Iveco Madrid takes gold

The Iveco commercial vehicle manufacturing facility in Madrid, Spain, has become the company’s first site to achieve Gold status in the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) programme. It is now the highest-ranking facility in terms of manufacturing excellence among the company’s 64 global manufacturing facilities.

WCM is one of the global manufacturing industry’s highest standards for the integrated management of manufacturing plants and processes. Based on continuous improvement, it is designed to eliminate waste and loss from the production process. To certify improvements, a system of periodic third-party audits evaluates all of the WCM pillars, forming an overall score for each plant.

With this WCM audit, the site achieved the best results in its 71-year history. Improvements include CO2 emissions being reduced by 53 percent per vehicle manufactured and 99 percent of waste being recycled.

A number of these improvements were made possible due to collaboration of site employees who provided feedback through the WCM suggestions programme.

The New Stralis – in diesel (XP) and alternative-power natural-gas (NP) versions – and Trakker products are manufactured in Madrid. Up to 300 000 different versions of these models can be produced.

Last year, the site was recognised with a first prize Excellence award by The Kaizen Institute in the System of Continuous Improvement category.

Making that Connexxion

Ard Romers, director VDL Bus & Coach Nederland, wants his company to be the top specialist in the field of e-mobility. A lofty goal, perhaps, but VDL Bus & Coach and the Dutch public transport company Connexxion are celebrating the largest order for electric buses in the company’s history, as well as the largest electric bus fleet in Europe.

The order includes 100 Citea SLFA electric buses as well as 18 VDL Futura FDD2 buses, making this the first time that double-deck buses will be used for public transport in the Netherlands.

The 100 electric Citeas will be deployed for the bus lines serving the greater Schiphol area and on bus rapid transit lines within the concession area. The demanding schedule will require the buses to operate 24-hours per day, and each bus will be driven more than 100 000 km per year.

Meanwhile, the need for transport on the rapid transit lines between Haarlem and Amsterdam South is so great that the decision has been taken to use 86-seat VDL Futura double-deck coaches.

The door construction will be adapted to the demands of public transport and to optimise the flow of passengers. Displays on the outside show where free seats are still available.

Cummins and Eaton power up

A new 50/50 joint venture between Cummins and Eaton – Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies – is allowing the two parties to expand their partnership in vehicle powertrains.

Since 2013, Cummins and Eaton have partnered in the development of a range of SmartAdvantage powertrain systems for heavy-duty trucks, which combine Cummins diesel engines with Eaton transmissions.

The aim of the global joint venture is to provide customers with transmission technologies and solutions that deliver best-in-class fuel efficiency, performance and uptime, while leveraging the global service and support networks of both companies.

The joint venture will design, assemble, sell and support all future medium and heavy-duty automated transmissions for the commercial-vehicle market.

The Procision and next-generation, heavy-duty automated transmissions will be part of the joint venture. In addition, it will market and support Eaton’s current generation of automated heavy-duty transmissions to original equipment manufacturers in North America.

The new joint venture is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. The parties expect the transaction to close in the third quarter.

Eaton’s Vehicle Group will retain its global manual-transmission and clutch business, as well as its current-generation, medium- and heavy-duty automated-transmission business outside of North America. It will also retain its global aftermarket light-duty transmission, agricultural transmission and automotive business as well as its associated product lines.