Technological advance benefits vehicle manufacturers entering new market segments
Benchmark vehicles by Citroën are the first applications

Electric power steering specialist Nexteer Automotive has developed a polyamide eccentric rack bearing that has superior NVH performance compared to conventional yoke-style bearings. It will help vehicle manufacturers improve the feel and noise of electric power steering (EPS) systems in vehicles of all sizes.

Paulo Pancaro, an apprentice at the Federal Mogul Chapel-en-le-Frith plant, has been recognised for his electrical skills by SETA Training and Advisory Services

An apprentice at Federal-Mogul’s Chapel-en-le-Frith manufacturing plant has been named as the 2009 to 2010 ‘Electrical Apprentice of the Year’ by training experts SETA. Sixteen-year-old Paulo Pancaro was recognised for the electrical skills he exhibited during the first year of his four-year ‘Multi-skilled tradesman’ apprentice programme. Pancaro is an apprentice at Federal Mogul’s Vehicle Safety and Protection facility, where he recently began the on-the-job portion of this training in the disc brake pad manufacturing area of the plant.

Leading Products and Recognized Federal-Mogul Brands Provide Enhanced Power and Safety to Rail Transport

Berlin, 23 July 2010… Federal-Mogul, known first and foremost as a leading global automotive supplier, is also a specialist in the rail vehicle sector. Under Federal-Mogul’s brands GOETZE, FERODO, Bentley Harris, National and DEVA, the company offers products that are crucial for keeping trains safely on track. As a result, the theme of Federal-Mogul’s stand at the InnoTrans trade fair in Berlin (Stand 218, Hall 1.2) will be: “Stop and Go – We keep them rolling and we stop them all!”

New EcoTough®-coated pistons reduce friction losses, improve wear resistance and can be introduced in volume production as a running change

Southfield, Michigan, July 21, 2010… Federal-Mogul Corporation (NASDAQ: FDML), a leading global supplier of technologies that improve powertrain efficiency and enhance vehicle safety, has developed a new coated piston for gasoline engines that combines the properties of low wear and low friction in a single application. The new EcoTough®-coated piston offers superior wear resistance and reduces fuel consumption up to 0.8 percent, as well as reducing CO2 emissions, compared to conventional piston coatings. The EcoTough-coated piston is compatible with existing and advanced cylinder bore finishes and can be introduced seamlessly in volume engine production as a running change.

Evolution Time Critical highlights the key supply issues that can cause production delays pre and post European summer car manufacturing shutdowns

Evolution Time Critical is advising car makers and Tier 1 suppliers to ensure they have adequate contingency plans in place as manufacturers and suppliers across Europe prepare for summer shutdowns. The emergency logistics specialist has highlighted a number of key supply challenges facing European vehicle manufacturers in the next few weeks. These include additional deliveries of components both pre and post shutdown, shortages caused by Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers with different shutdown dates, quality issues raised by the use of skeleton staff, temporary packaging and inadequate labelling, and the difficulty of acquiring parts needed for engineering changes.

Parts specialist XPart is offering substantial price reductions on more than 5,000 MG Rover part numbers in a bid to make the cost of car ownership more affordable

XPart is discounting the price of more than 5,000 MG Rover parts in a bid to keep more MG Rover cars on the road by reducing the cost of ownership. The parts firm will be introducing substantial price reductions on carefully selected components from all categories of their range of MG Rover parts from 1st August 2010, which includes mechanical and body parts, trim and accessories. Customers interested in making an enquiry or placing an order can locate their nearest XPart parts wholesaler or AutoService centre via www.xpartautoservicecentre.com.

Part specialist XPart has revealed the winners of its competition to find Britain’s MG or Rover with the most interesting history

MG Rover parts specialist XPart has announced the winners of its recent competition to identify the country’s MG or Rover with the most interesting history. John Newey of Summit Auto and Kevin Hogan of Hogan Bros Car Sales were both awarded ultra-bright LED handlamps for their competition entries. Newey’s collection of MG V8s includes an MG ZT 400SE, an MG RV8 and an MG SV-R, while Hogan is the proud owner of an Austin A55 1958 with over 700,000 miles on the clock.

Aston Martin ran BERU f1systems’ Tyre Pressure Monitoring System on its Nürburgring 24 hour V12 Vantage and Rapide entries to improve tyre performance and safety

Aston Martin Racing ran BERU f1systems’ Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) on its Nürburgring 24 hour race entries for the second year in a row. The system was used on Aston Martin’s V12 Vantage race car, together with the new Rapide model. Trusted at the highest levels of motorsport and proven in a wide range of OE applications, BERU’s TPMS provided Aston Martin’s race engineers and drivers with accurate, reliable tyre pressure and temperature data throughout the race.

Motorsport expertise produces stiffer, lighter and more durable carbon composite structures to challenge steel

The offshore industry is starting to tap into motorsport’s expertise in the use of advanced structural materials. Prodrive, one of the world’s most successful motorsport specialists, is receiving increasing interest from the offshore sector in the benefits offered by replacing metals with carbon composite materials originally developed for racecars and aerospace.

Parts specialist XPart reveals that MG Rover cars produced post-2000 have only declined by three percent in the past 12 months, despite the factory closure in 2005

MG Rover cars are still alive and well on the UK’s roads as DVLA figures highlight a slow decline in MG and Rover models, reveals XPart. The figures produced by the DVLA show that the vehicle parc for MG Rovers produced post-2000 has only declined marginally in the past 12 months.