Standard & Poor’s Lowers C&A’s Rating
Collins & Aikman Corp.’s debt rating, already below investment grade, was lowered one level by Standard & Poor’s Thursday because of production cuts by the auto-parts maker’s customers and rising costs of materials such as plastics.
APA Search Launches New Program, Matching Automotive Industry Companies With ‘Hidden Talent’
APA Search, an automotive-focused executive recruiting firm, has developed a new service that will provide companies with positions to fill with access to the industry’s top, “hidden” talent. The name of the new service is “APA Select.” On a monthly basis, APA Search will publish the profiles of eight to twelve automotive professionals from different functional backgrounds including sales/marketing, supply chain, manufacturing/distribution operations, IT and more.
Media Awareness of “Be Car Care Aware” Campaign Increases Dramatically in 2004
According to the Car Care Council, media outlets are doing a good job in communicating the “Be Car Care Aware” message. The Car Care Council reported a dramatic increase in the number of stories and interviews that occurred in 2004 as a result of Car Care Council public and media relations outreach.
The Top Ten Newsmakers of 2004
For the first time ever, Counterman magazine and aftermarketNews.com bring you The Top 10 Newsmakers of the Year. Our editorial team took a look at some of this industry’s most influential leaders and selected the 10 we believe have had a direct impact on the success of the aftermarket in 2004. Beyond that, we believe these individuals have helped set the stage for an even more productive future for our industry.
AMN Celebrates Five Years
Five years. One thousand, eight hundred and twenty-five days. In aftermarket years, that’s no more than the blink of an eye. Still, for an industry that has kept America rolling for nearly a century, a lot has changed in the last five years. Five years ago today, on Sept. 13, 1999, aftermarketNews.com (AMN) was launched. Since then, AMN has published more than 19,000 unique, industry-specific news articles, editorials, interviews and features.
aftermarketNews.com Celebrates Five Years in Business
This month, aftermarketNews.com (AMN) , the industry’s only daily source of online news and information, celebrates the five-year anniversary of its launch. Since its initial launch on Sept. 13, 1999, aftermarketNews.com has provided readers with the most up-to-date, relevant industry news and information available.
Herman Trend Alert: The New Recruiting
Recruiting has increased across industry lines in recent weeks. The numbers are not dramatic yet, but the trend is steady. That signal is positive, compared to the fluctuating numbers we have seen recently.
GM Cutbacks Sting American Axle
American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc., the world’s second-largest maker of automotive drive systems, said first-quarter profit fell 32 percent as General Motors Corp. cut light-truck production and bought fewer parts. American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc., the world’s second-largest maker of automotive drive systems, said first-quarter profit fell 32 percent as General Motors Corp. cut light-truck production and bought fewer parts.
CBS Segment Featuring ASA’s Ron Pyle Sparks Criticism from Insurers, Repairers
The Automotive Service Association’s (ASA’s) Chief Staff Executive Ron Pyle was recently featured in two CBS programs that addressed the issue of insurer-owned body shops. A number of insurers and repairers responded negatively to the segment, including the National Auto Body Council (NABC), which sent a stern letter to CBS News stating that the segment didn’t live up to its sensationalized billing, when Dan Rather told the viewing audience to stay tuned to see how consumers are possibly being ripped off by collision repair shops.
Auto Suppliers Under Pressure to Shift Production Abroad
A new study soon to be released by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) is showing that the pressure to move automotive manufacturing jobs abroad will continue, despite federal and local government efforts to maintain or increase industry employment levels in the U.S. The SAE will release the report at the 2004 SAE World Congress in Detroit next month. The study, which is still under development, will outline “best practices” for global automotive suppliers. The Odyssey study seeks to help suppliers understand how their global manufacturing operations will need to change and how best to make those changes to survive and thrive.