Tech Camp Sparks Career Ideas
Gustave Sexauer won’t be old enough to take his driver’s license test for a few more years, but he already owns a truck and has been working on it with his father. Sexauer got to work with college automotive instructors during the 2004 Tech Camp held recently at Western Wisconsin Technology College (WWTC) in La Crosse, Wis. Students took turns helping to change oil, inflate tires and solder. Sexauer, who will be a seventh-grader this fall, had one reason for attending the event. “I want to be a mechanic when I grow up,” he said.
Unser Brothers Plan to Build Racing Museum
Al Unser Sr. and his brother Bobby are bringing to fruition an idea they’ve been kicking around for too long: building a racing museum. Soon, the two brothers born into the legendary Unser racing family will open a museum in north-central Albuquerque, NM, dedicated to their beloved sport. The museum will feature cars, driver suits, trophies and memorabilia.
Visteon to Supply Powertrain, Engine Cooling and Navigation System for Ford Escape Hybrid
Visteon is supplying several components and systems for the 2005 Escape Hybrid, Ford Motor Co.’s first hybrid-electric vehicle. Visteon will also supply the navigation head unit for the Escape.
Executive Interview with Eric Sills, Director of Headquarter Operations, Standard Motor Products
Our latest edition of “Executive Interview” features Eric Sills, director of headquarter operations at Standard Motor Products. It’s been just about one year since Standard acquired Dana’s Engine Management division. Join us as Sills brings us up to speed on the integration, and shares some of Standard’s goals and plans for the coming years.
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!
Two Visteon Employees to be Honored by Society of Automotive Engineers
Two engineering professionals from Visteon Corporation will be honored with the prestigious Forest R. McFarland Award on Tuesday, March 9, at the Honors Convocation during the 2004 Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) World Congress & Exhibition in Detroit.
More Aftermarket Eye Candy at This Year’s North American International Auto Show
Although there’s no shortage of muscle on the main floor at this year’s North American International Auto Show — the 850-horsepower Chrysler ME412 concept is only the beginning — there’s also a subterranean performance theme that’s been missing from previous shows. Once the take-it-or-leave-it realm of marginal players like Daewoo and stillborns like the revival Cunningham sports car, Cobo Center’s downstairs Michigan Hall exhibit area is studded this year with an intriguing array of production vehicles enhanced by aftermarket bolt-on goodies: designer wheels, low-profile tires, oversize brakes, high-performance shock absorbers and more.
Cooperation Urged in Auto Costs Fight
As a former Ford Motor Co. executive, Kathleen Ligocki knows about the carmakers’ mission to slash supplier prices. But in order to survive long-term, automakers must work with suppliers to take out the waste, said Ligocki, now chief executive of Tower Automotive. Speaking on an Automotive News World Congress panel Monday in Dearborn, Mich., Ligocki, a former vice president for Ford customer services, called for a collaborative effort between suppliers and carmakers to improve both sides’ bottom lines.