automotive sector report
The rolling road/wind
tunnel facility will be
available to all motorsports
teams and automobile
manufacturers
read more about
automotive at
www.mwponline.com
Case Studies
■ Hyundai increases
investment in CAM in
drive to make ‘big five’
Delcam
http://tinyurl.com/26a6d2
Features
■ Electric vehicle
manufacturer Tanfield ups
productivity 1000% with
input from NSA
National Skills Academy
http://tinyurl.com/2u7c9b
Early in 2008, the most advanced wind tunnel of its kind will open its
doors for business in North Carolina in the USA. Windshear will be the
world’s first commercially available full-scale, single belt, rolling road wind
tunnel in existence.
Advanced wind tunnel
to open in the spring
ACCORDING to company officials, Windshear Inc.
will operate the one-of-a-kind facility 24 hours a day, 7
days a week, with a staff of 25. The facility will be
available for hire to all motor sports teams and auto
manufacturers, providing services previously available
only to top Formula 1 teams.
Although two similar rolling-road facilities exist in
Europe, and numerous scale-model tunnels that operate
worldwide, what makes this new facility unique is its
business model; Windshear is being made available to
all F1, Indy, stock car racers and auto manufacturers.
Most other facilities found around the world are
proprietary operations, owned and operated by
manufacturers, or race teams, for their own use.
Windshear was designed to accommodate 100% fullscale
vehicles, and provide constant airspeeds up to
180mph, with temperatures controlled to within plus
or minus 0.55 0C. The high-tech rolling road will be
Automotive Oscars
THE search for the best automotive talent in the West
Midlands got underway at the start of the year, aiming to
promote the region as a world leader in car parts supply. The
Birmingham Chamber of Commerce-backed Accelerate
Awards culminate on the 11th July at the ICC in Birmingham,
celebrating best in class component manufacturer,
environmental performance, export and skills and workforce
development.
Programme Manager Rachel Eade explains: ‘2007 was
another year of evolution for UK suppliers and demonstrated
that we are still very much a major force on the global stage
when it comes to quality and, most importantly, innovation.
The Awards represent a fantastic opportunity for the West
Midlands to build on recent achievements and show the rest
of the world that our industry is amongst the best in product
development and best in class manufacturing. We had over
80 entries last year and I would expect even more in 2008,
with companies keener than ever to promote their
capabilities and win new business. There is also the small
matter of potential new owners at Land Rover and Jaguar to
impress.’
The Accelerate Awards attract five hundred high-profile
delegates from car manufacturers, tier 1s and SMEs; there
are prizes for the best large and small SME in the region, a
commitment to the environment and five sub-regional
winners. Accolades added in 2008 include Skills and
Workforce Development and Export; and every former
award winner can go for the ‘Best of the Best’ title.
54 MWP march 2008
3.2m wide by 9m long, and be able to accelerate from
zero to 180mph (290kph) in less than one minute. The
‘road’ is actually a continuous stainless steel belt just
1mm thick, and it is designed to last up to 5000
operational hours. During testing, ‘through-the-belt’
sensors measure the aerodynamic down force under
each tyre while a sophisticated on-board data
acquisition system collects other test-critical data.
High quality, repeatable data as well as security and
privacy are the standard for Windshear. Every step of
the way, from determining customer requirements to
customer check-in to vehicle setup to vehicle testing,
Windshear’s experienced and skilled personnel will
work to ensure that all customer needs are met quickly
and professionally. Windshear is being built by Haas
Automation, America’s largest machine tool builder,
one of the top-3 builders in the world.
www.windshearinc.com www.haas.co.uk
Wanted - the best
of the automotive
industry. (Front to
Back) Martyn Mangan
(Advantage West
Midlands) and Rachel
Eade (Accelerate)
Entry deadline is May 8th;
the judging pool includes David Bizley (RAC) Mike Robinson
(Jaguar/Land Rover), Matt Faultless (GKN) and Martyn
Mangan (Advantage West Midlands).
Accelerate has been staging the Awards ceremony since
1999. In that time, over 420 suppliers have been nominated
and the Black Country has been the most successful region
with ten winners. Rachel Eade concludes: ‘Previous winners
have used the awards as a platform to win new business and
continue their growth. Just look at the likes of RDM Group,
Barton Cold-Form and Valve Train, who have seen sales
increase in new markets, new facilities built and even an
acquisition by an American superpower.’
Now in its eleventh year of operation, Accelerate has
grown into one of the most successful supply chain initiatives
in the UK. Driven by the changing face of the industry, the
programme has assisted over 3000 companies in
implementing best practice manufacturing systems, securing
production efficiencies and cultivating workforce
development. www.accelerate.uk.net
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