U.S. Participates in Global Outreach to Combat Piracy and Counterfeiting
Officials from seven federal agencies traveled to Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Singapore on April 11 to further the Bush administration’s Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP!) and to increase cooperative enforcement efforts to combat international intellectual property rights violations.
Ronald Rittenmeyer Joins The Cypress Group
The Cypress Group, the New York-based private equity firm that recently acquired Dana’s Automotive Aftermarket Group (now called Affinia) and Cooper-Standard Automotive, has named Ronald Rittenmeyer a managing director. Rittenmeyer most recently was chairman, president and CEO of Safety-Kleen.
Executive Interview with Dave Ellingen, President and CEO of Mitchell 1
Mitchell 1 got its start back in 1946 when Glen Mitchell started a business out of creating simplified parts replacement books. In those days, OE parts replacement books could be complicated and difficult for the counterperson to use. As a counterperson himself, Mitchell saw a better way to organize parts replacement books, and from his vision, Mitchell 1 was born. Dave Ellingen, president and CEO of Mitchell 1, shared with aftermarketNews.com some of his thoughts on the roadblocks to getting more repair shops to embrace technology, and how parts suppliers are working to move the effort forward.
Motor Vehicle Lighting Council Names New Officers
Daniel Robusto, president and COO of Illinois-based North American Lighting, Inc., was recently elected chairman of the Motor Vehicle Lighting Council (MVLC). He succeeds Joseph Borruso, president and CEO of Hella North America, who served as the MVLC’s first chairman. The Motor Vehicle Lighting Council (MVLC) is a coalition of global automotive lighting and component manufacturers and related education and research institutions committed to bringing new lighting advancements to market in order to increase vehicle performance and vehicle and pedestrian safety.
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.
Freudenberg-NOK Names New VP of Human Resources
Freudenberg-NOK has promoted Sarah O’Hare to vice president of human resources (HR). O’Hare began her career at Freudenberg-NOK in 1998 as the director of compensation. The following year she was promoted to director of compensation and benefits.
Delphi Admits Accounting Flaw
Delphi Corp., the world’s largest auto supplier, said a preliminary internal accounting review found the company improperly recorded a $20-million payment from Electronic Data Systems Corp (EDS) in 2001. In a filing Wednesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Troy, Mich., company said it also booked $26 million in credits from EDS in 2000 and 2001 for future information technology services when the amount should have been recognized over a longer period of time.
AIAG Appoints Goodrich as Director of Finance
The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) has appointed Lorraine Goodrich as the new director of finance for the association. Goodrich has more than 20 years of financial and accounting experience in the medical, information technology and agricultural industries.
The Year in Review – A Look at the Top 10 News Stories of 2004
Whether you believe 2004 was a good or bad year for the aftermarket, no one can argue this was a big news year for our industry. The year included noteworthy shifts in leadership, mergers, acquisitions and more, most of which will significantly impact the industry for many years to come. Here’s a month-by-month look at what aftermarketNews.com considers to be biggest news events that happened in our industry in 2004.
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.