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.
Suppliers Feel Pinch from Auto Industry
Workers at the Timken Co. can spin magic with bearings, crafting superb tapered bits of metal tinier than grains of sand and 9-ton sculptured steel behemoths. The friction-reducing bearings let cars, sport utility vehicles, railroad engines, space satellites, computer disk drives and even missile guidance systems function. But for all that specialized engineering, the $3.8 billion Canton manufacturer is caught in the same pythonlike economic squeeze as businesses large and small across the world: how to cut costs and do more with less, because if they don’t, someone else eventually will.
MEMA President Chris Bates Resigns
MEMA chairman Scott Meyer announced today that Chris Bates, president and CEO of the association since 2001, has resigned from the organization after 16 years of service. A reason for Bates’ resignation was not provided. MEMA has formed a search committee to identify and evaluate potential successors to Bates.
Two Collins & Aikman Board Members Resign
Two board members investigated internally for insider deals have resigned from auto supplier Collins & Aikman Corp. (C&A), which has lost money three years in a row, and on Thursday reported another first-quarter loss. The quarter’s red ink was slightly less than it was the same period a year ago.
DST Asks:Does Your Multi-Store Business Management System Capture and Consolidate Operating Information?
It’s the American way. Start your own business. Perfect your methods. Hire good people. Grow your customer base. Perfect the idea at one location, then expand by adding new locations that share the same business model. Thousands of successful retail enterprises have started in exactly this way. It’s a fundamental way to apply the principle we all learned in Economics 101 – economies of scale. Business 101 would call it leverage. Good entrepreneurs call it survival!
Challenge Ahead for Detroit’s Automakers
Detroit’s Big Three automakers — General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler — are going to have to make changes in their products if they want to stay competitive, says automotive trend watcher Micheline Maynard.
Equipment and Tool Institute (ETI) to Hold Annual Detroit Tech Week
The Equipment and Tool Institute (ETI) will present its annual Detroit Tech Week June 14 through June 18. Detroit Tech Week is a forum to communicate new information and tool requirements for servicing new and future vehicles. For more than 20 years, ETI Detroit Tech Week has provided OEMs – engineers and designers – and Tech Week attendees – the makers of automotive tools and equipment – an opportunity to meet and collaborate. Through OEM presentations, panel discussions and hands-on demonstrations, these professionals discuss the upcoming service needs of new makes and models, and the changes necessary in the tool and equipment industry to meet those needs.
Executive Interview with Kathleen Schmatz, President and CEO of AAIA
Our latest edition of “Executive Interview” features Kathleen Schmatz, President and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). Schmatz became president and CEO of AAIA on Jan. 1, 2004. She had served as executive vice president of the association since January 2002. In addition to filling us in on her first few months at her new post, Schmatz shared with aftermarketNews.com updates on AAIA’s merger with AWDA, Right to Repair legislation and the Be Car Care Award Campaign.
Indiana Auto Body Association Joins SCRS Affiliate Ranks
The Indiana Auto Body Association (IABA), a new organization founded to address a gap in the professional needs of the state’s repairers, has announced its affiliation with the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS). Founded on January 15, the IABA currently includes more than 60 members, consisting mostly of collision repair professionals and a small number of suppliers.
High Price of Steel Leaves Consumer Feeling the Squeeze
The price of steel has risen substantially over the past few months, and many suppliers to the auto industry are feeling squeezed because they are big buyers of steel, according to a new study conducted by Frost & Sullivan consulting firm.