Manufacturing – Page 12668 – I wish I had more to offer

State puts pressure on Ford for Blanquefort site

By “congratulating”, in a statement released on the evening of Tuesday, December 11, “the firm offer and final” Punch for the takeover of the Ford site of Blanquefort (Gironde), Bruno Le Maire did not reveal anything new . For weeks, the Minister of the Economy keeps repeating that he prefers this transmission to the closure… Continue reading State puts pressure on Ford for Blanquefort site

Thailand: Indorama Ventures to acquire German airbag maker UTT

December 12, 2018 Bangkok-based petrochemical producer Indorama Ventures Pcl (IVL) has entered into an agreement to acquire airbag yarns and technical textiles supplier UTT Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. IVL on Tuesday said in a filing to the Stock Exchange of Thailand that UTT will be acquired by PHP Fibers,… Continue reading Thailand: Indorama Ventures to acquire German airbag maker UTT

Hyundai Motor unveils sweeping executive reshuffle, shares surge

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean conglomerate Hyundai Motor Group shook up its executive ranks on Tuesday and appointed its first foreign head of research and development, raising expectations of a smooth transition of power at the family-run business empire. FILE PHOTO: The Hyundai logo is seen during the first press day of the Paris auto… Continue reading Hyundai Motor unveils sweeping executive reshuffle, shares surge

Hyundai Plans $6.7 Billion Investment to Boost Fuel-Cell Output – Bloomberg

Hyundai Plans $6.7 Billion Investment to Boost Fuel-Cell Output Bloomberg Hyundai Motor Group and its suppliers plan to spend of 7.6 trillion won ($6.7 billion) through 2030 to raise production of fuel cells by more than 200-fold as the … Go to Source

Ford Suspends EcoSport, Fiesta Production in Russia – Ward’s Auto

ST. PETERSBURG – Ford will suspend production of its EcoSport subcompact CUV and Fiesta subcompact car models at the Russian plant it jointly operates with local automaker Sollers until next year. A Ford Russia spokesman says the decision mainly is the result of the completion of a yearly plan for EcoSport and Fiesta production. Some… Continue reading Ford Suspends EcoSport, Fiesta Production in Russia – Ward’s Auto

Tesla’s Jerome Guillen Talks Gigafactory 1 & Working For Elon With 60 Minutes

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Published on December 10th, 2018 |

by Kyle Field

Tesla’s Jerome Guillen Talks Gigafactory 1 & Working For Elon With 60 Minutes

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December 10th, 2018 by Kyle Field

60 Minutes spent some time with Tesla’s leadership over the last few weeks, including a sit-down with Tesla President of Automotive, Jerome Guillen, at Tesla’s Gigafactory 1 in Sparks, Nevada. The lighthearted interview touches on the current state of the Gigafactory and gets into what it’s like to work directly with Elon Musk. This perspective comes from someone who has been a clutch player on the Tesla team for the last 8 years.

Engineering Fundamentals
Jerome Guillen isn’t your typical business leader. Much like Elon Musk, he built up his own core competency in hardcore engineering, holding a doctoral degree in engineering from the University of Michigan. Before coming to Tesla, Jerome cut his teeth at Daimler subsidiary Freightliner before stepping up to lead central projects at Daimler, like the launch of its carsharing service, car2go.

Since joining Tesla, Jerome has led the Model S program, led the Tesla Service program, led the Tesla Semi program, and most recently, led the Model 3 program, including the establishment of the General Assembly 4 line — also known as the line in the tent.

I Dream In Giga
As anyone familiar with the company knows, the core of Tesla’s business is batteries. The company does happen to sell batteries in some sexy packages, like automobiles and cutting edge stationary energy storage products, but no joy can be had without thousands millions billions of lithium-ion batteries being produced first. Tesla has taken its battery business to the next level with Gigafactory 1, which Jerome shared already builds more batteries than the rest of the world combined. What’s mind blowing about that is that Gigafactory 1 as it stands today is only 30% complete.

That hurts my brain, but means that Tesla has plenty of room to grow at Gigafactory 1. The factory churns out gigawatt-hours of batteries thanks to endless hours of work put in by the 7,000 employees there and a few hundred robots. The video of the interview with Jerome shows some of Tesla’s battery cell conveyors that move the individual cells around in their own little conveyor carts. The segments remind me of minecarts from Minecraft.

