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Vinyl: let sound science prevail. Greenpeace notwithstanding, it’s not an environmental hazard

It was heartening for those of us in the vinyl industry to see the article in WAW's July issue, "A second look at vinyl," which described many of the benefits that vinyl products bring to the automotive market. In recent years, there has been much discussion that the use of vinyl in cars has become passe - especially in some of the high-profile, "glamour" applications, such as upholstery. As the article

By Burnett, Robert H. • Nov. 1, 1995

Life cycle assessment as an environmental management tool.

Only a decade ago, manufacturers took an end-of-pipe approach to environmental management; that is, the focus by a company was to ensure that its plant was in environmental compliance. As global environmental awareness increases, industries are moving toward greater levels of environmental responsibility.Companies and industries now consider the environmental aspects of the entire life cycle of a

By Bari, Don F. • Nov. 1, 1995

Explore the Trendline➔

Automotive Manufacturing

Production strategies are changing rapidly as tariffs and shifts in consumer buying patterns affect the industry.

By WardsAuto staff

3rd-qtr earnings dip, but big 3 still show life

Even with their combined earnings down more than $1 billion in the third quarter of 1995, two of the Big Three domestic automakers appear to be on the right track while another is in for a fight.General Motors Corp., still unable to build cars for a profit in the U.S., increases its third-quarter earnings to $642 million ($0.42 per share). That compares to $553 million ($0.40 per share) in the third

Nov. 1, 1995

Design 2000: bold, sharp-edged lines are coming

The round "aero" shape is out and the sharp "edge" look is in.That's the gist of it when predicting what exterior car and light-truck designs will look like by the turn of the century. Is there a middle ground where "aero" and "edge" combine for aesthetic and functional appeal? The answer depends on who you ask.What's certain is that automotive design is on the brink of a renaissance - one full of

By Frank Washington • Nov. 1, 1995

The bad news is: sports car sales trail.

While the overall vehicle market appears to be rising as the industry heads into 1995's home stretch, two segments are ailing - luxury cars and sports cars. Both segments are feeling the effects of a marketplace more concerned with value than leather seats and horsepower. in the sporty segment, Ford's Mustang and Probe sales are down 18% and 37.3%, respectively. Chevrolet's Corvette and Camaro, the

Oct. 1, 1995

Is vinyl an environmental hazard?

Personally, vinyl only makes me sick when a misguided soul uses it as a styling enhancement on a car roof. But Charlie Cray of Greenpeace's Midwest Toxics Campaign says Ward's Auto World arbitrarily ignored dangers to humans and the environment posed by vinyl and other chlorine-based plastics in our July piece, "A second look at vinyl"(see WAW -- July '95, p. 72).Greenpeace and other environmental

By Drew Winter • Oct. 1, 1995

Supplier earnings still on the rise

Despite reduced production schedules for many light vehicles in North America, nearly all of the U.S.-based automotive suppliers showed increases in both sales and income for their most recent 1995 fiscal quarters.Many cited increasing overseas business as the main factor in the continued strength of bottom lines, despite lower domestic sales volumes. "We also continue to benefit from the fact that

By Gazdik, Tanya • Sept. 1, 1995

Like it or not, the CFC ban is here

Production and import of new chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) will end in a few months. Not so the debate on whether this result is a culmination of the prudent actions taken by 150 countries around the globe to avoid the possibility of ecological disaster or, as a few view it, simply the final destination for the big, green bandwagon onto which we blindly jumped.I, for one, will leave that debate to scientists,

By Oulouhojian, Simon • Sept. 1, 1995

Jag stretches out for 1996

I haven't had much use for the Jaguars of the last decade or so.Jaguar Cars' XJ40 sedans, launched in 1987, were to my eye the apogee of the let's-make-it-square design philosophy prevalent for most of the '80s. If nothing else, Jags were supposed to be luscious, maybe even provocative, of line. Those blocky XJ40s couldn't have been provocative if custom-fitted with a Frederick's of Hollywood car

By Bill Visnic • Sept. 1, 1995

The war on waste

Although environmentalists are losing ground on several fronts, their long-time adversary is an ally when it comes to recycling. The automotive industry, contrary to its pollutant-belching, rust-bound image, is attacking waste with war-like ferocity. And the bullseye is plastic.The U.S. has the world's best infrastructure for recycling cars and trucks. Some 12,000 dismantlers aided by more than 200

By Frank Washington • Sept. 1, 1995

Efficiency isn’t always pretty: Taurus radiator support is homely buteffective.

It doesn't look like much. Just two big pieces of sheet molding composite (SMC) bolted together; but many experts believe it's the most significant piece of plastic or composite material on the '96 models.People closely involved with it, such as Ken Rusch at The Budd Co. and Bill Mellian a Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., talk about it like proud parents.They should be proud. Developing a big composite

By Drew Winter • Sept. 1, 1995

Health care costs can be curbed.

