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Volkswagen begins pre-production of its ID.3 EV in China
Just days after Volkswagen showed off the first all-electric ID.3 produced at its Zwickau plant in Germany, the company announced that it has entered pre-production in China, too. Like the Zwickau factory, the new plant in Anti, Shanghai, will produce all-electric vehicles on Volkswagen's MEB platform, a modular design that's built for battery packs of varying sizes.
Volkswagen’s attempt at a bold, cleaner future starts with the ID.3
With much pomp and circumstance, the first all-electric ID.3 produced at Volkswagen's Zwickau plant rolled down a hall of flashing lights and pulsating music. A badge on the fender signifies it's one of the "1st" of a 35,000 run of vehicles pre-ordered by early adopters. The ID.3 is more than a new vehicle, it's a sea change at one of the largest automakers in the world.
A worldwide material shortage is delaying cassette production
Just when cassette tapes appeared to be making a comeback, a worldwide shortage of gamma ferric oxide has slowed production. National Audio Company (NAC), the largest cassette tape manufacturer in the US, sent a letter to its customers explaining that, due to the shortage, it is unable to fill orders on its usual 30-day schedule. Instead, it's working as fast as the raw material arrives.
Foxconn's Wisconsin plant opens next May with fewer jobs than promised
Foxconn's long-promised factory in Wisconsin will finally begin production in May 2020, but to start, it's only creating 1,500 jobs. That's far fewer than the 13,000 jobs it once said it would add. At this rate, Foxconn will likely lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars in state subsidies, many of which were meant to reward job creation.
Amazon's warehouse robots won't replace humans for at least a decade
Are you worried your job is going to be taken by a robot? You needn't be if you work for Amazon, which has dismissed the idea of fully-automated warehouses becoming a reality any time soon. According to Amazon's director of robotics fulfilment, Scott Anderson, such technology in its current form is "very limited."
Blue Origin starts building the factory for New Glenn's engines
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket just became more tangible. The company has officially started construction on a factory in Huntsville, Alabama that will produce the BE-4 engines powering both New Glenn and United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur. It'll also make the BE-3U engines used for New Glenn's second stage. While it's not clear when the factory will start making rockets, Blue Origin expects to complete development later in 2019.
Volkswagen plans a North America factory to build EVs
Volkswagen is planning a new factory in North America to build electric vehicles for the market, and the automaker is exploring potential sites. Scott Keogh, the new Volkswagen Group of America CEO, said at the LA Auto Show that VW's existing plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee could fit the bill, as there's enough space, but the company won't necessarily pick that location.
Toyota will use hydrogen burners to reduce factory emissions
As clean as fuel cell cars and EVs may be, they're still made using pollution-producing factories -- and Toyota wants to help solve this. The company has introduced what it says is the first-ever general-purpose hydrogen burner built for use at factories and other industrial plants. While hydrogen burners have already existed, they've typically pumped out dangerous levels of nitrous oxide due to rapid reactions between hydrogen and oxygen. The new burner keeps the two elements relatively separate and lowers the oxygen concentration, leading to a system with "greatly reduced" nitrous oxygen emissions and the zero carbon dioxide emissions you already get with hydrogen burners.
Robots will build robots in $150 million Chinese factory
Swiss robotics company ABB has revealed that it's spending $150 million to build an advanced robotics factory in Shanghai -- one that will use robots to build robots. The company will rely on its YuMi single-arm robots, which it once used to conduct an orchestra, for small parts assembly. It also plans to make extensive use"of its SafeMove2 software in the facility, which it says will allow its YuMi models and other automated machines to safely work in close proximity with human employees.
Dyson will build its electric cars in Singapore
Dyson will build a two-story factory in Singapore to assemble its highly anticipated electric cars. In a letter to employees, chief executive Jim Rowan said construction would start in December and be completed sometime in 2020. The nation was selected, he explained, because of its "significant advanced manufacturing expertise," supply chain benefits and access to high-growth markets. It also helps that Dyson has been building a workforce and facilities, including a research-focused Technology Centre, in the area since 2007. "We now employ 1,100 people and have made over 50 million high-speed Dyson digital motors in Singapore," Rowan said.