The mainstream media focused its coverage on the Model 3 production ramp because that’s where the more visually exciting elements of the Model 3 are built, assembled, painted, and the like, but an equal amount of effort went into expanding and improving operations at Gigafactory 1.

Gigafactory 1 is where every 2170 battery cell that went into a Model 3 was put together. They also bundle up those cells into the battery modules and battery packs that power each car. The Gigafactory is the unsung hero in the Model 3 production ramp and it is clear that it will continue to be the backbone for Tesla’s projects moving forward, particularly since its Fremont, California, automobile factory is approaching or at full capacity.

Jerome said that the Gigafactory was a key component of Tesla’s strategy, since building everything in a single factory is seen as critical in lowering the cost of production as the company pushes for increasingly more affordable electric vehicles.

Working With Elon
Jerome also touched on his relationship with Elon in the interview, noting that Elon was not alone in asking for the impossible from his team during the Model 3 production ramp. Jerome was also pushing the team. That included long hours for Jerome, but no sleeping at the factory for him. While at the Gigafactory, Elon actually slept on the roof of the facility. Jerome said that the views up there are amazing but that “it gets a little cold at night,” with a laugh.

Keeping with the spirit of the 60 Minutes interview with Elon, she asked if Elon was just there as a cheerleader. The question speaks to either her lack of background prep on Elon or a desire to poke and prod at the raw edges just to provoke a response that might earn some headlines. Either way, it’s awkward, but Jerome said Elon is a leader and that he never seems to stop pushing:

“It’s always at the limit of the comfort zone. This is what it takes. What we’re trying to do is very difficult and it’s not going to happen just by cruising. There’s a lot of innovation, a lot of technology, and we are doing this to make the vehicle less expensive so more people can afford them and more people can drive electric,” Jerome said.

He closes by reinforcing the reason Tesla exists. They are doing all of this to make electric vehicles more affordable so more people can drive electric. It is so different than the way any other company operates and yet it just makes so much sense. We need revolutionary products and solutions and that’s what Tesla is bringing to market, but it requires painstaking, difficult, world-changing work. At the end of the day, Jerome is still able to smile and seems to enjoy doing what he’s doing at Tesla.

Source: 60 Minutes via Reddit

UPDATE 3-Ex-Ford Argentina execs convicted in torture case, victims may sue in U.S.

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – An Argentine court on Tuesday convicted two former executives of a local Ford Motor Co (F.N) plant of involvement in the torture of workers during the country’s dictatorship in the 1970s, victims’ lawyers said, adding they may sue Ford in U.S. federal court. Former Ford Motor Co. security chief Hector Sibilla… Continue reading UPDATE 3-Ex-Ford Argentina execs convicted in torture case, victims may sue in U.S.

Venezuelan government says it will reopen Goodyear plant, probe bosses

CARACAS, Dec 11 (Reuters) – Venezuela’s government said on Tuesday it would investigate Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co’s local management and re-start operations at its factory, which the U.S. company closed because of deteriorating economic conditions. On Monday, Goodyear said its Venezuelan tire plant had become “impossible” to maintain because of plummeting demand for consumer… Continue reading Venezuelan government says it will reopen Goodyear plant, probe bosses

Ford Blanquefort: Punch gets employees’ efforts

Will the efforts of employees at the Ford Blanquefort plant be sufficient to prevent closure? The Belgian industrialist Punch Powerglide, which took over at the beginning of 2013 the former GM factory in Strasbourg, has been on the run for several months to take Ford’s in the northern suburbs of Bordeaux. For weeks, the challenge… Continue reading Ford Blanquefort: Punch gets employees’ efforts

The challenges auto makers face in building in-car navigation

Consumers want intuitive, connected, future-proof navigation systems in their cars. Auto manufacturers want to provide solutions, but there are challenges to be overcome. When you think of using an interactive digital map in a car, what image forms in your mind? Do you see a fluid, colorful, intuitive interface living in the dashboard? Or, do… Continue reading The challenges auto makers face in building in-car navigation