Motormite/Dorman Distributes 180,000 Wheel Nut Torque Specification Posters
Motormite/Dorman has successfully tapped into a new venue for providing technical information to service dealers while simultaneously promoting its new products. In May, Motormite/Dorman distributed more than 180,000 Wheel Nut Torque Specification Posters in a number of aftermarket trade publications. According to Bill Hanvey, vice president of marketing for Motormite/Dorman, the dual-purpose poster was met with positive response.
T.O. Haas Tire Buys Gullickson Tire
T.O. Haas Tire this month officially took over operations of Gullickson Tire in Hutchinson, Kan. This purchase will mark the fifth T.O. Haas Tire store in Kansas, bringing the total number of stores to thirty. George Hoellen, president of T.O. Haas Tire, said the purchase was a good fit for a number of reasons.
Caliber Collision Centers Names Director of Client Services, Texas Operations
Caliber Collision Centers, an Irvine, Calif.-based collision repair business, has named Tresa Parker as its director of client services for the company’s Texas Operations. Caliber Collision Centers operates facilities in Texas and California. This newly created position is designed to help strengthen new and existing relationships with insurance clients and customers in the Texas market, according to the company.
Steel Prices Show No Sign of Falling
Twelve straight months of increases have more than doubled steel prices — and there’s little immediate sign that end-users in the manufacturing, construction or automotive industries will be getting a break anytime soon.
Metaldyne Names Tom Chambers President of Engine Group
Metaldyne Corp. has announced that Tom Chambers has joined the company as president of its Engine Group. He replaces George Thanopoulos who resigned to pursue other opportunities. Prior to this appointment, Chambers has held a variety of positions in the automotive industry. Most recently, he served as president of Piston Automotive.
Lear Opens New Plant at Ford’s Chicago Manufacturing Campus
Lear Corp. has opened a new plant at Ford Motor Co.’s Chicago Manufacturing Campus. The facility supplies headliners and distributes package trays for the Ford Five Hundred sedan, Ford Freestyle all-purpose vehicle and Mercury Montego sedan. Lear invested nearly $4 million to build the 53,760-square-foot facility, which employs 70 people. The facility is located one-half mile from Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant where the all-new models are built.
Bendix-Dana Joint Venture Completes Management Team Selection
Completing its leadership team selection, Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake LLC, a new joint venture between Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC and Dana Corp., announced the appointment of Bill Mossing as assistant general manager. Mossing will join Kishor Pendse, president of the new business.
Beck/Arnley Launches its New MultiView CD
Beck/Arnley has launched its new MultiView synchronized Web strategy CD, which is designed to allows customers access to Beck/Arnley’s most up-to-date catalog database. Changes to the catalog content can be easily downloaded via the Internet.
East Penn Scores 100 Percent in Freightliner’s Masters of Quality Award
East Penn Manufacturing Co., was recently presented the Masters of Quality Supplier award given by Freightliner Corp. of Portland, Ore. East Penn manufactures lead-acid batteries and accessories for the commercial, automotive, marine, telecommunications, industrial and stationary markets.
Hoon Chung Named President and CEO of DST
Former Activant Automotive Group executive Hoon Chung has been named president and CEO of DST Inc. Company founder Ray Stover was named chairman and vice president of business development. Stover said the entire DST family is energized by the appointment of Chung as president and CEO. “Hoon exemplifies the growing trend in the aftermarket to recruit the best of the best in supply chain management expertise to chart the course for an industry in vital need of next generation solutions,” said Stover.
CARDONE Industries Launches New Online Parts Catalog
CARDONE Industries recently launched its new CARDONE WebCat online catalog. The CARDONE WebCat utilizes self-filtering searches designed to eliminate the dead ends that can occur while searching the web for auto parts. Users can browse the catalog by application, product line or part number to find the appropriate parts. CARDONE has launched WebCat as a free service for all users following the successful unveiling to direct customers of a version of CARDONE WebCat that contains more robust capabilities.
Five States Home to One-Third of Independent Repair Shops, Auto Parts Stores, Says AAIA
The five largest U.S. states comprise one-third of all U.S. independent repair shops and automotive retail establishments, according to new data reported in the “2004/2005 Aftermarket Factbook,” which is published by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). California, Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois also dominate the U.S. motorist population, with more than one-third of all licensed drivers.