The Holland Group Names Dan Millar Director of Regional Sales
The Holland Group, a manufacturer of components for the transportation industry, has appointed Dan Millar to the position of director of U.S. Regional Sales. In this role, which reports directly to Holland’s U.S.VP of sales and service, Millar will lead and direct sales and marketing activities for all of Holland’s U.S. regional sales teams.
ThyssenKrupp Budd Company Plans To Phase Out Detroit Plant
Automotive supplier ThyssenKrupp Budd Co. has announced plans to phase out its Detroit manufacturing plant. The plant makes metal stampings and assemblies such as roofs, doors, fenders, tailgates, liftgates and body side panels for cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles. In meetings with plant management and the United Auto Workers Local 306, company officials said the phase-out will begin within the next several weeks and final shutdown could be completed by the end of the year.
NACE to Premier Auto & Cycle Alley, A Car Show for Collision Repair Professionals
The International Autobody Congress & Exposition (NACE) has added a new element being to this year’s event – The NACE Auto & Cycle Alley. NACE delegates are encouraged to bring their personal show cars, trucks and motorcycles to be displayed in the NACE Exposition. Entries will be judged and “Best of Class” winners receiving $2,000 each with the “Best of Show” and “Celebrity Pick” winning entries receiving $3,000 each. WIZARDS Products and CCC Information Services are sponsoring the awards with the “Celebrity Pick” being judged by a panel of experts led by Chip Foose, host of TLC’s Overhaulin’. His participation is sponsored by SATA Spray Equipment.
Wave of Retiring Japanese Workers Could Force Big Changes
No one knows spindles like Katsuya Hyodo. For more than three decades, the diminutive factory worker, armed with only a junior high school education, has studied and designed the whirring cylinders at the heart of automotive machine tools. “I like spindles,” Hyodo says. “There are so many different kinds.” His expertise and passion are priceless to a small company like his employer, machine tool manufacturer Nishijimax (annual revenue: $30 million). Just one problem: Katsuya is 72 years old. That’s why he spends Sunday afternoons at home transcribing everything he knows about spindles into his computer. He wants to make sure his wisdom reaches the next generation. “I am not just doing it for myself,” he says.
Network Amid Automotive History GAAS Reception on May 17
The Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) Reception scheduled for 5:30-7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17, will offer participants the opportunity to network with industry colleagues while experiencing automotive history at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, MI. Sponsored by Universal Underwriters Group and Industrial Market Research, the event concludes the symposium’s first day of presentations by top-level industry leaders and analysts. GAAS participants will be taken from the symposium venue at the Hyatt Regency to the nearby Automotive Hall of Fame via buses, sponsored by BB&T Capital Markets.
Automotive Supplier Representatives to Discuss Challenges and Opportunities at 2006 GAAS
A panel of automotive supplier representatives will examine the challenges and opportunities they face in today’s global economy on May 17 at the 11th annual Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) at the Hyatt Regency, Dearborn, MI. Participants can save $200 by registering before Friday, March 24.
UAW Warns Strikes Loom: Delphi, Tower Union Contracts are in Jeopardy
Leaders of the United Auto Workers told members Tuesday that a strike is possible at Delphi Corp. and likely at Tower Automotive Corp. if both companies maintain their current demands. UAW Vice President Richard Shoemaker said, while talks among Delphi, the UAW and General Motors Corp. are in progress, “it would be less than candid to say that any progress has been made toward resolving the fundamental issues.”
Popularity of Aftermarket Parts a Mounting Threat to OEs
Collision repair components are growing at a rate double that of most automotive wear replacement components, according to new research from Frost & Sullivan. In the past, the dealer channel was the avenue of choice for replacement components in North America, but with the establishment of aftermarket certification organizations such as CAPA and MQVP Inc., that have boosted the fit, quality and durability of aftermarket components, as well as the recent rulings in the Avery versus State Farm case, lower cost aftermarket component sales have flourished, the research firm said.
Babcox’s Tech Group Magazines Award Several Readers’ Choice Awards
During Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week 2005 in Las Vegas, Underhood Service, ImportCar and Brake & Front End magazines presented several aftermarket companies with its prestigious Readers’ Choice Award. Of the hundreds of advertisers who seek readers’ attention, these companies are among the foremost communicators in the industry. Only 10 companies earned this distinction from each magazine.
Counterman Magazine Presents 2005 Reader’s Choice Awards
This year at the AAPEX Show in Las Vegas, Counterman magazine presented 10 aftermarket companies with its prestigious Readers’ Choice Award, which is based on the results of the study. The 2005 Counterman Magazine Reader’s Choice Award winners are: Anco, Cardone, Denso, Dorman, Gates, Loctite, Monroe, Performance Friction, Trico and Wagner.