Max Auto Updates - 15/03/2010

Ford SA strike over



http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1367

Striking Ford workers were told to go back to work at the Silverton plant on Friday after the National Union of Metalworkers of SA said they had resolved the issues that led to a work stoppage.

They downed tools at the assembly plant on Thursday, March 4, but a meeting led by general secretary Irvin Jim and president Cedric Gina with management resolved the issues on Thursday.

"As Numsa we call on all our members at Ford Motor Company in Silverton to resume duty as follows: The first set of the workforce, the [Customer Service Operation], will resume duty on Friday, 12 March 2010 in accordance with their respective shift operations.

"The rest of the workforce (assembly operations and supporting areas) will resume duty on Monday, 15 March 2010."

Reduced hours

Bargaining head Alex Mashilo said the work stoppage was related to the reduced hours of work as the automotive industry reels from the global economic crisis.

The company had reduced working hours in terms of an agreement in the automotive sector national bargaining forum, which was struck before the crisis set in.

This meant that in the week of February 22 to 27, they did not receive any pay.

The unions are also trying to revisit the terms of that agreement, as well as get workers into the government's training lay-off scheme, which reskills workers instead of retrenching them when there is not enough work.

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Man run down by his wife... twice

http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1368

A New Zealand man is recovering from injuries after being run over by his wife - twice, local media reported on Friday.

Sandy Telford ran over her husband, Terry, as she backed down the driveway of their rural property in the Hawke's Bay region, 350km north-east of Wellington, the Dominion Post newspaper reported.

Not realising what she had done, Telford then drove her car forward, running over him again.

Police said the woman was distraught and too upset to speak to them.

"We are treating it as an accident," a police spokesman told the newspaper.

Ambulance authorities said the husband suffered moderate head, chest and back injuries, but was "conscious and talking" after the incident.

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Nowack Motors Bumps BMW X6 M up to 533kW



http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1369

Dubbed the N700 4.8, the package features a complete revamp of the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 engine. According to Nowack, customers simply need to "deliver a standard X5 M or X6 M" and they'll "strip it back to a skeleton."

While this sounds like typical tuner hype, Nowack completely disassembles the standard engine (leaving only the external parts of the engine unchanged) so it can be bored and honed. Once completed, the company installs oversized pistons, a new crankshaft, high performance connecting rods, new valve pockets, larger intake valves, free-flow cylinder heads, and special valve springs.

Elsewhere, Nowack modified the turbochargers, added high performance exhaust manifolds, installed motorsport catalytic converters, and reprogrammed the ECU module.

Thanks to all these changes, the N700 produces 533 kW and torque of 845 Nm of torque. This compares to the standard BMW X5/X6 M with 414 kW and 677 Nm of torque.

Besides the engine upgrades, Nowack offers a sport suspension, 22-inch light alloy wheels, and Scottish leather upholstery.