in 2014, down from 2.5m the
previous year, meaning that the fall is almost all due to
the local slump. Jessada Thongpak, a local analyst for IHS
Automotive, says that much of the drop in demand can be
attributed to the end of incentives aimed at boosting sales
South-Eastern
success Turbulent politics aside, tiger economies
such as Thailand and Indonesia are pushing
for further growth in the automotive industry,
writes Nick Gibbs
of small cars. He believes the market will rebound quite
quickly.“Local consumers have the purchasing power, but
they want to wait and see that the political climate will
recover,” he states. That should happen once the military
government names a date for the promised election.“We
hope the middle of next year, or 2016,” says Thongpak.“I’m
sure by that time the market will recover.”
Locally built pick-ups from the likes of Toyota, Isuzu,
Mitsubishi and Ford continue to do well both in Thailand
and for export markets, but superminis built under the
country’s Eco-car initiative are gaining ground. Started in
2007 as a tax-friendly scheme to persuade global OEMs to
build low-emission small cars in the country, Eco-car has
now moved to phase two so as to counter a similar scheme
set up by Thailand’s regional carmaking rival, Indonesia.
South-East Asiaregional focus

South-East Asia regional focus
In October, the Board of Investment (BoI) announced
that it had approved investment applications from five
OEMs building cars in the country – Ford, GM, Nissan,
Mitsubishi and Toyota – to expand production under the
Eco-car 2 alongside Mazda, which had already signed up.
In return for tax breaks, those makers must now produce
cars emitting less than 100 grams of carbon dioxide per
kilometer, compared with 120g/km under the old scheme.
The cars must be rated at least Euro 5 for emissions, versus
Euro 4 previously, thus giving Thailand an edge over
Indonesia, according to Thongpak.“Indonesia’s low-cost
green car scheme is only Euro 4 and fuel consumption
is not as competitive, meaning they don’t have the same
export potential. In Thailand, they can export anywhere in
the world,” he explains.
Under the strict terms of the programme, makers
must source 80% of parts by value locally and also agree
to produce over 100,000 cars a year within four years.
According to the Thai BoI, the OEMs have promised even
more, with Ford pledging 180,000 units; GM 158,000;
Nissan 123,000; Toyota 160,000; and Mitsubishi 180,000.
Overall, eco-cars are expected to account for 2m units per
year, the Bangkok Post reported, quoting BoI secretary-
general Udom Wongviwatchai. He said 1.5m would
come from the new scheme, with the original Eco-car
accounting for 500,000 units.
Mazda has already started production of its critically
acclaimed Mazda2 supermini, the first car to be produced
under phase two (and also the first diesel model). Thailand
has thus become one of three production locations for the
new model, along with Japan and Mexico. Mazda’s Rayong
plant in Thailand’s south-eastern automotive hub will
build cars for Australia as well as ASEAN markets.
Eco competition from Indonesia
Indonesia has launched a similar scheme to Thailand in an
attempt to anchor more carmakers in the country. One of
the first models under its Low Cost Green Car programme
was launched in May this year by Nissan’s low-cost brand,
Datsun.As befits Indonesia’s thirst for budget people-
carriers, the car was the supermini-based, 1.2-litre, seven-
seat Go Panca, manufactured at the OEM’s new plant in
Purwakarta,West Java.
The Green Car scheme looked to be under threat
when in July one of its main opponents, Joko Widodo,
the former governor of Jakarta, was elected president of
the country.While governor of the traffic-choked capital
city, he questioned the need for a scheme that promoted
cars; but that opposition seems to have vanished.“The
automotive industry makes an important contribution to
foreign direct investment in the country; it’s not possible
that he will cancel this project,” says Thongpak. Indeed,
the new president might actually boost sales of more
economical cars with a rumoured plan to bring forward
the promised cut in road fuel subsidies and use the money
to improve infrastructure.
Indonesians are certainly buying more eco-cars. The
percentage of sales in the category with engines of 1.2
litres or below was just 4% in 2013. To the end of October
2014, with five eco-cars now in the market, that figure was
up to 14%, according to figures from the Association of
Indonesian Automotive Manufacturers (Gaikindo). In the
same period, 155,368 eco-cars were built – three times
more than the total for 2013.At the time of going to press
in December 2014, vehicle sales were only 1.6% up on the
figure for last year at 1.1m, but vehicle production was set
to beat the 2013 total of 1.2m.
