Tales from the Track: When Racing on the Edge, Weird Stuff Happens
Dave Caracci, retired VP from Robert Bosch, has returned to his first love – racing. In this multi-part series, Caracci takes us behind the scenes on the road with Prime Time Racing, where he serves as Logistics Engineer. This time he writes about the trials and tribulations the team encountered in St. Petersburg for the Acura Sports Car Challenge.
Executive Interview with Camilla Denison, President of Champion Laboratories, Inc.
Camilla Denison is president of Champion Laboratories, Inc., a business unit of United Components. She joined the company in 2005, after an extensive career with such companies as General Motors, ITT Automotive, Visteon Corp. and Textron Fastening Systems, from which she retired before reaching the age of 40. Denison came out of retirement to join Alemite Corp., where she served as CEO before joining Champion. Today, Denison shares with us a little background on how values, ethics and business strategies have grown Champ Labs from a small, entrepreneurial business into a global success story.
MEMA Members Tell Legislators: “Now is the Time”
The theme “Now is the Time,” has never seemed more appropriate as members of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) gathered on Capitol Hill this week to talk to legislators about the critical issues currently challenging the motor vehicle supplier industry. Rather than simply bringing a laundry list of complaints to legislators this week, motor vehicle suppliers that attended MEMA’s annual Legislative Summit focused on ways that the industry can be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
The Week in Review (June 9-13,2008)
By Amy Antenora The Week in Review offers a snapshot of the most highly read stories of the week as seen on aftermarketNews. To access the complete stories, simply click on the highlighted links. If you missed reading one of our daily news emails, just click on the link that says "News Archives" at the
Publisher’s Perspective: Debate Over Delivery Charges Heats Up
In a column I wrote for the April issue of Counterman , I suggested that it may be time for all parts stores (retail chain, independent and WD-owned) and two-step WD’s to implement delivery service charges to their delivery customers in light of today’s unprecedented gas prices. The article invoked many responses, and I was informed yesterday that the topic is a hot discussion item down at the annual Alliance shareholders meeting in Nashville , Tenn. Much to my delight, many entities across the market are taking this issue seriously, however it won’t be until ALL entities are bold enough to step forward that charging for delivery service becomes a reality.
MAHLE Acquires Clemex Mexico S.A. de C.V
The Stuttgart-based MAHLE Group has acquired the total shares of Clemex Mexico S.A. de C.V. and its subsidiaries in Lerma, Mexico. The company, which will continue to operate under the name Clemex Mexico S.A. de CV until early 2009 when it is merged into the MAHLE Group, produces engine bearings and bushings for the automotive aftermarket and global automotive OE manufacturers.
Twenty Aspiring Aftermarket Industry Professionals Receive a $1,000 Scholarship Donated by Zurich
Overland Park, Kan. – The Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) will award 20 aspiring aftermarket industry professionals $1,000 scholarships from money donated by Zurich’s Direct Markets group, a leading provider of customized insurance products for aftermarket businesses in North America. The GAAS scholarships are funded partially by a grant from Zurich’s High-Octane Scholarship Program that
A Call to Action to Determine the Root Cause for Returns
In case you missed it, we are repeating our publication of the following article, authored by Tom Easton and Chuck Udell of Essential Action Design Group exclusively for aftermarketNews and Counterman magazine. It is intended as a call to action for the industry to fund the effort to determine the Root Cause for returns. Essential Action Design Group and Babcox Publications hope to develop a joint research project as a result of this call to action, and subsequently publish a series of articles to educate the industry and (hopefully) significantly decrease returns in the future. We encourage you to get involved.
Value of China’s Auto Parts Industry is Expected to Reach $115 Billion in 2010
According to a new report from Research and Markets, China witnessed a record high in both production and consumption of automobiles and auto parts in 2007, with auto production and consumption reaching 8.88 million units and 8.79 million units respectively. This was influenced by an increase in income as well as reduced prices for passenger vehicles, stimulating consumer demand. China’s export of auto parts reached roughly $2 billion in 2007.
Executive Interview with Rusty Bishop, CEO of Federated Auto Parts
In this week’s Executive Interview, we hear from Rusty Bishop, CEO of Federated Auto Parts. Read on to learn more about Federated’s recent spike in membership, and Bishop’s thoughts on such issues as consolidation, branding and sourcing product from overseas.