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The eBearing News
October 16, 2006
GEMA Marks Job One
copyright © 2006 eBearing Inc.
The Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance (GEMA;
website)
recently celebrated Job One at the second
GEMA World Engine plant in Dundee, Michigan.
GEMA is an international manufacturing joint venture, formed by DaimlerChrysler, Hyundai,
and Mitsubishi.
The three companies formed GEMA to share development and manufacturing for a state-of-the-art,
world-class series of entry-level four-cylinder engines -- 1.8, 2.0 and 2.4 litre.
Eventually, five plants are envisioned: two colocated plants in the United States, two in South
Korea, and one in Japan. Fully operational, they will eventually produce more than 1.8 million
engines each year.
Inaugurating the two U.S. co-located plants in Dundee, Michigan, Governor Jennifer Granholm
said: "Michigan is the global center for automotive innovation and excellence, and these engine
plants show what can happen when state and local government support business to make our state
competitive."
DaimlerChrysler VP of Manufacturing, Frank Ewasyshyn, said: "At the Global Engine Manufacturing
Alliance, we've put the manufacturing processes in place to build four-cylinder engines that
deliver exceptional performance, fuel efficiency, reliability and refinement. It's no secret: the
World Engine is the right product at the right time."
The three companies agreed to work together on the entry-level engine project in order to leverage
their global purchasing power, engineering expertise, and production experience.
The result is a series of entry-level four-cylinder engines that boast sophistication,
low cost and manufacturability. Features include die-cast aluminum engine blocks, aluminum
cylinder heads, intake manifolds with integrated flow control, dual-cam variable valve timing,
refined mechanical valvetrain actuation, improved piston matching, along with bearings and tappets,
acoustically isolating valve cover, an acoustically damped oil pan, and Mitsubishi-licensed
balance shaft designs incorporating an integral oil pump. The engines will also meet ULEV II standards.
Benefits accumulate not only in specifications, but also in areas such as R&D. For example, the
basic world engine has logged more than 16 million equivalent customer-driven miles in testing.
The GEMA Michigan plant is expected to employ as many as 600 workers, all represented by the
United Auto Workers, local 723.
GEMA President, Bruce Coventry, said: "Our expertise and value to the customer is in the designing
high-precision machining, and assembly of engine blocks, cranks, and heads. This project will allow
DaimlerChrysler to realize annual savings of $100 million and attain a leading position in the market
for the world's best four-cylinder engines. The Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance enables us to
fully benefit from our strategic partnerships and achieve maximum economies of scale."
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- by Bruce A. Carr
from individual research,
tips and commercial sources.
Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
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eBearing.com ... for everything that moves™
Entire contents Copyright 1999-2008, eBearing Inc. All rights reserved.
eBearing.com and "... for everything that moves" are registered
trademarks of eBearing Inc.
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eBearing.com ... for everything that moves™
Entire contents Copyright © 1999-2008, eBearing Inc. All rights reserved.
eBearing.com and "... for everything that moves" are registered trademarks of eBearing Inc.
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