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Car showrooms, accessory stores and carwash centres can resume operations from August 16

From tomorrow, Monday August 16, 2021, a greater degree of normalcy returns to Malaysia as the government will allow a number of activities to resume. Announcing this long-awaited development, the Prime Minister said that the vaccination programme has covered a significant portion of the population already and there was also a decline evident in the number of serious cases of COVID-19 infection, hence the removal of restrictions which have been in place since the beginning of June 2021.

Of interest to the auto industry which has been facing growing challenges as it could not carry out normal business is permission to operate showrooms and distribution centres again. Additionally, manufacturing activities are also allowed to resume, subject to certain conditions. This means that, for the auto industry, things can return to normal but with observance of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that we should all be familiar with by now.

Orders waiting to be fulfilled
While service centres have been allowed to operate so as to provide essential services to motorists, the closure of showrooms has prevented visits by customers who may be shopping for a new car, as well as deliveries of new vehicles. However, while the showrooms have been closed, many companies have been able to get bookings via their virtual showrooms online during the past two months. Now they will be rushing to complete those orders and deliver the new vehicles to customers.

However, stocks may not be readily available as the suspension of assembly operations for two months has meant that there have been no new vehicles coming from the plants. The government is allowing plants to resume their operations with workforce levels dependent on the percentage of workers already vaccinated. Those which have had more than 80% of their workers vaccinated are allowed to operate at full capacity, again with adherence to SOPs.

*Assembly of vehicles will be allowed to resume and many companies will be rushing to meet the backlog of orders which has built up over the past two months.*

*Employees at Perodua awaiting their turn for vaccination at the carmaker’s headquarters complex.*

MITI has helped to organize the vaccination programme for workers in the manufacturing sector with PIKAS (Program Imunisasi Industri COVID-19 Kerjasama Awam-Swasta), the public-private sector partnership immunisation program. This has been important, particularly in the Klang Valley where many of the country’s economic and industrial facilities are located.

Accessory shops, carwash centres reopen
For those who require accessories, such stores can now open for business while carwash centres are also allowed to operate again. And if your hair has gotten rather long, the good news is that barbers (as well as hairdressers and beauty palours) can also resume their business. Also include in the list are shops which sell electrical items, household items, jewelry furniture, sportswear and fashion and accessory centres.

MITI has also made it a condition that employees who work in their offices must take biweekly RTK antigen tests approved by the Health Ministry. While many companies will continue with the work-from-home routine to avoid the additional costs of such frequent testing, those in the manufacturing sector won’t be able to avoid the expenditure which can be quite substantial.

Only for those fully vaccinated
An important condition is that those who visit all these places must be already fully vaccinated. Full vaccination means 2 doses of Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Sinovac vaccines, with the second dose received no less than 14 days ago. For those who the Johnson & Johnson or CanSino vaccines, a single dose is considered enough but must have been received not less than 28 days ago. If you have not been vaccinated or do not meet these conditions, or you have symptoms of COVID-19 infection, DO NOT go to any public places and remain at home. If your symptoms are serious, seek medical help immediately.

*Visitors to showrooms, service centres and all public places must still observe SOPs.*

The number of new cases daily has been over 20,000 since August 11 but hopefully, as vaccination of a larger proportion of the population is completed, spread of infections can be reduced. According to a report, there are signs that the most serious cases are getting a bit less now although hospitals are still overloaded. Precautions are still necessary (don’t think vaccination makes you immune to the coronavirus) and facemasks should be used in public places with social distancing observed. If everyone can do their part and protect themselves and each other, perhaps we can return to the sort of life we have before 2020.

Safer, more immersive experience for Isuzu customers in the era of the New Normal

The National Vaccination Program in Malaysia is free of charge.

Volvo Cars to have full ownership and control of its operations in China

Volvo Cars has signed an agreement with its parent company, Geely Holding, to acquire Geely Holding’s stake in the companies’ joint ventures in China. This development means that the Swedish carmaker, acquired by Geely from Ford in 2010, will take full ownership of its car manufacturing plants and sales operations in the biggest car market in the world

The acquisition of an additional 50% of the shares in Daqing Volvo Car Manufacturing and Shanghai Volvo Car Research & Development will further strengthen Volvo Cars’ position in China, its largest market, and maximize exposure to one of the fastest growing regions globally.