The figures reveal that Indonesian carmakers are
still largely focused on the home market with its huge
population of 247m and low car ownership of around 80
per 1,000 people, according to a recent estimate by analysts
Frost and Sullivan.
Modest Malaysian growth
By contrast, car ownership for neighbouring Malaysia is
around 300 per 1,000 – one reason why IHS is pessimistic
about that country’s ambitious goals to establish its own
eco-car manufacturing scheme. So far, three OEMs – local
maker Perodua, Mazda and Chinese SUV specialist Great
Wall – have signed up to the Energy Efficient Vehicle
(EEV) scheme there, reports local automotive journalist
Paul Tan.“I don’t think it will succeed. It’s not cheap to
make there,” adds Thongpak. IHS predicts that Malaysian
vehicle production will rise only modestly to 700,000
units by 2018, up from just over 600,000 in 2013. By
comparison, it expects Thailand to expand production to
3m by 2018, and Indonesia to almost 2m by the same date.
Indonesia does export models – by the end of October
2014, the country had closed in on the 2013 export total
of 171,000 built-up cars. Most are exported by Toyota.
In February 2014, the OEM started shipping the Ayga
supermini which is built by its subsidiary, Daihatsu, to the
Philippines. It was the first model to be exported under
the Low Cost Green Car initiative. Toyota also sends the
Vios saloon to the Middle East and other markets from its
factory in the Jakartan suburb of Karawang.
However, the overall export figure is a long way off that
of Thailand and likely to stay that way while car ownership
is still so low in the country. The shift to cars will be
helped by the Green Car programme, but right now the
ubiquitous motorcycle remains Indonesia’s favourite mode
of transport.
Recently, motorcycle sales have been comparatively
weak in the world’s third-largest powered-two-wheeler
GM,whichhasaplantatRayong,isoneofseveralOEMssettoexpand
productionunderThailand’s‘Eco-car2’initiative
D

South-East Asiaregional focus
as the Focus, Fiesta and Ranger pick-up from kits in a local
joint venture.
Meanwhile, IHS has identified the Philippines as another
country in the region with the potential to expand car
production. Currently, its numbers are similar to Vietnam’s,
with 100,000 units produced and around 200,000 sold.
Premium bike-making on the rise
The South-East Asian country that has established itself as
the key hub for motorcycle exports is Thailand, which has a
lengthy track record of production; Honda started making
motorcycles there in 1967. The country is now attracting
premium bike-makers. British firm Triumph makes its
retro-styled Bonneville range and also its Tiger adventure
motorcycles for global export at its plant in Chonburi,
south-east of Bangkok. Italian sportsbike specialist Ducati is
also setting up a plant in the country, its first outside Italy.
In Thailand, Honda has a production capacity of 1.7m
units per annum, since expanding from the 110-150cc
scooters and‘underbone’ (aka step-through) bikes so
popular in this part of the world to larger models built for
global export, which are made on a separate production
line launched in 2012. This year it added the CBR650, with
exports heading to countries in Europe and North America
among other regions. Suzuki is another maker using
Thailand as an export base for two-wheelers, shipping its
Burgman 125 and 200 premium scooters to Europe, North
America and other Asian markets.
BMW also has an operation making motorcycles from
kits at its Rayong plant, alongside kit assembly of some of its
cars. The premium OEM plans to expand its car operations
to 10,000 units a year, including the Mini Countryman.
BMW announced in November that it had struck a deal
with local CKD engine assembler Powertech to build
four-cylinder diesel engines, beginning in December 2015.
Powertech also assembles engines for Mercedes, which has
a CKD assembly operation in the country.“The reason for
having our own CKD production is the customs duties,” a
spokesman for BMW told AMS.
BMW also assembles cars from kits in Indonesia, but
so far no European manufacturer has established a full-
scale manufacturing base in South-East Asia. That could
change with the rumoured entry of Volkswagen into the
region, in Thailand or Indonesia, or both. Thongpak says
VW has submitted an application for an Eco-car 2 licence
in Thailand, but no announcement has yet been made.
