Insightful reporting from Underhood Service Editor Ed Sunkin on the continuing debate over the safety of HFO-1234yf tops our list of the week’s most popular industry news. In the article, Sunkin offers a concise overview of the various viewpoints being presented by industry constituents involved in the debate, including those from VW, Daimler, SAE and the EPA.
In other top news this week, two major acquisitions were finalized – one in the distribution segment; the other in the supplier segment. Miami-based National Performance Warehouse Companies (NPW) completed its acquisition of CMA Warehouse located in Vernon, a suburb of Los Angeles. CMA Warehouse services customers in Los Angeles as well as the West Coast. This continues NPW’s recent growth streak, which also includes the company’s acquisitions of Karbelt in Canada and Motor Warehouse in Sacramento, Calif., late last year.
Mahle Clevite also finalized its acquisition of RTI Technologies. The company has been renamed MAHLE Clevite Inc., RTI Division. The business will continue to be based in York, Pa., and will continue to develop and distribute automotive maintenance equipment including air conditioning service, fluid exchange and nitrogen tire inflation systems. MAHLE says the completion of sale presents an opportunity for the company to expand its business into the repair shop equipment sector of the automotive aftermarket.
Also this week, Ride Control LLC, parent company of the Original Gabriel brand, announced direct distribution of Gabriel products to the heavy-duty aftermarket. Ride Control LLC says it is now distributing its Fleetline and GasSLX products directly to heavy-duty (HD) aftermarket suppliers and distributors. Competitive pricing and product programs are now in place to provide new opportunities for Gabriel HD customers to grow sales, the company said.
Last in our look back at the most-viewed news of the week is the appointment of Brian Griffin III to the newly created position of director of catalog and product management at Centric Parts. A graduate of Cal State Fullerton, Griffin comes to Centric following eight years at Interamerican Motor Corp. (IMC), where he was director of product lifecycle and catalog management. Before that, he was a clutch kit and assembly manager at ARI. He is president of the National Catalog Managers Association (NCMA) and is a recipient of the 2011 AIA Young Executive of the Year Award.