*In 2017, Volvo began sending the S90 sedan to Belgium from its Daqing factory via the China-Europe railway link. The connection to Europe is faster than the traditional sea route from Asian ports.*

Full control over operations in China
Although the two joint venture companies are already fully included in Volvo Car Group’s financial statements, Volvo Cars’ share of their net income and equity will increase following the transaction. “With this agreement, Volvo Cars will become the first major non-Chinese automaker with full control over its Chinese operations,” said Hakan Samuelsson, Chief Executive of Volvo Cars.

“Geely Holding Group and Volvo Cars are continuously evaluating the best way to collaborate and structure operations within the wider Group. These two transactions will create a clearer ownership structure within both Volvo Cars and Geely Holding,” said Geely Holding CEO, Daniel Donghui Li.

Acquisition includes R&D facility
Volvo Cars has grown significantly faster than the average market in China in recent years and will continue to invest in the country to maintain the strong growth trend. Following the transactions, Volvo Cars will have full ownership of its manufacturing plants in Chengdu and Daqing, its national sales company in China and its R&D facility in Shanghai.

The transactions will be completed in two steps, starting in 2022 when the joint venture requirement for auto manufacturing in China will be lifted, and expected to be formally completed in 2023. The transactions will, of course, need regulatory approvals.

Strong growth in China in spite of pandemic
Volvo Cars has seen strong growth in the Chinese market in recent years. In 2020, it sold 166,617 cars in China, an increase of 7.5% over 2019 performance and its eighth consecutive sales record in the market in spite of the pandemic. In the first half of 2021, sales increased 44.9% compared to the same period in 2020, and by 40.1% compared with the same period in 2019.

Geely Holding and Volvo Cars to form joint-venture company producing powertrains

Vaccination does not make you immune to COVID-19 infection. You can still get infected and you may not show symptoms but spread the coronavirus. Do not stop taking protective measures such as wearing a facemask, washing hands frequently and social distancing.

Malaysian Automotive Association appeals to government to allow auto industry facilities to resume operations

The Malaysian auto industry, like many other industries in the country, has been badly impacted by the measures taken to fight the COVID-19 pandemic since last year. Representing the new motor vehicle distributors, assemblers and manufacturers, the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) commends the government for its efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus in order to save lives.

However, the MAA feels the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO), Phase 1 and Phase 2 of National Recovery Program approach needs to be reviewed and re-considered, especially for key economic states like Selangor, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Perak, Johor, Penang and Negeri Sembilan. The EMCO approach had been enforced in Selangor and WP Kuala Lumpur for more than 2 weeks now while some states have transitioned into Phase 2 of the NRP.

Whole supply chain affected
“The whole supply chain in the automotive sector has been seriously affected particularly by the complete shutdown of operations in EMCO states/localities like Selangor and WP Kuala Lumpur. Feedback received from many of our members indicated that business operations – even in non-EMCO states – are hampered due to disruptions in the supply chain”, said Datuk Aishah Ahmad, President of MAA.

During the EMCO stage, not a single business activity from the automotive sector is allowed to operate, while for states under Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the NRP, the vehicle showroom and distribution centres are still not allowed to operate despite the opening up of most of the other economic sectors.

Production and distribution of automotive products (motor vehicles, components and parts) and sales of vehicles have been halted since June 1, 2021. The stoppages of all these activities will have far-reaching implications to the entire automotive ecosystem nationwide. In April last year, sales and production plummeted to almost zero when the first MCO was in force.

Implications of continuing closures
While automotive companies may suffer from loss of revenue, profitability, export markets and closure of businesses, their employees face issues such as pay cuts, loss of income (particularly for sales personnel) and even retrenchment in certain cases. The government will also lose in terms of lower revenue collected from excise duties, import duties, sales taxes and road taxes for motor vehicles.

