Icons May Mean Confusion By The Dashboard Light
Icons and symbols are replacing words to describe the functions of car knobs, switches and controls and to warn drivers about possible malfunctions. In a global automotive market, avoiding specific languages means making fewer changes when selling the same car in different counties. And that saves money.
DST Asks: How Do You Plan to Stay Competitive?
Daniel H. Burnham, the 19th century architect and city planner who designed the first skyscraper and conceived the master plans for Chicago and other great cities was quoted as once saying, “Make no little plans, for they have no magic to stir men’s blood. Make big plans, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die.” Trying to follow Mr. Burnham’s advice to make big plans can easily be precluded by the focus needed for just handling day-to-day activities, as described in another saying that goes something like, “When you’re up to your neck in alligators, it’s hard to remember that your original objective was to drain the swamp.”
OEM Purchasing VPs to Discuss Industry Collaboration at Auto-Tech 2004
Top purchasing executives from DaimlerChrysler Corp., Ford Motor Co., and General Motors Corp. will headline a panel discussion on global purchasing practices at the 17th annual Auto-Tech conference at the Cobo Conference Center on Wednesday, Sept. 1. Auto-Tech is an automotive industry trade conference organized by the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG).
Challenges to China’s Auto Industry
China’s automotive industry will face four challenges in the coming few years, said Fu Yuwu, vice-chairman and secretary general of the China Society of Automotive Engineering.
WIX Filters First Supplier to Become PIES Certified
WIX Filters has become the first aftermarket supplier to receive certification under the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association’s (AAIA) Product Information Exchange Standard (PIES). PIES was developed by a subcommittee of AAIA’s technology group following a 2002 product data study conducted by AAIA that found aftermarket product data was inaccurate and incomplete. The study revealed that data errors were costing the aftermarket $1.7 billion annually.
Be Car Care Aware Campaign Goes to Europe
AAIA executives have taken the “Be Car Care Aware” message abroad in the hopes that European aftermarket associations will take on the campaign. Kathleen Schmatz, AAIA president and CEO, and Al Gaspar, AAIA president emeritus, were in Lisbon, Portugal, earlier this month to educate representatives of Europe’s premier aftermarket associations about the “Be Car Care Aware” campaign, the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act and AAIA’s technology industry standards.
North American Auto R&D Center to Set Up in China
North American market leader in automotive quality inspection, the PSA Group of Companies, has signed an agreement with two local firms to set up a research center in this southern boomtown. The Canadian firm’s major business in China is currently in sourcing auto parts for its North American and Japanese clients, including General Motors, Ford, DaimlerChrysler and Yazaki.
Executive Interview with Max Dull, Vice President and General Manager of Beck/Arnley
Our latest edition of “Executive Interview” features Max Dull, vice president and general manager of Beck/Arnley. Join us as Max shares insights from his extensive aftermarket experience, fills us in on what’s new at Beck/Arnley and explains the Beck/Arnley business philosophy.
Activant Solutions, Winsby Group Announce Strategic ACES Data Mapping Partnership
Activant Solutions and Winsby Group have announced a strategic partnership designed to increase the speed of delivery for manufacturer data mapped to the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association’s (AAIA) Enhanced Catalog Standard, or ACES. The new agreement combines Activant’s expanded in-house data mapping capabilities with Winsby Group’s new ACES data conversion technology.
Rep. Knollenberg Introduces Bill To Fight Counterfeit Goods
U.S. Representative Joe Knollenberg (R-Mich. 9th District) yesterday introduced legislation to strengthen the federal law used to prosecute counterfeiters whose products threaten public health, harm American manufacturers and cost jobs in the U.S. The Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act would require the mandatory destruction of equipment used to manufacture and package counterfeit goods. In addition, the proposed legislation addresses methods that counterfeiters have used to evade prosecution, such as the selling of patch sets or medallions that can later be attached to generic merchandise and given the appearance of a genuine product, as well as placing a counterfeit mark on goods not specifically listed in the trademark registration.