Need for Auto Technicians Fuels New SMCC Program
The two-year automotive degree program at Southern Maine Technical College seemed beyond repair in 2002, when school administrators suspended it. Automotive instructors at the South Portland college were retiring. Most high schools had better equipment than the gear at SMTC, and the college faced budget constraints.
Washington Post Launches Online DIY Car Repair Series
The Washington Post has launched a new online automotive repair series walking readers through a number of DIY automotive repair jobs. The series will run on the paper’s Web site — www.washingtonpost.com — and will feature live online discussions.
Gateway, Snap-on Receive Auto Technician Grant; Money Is Part of U.S. Effort to Boost Mechanic Industry
Gateway Technical College and Snap-on Inc. received a $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor Wednesday as part of a nationwide effort to develop programs to increase the number of automotive technicians. The money will be used to develop a Web-based tutorial for more than 500 secondary and post-secondary instructors and schools attempting to get nationally certified.
Federal-Mogul Launches New Line of National Cast Aluminum Hub Caps
Federal-Mogul Corp. has expanded its product offerings for heavy-duty truck and trailer wheel-ends with a new line of National cast aluminum hub caps. The new line of National hub caps joins Federal-Mogul’s Abex heavy-duty friction products and National seals and bearings in a complete wheel-end solution for nearly any commercial application.
SKF Finalizes Acquisition of Vogel
SKF Group said it has completed its acquisition of Willy Vogel AG – a world leader in the field of lubrication systems. Through this acquisition, SKF will become a world-leading supplier of lubrication systems, according to the company. SKF paid approximately $85 million to Hannover Finanz Group, which has owned Willy Vogel AG since 1988. As part of the acquisition, SKF takes over net debts of approximately $7.8 million. Vogel will be reported as part of SKF as of the third quarter this year.
Soy-Based Products Show Potential Under The Hood
As soy biodiesel continues to gain acceptance at the pump, soy-based lubricants are also fueling the automotive industry. Engine oil and hydraulic power steering fluid are two soy-based products showing potential “under the hood.”
ChevronTexaco Global Lubricants Pioneers Program to Benefit Hispanic Trucking Community
ChevronTexaco Global Lubricants (CTGL), a leading provider of heavy-duty engine oils, lubricants and coolants, recently introduced an on-going initiative to reach out to the growing Hispanic trucking community, which constitutes 15 percent of the nation’s 3.2 million truck drivers.
Denver-Based Quick-lube Chain to Enter Utah Market This Fall
Grease Monkey, a Denver, Colo.-based automotive quick-lube and preventive maintenance chain, is entering Utah this fall with locations in South Jordan and Pleasant Grove and later St. George and Clinton. Why Grease Monkey — headquartered in a bordering state and operating 220 centers across the U.S. and Mexico — took 25 years to expand to its western neighbor could be based in the early days of the auto lube industry, when Q-Lube launched in Utah and Grease Monkey in Colorado.
REVVING HER ENGINE: Girls Enjoy Being Gearheads, Too
The full set of acrylic nails Ashley Pawlowski got before going to the senior prom with her boyfriend is not quite so full. The nail on her left pinky has come off and the air-brushed french manicure is chipping away. This, said the 17-year-old Canton, Mich., High School junior, comes from repeatedly washing oil and grease off her hands with an acetone-based soap. Ashley is a “gearhead,” slang for self-professed auto mechanic junkies whose tastes range from routine maintenance to restoring old cars to high performance engineering.
CSK’s Fraser, California Air Resources Board Representatives to Speak at ASPA Annual Meeting
Martin Fraser, president and COO of CSK Automotive, Peter Venturini of the CARB California Air Resource Board (CARB) Stationary Sources Division chief, and Janette Brook, CARB Air Quality Measures Branch chief, are the key speakers for the third annual Automotive Aftermarket Specialty Products Group (ASPA) meeting.