The closures of automotive workshops and parts centres in EMCO states/localities such as Selangor and WP Kuala Lumpur will not only cause inconvenience to all vehicle owners in general but may also endanger those whose vehicles may have defects or problems. Failure to repair faulty parts in such vehicles can pose a serious risk to all road-users. These include vehicles which may be belonging to frontliners such as those in the PDRM, Ministry of Health, etc. who may encounter damages or breakdown in the course of doing their work.

With factories and distribution centres (for vehicles and parts) in EMCO states/localities unable to operate, this will disrupt the supply chain to business operations in states/areas under Phase 1 and 2 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP). As a result, the recovery efforts by the government will be negated.

Increasing damaged inflicted
The consequences arising from stoppages of the automotive factories, workshops, and distribution centres (for vehicles and spare parts) in EMCO states/localities is indeed very serious, the MAA stresses. The longer these facilities do not operate, the greater the damages inflicted on to the automotive industry in particular, and the country in general.

The MAA is therefore appealing to the government to allow automotive sector activities (workshops and distribution centres for passenger and commercial vehicles and spare parts) to operate with immediate effect albeit at certain capacity and with strict SOPs in place in states under EMCO, Phase 1 of NRP and Phase 2 of NRP.

Selangor and WP Kuala Lumpur account for close to 50% of Malaysia’s total industry volume of new vehicles each year. Many of the key automotive companies for both production of vehicles and components are located within these two states. In addition, some MAA members also have their sole and or central distribution centre (for vehicles and spare parts) located within the Klang Valley.

In addition, to reduce congestion at ports, the MAA is proposing to allow a window of two to three days per week for receiving and storing cargos for the automotive sector similar to what was practiced during MCO 1.0 last year. The Malaysian automotive industry is heavily dependent on the domestic market. Export markets exist but are insufficient to sustain the industry.

Nissan to invest £1 billion in establishing Electric Vehicle (EV) Hub as a world-first EV manufacturing ecosystem

The auto industry is accelerating towards electrification of products, ultimately leaving behind the combustion engine that has been blamed for causing pollution of the environment and bringing on climate change. However, unlike previous transitions, this one is a radical one that calls for a change in the ecosystem of the industry. The existing ecosystem has evolved over 100 years around the combustion engine and now, with electrification, manufacturing processes and supply chains need to be changed.

Different carmakers are taking different approaches and Nissan will make a total investment of £1 billion (about RM5.82 billion) in establishing a flagship Electric Vehicle (EV) Hub as a world-first EV manufacturing ecosystem. To be known as Nissan EV36Zero, the core of this hub will be at its 35-year old manufacturing complex at Sunderland in the United Kingdom.

The transformational project has Envision AESC, a global player in world-leading battery technology, and the Sunderland City Council as partners. Made up of three interconnected initiatives, Nissan EV36Zero brings together electric vehicles, renewable energy and battery production, setting a blueprint for the future of the automotive industry.

“This project comes as part of Nissan’s pioneering efforts to achieve carbon neutrality throughout the entire lifecycle of our products. Our comprehensive approach includes not only the development and production of EVs, but also the use of on-board batteries as energy storage and their reuse for secondary purposes,” said Nissan President & CEO, Makoto Uchida. “The experience and know-how gained through the project will be shared globally, enhancing Nissan’s global competitiveness.”

Building on Nissan’s historic presence in Sunderland, the projects represent 6,200 jobs at Nissan and its UK suppliers, including more than 900 new Nissan jobs and 750 new Envision AESC jobs at its new smart, low-carbon battery plant. Longer-term, the transformational project modernises and expands Nissan’s EV production capability in the UK.

Envision AESC will deploy integrated AIoT smart technology to monitor and optimize energy consumption, manufacturing and maintenance at its new gigafactory, enabling it to rapidly increase production and provide batteries to power up to 100,000 Nissan electric vehicles a year.

New-generation electric crossover
As part of the investment, Nissan will invest up to £423 million to produce a new-generation EV in the UK. Utilising the Alliance CMF-EV platform, it will be designed for global markets with forecasted production capacity of up to 100,000 units to be installed.

