Most-read in our round-up of this week’s top news was the announcement of Glenn Barco’s appointment to VP of Heavy Duty Sales for BBB Industries. In this new role, Barco will lead the Wilson Auto Electric Heavy Duty sales organization. Prior to joining BBB Industries, he served as the director of heavy duty distribution sales – North America for Exide Technologies.
In top manufacturing news this week, Bosch introduced its new iridium spark plug, which was developed using the same leading-edge innovations in design, manufacturing processes and materials found in Bosch spark plugs used by domestic, Asian and European original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) around the world. New Bosch Iridium provides exceptional ignitability, performance and durability, offering four times longer service life compared to standard copper plugs, according to the company. The new Bosch Iridium spark plug line is designed for domestic, Asian and European applications and will cover 71 percent of vehicles in operation with 15 part numbers launching in June 2011. The program will be expanded in the coming months to include additional part numbers and vehicle coverage.
Also in top news this week, AMN sister publication Tire Review tells us that it appears Les Schwab is readying itself for an expansion. According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, Schwab Tire’s chairman and CEO Dick Borgman said the "company is looking at new markets, although the retailer is not ready to make any announcements." Borgman made the comments during an interview with Puget Sound Business Journal Publisher Emory Thomas Jr. at a Business Journal Live breakfast at the Harbor Club Bellevue. “Borgman acknowledged short-term concerns about the economy, which is still recovering from the financial crisis and recession,” the Journal noted. “The recent spike in fuel prices also affected Schwab Tire because motorists cut back on driving as gas prices increase."
At the association level, on Monday the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) announced its board election results. Nate Shelton of B&M Automotive Group has been elected chairman-elect of SEMA and will join five newly elected board members to help lead the association in the 2011–2012 term. Shelton will fill the position that was held for the past two years by Scooter Brothers of Comp Performance Group. Brothers begins serving as chairman at the association’s summer board meeting in July. The newly elected board volunteers include Tim Martin of K&N Engineering; Steve Wolcott of ProMedia LLC; Jim Chick of Bestop Inc.; J.R. Moore of Performance Warehouse; and Greg Adler of Transamerican Auto Parts. To see a complete list of current SEMA board members, click here.
Last but not least in our weekly recap, we learn that Johnson Controls has completed its acquisition of Keiper and Recaro Automotive. The European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, approved the acquisition on June 17. JCI initially announced in January its plans to acquire the businesses. Through the integration of Keiper and Recaro Automotive, as well as its recent purchase of C. Rob Hammerstein, Johnson Controls says it is now able to offer automakers a complete product range of metal components and mechanisms across all vehicle segments. This positions Johnson Controls as a global leader in seating components, according to the company. Recaro Aircraft Seating, Recaro Child Safety and Recaro Home were not part of the acquisition and will remain part of Putsch Holding in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Also excluded are Keiper’s operations, business and entity in Brazil.
