Car Care Council Women’s Board Introduces the Automotive Communications Awards
The Car Care Council Women’s Board (WB) has announced a new awards program. The Automotive Communications Awards (ACA) will be presented during the Women’s Board reception on Tuesday, Nov. 2 in Las Vegas, Nev. during AAPEX. The Automotive Communications Awards recognize companies and/or agencies that provide automotive information through outstanding advertising, marketing and PR efforts.
FinishMaster Acquires Virginia Automotive Paint Distributor
FinishMaster, Inc., a national independent distributor of automotive paints, coatings and accessories to the automotive collision repair industry, has acquired the automotive paint division of Virginia Paint Co. (VPC).
Cummins Mourns the Loss of Former Chairman and CEO J. Irwin Miller
Cummins Inc. has issued a statement mourning the death of Joseph Irwin Miller, who died this week at the age of 95. Miller was born in Columbus, Ind. in 1909. J. Irwin Miller built Cummins from a family business into a Fortune 500 company with more than 25,000 employees in 131 countries and more than $6 billion in annual sales. He is credited for transforming his hometown of Columbus, Ind., into a city of architectural wonders, earning it the nickname the Athens of the Prairie. The company said he will be eulogized as a great business leader, social activist and philanthropist whose influence will continue well into the 21st century.
Alcoa to Close Ohio Auto Parts Plant, Lay Off 140
Alcoa said late Tuesday it is cutting 140 jobs and closing its automotive components plant in Northwood, Ohio, by the end of the year to decrease overcapacity. The aluminum products maker said it plans to take pre-tax charges of about $7 million, with $3 million to be recorded in the third quarter.
icarz, Inc. Announces PartsWatch 2.0 Now Available
icarz has announced general availability of the latest version of its flagship product, PartsWatch. PartsWatch is a comprehensive store management system with built-in Internet connectivity. The new release includes additional cataloging, pricing and reporting feature enhancements as well as an improved GUI.
UGN Names Black Vice President of Finance
UGN, Inc., a supplier of acoustic, interior trim and thermal management products to the automotive industry, has promoted Douglas Black to vice president of finance. In his new position, Black will be an officer of UGN with full responsibility for the financial component of the UGN business model.
Parts Supply Affects Ford’s Hybrid Plans
Plans by Michigan’s Ford Motor Co. to start making gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles could be affected by a lack of domestically available parts. Phil Martens, Ford’s executive vice president of product development, said Ford had to turn to foreign suppliers for access to a majority of key components to build the company’s first hybrid, the Escape Hybrid, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
Island Clean Air Names VP Trade Development, Auto Body Division
Island Clean Air, Inc. (ICA), a manufacturer of mobile commercial air filtration systems for the automotive, print and graphic industries, has named Bob Beattie as its new vice president of trade development for its Auto Body Division.
Genuine Parts Company Names New CEO
Larry Prince, chairman and CEO of Genuine Parts Co. (GPC), announced that Thomas Gallagher will succeed him as president and CEO of the company. Elected to the post by the company’s board of directors, Gallagher becomes only the fourth CEO the company in its seventy-six year history. Prince will continue in his position as chairman of the board.
Caterpillar Buys Leading European Automotive Engine Remanufacturer
Caterpillar is expanding its remanufacturing business through the purchase of Wealdstone Engineering Ltd., one of Europe’s leading remanufacturers of gasoline and diesel engines. Wealdstone is a privately held company based in the U.K. Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services (“Cat Reman”) currently has six facilities located in the U.S., Mexico and Europe serving the automotive power train remanufacturing business.
Airtex Plant Facing Strike
Talks between Airtex Products and the United Auto Workers Local 543 failed to produce an agreement Thursday night, resulting in a strike at the company’s three auto parts plants in Fairfield, Ill. The five-year contract expired at midnight Thursday without an agreement, affecting 539 hourly union members.
Cooper Tools to Stop Making Certain Products, Plans to Lay Off 130
The Cooper Tools division of Houston-based Cooper Industries Ltd. said Thursday it will stop making certain products within its screwdriver bits and socket lines, and will lay off 130 out of 265 employees from its Dayton operation. The Dayton location makes the high-end industrial product line of Apex screwdriver bits and sockets, primarily for automotive and general industry fastening applications, and the Apex universal joint product line serving aerospace and military applications.