Next-generation EV batteries
Envision AESC already owns and operates Europe’s first battery plant in Sunderland, established in 2012 for the localisation of Nissan LEAF battery production. The factory’s UK team therefore has 9 years’ expertise of supplying batteries to the Nissan LEAF and eNV200, having produced enough cells, modules and packs to power over 180,000 electric vehicles in 44 countries, meeting global benchmark levels of quality, performance, safety, reliability and cost.

Supporting this new model allocation, Envision AESC will invest £450 million (about RM2.62 billion) to build the UK’s first gigafactory on the International Advanced Manufacturing Park, adjacent to the Nissan plant, powered by renewable energy and pioneering next-generation battery technology. This new plant will increase the cost-competitiveness of EV batteries produced in the UK, including through a new Gen5 battery cell with 30% more energy density which improves range and efficiency. It will also make batteries cheaper and EVs more accessible to a growing number of customers in the future.

Used battery packs have second life
There are also plans for a 1MW battery storage system using second-life Nissan EV/Envision AESC batteries, which will also allow for excess energy generated during daylight hours to be captured and used at another time, helping to balance demand on the grid.

Nissan EVs as mobile power supply units in disaster areas (w/VIDEO)

Geely Holding and Volvo Cars to form joint-venture company producing powertrains

Geely Holding (or more correctly, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group in full) has been building up its portfolio of brands over the past two decades. While allowing the brands – which include Lotus, Volvo, Polestar and Proton – to operate autonomously, there has also been a strong effort to fully utilise the available synergies that such a large group of companies enables. Sharing resources can give a competitive edge in the business and Geely Holding has therefore not just developed the car companies but also looked at how it can create its own ecosystem for other elements.

One important area is powertrains and while each of the companies has had its own R&D in this area, a ‘centralised’ powertrain company would be beneficial to the group. To establish this, Geely Holding has announced a joint-venture with Volvo Cars to create Aurobay, a new company that will be in the powertrain business. The new company will be a global supplier of complete powertrain solutions including next-generation combustion engines, transmissions and hybrid solutions.

Aurobray will get Volvo’s engine facilities
Aurobay will initially be jointly owned by Volvo Cars and Geely Holding and as part of the creation of Aurobay, Volvo Cars will transfer all assets in its wholly-owned subsidiary Powertrain Engineering Sweden, including its engine plant in Sweden as well as the related R&D team, along with its engine plant in China and other relevant assets to the joint-venture in coming months.

The creation of the stand-alone joint venture and the transfer of assets allows Volvo Cars to focus fully on the development of its new range of all-electric models in coming years. The company aims to have 50% of its global sales volume made up of fully electric vehicles by 2025, of which 50% will be hybrids using powertrains supplied by Aurobay. By 2030, it will no longer sell vehicles with combustion ends and offer only fully electric models.

For Geely Holding, the new entity will benefit from the addition of a strong R&D team and technologically advanced and efficient combustion engines and hybrid powertrains for its portfolio of brands, creating a strong base for substantial operational, industrial and financial synergies.

Supply to other companies outside Geely Group
The new business also has plans to supply customers outside of the Geely Holding Group, with the objective of becoming a leading player in the supply of high-quality, low emission, cost-efficient powertrains solutions. The supply of engines to other companies isn’t something unusual and larger carmakers have been doing so for a long time. For example, Proton used to source engines for the Waja and Savvy from Renault.

*Besides making and supplying powertrains to Geely Holding Group companies, Aurobray will also supply them to other companies.*

Besides the new powertrain business, Geely Holding and Volvo Cars have other plans for collaboration. These include sharing of electric vehicle architecture, joint procurement, autonomous drive technologies and aftersales.

“As shareholders and portfolio-managers of both wholly-owned and listed companies, Geely Holding sees significant benefits from deeper partnerships and alliances whilst maintaining independence,” said Li Shufu, Chairman of Geely Holding. “We are encouraged by the potential synergies and growth opportunities created by this collaboration, which will create two even stronger globally competitive companies in the rapidly changing world of automotive technology and new mobility services.”

