Manufacturers’ Rep Conference to Focus on Industry Partnerships
Make plans to attend the Manufacturers’ Rep Conference May 16-17, 2004 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Chicago. Topics to be covered include customer relationship management, evaluating line profitability and agency profitability, pioneering new lines and adjusting income structures and developing a customer-focused sales force.
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.
Executive Interview with Howard Kesten, President and Founder of Workboards
Our latest edition of “Executive Interview” features Howard Kesten, president and founder of Workboards, which launched the automotive job site, aftermarketJobs.com, in December 2003. A two-time guest speaker at AAPEX, Kesten is also founder and CEO of APA Search, Inc., an executive search and human resources consulting firm serving the automotive industry. In 18 years, he has placed more than 1,600 automotive professionals. Join us as Kesten provides an introduction to aftermarketJobs.com and shares with us his predictions for the future of the aftermarket and the job market.
Registration Forms Now Available for MEMA Counterfeiting Seminar
As part of its continuing efforts to address the counterfeiting and intellectual property right violations problems — which costs the U.S. automotive industry nearly $3 billion and costs the global industry $12 billion each year — MEMA will present a one-day seminar — “Taking Action Against Automotive Parts Counterfeiting, Diversion and IPR Violations” — on Monday, April 5, at the Dearborn Hyatt, Dearborn, Mich.
Taking Action Against Automotive Parts Counterfeiting
On Monday, April 5, MEMA will hold a one-day seminar as a follow-up to its first counterfeiting seminar held last October. “Taking Action Against Automotive Parts Counterfeiting, Diversion and IPR Violations” will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn, Mich. The seminar – presented by MEMA and its market segment associations: AASA, HDMA and OESA – will examine best practices against counterfeiting, diversion and IPR violations and increase dialogue among suppliers to address the issue.
Delphi Set to Trim 150 Tech Jobs
Auto-parts giant Delphi Corp. is shedding at least 150 well-paying technology jobs and will shift some of the work overseas to an Indian firm. The move is one step in the company’s effort to pare down its 500-person information technology staff. Troy, Mich.-based Delphi becomes just the latest multibillion-dollar corporation to move white-collar jobs to India or other lower-wage countries. The increasingly common development called offshoring has become a hot-button issue in the presidential campaign as jobs have been slow to return to the U.S. economy.
Early Bird Registration Discount Extended For GAAS
There is still time to hear the aftermarket’s leading experts discuss how the industry can work “Leaner, Faster, Better,” at the ninth annual Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) program – set for Tuesday and Wednesday, May 18-19, at the Hyatt Regency, Chicago, Ill. – at a substantial savings.
CCAR Partners with OSHA to Create a Safe Workplace in the Auto Industry
The Coordinating Committee For Automotive Repair (CCAR) has formalized an alliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to address worker safety and health issues in the automotive industry. The alliance not only highlights workplace vehicle safety, but will also focus on abrasive wheel machinery (including associated silica hazards) and ergonomics. The alliance provides CCAR affiliates and others in the automotive industry with information, guidance and access to training resources that will further safety and health for industry workers.
Executive Interview with Jim Taylor, CEO of Thomas Group
Our latest edition of “Executive Interview” features Jim Taylor, CEO of the Thomas Group. Taylor joined the Thomas Group in 2001 as vice president and CFO. From 1997 to 2001, Taylor served as president of the Chancellor Group, a Dallas, Texas, management consulting firm, where he assisted companies in restructuring, raising funds and completing initial public offerings. Join us as Taylor tells us more about the Thomas Group culture and how it works for its clients.
High Schoolers Earn Certifications from Industry
A diploma isn’t the only important document that some students have in hand when they graduate from high school these days. A growing number of students, educators say, are graduating with specific, industry-defined skills certifications that can have immediate value in the job market. Industries in which such certification is available include computer maintenance, automotive repair, nursing, graphic arts and food service.