Hino Motors Ltd. (TYO:7205) on Oct. 12 invited members of the press to its plant in Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture, where the automaker manufactures heavy- and medium-duty trucks. By setting up 26 sub-assembly lines, Hino has enabled truck and tractor manufacturing to take place on a single production line. Hino has also introduced a range of...
production
Aisin Seiki to Take New Die-Casting Technology Global
Aisin Seiki Co. Ltd. (TYO:7259) has revealed that it plans over the next two to three years to globally deploy production technology recently introduced at the company’s Nishio Die-Casting Plant in Aichi Prefecture. Through measures including automated product transportation, Aisin Seiki will uniformly deploy simple, slimmed-down facilities and elemental technologies needed for shortening casting cycle...
Honda to Close Sayama Plant, Aims to Consolidate Operations at Yorii Plant by 2021
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) announced on Oct. 4 that it will consolidate operations from its Sayama Automobile Plant into its Yorii Automobile Plant, both of which are located in Saitama Prefecture. The consolidation is expected to be completed by 2021. Along with the consolidation, Honda signed an agreement to consider making the completed vehicle...
Toyota to Expand Hybrid Transaxle Production to US
Toyota Motor Corp. (TYO:7203) announced on Sept. 26 that the company will bring its hybrid transaxle production to the U.S. for the first time in 2020. Currently supplied from Japan, the unit is comprised of a motor, generator and power split device and is a central part in hybrid vehicles (HVs). The U.S. production will...
Kobe Steel US Subsidiary to Boost Production of Ultra High-Strength Steel
Kobe Steel Ltd. (TYO:5406) and United States Steel Corp. announced on Sept. 26 that their U.S. joint venture, Pro-Tec Coating Co., will make a 33 percent increase to its production capacity of ultra high-strength automotive steel in the 780-megapascal class or greater. The company will invest approximately $400 million to add a new continuous galvanizing...
Honda Begins US Production of New Accord, Looks to Add 300 New Jobs
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) announced on Sept. 18 that it has begun manufacturing the all-new Accord at its Marysville Auto Plant (MAP) in the U.S. state of Ohio. As part of the announcement, the company said that it has used the transition to the new model as an opportunity to make $267 million in...
TPR Looks to Solidify Production and Development With Expanded Investments
In a bid to bring costs down and efficiently develop competitive products, TPR Co. Ltd. (TYO:6463) is expanding investment into its domestic production and development bases. The capital investment amount for this initiative is projected to total 4.5 billion yen ($40.69 million). The Japanese engine components manufacturer plans to install evaluation facilities for powertrain parts...
Yokowo Expands Vietnamese Production for In-Vehicle Communication Equipment
Yokowo Co. Ltd. (TYO:6800) has enhanced its production system for in-vehicle communication equipment at a major production base operated by subsidiary Yokowo Vietnam Co. Ltd. The Japanese electronics manufacturer has completed its third phase of expansion at the Vietnam factory, bringing online new facilities that had been under construction since September of last year. Preparing...
Japan’s Passenger Car Manufacturers Pull in Record Numbers for July
Eight Japanese passenger car manufacturers recently disclosed data collated on Aug. 30 regarding their respective production and export figures for July 2017. Total domestic production volume from the eight companies increased by 1.4 percent year-on-year to 774,708 units. While exports fell slightly, domestic sales were strong, with five companies seeing increased sales figures over the...
Steady SUV Demand Has Japanese Automakers Gearing up to Boost Production
Several Japanese automakers are accelerating plans to increase their supply of SUVs and other similarly sized vehicle types. These efforts are driven by the popularity of light trucks in the U.S., as well as by the low price of crude oil. Japanese automakers had already intended to up production of SUVs, expanding past their specialties...
Mazda Brings Forward CX-5 Production Increase on Back of Heavy Orders
Mazda Motor Corp. (TYO:7261) will begin additional production of the CX-5 in October of this year at the company’s plant in Hofu, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The production increase comes a month earlier than initially planned. With a strong flow of orders for the new CX-5 model leading to tight supply, the company aims to use the...
Akebono Brake Industry to Increase Production Capacity for Calipers in US
Akebono Brake Industry Co. Ltd. (TYO:7238) will be increasing production capacity for brake calipers and pads at its plant in Glasgow, Kentucky. The company will construct two new production lines for full-size SUV brake calipers and a new line for aftermarket brake pads. Having made parts for General Motors Co. at the factory, Akebono is...
JAMA Report: Japanese Automobile Production and Exports Increase in First Half of 2017
Japanese automobile production for the first half of calendar 2016 came in at 4,844,101 units, according to data released on July 31 by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA). This marks a year-on-year increase of 7.8 percent and the first increase for the figure in three years. The increase primarily came from cars for the...
Daicel to Improve Airbag Inflator Quality With New IoT-Enabled Production System
Daicel Corp. (TYO:4202) is targeting 2020 for a new global production management system that utilizes the Internet of Things (IoT). The system will be for the production of inflators for automotive airbags. By the end of fiscal 2018, the company will install new management equipment, such as image analysis devices, in factories at seven bases...
Keihin to Increase Air Conditioner Capacitor Production for Volkswagen
Keihin Corp. (TYO:7251) recently announced that it will increase its production capacity for air conditioner capacitors for Volkswagen AG at Keihin Thermal Technology Czech s.r.o., the company’s production base in the Czech Republic. The Czech subsidiary will add a new production line that will start operation in fiscal 2018, increasing the number of capacitors supplied...
Hitachi Metals to Boost Stainless Steel Piston Ring Material Capacity in Japan and China
Hitachi Metals Ltd. (TYO:5486) announced recently that it will be strengthening its supply capacity for stainless steel piston ring material in Japan and China. The company plans to install heat treatment furnaces and peripheral equipment containing proprietary technology at Yasugi Works in Japan and at Hitachi Metals (Suzhou) Technology Ltd. in China. The total capital...
U-Shin to Bolster Chinese Operations With New Factory
U-Shin Ltd. (TYO:6985) has announced that it will be strengthening its production and development capabilities in China. The company’s manufacturing subsidiary U-Shin Access Systems (Wuxi) Co. Ltd. will build a new factory that will take over operations for its existing production base in Suzhou. The new factory is scheduled to begin operating within the year...
Aichi Steel Adds Crankshaft Press Line at Chinese Unit
Aichi Steel Corp. (TYO:5482) has announced a 1.2 billion yen ($10.74 million) investment to install a new, fully automated 5,000-ton press line for crankshafts at its Chinese subsidiary, Shanghai Aichi Forging Co. Ltd. The new line raises annual production capacity for forged crankshafts to 3.2 million units, an increase of 40 percent. Toyota Motor Corp....