Volvo Car Group aims to have assured battery supply with gigafactory joint venture

Proton constructing additional stamping facility at Tanjung Malim factory

Proton today held a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the commencement of construction work on a new stamping facility at its Tanjung Malim factory. The factory, built in the late 1990s, already has stamping facilities and this new one will complement them. It is scheduled to be completed by the third quarter of 2022.

The new facility will house a new Superlarge stamping machine which allows making larger metal panels for vehicles and other parts. The investment of RM200 million in the facility is part of Proton’s plan to increase levels of localisation, both for current and future models.

Proton was the first carmaker in Malaysia to have its own stamping facilities when its original factory was built. The picture above shows the stamping area under construction in 1984. Stamping its own body panels (below) increases the level of localisation in its models.

This is on top of the RM1.2 billion already spent on upgrading the factory with the aim of making it a world-class vehicle manufacturing plant that will be able to produce more model lines. It is also in line with Proton’s technology strategy as the new facility will have state-of-the-art tools as well as systems.

“While we are happy with our progress so far, Proton must continue to look to the future”, said Dr.Li Chunrong, Chief Executive Officer of Proton. “This new addition is part of our strategy to ensure that we can grow continuously as well as increase our model footprint when we have to. This means having the ability to build more variants but more importantly, to be able to build them to the highest standards as well as to incorporate new technology.”

Proton has seen a huge turnaround in fortunes over the last three years since Geely became DRB-HICOM’s partner in the company. Besides introducing brand new models, it has also had increased sales volumes and gained market share. At the same time, quality has been improved in products and services and the entire dealer network has been revamped with most outlets upgrading to 3S status.

“We are very clear about direction and growth for Proton. While Malaysia will always be our primary market, we must be able to compete beyond our shores. This facility is one small part of that journey. It is especially important for us because it means we can do far more localisation going forward. This will have a spill-over effect which will see us engaging with more vendors and further growing the local automotive ecosystem,” said Dr. Li.

*Proton factory in Tanjung Malim, Perak*

Strong start for Proton with Q1 market share highest since March 2012

BMW continues to be the largest exporter of vehicles from the USA

BMW first began selling its cars in America in the mid-1950s and as their popularity grew, the carmaker began to consider making some of them there. The decision was finally made in the early 1990s, and Spartanburg County in the state of South Carolina was chosen for the factory site. It would be the first full production factory outside Germany and was intended to be a global production hub.

The first car – a 3-Series sedan – rolled out in September 1994, and was followed by the Z3 and Z4 models in the years that followed. The output was not only sent to distributors around North America but also worldwide, shipped out of the Port of Charleston which is nearby and one reason why BMW chose Spartanburg.

*BMW’s first and still only factory in the USA began by making the 3-Series in 1994, followed by the Z3 and Z4 (below).*

*In 1999, the plant was designated as the global production hub for the new SAVs, starting with the X5. Today, it is the global centre of competence for X models.*

Global centre of competence for X models
The Spartanburg factory began making the first Sports Activity Vehicle (SAVs) in 1999, with the X5, and today produces five X models (X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7). These include plug-in hybrid electric variants which accounted for 13 percent of the factory’s total production last year. BMW has assembled batteries for electrified vehicles since 2015, making the BMW Group a pioneer of electromobility in the USA.

In over 25 years, BMW Plant Spartanburg’s employment level has risen to more than 11,000 people who build 1,500 BMWs every day. The current facility represents a total investment of US$10.6 billion that includes two massive body shops, two paint shops, two assembly halls and an elaborate logistics operation.

Exporting more than two-thirds of its product, the BMW factory makes a considerable impact on US economic growth. A 2018 study by the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina estimated the annual economic impact of BMW Manufacturing on the US economy, measured in terms of overall output, was US$38.5 billion.

Seventh consecutive year as top exporter
Last year, for the seventh consecutive year, BMW Plant Spartanburg again topped the chart for automotive exports from the USA by value, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The factory exported 218,820 SAVs and Coupes during 2020 with an export value of more than US$8.9 billion.