Meanwhile, in Indonesia last September, local press reports
quoting a VW executive suggested that the OEM plans to
build a $140m plant in the region.
In fact, the export of cars with European badges will
begin in 2015 when Mitsubishi starts shipping Fiat-badged
versions of its Triton (L200) pick-up which is built in
Thailand under an agreement between the two companies.
The growth and maturation of Thailand’s car industry
means that it is moving into R&D and even quite high-tech
research. For example, BMW announced in November that
it was collaborating with a local university and a tech firm
to research DC quick chargers for electric vehicles. Politics
might be volcanic in the country, but the vehicle industry is
calmly expanding thanks in part to strong exports, and that
success is inspiring envious neighbours to follow suit.
market (behind China and India), from 8m in 2011 to 7.7m
in 2013 and only up 3.5% in the first ten months of 2014.
The situation may not seem desperate, but Indonesia has
been experiencing colossal growth since 2000, when annual
motorcycle sales were below 900,000 units. The market is
dominated by Honda, which took two-thirds of sales in the
first ten months of the year, according to the Indonesian
Motorcycle Industry Association (AISI).
Yamaha takes most of the rest, building machines at four
factories.With the domestic market taking off as it has, local
production is aimed at satisfying internal needs and there
are few imports or exports. In 2013, just 27,000 motorcycles
made it out of the country, from a total production of 7.7m
units.As in India, though, local quality has been improving
to the point that makers are looking to export.Yamaha
announced back in July that it was planning to ship its R25
250cc sportsbike made at Pulogadung, East Jakarta, to 14
countries including Japanese and European markets.
Stalling production in Vietnam
Vietnam, the world’s fourth-largest powered-two-wheeler
market, has similarly stalled, with production to the
end of September 2014 slightly down on the year before
to 2.4m units, according to figures from the country’s
General Statistics Office. In 2013, the country made 3.68m
motorcycles, servicing primarily the local market, with
Honda the dominant maker. In March, the company started
production at its third plant, just south of Hanoi, with a
capacity of 500,000 units a year, mostly scooters. However,
makers are concerned that the market is reaching saturation
point as growth slows in the local economy, so the likes of
Honda are eyeing up the export market.
Jessada Thongpak suggests that Vietnam’s nascent car
industry could grow if the government removes tax barriers
and improves the infrastructure.“Not in the short term,
but in the longer term it could be the next China with
lower production costs,” he says, adding that current annual
production is around 100,000 units, with sales of around
200,000. Thongpak points out that car ownership in the
country is one of the lowest in South-East Asia at around 50
per 1,000 people;Vietnam has a population of 90m. Ford is
one global manufacturer in the country, building cars such
AsthemotorcyclemarketinVietnamreachessaturationpoint,OEMs
includingthedominantmaker,Honda,arelookingtoexport

Digital manufaturing CAD/CAM technology
and an ultra-high-speed on-road vehicle –“without any set-
up changes”.As Gunner points out, those two applications
do not complement each other particularly well in one
crucial respect that is related to aerodynamics: the“huge
amount” of downforce required for the first of the two roles
would create excessive drag and suspension loads that would
unacceptably inhibit its second function, if allowed to build
up unchecked as the car increased speed.
One:1 therefore has a variable aerodynamic system which
means that the huge downforce generated at track speeds
is supressed as much as possible up to maximum velocity.
“From 300kmph upwards, we actually start reducing the
downforce rate as much as the bodywork allows,” Gunner
confirms. Koenigsegg’s official figures are that the car
generates a downforce of 610kg at 260kph, but only 830kg at
440kph.
Several systems on the car enable this feat to be achieved.
There is a dynamic flap system on the front of the car that
starts off as a high-pressure Venturi flap but is cut off from
the airflow at higher speeds, as is some of the flow under the
car.“We cut off a lot of the underbody downforce,” states
Gunner. Furthermore, the actual rake of the car can be
altered with the slight elevation of the front of the vehicle.
