AMN’s Top Ten Week: Top Ten News Stories
If nothing else has been made clear by the events taking place in the automotive industry over the past 12 months, this much is true: The automotive aftermarket is changing — in dramatic ways. Here, the editorial staffs of Counterman and aftermarketNews takes a month-by-month look at the key events that have shaped this industry’s destiny over the past year.
Study Shows Chinese Auto Industry Expanding, Facing Challenges
A new study released by IBM and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute’s Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation (OSAT) reveals the Chinese automotive industry is facing a number of significant challenges as it continues its expansion. The need to adapt to a market economy, a lack of technology and knowledge transfer from joint ventures, and infrastructure, air quality and oil supply challenges all combine to create an uncertain future for the Chinese automotive industry, according to the study.
MEMA Promotes Two to New Management Positions
The Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) has promoted two of its executives to new management positions: one to direct the association’s efforts in strategic services and technology, and the second to emphasize market research. Chris Gardner has been named vice president, strategic services and technology. He will coordinate new association-driven activities reflecting an emphasis on core business processes developed by MEMA and its market segment associations: the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) and the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA). Frank Hampshire has been promoted to senior director of market research for MEMA and its market segment associations. This promotion reflects the association’s increased emphasis on its market research and analysis services.
Executive Interview with Howard Laster, Director of Marketing and Business Development, Siemens VDO Service & Special Solutions Group
This week we hear from Howard Laster, director of marketing and business development for Siemens VDO Service & Special Solutions group. Headquartered in Allentown, PA, the company manufactures and markets a wide range of products including replacement hard parts, monitoring systems, instrumentation, and performance accessories for the automotive aftermarket, marine, industrial, fleet and special OEM market segments.
Cummins and China’s Shaanxi Automobile Group Form Joint Venture
Cummins Inc. and China’s Shaanxi Automobile Group Company Ltd. today signed an agreement to form a 50/50 joint venture company, Xi’an Cummins Engine Company, to produce the Cummins ISM 11-liter heavy-duty engine in Xi’an, the capital city of western China’s Shaanxi Province.
Hella Earns Top Honors For LED Headlamp Concept
A prototype headlamp system developed by Hella in cooperation with Volkswagen has received top honors for innovation in a bi-annual competition held by Spain’s Society of Automotive Engineers (Sociedad de Tecnicos de Automocion).
R.L. Polk & Co.’s Ask The Industry Explores the Philosophy of Collaboration
For this edition of Ask The Industry, we venture into the philosophy of collaboration. It’s a single word solution to an extremely complex problem for everybody in the automotive aftermarket, from manufacturer CEO to warehouse manager. Although that word has been spoken from prominent voices throughout the years, the reality is that there are still major hurdles that need to be dealt with before the industry can begin to chart a course to success via collaboration. We spoke with some industry executives to give us insight on how we may be able to arrive at that point.
University of the Aftermarket Offers Fall “Tune Up” Classes
By September, school is in session all over North America and for the University of the Aftermarket. The University will be offering three educational opportunities during the month of September.
GM Plans to Cut 25,000 U.S. Jobs by 2008
General Motors Corp. plans to eliminate 25,000 manufacturing jobs in the United States by 2008 and close plants as part of a strategy to revive North American business at the world’s largest automaker, its chairman said on Tuesday. Speaking to shareholders at GM’s 97th annual shareholder meeting in Delaware, Chairman and Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said the capacity and job cuts should generate annual savings of roughly $2.5 billion. GM now employs 111,000 hourly workers in the United States.
Publisher’s Perspective: The Proliferation Puzzle
In the age of computers, you’re either a “PC” or a “Mac” person. I’m a PC person, and I’m currently typing out this column on my Dell laptop. In fact, Dell is the world’s top supplier of branded, personal workstations with a stunning 50 percent share of the worldwide market. When it comes to PCs, Dell is king. Dell’s commitment to forging good partnerships and developing products has been based on open, rather than proprietary, standards; it’s been the key to their success. This brings us to the automotive aftermarket, where proprietary standards are the norm. In our market, a sense of hyper-competition has fed a desire to differentiate from both a product and service perspective.