While 86% of the vehicles were exported through the Port of Charleston, other ports along the east coast of the country were also used, as well as rail transport. The exports go to more than125 countries around the world. The top 5 export countries were China (23.3% of export volume), Germany (12.9%), South Korea (7.8%), Canada (6%), and Russia (5.3%).

*BMW Spartanburg exports vehicles by sea as well as by rail (below).*

Like all automotive manufacturers, BMW experienced a production interruption due to the coronavirus pandemic. After a 5-week non-production period, activity in the factory resumed for one shift daily from May 4. With new health guidelines and procedures in place, production slowly ramped up as the supply chain stabilized and demand rose. During the second half of the year, the factory produced nearly 218,000 BMWs, a record for any 6-month period in its history. By year’s end, the total output was 361,365 vehicles for the whole of 2020.

Click here for other BMW news and articles or visit www.bmw.com.my to know more about models and services available in Malaysia.

Volkswagen’s Transparent Factory to become the ‘Home of the ID’ all-electric model

Volkswagen’s Transparent Factory, located in Dresden (which used to be in the former East Germany), began operations in 2002 making the company’s Phaeton luxury sedan. At one point, it was also used for production of the Continental Flying Spur by Bentley, which is part of the Volkswagen Group. The unique factory, with glass walls, also assembled the e-Golf.

Now, it is making the ID, Volkswagen’s range of all-electric vehicles. It is the second production site for the ID.3 and already the fourth site in the world producing Volkswagen models based on the Modular Electric Drive Toolkit (MEB). Over the coming years, the former ‘Centre of Future Mobility’ will steadily transform into the ‘Home of the ID’.

Showcase for mobility of tomorrow
“The Transparent Factory plays an important role within the Volkswagen brand. Here, visitors, customers and guests come into direct contact with the mobility of tomorrow. We are a production plant, tourist attraction, event location, test lab and delivery centre – all in one. With the start of the production of the ID.3, we are giving the green light for our strategic realignment,” said Danny Auerswald, Site Manager of the Transparent Factory.

An additional focus of the strategic realignment is the development of a research and innovation site that drives innovative projects on a pilot scale for later use in large capacity sites at Volkswagen.

Holistic experience
As it was before, the Transparent Factory offers customers, visitors and guests a holistic experience of the ID. family – from initial advice and test drives, to production visits, co-constructing the ID.3 and modern event formats, up to the handover of the electric vehicles.

The first ID.3 rolled off the assembly line recently, and as with the start-up of the e-Golf in 2017, the production of the ID.3 will also start with one shift and 35 vehicles from Monday to Friday. Visitors can tour the factory from Mondays to Sundays.

*The Transparent Factory, located in the former East Germany, also offers tours to the public and customers can collect their vehicles there as well.*

In future, significantly more vehicles will be handed over to customers in the Transparent Factory. To that end, a second delivery point was recently set up in the factory – which is unique in the automobile industry. The number of vehicle handovers to customers is expected to increase from 1,301 in 2019 and 3,296 in 2020, to more than 5,000 vehicles in 2021. The goal is around 9,700 deliveries a year by 2022.

Conversion of the factory
At the beginning of 2021, the production area of the Transparent Factory was converted to meet the requirements of the MEB. The first conversions for the ID.3 already took place in summer 2020. As one of seven stations, the ‘marriage’, where the body and chassis are bolted together, was adapted. The conversion measures include, for example, the installation of a system on which the panoramic roof is fitted and for the adaptation of the gripping devices for installing the cockpit and seat system.

*The factory produced the Phaeton as well as Bentley Continental Flying Spur (above) and e-Golf (below).*

Fourth MEB factory
The Transparent Factory is already the fourth site in the world producing Volkswagen electric cars based on the Modular Electric Drive Toolkit. At the end of 2020, the Chinese sites in Anting and Foshan also started production of MEB vehicles. Together, the two plants in Germany and two plants in China have a maximum production capacity of more than 900,000 vehicles a year. Two more sites in Germany and one in the USA are also preparing for MEB production.

