CSK’s Fraser, California Air Resources Board Representatives to Speak at ASPA Annual Meeting
Martin Fraser, president and COO of CSK Automotive, Peter Venturini of the CARB California Air Resource Board (CARB) Stationary Sources Division chief, and Janette Brook, CARB Air Quality Measures Branch chief, are the key speakers for the third annual Automotive Aftermarket Specialty Products Group (ASPA) meeting.
Auto Part Suppliers Study Jobs
Automotive jobs will continue to leave Michigan, but there are remedies, says a report on the future of manufacturing to be delivered today at the opening session of the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress in Cobo Center in Detroit. The U.S. is expected to see an 11 percent drop in its automotive production jobs by 2010, according to “The Odyssey of the Auto Industry” a study conducted by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants for the Original Equipment Suppliers Association.
Bendix Brakes Expands Partnership with Pedregon Racing
Honeywell’s Bendix brakes has renewed its associate sponsorship with former Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon for the 2004 NHRA POWERade drag racing series season. The brand has also expanded its involvement with the team by becoming an associate sponsor on 2003 Funny Car Champion Tony Pedregon’s Quaker State Funny Car.
Technology Outpaces Would-be Technicians
Help Wanted: Automotive technician. Starting salary: $30,000. Benefits include medical insurance, plus two weeks paid vacation and two long weekends off — that’s Thursday through Sunday — a year. How difficult is it to fill a job like that in Michigan’s lackluster economy? Plenty, according to Stan Shephard, owner of Shephard’s Hi Tech Automotive in Detroit. Shephard posted his help-wanted sign 18 months ago, and today the position remains unfilled. He’s had only 15 applicants for the job.
2003 Indy 500 Winner Gil de Ferran to Speak at SAE World Congress
Two-time CART FedEx Series Champion and Winner of the 2003 Indianapolis 500, Gil de Ferran, has been confirmed as a speaker in the SAE 2004 World Congress, to be held at Cobo Center in Detroit, Mich., March 8-11. The charismatic Brazil native will join an all-star group of racing experts in a session entitled “Passion for Performance” – The Transfer of Technology from Racing to High Performance Cars, to be held on Tuesday, March 9, 2004 at 1:30 p.m. in the Dana Technical Innovation Forum, part of the SAE World Congress Exhibition.
TI Automotive to Build New Plant in Mexico
TI Automotive, a supplier of fully integrated fluid storage and delivery systems, plans to build its seventh manufacturing plant in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico. The new 60,000-square-foot facility will employ 400 people and will produce brake and fuel lines for automotive assembly plants in North America. The plant is expected to open this summer.
NASCAR Driver Bill Lester to Give Keynote Address at GAAS
Bill Lester, driver of the No. 8 BHR Dodge in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, will be the luncheon speaker on Tuesday, May 18, at the ninth annual Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS). GAAS 2004 will take place on May 18-19, at the Hyatt Regency, Chicago, Ill.
TI Automotive Combines Regional Operations
TI Automotive, a leading supplier automotive fluid storage and delivery systems, has combined its regional operations for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), in a move to help streamline its product development process.
School Auto Center Revs Up Students
Alex Kosterman, Kevin Bendorf and Matt Beier hunched over the shiny red Pontiac Sunfire, carefully inspecting the car’s leaky battery before cleaning it up and replacing it. The hands-on lesson on starting systems and batteries took place Tuesday in Racine, Wis.-based Park High School’s new automotive technology center, a 5,000-square-foot dream for the school’s automotive students. The investment bucks a national trend, as more and more high school auto shops are stalling despite a huge demand for skilled auto technicians. The most common roadblocks: the hefty cost of running automotive programs and a more intense focus on college preparatory classes.
Hayes Lemmerz Brake and Powertrain Components Group Receives ISO Certification
The International Automotive Task Force (IATF), a worldwide consortium of automotive manufacturers and trade associations, has granted all of Hayes Lemmerz International’s brake and powertrain components group facilities the ISO/TS 16949:2002 (with design) certification.