Two Off-Road Organizations Promise to Add Excitement to the 2004 SEMA Spring Expo
The Off-Road Business Association (ORBA) and the United Rockcrawling & Off-Road Challenge (UROC) will participate in the annual SEMA Spring Expo, which is slated to take place March 5-6 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. According to Peter MacGillivray, vice president of marketing and communications for SEMA, ORBA and UROC will bring the excitement of the rapidly growing off-road sports scene to the annual SEMA Spring Expo.
SEC Investigates Goodyear
The federal Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating accounting problems at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the world’s largest tire maker said. News of the investigation sent Goodyear shares down 96 cents, or nearly 10 percent, to close at $8.96 on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock had been rebounding recently as the company pushed a new line of tires that analysts said could help make Goodyear profitable again.
Del-Nat Tire Names VP of Marketing
Jim Mayfield has joined Del-Nat Tire Corp. as vice president of marketing. His responsibilities will include all marketing and product management functions. Mayfield joined the tire industry in 1981 with Michelin Tire Corp., where he held various sales positions in replacement and OE sales.
ATP-Inc. to Produce Illustrated Parts Catalog Internally Using e-Publisher
The e-Publisher catalog management system from Vertical Development Inc. (VDI) has given replacement parts supplier ATP-Inc. the capability to generate illustrated parts lists and catalogs internally, bypassing traditional typesetting and desktop publishing services. According to VDI, the system will also allow ATP to produce literature faster and export data mapped in industry-standard formats.
Lund International Announces Two Executive Appointments
Lund International has promoted Bob Schuetz to vice president of aftermarket sales. Schuetz joined Lund in October 2003 in the newly created position of vice president of new business development. Lund has also announced the appointment of John Whitten as director of sales engineering. Whitten brings with him 11 years of quality and product engineering, most recently working in automotive accessories on a contract basis for General Motors and DaimlerChrysler.
SEMA To Host Trademark Webinar
SEMA is hosting a webinar conference on “Trademarks” on Thursday, February 12 at 10 a.m. (PST). Conrad Wong of the SEMA Washington, D.C., office will address the following issues: Learn what a trademark is; What constitutes a trademark infringement; The benefits of a federal trademark registration; How to communicate with the Patent and Trademark Office, and more.
AMN Perspectives by Thomas Group: Experience at Work
In our last article we talked about inventory management as a trade-off. In most organizations there are conflicting inputs from various departments that affect inventory decisions: finance wants low inventory levels to minimize working capital costs; sales and marketing wants high inventory levels to ensure excellent customer service; production wants long-term planning with low flexibility to create high production efficiencies. Logistics wants to minimize transportation, handling and inventory holding costs.
Monro Muffler Brake to Acquire Mr. Tire Locations from Mile One Automotive
Monro Muffler Brake has signed a definitive agreement with privately held Mile One Automotive to acquire 36 Mr. Tire locations in Maryland and Virginia. The company has no plans to close any of the Mr. Tire locations, and the stores will continue to operate under the current brand name. Monro also said it intends to retain substantially all Mr. Tire store employees.
“DST Asks”: What Do You Look For In a Computerized Business Management System?
Technology is breaking down the barriers that once hindered our ability to process and share information efficiently. As our industry taps into the power of new technologies, those businesses that adopt and embrace them sooner rather than later will realize new efficiencies and bottom-line improvements while simultaneously setting the revised standards of successful business operation. Those standards will be the benchmarks of competitive advantage that will steer the future of the industry.
Siemens VDO Automotive to Acquire Chrysler Group’s Huntsville Electronics Operations
Siemens VDO Automotive Electronics Corp. has signed an agreement to acquire Chrysler Group’s electronics operation located in Huntsville, Ala. The facility produces automotive electronics products for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge products and generates approximately $1 billion in sales. Details of the transaction have not been disclosed. Situated on a 180-acre site, Huntsville Electronics is composed of two plants operating two shifts daily. The first plant opened in 1977 and is 232,000 square feet. The second plant opened in 1988 and encompasses 849,000 square feet. Currently, operations in Huntsville employ more than 2,000 people who are represented by the UAW.