The most obvious aerodynamic feature of One:1 – its twin
wing system at the rear of the vehicle – can also be altered
to vary from a very high to a“minimal” downforce and drag
setting, according to Gunner. The One:1 programme, he
confirms, was the first time Koenigsegg had ever attempted
to implement this approach in one of its vehicles. D
Smart
design
in the
making
The latest simulation software
can speed up vehicle modelling
and compress development
timescales. Mike Farish reports
A
t the beginning of 2014, Swedish supercar
manufacturer Koenigsegg launched a vehicle
which, even by its standards, achieved new
levels of extreme performance. One:1 is named
after its ratio of horsepower to kerb weight in
kilograms, though perhaps the single most eye-catching
statistic is its top speed: a stunning 440kph.Another speed-
related fact is that the whole development cycle for the
vehicle took only eight months; just one year elapsed from
the project go-ahead to delivery of the first vehicle. Only six
will be made.
As explained by Jon Gunner, the company’s technical
director, like many mainstream carmakers Koenigsegg uses
well-established design software systems: the Catia V5 3D
modelling system from Dassault Systems and the Alias
surface modelling system now supplied by Autodesk, the
latter being used for Class-A surfaces.
For simulating airflows around its vehicles, Koenigsegg
also uses a computational fluid dynamics package called
‘Icon FoamPro’, from UK-based software provider ICON.
The software runs on an in-house supercomputing hardware
installation with 32 cores.
All of these systems, adds Gunner, have been installed
over the past decade as the company has implemented
a policy of increasingly in-sourcing all its design and
development operations.
Gunner says the specification of One:1 effectively pushed
Koenigsegg“to the limits”, since the vehicle was intended to
act as two cars in one – a high-performance track-racing car

expected. The key enabling factor he identifies is the ability
to access those resources as needed, for as long as needed.
As a result, Gunner says Koenigsegg will certainly use this
approach again. In fact, it has already done so for its next
vehicle project, due for launch in February this year.
Everyday simulation
The day-to-day reality of using digital tools in mainstream
automotive manufacturing is typically less supercharged.
At Envisage Group in Coventry, UK, operations director
Adrian Coppin says the 160-strong team handles a range of
services including design, engineering, model-making and
low-volume panel production for major OEMs, particularly
for body-in-white prototype build tasks.
It is a business which, as Coppin admits, still has some
distinctly manual elements – for instance the manufacture
of one-off panels – but in which the core means of
communication between Envisage and its clients is now
overwhelmingly digital. Design information comes into the
company primarily as CAD data, with the Catia V5 system
effectively the industry standard. In addition, Coppin says
Envisage has‘seats’ of the Siemens PLM design software and
the Alias surface modelling package.
A typical sequence of operations for making a clay
model starts with the receipt of surface data in V5 format,
which is then converted into instructions to drive the
CNC machining of the clay surface. That physical model
inevitably requires some manual modifications after being
viewed by the OEM’s designers, so the amended model is
scanned to record the alterations. However, the scanning
process only records‘point cloud’ data and so actual
resurfacing of the CAD model is conducted using the Alias
software, before the new virtual model is reconstituted in
V5. The Alias software, says Coppin, is a“much easier tool”
for actual surface creation.
Once those surfaces have been generated, further
‘engineering’ work will take place in V5 back at the OEM,
such as the creation of attachment points on the interior
surfaces.After that, the design data comes back to Envisage,
now as detailed individual panels rather than a single
surface model, and can be used to drive the manufacture
of actual prototype parts.“We can machine a low-volume
mould tool out of high-density composite board, which
Digital manufaturing CAD/CAM
ThesimulationprocessforOne:1requiredITproviderICONtoinstall
softwareatHPCWales,using128corescomparedwiththe32-core
standardusedin-houseatKoenigsegg
technology
Simulating success
Intensive simulation of the vehicle’s aerodynamic
performance under multiple different scenarios was
an essential part of the development programme.
However, Gunner admits that even Koenigsegg’s in-house
resources would have struggled to do so within the highly
compressed development timescale.Wind tunnel testing
was also unfeasible because there are no facilities that can
generate airflows at a speed as high as 440kph.
The solution was to use high-performance computing
facilities remotely, over the Internet Cloud. These services
were provided by HPC Wales in the UK. The method
involved running simulation routines on virtual models of
the car with either a high or slightly lower meshing density.
The remote facilities were used for running multiple tests
– six or seven at a time – on slightly less dense models,
each representing a different aerodynamic configuration.