The topic of Production 4.0 will also be driven forward in the Transparent Factory. The guiding principle is the automation and digitalization of complex operations within assembly and logistics. Specifically, the factory will act as a planned pilot plant in the company for the development and application of new technologies in volume production processes.

To know about Volkswagen models available in Malaysia, visit www.volkswagen.com.my.

2020 Volkswagen ID.3 makes global debut

Better protection for your wheels with 3D-printed locking nuts

It’s one of the worst experiences for a driver – finding their car up on blocks (or sometimes not even off the road) with all four wheels gone. Now Ford has developed unique rim nuts that can make wheels more secure using 3D printing technology.

Together with EOS, a leading supplier for high-end solutions in 3D additive manufacturing, Ford has created locking nuts with contours based on the driver’s voice. Like an iris scan or a fingerprint, a person’s voice can be used as a unique biometric identification.

Engineers record the driver’s voice for a minimum of one second, saying something like ‘I drive a Ford Mustang’, and use software to convert that singular soundwave into a physical, printable pattern. This pattern is then turned into a circle and used as the design for the locking nut’s indentation and key.

With the geometry in place, the nut and key are designed as one piece, then 3D-printed using acid and corrosion resistant stainless steel. When finished, the nut and key are separated, with a small amount of grinding required to make them ready for use.

Additional security features
The design also includes second-level security features that prevent the nut from being cloned or copied. The unevenly spaced ribs inside the nut and indentations that widen the deeper they go prevent a thief from making a wax imprint of the pattern, as the wax breaks when it is pulled from the nut.

If not using the driver’s voice to create the contours, the nuts could feature designs specific to a vehicle, such as with the Mustang logo, or use the driver’s initials. The design could also take inspiration from a driver’s interest, for example, by using the outline of a famous racetrack.

Expanding use of 3D printing
3D printing, or additive manufacturing, offers design flexibility to help reduce weight, improve performance and create parts that wouldn’t be possible using conventional methods. For more than 30 years, Ford has increasingly used 3D printing to make prototype parts which help reduce the development time for new vehicles.

The company has also used this technology to create parts that feature in the Ford GT, Focus and Mustang GT500, and will make more 3D-printed parts in the future. Special bespoke car parts are also 3D printed, including the intake manifold in Ken Block’s Hoonitruck and the pair of wind louvres found on the M-Sport Ford Fiesta World Rally Championship car.

On the Ford production line, 3D printing is used to create assembly line tools that are up to 50% lighter, which makes repetitive tasks less physically stressful and helps improve manufacturing quality. As many of these tools are made of nylon, Ford has introduced a recycling programme that turns old 3D-printed pieces and plastics from manufacturing areas into 100% recycled nylon.

Ford also creates 3D-printed safety equipment, such as protection sleeves for rotating tools used on the production line, which prevent operators from incurring finger and arm injuries.

“Having our very own plug-and-play printer enables us to make tools and parts exactly when we need them, and to replace them faster than ever before. For some tools, the delivery time was up to 8 weeks but with 3D printing, the turn-around has been reduced to just five days. Best of all, anyone can sit down, create the part they need and start printing it using recycled plastic,” said Lars Bognar, a research engineer for Advanced Materials and Processes at Ford of Europe.

Save money while switching to a more active and adventurous lifestyle with the Ford Ranger XLT

Toyota’s new painting process with highest coating efficiency in the world

Before the 1970s, corrosion in metal car bodies was a problem and one of the reasons was that the protective layer of primer paint was not effectively applied over the metal surfaces. It was manually sprayed on so there would be some little sections that may not have been covered. And like a cut in your skin allowing germs to enter your body and infect you, a small unprotected spot on the metal could allow corrosion to start.

This changed when the electro-deposition (ED) dipping process was introduced where the entire bodyshell was submerged in a giant tank of primer paint. It was covered 100% and even the cavities got properly covered. After the 1970s, corrosion issues reduced significantly. Galvanization of the steel (adding a zinc coating) also made a big contribution to reducing corrosion and enabling vehicles to last longer.

