Landmint.com reports that a delay in land allotment by the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government has stalled a Rs100 crore centre in Rae Bareli planned as part of the National Automotive Testing R&D Infrastructure Project, or Natrip, said a senior official associated with the project.
The Rae Bareli unit, which was to employ 500 people, was one […]

The North Carolina Center for Automotive Research (NCCAR) has awarded an $8.4 million construction contract to PLT Construction Company, Inc. of Wilson, NC.nbsp; The contract is for site improvements, construction of the project’s ride amp; handling course, vehicle dynamics area, on-site roadways and infrastructure.nbsp;
Funding for the project has been provided through appropriations from the […]

Tire Review Online reports that Bridgestone China has opened a new tire testing facility in Yixing City, Jiangsu Province. The article notes that the facility includes a 900-metre straight section for high-speed performance tests and curved sections for performance and handling tests.

There is an interesting item in the Spring 2008 Center for Land Use Interpretation (CLUI) newsletter. The item, “Autotechnogeoglyphics,” compares aerial photographs of auto test tracks to the mysterious lines on the Plains of Nazca. The article notes, “Like the lines on the Plains of Nazca, automotive test tracks are alluring earthen etchings on […]

The Geelong Advertiser reports that the Anglesea test track has been upgraded. The story notes:
The State Government yesterday joined car industry bosses to unveil the $3.4 million track upgrade at Anglesea’s Australian Automotive Research Centre. The revamp is expected to help domestic car parts makers push cars and parts to extremes in the manufacturer’s […]

The Arizona Republic reports that Volvo, Nissan and Volkswagen are upgrading their Arizona proving grounds even as GM is selling off its test tracks. The article notes:
While General Motors and other car companies with proving grounds in the Valley sold thousands of acres to developers, anticipating ever-encroaching rooftops, Volvo went against the grain. It decided […]

India’s Business Standard reports that Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has selected Bangalore to be its worldwide testing center. The Bangalore lab has been operating for ten years and does safety testing for approximately 1,200 Indian companies, including some in the automotive industry.
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Chennai Online reports:
HCL has become the first private sector in India to come up with its Electro Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) and Durability test lab. The lab located at Ambattur in Chennai is also the first to obtain the ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Calibration and Testing Laboratories (NABL), India.
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Acheson recently announced that it has upgraded its acoustic laboratory to support the global weather strip seal coating market. The upgrade consists of adding Ziegler friction test systems to the MB dynamics instrumentation it already had to measure acoustic quality. Acheson also redesigned its acoustic laboratory to bring the ambient noise level below 30 decibels […]

About 25 years ago, I worked with a guy who was learning to read Chinese. At the time, I thought he was a bit daffy, but now I see that he had it right. With the world’s manufacturing all moving to China, Chinese-language skills will help engineers and manufacturing types get ahead.
Having said that, I […]