TRW Leader Says the Future is All About Safety
John Plant, the CEO for TRW Automotive Holdings Corp., has one word to sum up why his company’s future looks more promising than most: Safety. “The way we think of it is that you need to have a theme for a company. For us, the theme is all about safety,” said Plant.
Activant Solutions Names Vice President of Business Development
Mary Beth Loesch has joined Activant Solutions as its new vice president of business development. With more than 20 years experience in both private and public companies, Loesch is charged with driving Activant’s top-line growth through new market expansion and acquisitions. Larry Jones, CEO of Activant, said Loesch will play a key role in one of Activant’s next major goals — growth through acquisition.
2005 Automotive News Pace Award Finalists Named
More than 30 automotive suppliers have been named finalists in the 11th annual Automotive News PACE Award competition. Open to suppliers that contribute products, processes, materials or services directly to the manufacture of cars or trucks, the PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers’ Contribution to Excellence) Award is presented by Automotive News, Capgemini and Transportation Research Center Inc. (TRC Inc.). Judges selected 23 finalists and 10 honorable mention awardees based on extensive written responses to the 2005 PACE Award application. Finalists will now host site visits by industry, academic and business leaders to select the winners, which will be announced in April during the Society of Automotive Engineers conference in Detroit. Judges will evaluate each company’s innovation as well as its management team.
Champ Car World Series and Indy Racing League Conclude Discussions
The Indy Racing League issued a statement late last week announcing that the league has ended discussions with Champ Car World Series regarding the possible union of the two groups. In a discussion first initiated by Roger Penske, ownership representatives of Champ Car World Series and the Indy Racing League met with Penske to explore a possible unification of the two groups.
DST Asks: How Do you Make Strategic Business Decisions
There are almost as many sources of reference for making strategic business decisions as there are choices for planning and securing your future. Our respondents to last week’s question were in agreement that it takes collaborative efforts to design and implement a corporate roadmap, including internal management, consultants, observing and copying competitors’ strategies, industry journals and publications and technology supplier partnerships.
Much of Coastal U.S. May Follow California on Car Emissions
California’s plan for sharp cuts in automotive emissions of global warming gases could eventually lead much of the coastal United States to turn to vehicles that are substantially cleaner, and by extension more fuel efficient, than those in the rest of the nation.
RMA Embarks on New England Tire Care Awareness Tour
According to research from the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA), New England drivers rank below national average when it comes to tire care. Only 14 percent of New England drivers properly check tire pressure. To address these issues, RMA is bringing its national tire care awareness tour to New England in a pre-July 4th, three-state swing to help educate motorists about the importance of proper tire care. RMA will co-host three, free tire care events, June 24-26.
Making Better Business Decisions
Last time we talked about how a cross-functional management framework, driving business improvement at the process level, can dramatically accelerate the pace of performance-enhancing change. This week we’ll talk about how that same cross-functional management framework can improve the quality of business decisions on a day-to-day basis.
Stanford Business School Study Finds Economic Incentives Do Inspire New Products – To a Point
With product life cycles becoming ever shorter, today’s key to market success is speed — continuously creating new items or ever more novel iterations of old ones. Nissan, for instance, has succeeded in a tough automotive market by focusing on frequently designing new models. Logitech has produced a string of ever-changing mice and keyboards in the computer industry. This emphasis on rapid change means that finding ways to motivate product development managers has become critical to business success.
“AMN Perspectives by Thomas Group: Experience at Work”
Welcome to the first installment of “AMN Perspectives by Thomas Group: Experience at Work.” What does “Experience at Work” mean? It means proven methods and techniques applied by seasoned executives resulting in measurable financial improvement. “Work” means that Thomas Group consultants are working implementers. We get into the client’s business and go to work side by side with the management and employees until objectives are accomplished, rather than preparing a plan and leaving it to the company to make it happen. Through “AMN Perspectives: Experience at Work,” Thomas Group consultants will comment on issues and news within the automotive aftermarket to provide constructive suggestions that work based on our experience in the automotive industry and more than 20 other industries and government agencies.