The Top 10 Manufacturing Stories of 2009
| This year, rather than reviewing what we felt were the most important news items in 2009 we instead bring you the news that you and your fellow AMN readers found to be most compelling. Consider it democracy in action -- with every click of the mouse being equal to a vote.
Each afternoon this week we will present the top 10 news items from one of the top five most popular news categories on the AMN Web site. You will note in the stories below that in some instances the most-viewed news article was not necessarily the last word on a particular story. In those instances, we’ve provided the original link with an update on that particular news story. Today, we take a look at the most popular manufacturing news of 2009.
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1
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Cerion LLC Completes Purchase of Contech
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2
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| Crane Cams Goes Out of Business and Back in Again |
| It was a dramatic year for the legendary valvetrain component maker Crane Cams. In late February 2009, it was announced that the company, founded in 1953 by Harvey Crane Jr., had shut down unexpectedly. The business was shuttered and most employees had been laid off when just days later reports emerged that the company would reopen in about a month, following a restructuring. By the end of March, it was said that the entire business – including all 16 trademarks, three patents, all machinery and more than $2 million in inventory – would be liquidated at auction. In the end, the business was resurrected by S&S Cycle, based in Viola, Wis., which acquired Crane’s intellectual properties, patents, trademarks, camshaft masters, inventory and some equipment in April. |
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3
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Carroll Shelby Engines to Offer Certified Performance Rebuild Services and Engine Tuning for Ford V8s |
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4
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Visteon Aftermarket and Proliance International Combine to Form Vista-Pro Automotive |
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5
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| Bosch Looks to Sell Part of its Brake Business |
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In July, representatives at Bosch confirmed that the company was looking to sell off parts of its North American brake business – specifically, its North American Foundation Brake business, which consists of seven manufacturing locations in North America, two headquarters locations (engineering, sales and administrative operations) and a proving ground. The North American Foundation Brake business is part of Bosch’s overall North American brake division. In September, rumors that Akebono was the likely suitor for this business were confirmed. Tokyo-based Akebono Brake Industry announced it was acquiring the business, which had a total sales volume of $580 million in 2009.
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6
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| Dayco Brings Lawsuit Against Dorman |
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In August, Oklahoma-based Dayco Products filed suit against Dorman,alleging claims for trade dress infringement, false advertising and unfair competition based on Dorman’s sale of certain aftermarket automatic belt tensioners that are similar in appearance to corresponding Dayco products. About a month later, Dorman responded in kind and filed a suit claiming false and defamatory statements. According to the latest court filings, neither case has yet to be resolved.
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7
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| Affinia Files Suit Over Brake Safety Concerns |
As part of its continuing campaign to increase awareness about the safety concerns connected to lightweight rotors, in July, Affinia Group Inc. filed suit against Dura International, alleging that the company is competing unfairly by falsely advertising the quality of certain brake rotors for cars and light-duty trucks. The two parties settled the suit in November, and Affinia said Dura was no longer a target of its ongoing lightweight rotor campaign.
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8
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Standard Motor Products Brings Popular Import Brand to the U.S. |
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9
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Wagner Brake Brand to Offer Consumers Up to $50 Cash Back on Brake Jobs |
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10
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Federal-Mogul's Wagner Brake Brand Introduces Advanced Line of Ceramic Brake Pads |
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Related News:
The Top 10 OE Stories of 2009
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About the Author
Amy Antenora
Editor, aftermarketNews
aantenora@babcox.com
With more than a decade of experience in the communications field, Amy has been Editor of aftermarketNews since 2002. Prior to joining Babcox Publications, Amy worked as a general assignment reporter for the West Akron Sun, as a freelance Arts & Entertainment writer for AmericaOnline and also worked in PR for two state Universities.
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