Fire at Tesla's Gigafactory briefly disrupts production
Tesla just had to contend with another fire at one of its facilities. The electric car maker and county emergency staff have reported that a fire broke out in the Gigafactory in Nevada late on Saturday, leading to a halt in production as the company evacuated the building. The company thankfully faced no injuries and resumed operations early on Sunday, but it's not clear what damage was done or how much this might affect the plant's battery and motor output.
Chip giant TSMC struggles with virus infections at its factories
Many of the tech products launching this fall might have just run into production setbacks. Giant chip manufacturer TSMC has warned that several of its fabrication plants suffered virus infections on August 3rd, disrupting production. Some of these plants recovered in a "short period of time," it said, but others wouldn't resume business as usual for "one day." The company dismissed claims that this was a hack, but didn't initially provide details about the virus or the potential infection path.
Tesla asking suppliers for money back is a risky move
The Model 3 will do one of two things for Tesla: It'll make the company a profitable seller of cars, solar panels, and batteries; or, it'll drag it further into debt. To keep the latter from happening, the company is doing something that seems insane: It's asking some of its suppliers for money back for parts it already bought. Parts going back as far as 2016.
Amazon and Tesla listed among the most dangerous US workplaces (updated)
Amazon and Tesla are usually proud of appearing on lists, but not this time around. The advocacy group National Council for Occupational Safety and Health has placed both companies on a "Dirty Dozen" list of the most dangerous places to work in the US based on their factory and warehouse conditions. In both cases, they reached the list due to reported higher-than-average injury rates, unnecessary risks and an unwillingness to address workers' concerns.
California opens investigation into Tesla factory safety
Tesla has been struggling lately to meet its automotive production targets, vowing to run its Model 3 factories "24/7." Unfortunately, they might also be underreporting serious workplace injuries, labeling them "personal medical" to avoid penalties. Now, according to a report at Bloomberg, California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) is opening an official investigation into the allegations.
Samsung factory worker awarded state compensation for brain tumor
Samsung doesn't have the greatest track record when it comes to worker safety. From accusations of using child labor to multiple accidents at its factories that resulted in death (one of which was the asphyxiation of one of its workers due to a gas leak), its worker safety history is decidedly grim. This week, South Korea's Supreme Court ruled that a Samsung factory worker's brain tumor and death were the result of an occupational disease, and that her family should be awarded state compensation as a result.
Ford tests exoskeleton to ease strain on factory workers
Companies are starting to propose functioning exoskeletons for real applications, from soldier support to helping paraplegic patients walk. But they could also be customized to help everyday workers with their harder tasks, as Lowe's lift-easing prototype demonstrated. Ford is taking a different tack by investing in the EksoVest, a new exoskeleton that supports factory employees' upper bodies to ease strain when lifting and performing overhead tasks.
LG will build electric car parts in Detroit
LG Electronics is building a 250,000 square foot EV parts plant in Detroit suburb Hazel Park, it said in a press release. LG might not build its own cars, but its vehicle components division supplies many key pieces for GM's critically acclaimed Chevy Bolt, to name one manufacturer. That's an understatement: It builds the battery cells and pack, electric motor, power inverter, on-board charger, climate control, instrument cluster and infotainment system.
Trump says Apple CEO promised to build three factories in US
President Donald Trump told the Wall Street Journal that Apple CEO Tim Cook promised him the tech titan would build "three big plants, beautiful plants" in the US. He didn't elaborate on potential locations or construction dates for the manufacturing facilities, and Apple declined to comment on the subject to the Wall Street Journal.
Tesla will open '2 or 3' more Gigafactories in the US
It's no secret that Tesla wants to open Gigafactories around the world to keep up with demand for electric cars and storage batteries, but how many of those will open in the US? Now we know: Elon Musk has confirmed that "2 or 3" additional factories will open in the US over the "next few years." He's not offering a firm timetable, to no one's surprise (the first factory isn't even finished yet), but the news makes it clearer than ever that Tesla expects plenty of demand.