Gunner explains that further compression of the run-
times for the less dense models was possible because they
represented only one half of a car. Koenigsegg then carried
out a more limited number of validation exercises using
its in-house facilities, though in those instances complete
vehicle representations were used.
ICON also played a role, installing its software on the
HPC hardware, using 128 cores – nearly four times the
carmaker’s in-house resources. From the perspective of
Koenigsegg’s users, input procedures were almost identical.
“We really didn’t see much difference,” states Gunner.“It
just went a lot faster.”
Even so, a run of 24 hours was required to simulate
just one second of virtual driving conditions (compared,
however, with several days back at Koenigsegg in Sweden).
Altogether, the need to simulate the performance of the
car over multiple different settings for its aerodynamic
elements meant that“several hundred” simulation routines
were run, according to Gunner. Some tweaking of the
software was required to cope with the fact that, at the
simulated speeds involved, air becomes more compressed
than is normally the case.“The software is very tuneable,”
explains Gunner.
Looking back at the project, Gunner says the use of
remote supercomputing resources went better than
Outsidesupercardevelopment,digitaltoolsaremoreprosaicallyusedin
thedesignandengineeringofbody-in-whiteprototypebuilds

will be released to our panel makers to produce the parts,”
Gunner explains.
The final stage of production is mostly manual, though if
volumes are high enough – say ten to 12 parts – the process
can be made semi-automatic through the use of a rubber
press to pre-form the metal panels before they are finished
off by hand.
An increasingly digital future
This is not a process that Coppin expects to see changing
substantially in the foreseeable future, unless 3D printing
advances to the point where it can be used to make large
fabrications as a matter of course. However, additive
techniques are already used to make the seals that fit around
prototype doors, and also the grills used on clay models.
Thus far, all the additive-manufactured parts used
by Envisage are sourced externally, but in line with the
increasing uptake of the technology within automotive
manufacturing, Coppin says that establishing an in-house
capability is a target for 2015.At a strategic level, he believes
that additive techniques can only become more pervasive
and therefore represent a technology with which the
company needs to become familiar.At a more immediate,
tactical level, the move will provide Envisage with the ability
to turn out additive parts more quickly –“overnight” if
necessary, he says.
Coppin predicts that the communication of colour-
related information will also become increasingly digital.
He explains that the accuracy of computerised rendering
Digital manufaturing CAD/CAM technology
packages is now such that they are obviously superior
to older alternatives such as PowerPoint presentations.
Envisage already has this capability and it is really a
question of waiting for some – though not all – of its clients
to catch up.
One major development that Coppin expects to see
over the next few years is a general upgrade within the
automotive industry from the V5 to V6 Catia format. The
significance of the latter is not so much that it possesses
enhanced modelling capabilities as that it offers greatly
increased support for simultaneous collaborative working
between geographically dispersed partners – something
with obvious benefits for companies like Envisage, which
depend on the effective communication of technical data for
the viability of their business.
TheprocesscurrentlyfollowedatEnvisageGroupisunlikelytochange
dramaticallyunless3Dprintingadvancescanbescaledupeffectively
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Transforming Movement.

In this scenario, a typical line-balancing action involving
the transfer of a particular operation from one station to
another becomes a simple task. Providing that the tooling
which carries out the task is wireless, says Jennings, all that
is necessary is a software instruction; this approach obviates
any need for fixed, physical checkpoints.“The checkpoints
are in [the] software,” he explains.
Another advantage, as Jennings notes, is that this
capability can operate in real time. Shopfloor personnel are
thus freed up to work in a less constrained manner, because
strict adherence to a preset sequence of operations and
associated timings is no longer of such importance.“A few
extra seconds does not matter,” states Jennings.
Coping with mass customisation
However, neither of these two capabilities – described by
Jennings as“matching records to operations” or facilitating
“real-time flex” – are the most significant aspect of the
Ubisense solution. Instead, the major challenge its software
overcomes is the vast amount of variability that production
Digital manufaturing Production softwaretechnology
The latest production software can
bridge ‘missing links’ in manufacturing;
Mike Farish investigates
“
T
here are all sorts of digital data sources on a
factory shopfloor, but there is often something
missing – a location context.” So says Adrian
Jennings, CTO at UK-based Ubisense, who has
responsibility for real-time location intelligence
solutions in the Americas. Ubisense aims to provide its
customers with the‘missing link’ in manufacturing, in
the form of its SmartFactory concept – a system which is
already in use at several major vehicle-makers.
