Tag: People

Blockchain: the key technology of tomorrow

Ten years on, the money market revolution has manifested itself as an ATM in Germany. After the Berlin Court of Appeal ruled, at the end of September 2018, that bitcoin is not a financial instrument and therefore can be traded privately, a Munich-based entrepreneur quickly responded by setting up a bitcoin ATM at the end… Continue reading Blockchain: the key technology of tomorrow

ZF Acquires Automotive Division of Romanian Engineering Services Provider BeeSpeed in Timisoara

“BeeSpeed is a long-term and reliable partner,” says Manfred Meyer, Head of Engineering in the Active Safety, Braking Systems, and Steering Systems Business Unit at ZF. “By acquiring this company, we will have permanently secured the expertise of BeeSpeed’s roughly 110 engineers who work for us as part of BeeSpeed’s automotive division while offering them… Continue reading ZF Acquires Automotive Division of Romanian Engineering Services Provider BeeSpeed in Timisoara

China’s Geely denies Bloomberg report, says has not sold shares in Daimler

FILE PHOTO: The emblem of the Geely automobile maker logo is seen at the IEEV New Energy Vehicles Exhibition in Beijing, China October 18, 2018. Picture taken October 18, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Zhejiang Geely Holding Group said on Friday that the company has not sold any shares in German carmaker Daimler… Continue reading China’s Geely denies Bloomberg report, says has not sold shares in Daimler

Geely cuts its Daimler stake by more than half: Bloomberg

The Daimler logo is seen before the Daimler annual shareholder meeting in Berlin, Germany, April 5, 2018. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke (Reuters) – Chinese billionaire Li Shufu’s Geely Group cut its 9.7 percent stake in carmaker Daimler AG (DAIGn.DE) by more than half, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Li had taken a… Continue reading Geely cuts its Daimler stake by more than half: Bloomberg

World’s most valuable AI startup SenseTime unveils self-driving center in Japan

The world’s highest-valued artificial intelligence startup SenseTime has set foot in Japan. The Beijing-based firm announced on Friday that it just opened a self-driving facility in Joso, a historic city 50 kilometers away from Tokyo where it plans to conduct R&D and road test driverless vehicles. The initiative follows its agreement with Japanese auto giant Honda in… Continue reading World’s most valuable AI startup SenseTime unveils self-driving center in Japan

Survey Predicts Increase in Weekend Trips

While their trips may be shorter, travelers make the most of their time away, especially by embracing new experiences outdoors. Photo via Depositphotos.  Enterprise’s Annual Weekend Getaway Survey found that more people are reporting a stronger desire to get out of the office in 2019 than last year — and most of them sum up… Continue reading Survey Predicts Increase in Weekend Trips

