Soaring steel prices continue to dictate the direction of the auto industry. And it's starting from the bottom. Steelmakers are raising prices because their own raw materials have grown more expensive. Mining companies around the world have raised spot prices for coal, iron ore, manganese and other key steel making ingredients. As a result of the price increase, the auto industry has to decide whether to…

The SIMI (Society of the Irish Motor Industry) launched CSS (Certified Steel Standard), a new voluntary standards programme for professional bodyshop repairers in Ireland. The standard incorporates the industry agreed technical specification for the process of vehicle structural body repair. CSS is the first standard of its kind in Ireland and is the outcome of two years extensive discussion and technical…

SIF (Société Industrielle des Fontes) offers a wide range of services ranging from the co-design of cast iron parts to the delivery of assembled sub-assemblies. SIF regularly invests in advanced technologies, enabling it to produce more than 2,500 tons of cast iron per year for diversified business sectors, both in France and for export. Export represents nearly a third of turnover with other European…

The Japanese technology investor SoftBank Group announced on Wednesday that it will acquire the robotics division of the Swiss engineering group ABB for USD 5.375 billion . A corresponding agreement has already been signed. With this acquisition, SoftBank secures one of the world’s leading suppliers of industrial and service robotics solutions – a company that had originally been slated for an IPO.…

The new software RobotStudio Machining PowerPac is designed to ensure easy robot programming, and is the key to optimizing the potential of automated machining. RobotStudio uses an exact copy of the real software that runs robots in production, so realistic simulations can be performed, using real robot programs and configuration files identical to those used on the shopfloor. Time and risks are reduced by…

Sogemi successfully commissioned an articulated mixer with double mixing arm for Alkaline-Phenolic process, together with Funditec, its partner for Spanish market,. The mixer was supplied to Suner Foundry in Spain, near Barcelona. The mixer is equipped with a double mixing arm: the first one has an output of 15 t/h and blends silica as backing sand with additives , the second one has an output of 3 t/h and…

Sohar Aluminium attributed the achievement of the milestone to its focus on maximising operating efficiencies, continuous improvement and the dedication of its employees. Sohar was formed in September 2004 to undertake a Greenfield smelter project in the Sultanate of Oman. Jointly owned by Oman Oil Company, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC - TAQA and Rio Tinto Alcan, it reached full capacity on 19…

According to a recent finalized study executed by AluMag 43% of all NEVs [New Energy Vehicles = Electrified Vehicles such as BEV and PHEV] produced in China are fitted with an aluminum tray [lower part of the battery housing]. Thereof 36% has an extruded aluminum while 7% has a cast aluminum tray. The remaining 57% are fitted with steel trays. AluMag forecast the NEV penetration in China to grow from 2.5%…