The ASSB plant in Shah Alam, Selangor, started using the ED system in 1979 and corrosion resistance of Toyotas increased significantly, The picture shows a KE70 Corolla being lowered into a tank of primer paint so coverage is complete.

Over the primer goes coloured paint that is sprayed on either manually or in many plants these days, with robotic spraying machines. The quality of application has improved greatly over the years, but coating efficiency has been around 60% to 70%, which you aren’t like to notice but to the quality control people, it is a known issue.

95% coating efficiency
Now Toyota has developed a new type of airless paint atomizer that achieves over 95% coating efficiency (the amount of paint sprayed versus the amount that actually adheres onto the vehicle body), the highest in the world. The machine – the first of its kind in the world – uses static electricity instead of air, to replace the conventional air paint atomizers used in the vehicle body painting process.

By deploying the airless paint atomizer in Toyota Group’s painting process, it is expected that the factories in the Group can reduce CO2 emissions by about 7% as well. In addition, the collection device situated at the bottom of the paint booth (the area where paint is sprayed) can be made more compact. Therefore, painting production lines in the future can be more compact.

Toyota is advancing initiatives to achieve its Plant Zero CO2 Emissions Challenge, one of the targets included in the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050 announced in 2015. As part of this effort, it developed the airless paint atomizer and deployed it at both Takaoka and Tsutsumi Plants. Gradual deployment at other plants is planned as well as consideration of deployment among other Toyota Group companies and licensing the technology to other companies.

How it works
Conventional air paint atomizer sprayed paint primarily using aerodynamic force, then paint the vehicle body with the atomized particles using an air paint atomizer. For this reason, paint particles are scattered by the air ricocheting off the vehicle body, with up to 40% lost. By comparison, the new airless paint atomizer uses electricity to spray the paint (electrostatic atomization), and the statically charged particles coat in such a way that they gravitate toward the vehicle body (electrostatic painting).

Electrostatic atomization and electrostatic painting technologies greatly reduce the number of atomized particles that scatter, thereby achieving a higher coating efficiency. In a way, it is like the ED process that has been used for applying primer where electrical charges attract the paint to stick onto the metal.

Click here for other news and articles about Toyota.

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Car showrooms, accessory stores and carwash centres can resume operations from August 16

Volvo Cars to have full ownership and control of its operations in China

Malaysian Automotive Association appeals to government to allow auto industry facilities to resume operations

Nissan to invest £1 billion in establishing Electric Vehicle (EV) Hub as a world-first EV manufacturing ecosystem

Geely Holding and Volvo Cars to form joint-venture company producing powertrains

Proton constructing additional stamping facility at Tanjung Malim factory

BMW continues to be the largest exporter of vehicles from the USA

Volkswagen’s Transparent Factory to become the ‘Home of the ID’ all-electric model

Better protection for your wheels with 3D-printed locking nuts

Toyota’s new painting process with highest coating efficiency in the world

Car showrooms, accessory stores and carwash centres can resume operations from August 16

Volvo Cars to have full ownership and control of its operations in China

Malaysian Automotive Association appeals to government to allow auto industry facilities to resume operations

Nissan to invest £1 billion in establishing Electric Vehicle (EV) Hub as a world-first EV manufacturing ecosystem

Geely Holding and Volvo Cars to form joint-venture company producing powertrains

Proton constructing additional stamping facility at Tanjung Malim factory

BMW continues to be the largest exporter of vehicles from the USA

Volkswagen’s Transparent Factory to become the ‘Home of the ID’ all-electric model

Better protection for your wheels with 3D-printed locking nuts

Toyota’s new painting process with highest coating efficiency in the world

Archive

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Volkswagen Golf Edition 50: A 50th Anniversary Celebration

The New Mini Cooper S in Classic Trim: Electric and Petrol Engines

Review: Suzuki Jimny – Old School Charm Is Hard To Resist!

GWM Malaysia Expands with New 3S Centre in Setia Alam

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