Ford values VW's scale, Mahindra's efficiency in tie-ups

Ford values VW's scale, Mahindra's efficiency in tie-upsIn intensifying alliance talks with Germany's largest automaker, Ford Motor Co. is eyeing Volkswagen AG's available manufacturing capacity to help the Blue Oval revive its money-losing European business.
“We believe that if we can form this alliance with VW … it would give us the benefit of the increased scale of their business,” Steven Armstrong, president of Ford's operations in Europe, Middle East and Africa, said Thursday. He added that an alliance with VW could “broaden” Ford's “product range.”
Details on the Volkswagen deal could come as soon as Tuesday at the Detroit auto show pending a scheduled meeting Friday of VW's governing supervisory board, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Under pressure to dramatically improve the financial performance of its regional businesses, Ford is seriously exploring sweeping automotive partnerships to help fix long-standing issues in Europe, South America and India, now on track to become one of the world's largest markets.
In Europe, Volkswagen would help Ford amplify its already-strong commercial vehicle business, and a successful partnership could bolster Ford's reputation and market share outside its U.S. stronghold, one sourcewith knowledge of the situation told The Detroit News.
Jim Farley, Ford president of global markets, said Wednesday evening in Detroit that ongoing discussions with the Mumbai-based Mahindra Group could unlock cost-savings for Ford as it attempts to get the proper products into the growing Indian auto market.
“Partnering, we explained about a year ago, was going to be a key part of Ford's future,” Farley said. “Boy, has it been eye-opening to work with Mahindra. The way they look at costs… It's an extremely fit company. They have real capabilities when it comes to reuse. We offer a lot. Emission certification, because emissions are getting real complicated in places like India.”
Negotiations with Mahindra to partner on SUVs and a small electric vehicle began in March following a series of memorandums of understanding and collaborations on other, smaller products. Details of the Mahindra partnership should become clear by the middle of this year,a source said Friday.
Partnering with largest SUV manufacturer in India could also help Ford sell a product that better fits the Indian market. Ford vehicles are currently too big and too expensive for the cost-focused Indian market.
Details on potential alliance with VW could come soon. Steven Armstrong, Ford president of Europe, Middle East and Africa, said Thursday Volkswagen's manufacturing scale in Europe could be a boon for the company. Ford is the leading commercial light vehicle seller in Europe, but has only the fourth-best manufacturing scale.
“Quantifying potential synergies for Ford from a partnership with VW is tricky,” Deutsche Bank wrote in a note Thursday. “But between the large combined spend on autonomous and electrification, and the potential for better capacity utilization in Europe or South America, we feel that Ford savings could ultimately amount to several billion dollars in case of a broad partnership.”
The automakers have for most of the past year been in broad-ranging discussions about partnering on everything from light commercial vehicles to electrification and autonomous vehicles. Both Ford and Volkswagen have repeatedly declined to comment about the nature of the partnership discussions, or when details might be announced.
Ford on Thursday announced it would cut thousands of jobs in Europe as part of an ongoing effort to turn the business around there. The Volkswagen partnership would be a vital part of Ford's future plans for Europe. Armstrong said Ford wouldn't have continued to sell in Europe if the strong commercial vehicles business — which it hopes to grow with Volkswagen's help — didn't have a future.
The companies have also discussed partnering on the more futuristic and expensive side of the business. The News reported in November that as part of the partnership talks, Volkswagen was considering a $1 billion-plus investment in Argo AI, the robotics and technology company majority-owned by Ford.
The potential investment in Argo was being considered as Ford and Volkswagen continue months-long talks on global partnerships, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. Volkswagen also was considering a separate investment in Ford's in-house autonomous vehicle business, The News has previously reported.
The potential deals could result in both Ford and Volkswagen saving massive amounts of money as they invest in self-driving vehicles, aligning two of the world's largest automakers behind one of the biggest bets on the future of the auto industry. The companies could co-develop hardware and software for robotic vehicles, widen global market penetration and save money on software and licensing as a result of the partnership after the vehicles launch in 2021, the year Ford is targeting to put the vehicles on roads.
Ford and Volkswagen have also focused, among other things, on globally co-developing light-commercial vehicles. The two automakers and Argo hope to have some part of the autonomous vehicle deals finalized before the end of 2018, sources told The News in November.
VW CEO Herbert Diess said after a White House meeting in December that he might used Ford plant capacity in the U.S. to build cars. Ford executive chairman Bill Ford Jr. said then that the discussions were progressing well.
“Although there's been a lot of news about Volkswagen and Ford, Mahindra and Ford is also a very important opportunity,” Farley said. “There's a lot of potential.”
ithibodeau@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Ian_Thibodeau
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Tesla Clinic Accused Of Denying Injured Workers Medical Care To Hide True Injury Count

Yesterday, Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting published an exposé about work conditions at the Tesla auto factory. In the piece, “Inside Tesla’s factory, a medical clinic designed to ignore injured workers,” many accounts of fraudulent reporting and blatant mishandling of medical injuries are detailed.

“The on-site medical clinic serving some 10,000 employees at Tesla Inc.’s California assembly plant has failed to properly care for seriously hurt workers, an investigation by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting has found.

“The clinic’s practices are unsafe and unethical, five former clinic employees said.

“But denying medical care and work restrictions to injured workers is good for one thing: making real injuries disappear.”

“‘The goal of the clinic was to keep as many patients off of the books as possible,’ said Anna Watson, a physician assistant who worked at Tesla’s medical clinic for three weeks in August.”

Watson recounts incidents of workers being sent to the hospital for emergencies in a Lyft rather than an ambulance because ambulance calls would have to be reported. Once such occasion was when a worker severed the tip of his finger.

On a separate occasion, Stephon Nelson was putting caulk inside the trunk of a Model X when the unthinkable happened. Something was dislodged and the hatchback came crashing down on Nelson’s back. Besides the extreme pain, Nelson was unable to walk or even sit. Deep bruises were an immediate and visible testament to his underlying injury. The Tesla doctor denied an ambulance request and sent him to the hospital in a Lyft.

Typically, 911 logs are public records. And first responders are required to report to California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health. Lyft drivers have no such requirement. This is just one of the ways Tesla is accused of intentionally hiding injuries.

Even getting the Lyft is not a straightforward process. The piece says that an injured person lying on the assembly line would have to wait 10 to 15 minutes for medical personnel to get there. Once arrived, they would have to contact the doctor. Finally, it could take hours just to get the code for the Tesla Lyft account.

Watson speaks of a policy to send injured workers back to work without any type of work modification regardless of the complaint. Those complaints could include burns, lacerations, sprains, and the like. She even had to send a person back to work who appeared to have a broken ankle.

These are not isolated incidents. The report is quite long and detailed. It paints a picture of systematic abuse in the service of hiding facts about injuries. Tesla denies all claims.

Ford-owned shuttle service Chariot will shut down; company operated in Seattle, SF, other cities

Chariot launched its enterprise service in Seattle this past summer. (Chariot Photo) Ford-owned Chariot today announced that it will cease operations, shutting down its commuter shuttle service in the U.K. and U.S. over the next few months. Chariot operated a fleet of vans that provided an alternative to public transit in San Francisco and New… Continue reading Ford-owned shuttle service Chariot will shut down; company operated in Seattle, SF, other cities