As Jennings explains, in the context of an automotive
assembly line this would mean that data collection for a
tool such as a torque wrench would comprise not
only the number of operations it carries out, but
also the precise location of those operations on
specific vehicle assemblies. It would be a case not
just of ‘what’, but also‘where’ and‘when’.“Lots of
disparate data have to become the basis of a continuous flow
of understanding,” states Jennings.
Some companies already have this capability, he adds, but
many more do not and there is a lot of variability. Jennings
gives the example of one truck manufacturer which operates
a shopfloor data collection system that enables the recording
of every operation to tighten nuts on axle assemblies, but
nevertheless has“no idea which operation is carried out on
which axle”. “With no context, there is no quality control
information,” he concludes.
Providing a mix of sensors, hardware and software that
can rectify such situations and facilitate a move from merely
quantitative record-keeping to qualitative information
management is the basis of Ubisense’s industrial business.
But, Jennings also argues, once such a system is in place it
opens up further possibilities that relate to the configuration
of the line itself.When a system precisely links an action and
the part on which it is carried out, then the location of the
action actually has no implications for quality-related data
management.
Staying in
the loop

Forcam’sfactoryFrameworkMESisusedbyOEMsincludingDaimler
(above)aswellasbyarangeoftieronesuppliers
lines must now accommodate in order to satisfy customer
demand for individually specified products in a volume
production environment – in other words, the concept of
‘mass customisation’.
The automotive industry is, of course, a prime example of
this phenomenon. Jennings gives the hypothetical example
of how an OEM might deal with the problem of offering
customers minority options such as third-row seats in a
vehicle.Would the manufacturer install a dedicated station
on a production line that perhaps 90% of the vehicle
assemblies would simply bypass, or would it find a way of
“overlaying” the ability to satisfy the intermittent demand on
the main line? The latter option is clearly the better solution.
According to Jennings,“virtualising space” by disconnecting
work from the need to carry it out at a specific location now
makes this proposition realistic.
In the case of Ubisense, Jennings says the hardware
required to support such a system is fairly straightforward:
the sensors and RFID tags are for the most part off-the-shelf
products, though the company does provide some location
devices. He emphasises that the software content of the
system is where its real power lies.
In the future, Jennings foresees a quite fundamental
change in the use of the information such a system
gathers; he believes the management of production
environments will change from being reactive to proactive
– or“predictive”, to use his own term. For instance, it
should be feasible for shopfloor systems to detect when the
performance of an operator – whether measured by time or
another parameter – is starting to drift towards pre-defined
limits.A supervisor could then intervene to pre-empt the
breaching of those limits.
The same principle should also become applicable at a
macroscopic level. Jennings says the aim is to enable system
users to answer the question of what specific task should be
addressed next in order to optimise the overall efficiency of
the production operations. In a car plant, that might mean
deciding which vehicle assembly should start off down the
line based on the availability of resources. It is a question, he
notes, that is still often only asked“in people’s heads, if it is
asked at all”. Neither capability yet exists, but Jennings says
Ubisense is working on it.
An integrated Factory Framework
A similar emphasis on the value of real-time as opposed to
retrospective information is made by Andrew Steele, UK
managing director of German-owned Forcam, supplier
of the Factory Framework manufacturing execution
system (MES). The term‘MES’ can mean different things
to different people, but in the case of Forcam it essentially
describes software that can integrate a number of other
discrete software application packages ranging from those
for strategic enterprise resource planning (ERP), through
product data management (PDM) down to the monitoring
of individual pieces of shopfloor equipment.
It is the linking of ERP and shopfloor systems that Steele
says is particularly significant. It is often the case today,
he explains, that companies operating even the most
sophisticated and expensive ERP systems fail to exploit their
Digital manufaturing Production software technology
true potential because they cannot feed them with
accurate, concurrent data on their shopfloor operations.
