R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Offers Advice to New Graduates
As graduation season nears, what words of encouragement or advice would you give a young person entering the aftermarket? Would you encourage a young person to pursue a career in this industry? Read on to find out what aftermarket executives from a range of professions had to say.
Out of the Ordinary: Executive Interview with Tom Dattilo, Cooper Tire & Rubber President and CEO
To get a sense of Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and its chairman, president and CEO, you need look no further than Tom Dattilo’s corner office. Unlike the vistas other captains of industry enjoy from their lofty perches, Dattilo’s third-floor office overlooks Oler’s Drive Thru, a convenience store that stands as a stark reminder of who the real boss is – the retail customer.
American Automobile Manufacturers Have Invested More Than $26 Billion in U.S. Over Past Two Decades, Says AIAM
A new study released today by the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers (AIAM) finds that new American automakers have invested nearly $27 billion in new factories and created more than 55,000 new, high-paying jobs over the past two decades.
U.S. Steel Market in Crisis: MEMA Report
A new research report by the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) suggests that government intervention in the U.S. steel market has caused a cost crisis that is hurting automotive and heavy-duty suppliers across the country. The MEMA report says that the result has been “unprecedented bankruptcies and job losses.”
A Suppliers’ Guide to Innovation
As automotive suppliers continue to get hammered by price cuts, material cost increases, and competitors in low-cost countries, renewed attention is being focused on product and process innovation as a way to improve competitive positioning and profitability. So here we’ll look at the systems automotive suppliers need to implement if they want to consistently deliver on the innovation imperative.
Job Lessons Include Downsizing; Participation in State Youth Apprentice Program Drops After Funding Is Cut
For 17-year-old Mark Olsen, Gordon’s No. 1 Wheel Service in Franklin is not just a place to work after school.As an auto technician in training, it’s an extension of his automotive studies at Greendale High School and a pathway to a career.
Auto Supplier Profits Dwindle
Although new car and truck sales rose more than 2 percent during the first 10 months of 2004, many of the companies that supply parts to big automakers have little to celebrate. Their profits are shrinking as raw-material costs rise and production falls at General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. Already the nation’s two largest suppliers, Delphi Corp. and Visteon Corp., which had combined sales of $45.7 billion in 2003, have warned of lower-than-anticipated earnings this year. They cite higher materials expenses, particularly for steel, and plans by top U.S. automakers GM and Ford to turn out fewer vehicles.
Standard Motor Products Announces Third Quarter Results
Standard Motor Products, an automotive replacement parts manufacturer and distributor, has reported its consolidated financial results for the third quarter, which ended on Sept. 30. Consolidated net sales for the third quarter of 2004 were $203.5 million, compared to consolidated net sales of $214.5 million during the comparable quarter in 2003. Earnings from continuing operations for the third quarter of 2004 were $1.3 million or 7 cents per diluted share, compared to $2 million or 11 cents per diluted share in the third quarter of 2003.
Price Drives Options When Consumers Face Engine Problems, According to AAIA
A new report from the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) shows that when faced with major engine problems, price was the most frequently cited factor for consumers when deciding whether to install a new, used or remanufactured engine into their vehicles.
Executive Interview with Shozo Kibata, Senior Corporate Officer of Toyo Tire
This week, Jim Smith, editor of Tire Review (a sister publication to aftermarketNews.com) talks with Shozo “Carlos” Kibata of Toyo Tire Corp. Shozo “Carlos” Kibata is a very busy man right now, far busier than he was a scant four months ago when he was president of Toyo Tire (USA) Corp. in Cypress, Calif. Since June 1, Kibata was tapped to head Toyo Tire North America, a subsidiary of parent Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. that was created to build and manage the tiremaker’s first North American tire plant. And, as a reward for his hard work in the U.S., Kibata was named senior corporate officer of the parent company.