Former Toyota Exec Named New Dana CEO
Dana Holding Corp. has named Gary Convis, 65, to the post of chief executive officer (CEO). Convis was appointed to Dana’s new board of directors in January 2008 after retiring from Toyota Motor Corp., where he had spent more than 20 years, culminating in his role as chairman of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky.
SmarTire Appoints New Interim CFO
RICHMOND, British Columbia — TPMS provider SmarTire Systems has named David Dodge as the company’s interim chief financial officer following the resignation of Jeff Finkelstein, who had served in the role since 2002 before leaving to “pursue a new opportunity,” to quote SmarTire. Dodge, whose appointment was announced on Apr. 10, was formerly vice president
Pronto Holds Successful Spring Shareholder’s Conference in Atlanta
National Pronto Association held its Spring Shareholder’s Conference April 8-10 at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta, Ga. Despite tornado damage to the hotel and the downtown Atlanta area, more than 60 warehouse distributor shareholders and more than 70 vendor partners attended the three-day meeting. This meeting was primarily structured as one-on-one sessions between shareholders and suppliers, whereby the supplier had the opportunity to host up to 15 sessions over a two-day period. All together 900 one-on-one meetings took place.
Beck/Arnley Receives Vendor of the Year Award from XL Parts
Beck/Arnley has received the Vendor of the Year Award from XL Parts, LLC, an automotive parts supplier based in Houston, Texas. Beck/Arnley was recognized for its outstanding service and support during 2007. The award was presented during XL Parts’ annual open-house show, held recently at its warehouse in Houston.
Auto Pride Speaker: Language is the Culprit in Lost Sales Opportunities
Mac McGovern believes the key for suppliers to sell more parts to repair shops comes down to language. It’s both about how countermen refer to technicians and how repair shops approach their business. “The parts industry’s responsibility is to teach the repair shops how to approach the customers,” said McGovern, who owned his own repair shop for 30 years. He’s now director of training for KYB America. He spoke during Saturday morning’s keynote address, titled “Parts people are from Venus, Installers are from Mars,” at Auto Pride’s annual meeting at the JW Marriott resort in Orlando, Fla.
Carroll Shelby Earns Auto Executive of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award
Automotive icon Carroll Shelby will receive the 2008 Automotive Executive of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be presented to him during an invitation-only luncheon at the Detroit Athletic Club on April 16. This is the first time in a decade that the Automotive Executive of the Year’s annual honoree will be recognized for lifetime achievement. The Automotive Executive of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award has recognized excellence in automotive leadership from OEM executives since 1964. Past winners include Jim Press, Bill Ford, Jr., Dieter Zetsche, Rick Wagoner, Henry Ford II, Robert Eaton, Thomas Stallkamp, Roger Smith, Harold E. Poling and Lee Iacocca.
Federal-Mogul’s Champion Brand Introduces New One Piece Premium Replacement Spark Plug
Federal-Mogul’s Champion spark plug brand has introduced a new one-piece premium replacement spark plug designed to help automotive technicians and do-it-yourselfers eliminate a common tune-up challenge affecting more than 4 million passenger vehicles. The new Champion Double Platinum Power spark plug (p/n 7989) utilizes a one-piece design that replaces the two-piece “high-thread” original equipment plug utilized in millions of Ford 4.6L, 5.4L and 6.8L engines. When servicing these engines the OE plug can separate during removal, potentially leaving the base trapped within the engine block. The new one-piece design solves this problem, according to the company.
U.S. Carmakers Are Adopting Simplicity as a Path to Recovery
Henry Ford, who created the automotive industry’s first mass-market hit with the Model T a century ago, was a proponent of radical simplicity. In fact, Ford became famous for saying his customers could have the $825 Model T in any color — so long as it was black. Since the first Model T appeared in 1908, Ford’s vision of top-down efficiency has been swamped by thousands of feature and color combinations on new cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles. A result, executives say, has been higher production and inventory costs and headaches for customers and dealers in sorting through a complex matrix of choices. Ford Motor and the other U.S. automakers are now going back to black, embracing the spirit of Ford’s notion in response to mounting losses and the risk of a deeper downturn in the United States in 2008.
Federal-Mogul Announces Organizational Appointments
Federal-Mogul has announced senior leadership changes within its finance, global purchasing, corporate communications and investor relations staffs. Jeff Kaminski has been appointed senior vice president and chief financial officer. He will continue to serve as a corporate officer and member of the Federal-Mogul Strategy Board (FMSB). Markus Wermers has been appointed senior vice president, global purchasing. He will also serve as a corporate officer and member of the FMSB. Steven Gaut has been appointed vice president, corporate communications and government relations. He will also serve as a corporate officer and member of the FMSB. David Pouliot has been appointed director, investor relations.
Media Management Marketing Offering Free Consultations for Struggling Automotive Businesses
WILD ROSE, Wis. — Media Management Marketing, a full service automotive public relations and marketing company, is offering free marketing consultations to companies that are experiencing the impact of these troubling economic times. “The U.S. economy is experiencing some pretty tough times," said Terry Kohl, president of Media Management Marketing. “The automotive industry — one