That level of communication is a fundamental
requirement for achieving Industry 4.0 standards of
integration – a term that has entered the industrial lexicon
in the last few years and now enjoys official endorsement by
the German government.At the most basic level, says Steele,
this involves linking intelligent machines to gather real-time
production data, with assets being more fully employed and
material flows more efficiently managed.
The Forcam product is already firmly established in
the automotive manufacturing arena. Users include not
only major OEMs such as Audi and Daimler, but also tier
one suppliers such as Schaeffler Group, Bosch, Mahle and
BorgWarner. Steele points out that suppliers at this level are
now usually large multinational enterprises as much as are
the vehicle assemblers who sit at the top of the supply chain.
That fact may well have been influential in the
specification for the forthcoming Version 5 of Factory
Framework, which is due for release in March 2015. Steele
explains that a key attribute of the system will be its use
of ‘in-memory processing’, which means that much of
the data processing that was previously carried out by
an on-site server will instead take place on the shopfloor
at the machine that is being monitored. The effect will
be to obviate the need to run servers at multiple sites in
geographically dispersed operations; even global networks
will need only one central server.All the data relating to an
organisation’s shopfloor operations will be collated, analysed
and monitored at a single point, in real time.
Steele observes that, for the automotive industry, this
capability would facilitate global benchmarking and target-
setting of overall equipment efficiency – one of the foremost
key performance indicators in the industry.
Companies supplying the automotive industry with
shopfloor software clearly already have a good grasp of the
capabilities their products need to facilitate; that is to say,
data collection and its integration into wider systems in
ways that support intensive, concurrent analysis to enable
rapid enhancement of production operations. Perhaps in
future these solutions will even be pre-emptive.

use from carbon-fibre materials. The parts were relatively
simple, such as brackets and aerodynamic covers. In fact,
the machine was not merely used for prototyping, but also
led to an increase in the number of additively manufactured
parts on the car.
Strength & versatility
This experience of the technology caused Strakka to reassess
its previous perception of such parts.“We realised that they
were a lot stronger and more versatile than they used to be,
and that opened our eyes to other things we could do,” states
Walmsley.Within a few months, Strakka was fabricating
the dashboard for the vehicle – a structure that had to be
both lightweight and strong even though it also contained
attachment points for switches and apertures for the display
screens of rear-facing cameras.“We made the first one as a
mock-up but found that its material properties exceeded our
expectations,” he confirms.
According to Walmsley, the most likely alternative material
for the dashboard would have been some form of carbon
composite.A major disadvantage of that approach, though,
would have been the much greater cost – for the tooling
more than the materials.
Rapid design iteration is another benefit Strakka has
gained.Walmsley gives the example of the ducts that allow
air to reach the brakes for cooling purposes, saying that
during track testing the team was able to achieve“a nearly
Digital manufaturing Rapid prototypingtechnology
More automotive companies are
discovering the beneﬁts of additive
manufacturing for rapid prototyping,
writes Mike Farish
T
he first race of the 2015 World
Endurance Championship, to
be held in April at the UK’s
Silverstone racetrack, will see
the debut of the Strakka DOME S103 (above
inset), a low-slung coupe designed and developed by two
organisations on different sides of the world. One is Japanese
automotive design consultancy DOME, the other is UK race
team Strakka Racing, based close to the circuit where the car
will make its first competitive appearance.
As team principal Dan Walmsley explains, the car will
be the first in which Strakka has had a major design input;
previous vehicles driven by the team, which has been
racing since 2007, were bought in and at most“tweaked”
to enhance their performance.Walmsley says the Strakka
DOME S103 was initially developed under an“aggressive”
plan with the intention of racing in 2014, but in April of that
year Strakka decided it was dissatisfied with the progress
and decided to take over further development.
For an organisation with just 42 employees and no
previous experience of intensive vehicle development,
Walmsley admits it was a bold step. One of the ways the
company set about preparing for the task was to equip
itself with an in-house additive manufacturing capability,
courtesy of a Stratasys uPrint SE Plus 3D Printer. Strakka
installed the machine in the summer of 2014 after
preliminary discussions with Stratasys suggested that the
technology could help to compress development timescales.
The machine was initially used for the conventional
additive application of rapid prototyping to test the form
and fit of parts most likely to be manufactured for actual
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