Sheet Metal Stamping Simulation

To be relevant in manufacturing today, you know it’s essential to constantly up your game. It’s crucial to the success of your business to integrate the latest technology, equipment, lean practices, management strategies and green solutions into your daily operations. The question is: how do you fit it all in when the world is changing at light speed, information is coming at you from all directions, and your resources are stretched to the breaking point?

"Engineering operations of companies in most industries...are under increasing pressure to more quickly design, manufacture and launch new products in the marketplace in response to ever-shorter product lifecycles and greater demand," and are further responsible for keeping the company innovative. But "leading companies are succeeding by augmenting their existing engineering capabilities with outsourced services to meet today's product development needs, while reducing operating costs, and positioning themselves for sustained high performance," he writes, and provides a list of examples from various industries. "Embracing outsourced services as part of the company's growth strategy will give companies the ability to stay ahead of the competition and remain on the path towards high performance in an increasingly challenging, global market."

There are TWO ways to get "accurate" results that will match reality as closely as possible:

StampingSimulation.com was recently published in the February edition of MetalForming Magazine. For those who missed it, you can check out the article here.

For a long time now, I have been sounding like a broken record about how important it is to test steel samples for use in simulation, and how “generic” properties or “mill certs” are hardly worth the paper they are written on. Also, I am always strongly suggesting that our customer do not “guess” material properties for use in simulation, and if they do, they must assume responsibility if reality does not match simulation.

The financial result was Ford’s best in more than a decade. The brand now has $US20.5 billion in gross cash on hand and a $US19.1 billion debt.

Ford’s debt, which it took on board before the global financial crisis in an attempt to protect itself fiscally, decreased 43 percent in 2010, down from $US33.6 billion to $US19.1 billion.

Tim Lee, president of international operations at General Motors Co., comments on sales growth and manufacturing capacity in China. He spoke in New Delhi today.

Is manufacturing still king in northwest Ohio?

As the economy improves, many changes are being made. A decline in manufacturing jobs caused by the downturn, may have may wondering if it's still a top employer in the region, if not state. While agriculture remains the top business, who is the top employer?

The Ohio Department of Development's Policy Research and Strategic Planning Office listed the state's top employers as of 2010. The top five employers throughout the state are comprised of retail and health sector businesses as well as education.

Akerson previously stated that Volt production in 2011 could rise from a planned 10,000 units to 25,000, and it appears as though that upward trend will continue through 2012. GM planned to produce 60,000 Volts in 2012, but Akerson is now pushing for that target to increase to 120,000 units.

Toyota Motor Corp. plans to produce more vehicles without increasing capital investments as Volkswagen AG attempts to surpass it as the world’s largest carmaker by 2018.

While Detroit and Michigan are recovering from the recession and auto industry meltdown, the South is surging with two new assembly plants slated to open this year.

The 2012 Volkswagen Passat, a close sibling of the resigned Jetta in 2011 but larger and with a substantially lower price than last year’s model, was unveiled at the Detroit auto show.

The vast changes will include a transfer of manufacturing locations to the new U.S. VW plant in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Ford sales in India, spearheaded by the Ford Figo, nearly tripled last year to more than 83 000 units.

Ford India has been named "Manufacturer of the Year 2011" for its innovative practices in manufacturing and engineering excellence. The prizes were awarded at a ceremony in Mumbai last Friday.

Auto manufacturers have begun an invasion of the Consumer Electronics Show that will only grow in magnitude and significance in future years.

Ford CEO Alan Mulally showed off the Ford Focus EV during his keynote presentation. The sedan will be differentiated from the competing Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt by having double the charge rate (6.6 kilowatts). Ford's Nancy Gioia said a fully depleted battery can be recharged in 3-4 hours. Ford will begin manufacturing the vehicle at the end of this year, and will roll it out to 19 target cities during 2012. The all-electric vehicle will have an estimated driving range of 80-100 miles.

FOR the past two years the Detroit motor show has been a dismal affair. But this year the parties were in full swing again. Helped by government bail-outs and with debt burdens lightened by bankruptcy, Chrysler and GM are back on their feet; Ford, the other member of Detroit’s Big Three, is thriving. It took America’s car industry 20 years and a world war to recover the three-quarters of production wiped out by the 1929 crash. By comparison, the aftermath of the latest recession has been surprisingly comfortable.