Normally, I like to write about the common sense approach to manufacturing, particularly as it relates to the auto industry. This month I would like to stray a bit and talk about a common-sense approach to health-care costs. Health-care costs have escalated over the years, and they now have become a major problem to U.S. car companies - a problem they feel they must contain.Health benefits, on the

By Sharf, Stephan • Sept. 1, 1995

KUKA centralizes

Kuka Welding Systems and Robot Corp., a designer and manufacturer of automated welding and assembly systems, is building a new manufacturing and office complex in Sterling Heights, MI. Located two miles south of its present headquarters, the new, more spacious facility will consolidate KUKA's Automation Systems and Welding Systems business units at one location. The German-owned company will close

Sept. 1, 1995

Life-cycle assessment: a new way of thinking

Life-Cycle assessment (LCA) is a systematic approach used to manage the environmental impacts of products and service systems, and it is applied at several levels:* Conceptually as a thought process that guides the selection of options for design and improvement.* Methodologically as a way to build a quantitative/qualitative inventory of environmental burdens or releases, to evaluate the impacts of

By Fava, James A. • Aug. 1, 1995

The underground workforce: the murky, controversial world of automotive ‘contract’ workers.

Contract workers are key to creating flexibility. They allow cyclical industries like carmakers to quickly expand or shrink their workforces as the market demands. But for the people who do the work, "contingent" employment is a murky, underground world where some prosper while others are exploited and steeped on.In 1988, a 25-year-old student at Oakland Community College saw a newspaper ad placed

By Frank Washington • Aug. 1, 1995

Rubber and steel workers consolidate unions

The United Rubber, Cork, Linoleum and Plastic Workers (URW) union agrees to merge with the United Steelworkers of America (USWA). With the addition of the 94,000 URW union members, USWA grows to more than 700,000 strong. URA laborers become full members of the Steelworkers union and adopt its constitution and charter, as well as enjoy increased power and services. They'll also have access to the steelworkers'

Aug. 1, 1995

Sandia Lab, PFG unveil new air bag

Precision Fabrics Group and Sandia National Laboratories announce the fruits of a three-year joint development: a new air bag technology that has less than half of the packed volume and weight of current air bags. Building on military parachute technology, the Precision Technology Air bag fits into the pocket of a man's shirt when folded.

Aug. 1, 1995

ITT Corp. to divide, hopes to conquer

ITT Corp. announces a planned divide-and-conquer business strategy, segmenting some $25 billion in sales and revenues into three separate companies sometime this fall. ITT calls the maneuver the largest transaction of its kind in business history.Each company will have its own board of directors and its own listing on the New York Stock Exchange. ITT common stock holders will be issued one share of

July 1, 1995

Saturn turns 10

Spring Hill, TN -- A new "employee" on the assembly line makes a mistake. While trying to fit a speaker into a door assembly, he accidentally drops it, then tries to put it into the door anyway. Others on his work team grab him and gently admonish him to scrap the part. The worker, Al Serra, gets concerned and asks what the junked part will cost the company. The team leader tells him not to worry,

By Drew Winter • July 1, 1995

A second look at vinyl

Vinyl.The word conjures up all sorts of negative images: those awful vinyl roofs, cheesy fake woodgrain paneling, searing hot upholstery on summer days. If you're a radical environmentalist, there are even more negative connotations: officially known as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), vinyl is a chlorine-based plastic that can produce toxins when burned, and is supposedly difficult to recycle.But sit back

By Drew Winter • July 1, 1995

T&N buys piston plant in South America

UK-based T&N plc buys 94% of piston manufacturer Sylicum SA. The company, located in Tortuguitas, Argentina, will be integrated into the T&N Piston Products Group and serve the Brazil and Argentina markets.Within 12 months AE Goetze's latest piston-manufacturing technology will be installed in the facility, making hightech, lightweight pistons available for the first time in the region, say company

July 1, 1995

Automotive paint technologies: take the common sense approach

Common sense. Many organizations think they have it. In reality, few practice it.A new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program, the Common Sense Initiative (CSI), focuses on collaboration among environmental leaders, representatives from six targeted industries (including automotive), and federal, state and local regulators.The purpose of the program is to study ways of developing cleaner, cheaper

By Lahiere, Richard J. • June 1, 1995

State of the union; the UAW’s Yokich: a tough guy for tough times

Comedian Dick Gregory once told a story that during the 1960s civil rights movement in the South he "sat in" for weeks at a lunch counter demanding to be served. When they finally relented, he discovered that the food was terrible.Incoming United Auto Workers union President Stephen P. Yokich, 59, should be forgiven if similar thoughts pass through his mind when, as expected, he succeeds Owen Bieber

By Lowell, Jon • June 1, 1995

What to wear? We’ve heard of dressing down employees, but....

What to wear, what to wear? Don't laugh. That's a serious question automotive salaried staffers are asking themselves increasingly these days as once-rigid workplace dress codes give way to the casual look.For some it probably was easier to select a business outfit from the closet; not much choice was involved. Now, thanks to the "dress-down" wave that's sweeping automotive offices, salaried folks

By Rothenberg, Al • June 1, 1995

Visualizing the future: science fiction comes to life in 3-D CAD/CAE displays

Science fiction has a way of becoming science fact. Jules Verne wrote about elaborate submarines and space travel a century ago. Cartoon character George Jetson ate instant food long before the dawn of microwave ovens. Now a scene from the movie Star Wars is close to being reality.In the film, R2D2 the robot projected a holographic message from Princess Leia to Luke Skywalker. Today researchers are

By Tim Keenan • June 1, 1995