R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry: Are We Doing Enough to Attract the Next Generation?
For this edition of Ask the Industry, we asked executives representing a number of market segments including manufacturing, service and training: Are we doing enough to attract bright young professionals to this industry? If not, what more needs to be done? And, what are the dealerships doing that we can’t or haven’t?
CARS 2005 Provided Education, Networking, Entertainment
Hundreds gathered during Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week (AAIW) at the 2005 Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) held at The Mirage in Las Vegas. CARS, in conjunction with the Automotive Service Association’s (ASA) Mechanical Division, is held annually during Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week (AAIW) and focuses on education while also offering entertainment and networking opportunities.
UAW Can’t Meet All of Delphi’s Demands
In his first face-to-face meeting with United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger, Delphi Corp. Chairman Robert S. Miller got right down to business. Miller produced a list of his opening demands. They included wage cuts of at least $5 an hour, benefit reductions and work rule changes that together total roughly $2.5 billion in givebacks, according to people familiar with the situation. Otherwise, Delphi likely would seek federal bankruptcy protection.
ATSG to Conduct Seminar at BIG R Show
The Automatic Transmission Service Group (ATSG) will conduct one of its in-depth seminars at the International BIG R Show on Saturday, October 29, 2005 in Las Vegas, NV.
GM Hits Billion-Dollar Pothole
General Motors Corp. reported its worst quarterly loss in 13 years Tuesday as sales of GM’s aging trucks slowed, response to its newer cars was tepid and health care costs became what GM called “a crisis.”
Executive Interview with Guy Bargnes, Director of Marketing, North American Operations for BASF Corp. Refinish Group
Guy Bargnes has spent his entire life in the collision repair industry. He was born and raised in Buffalo, NY, where his father ran a family business, V. H. Bargnes Co., Inc., which distributed automotive paints, supplies and equipment to area collision shops. In 1992 Bargnes joined BASF full-time, and he is now director of marketing, North American Operations, for the Refinish Group. Bargnes recently sat down to a phone interview with aftermarketNews and shared with us some of the insights from his lifelong career in the industry. Join us as Bargnes talks about BASF’s four leading principles, trends in the refinish business and the return of paint companies to industry trade shows.
Executive Interview with Eric Sills, Director of Headquarter Operations, Standard Motor Products
Our latest edition of “Executive Interview” features Eric Sills, director of headquarter operations at Standard Motor Products. It’s been just about one year since Standard acquired Dana’s Engine Management division. Join us as Sills brings us up to speed on the integration, and shares some of Standard’s goals and plans for the coming years.
Rep. Knollenberg Introduces Bill To Fight Counterfeit Goods
U.S. Representative Joe Knollenberg (R-Mich. 9th District) yesterday introduced legislation to strengthen the federal law used to prosecute counterfeiters whose products threaten public health, harm American manufacturers and cost jobs in the U.S. The Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act would require the mandatory destruction of equipment used to manufacture and package counterfeit goods. In addition, the proposed legislation addresses methods that counterfeiters have used to evade prosecution, such as the selling of patch sets or medallions that can later be attached to generic merchandise and given the appearance of a genuine product, as well as placing a counterfeit mark on goods not specifically listed in the trademark registration.
DST Asks:Does Your Multi-Store Business Management System Capture and Consolidate Operating Information?
It’s the American way. Start your own business. Perfect your methods. Hire good people. Grow your customer base. Perfect the idea at one location, then expand by adding new locations that share the same business model. Thousands of successful retail enterprises have started in exactly this way. It’s a fundamental way to apply the principle we all learned in Economics 101 – economies of scale. Business 101 would call it leverage. Good entrepreneurs call it survival!
Executive Interview with Tony Perticari, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Crown Remanufacturing
Our latest edition of “Executive Interview” features Tony Perticari, a 35-year veteran of the automotive parts industry. Perticari joined Philadelphia-based Crown Remanufacturing in 1986. He currently serves as vice president of sales and marketing for the company and is responsible for all NAFTA and overseas sales and marketing activities. Join us as Tony Perticari tells us what makes Crown tick, and what it takes to stay ahead of the pack. He also shares with us his predictions for the future of the reman industry, and the company.