Bosch Establishes New Filtration Americas Regional Business Unit; David Sholtis Named VP
The Bosch Group has announced the formation of a new regional business unit, Filtration Americas, with David Sholtis as vice president and regional business unit leader. Sholtis comes to Bosch from Honeywell International, where he served for 13 years, the last four as vice president Autolite Brand – Autolite Products.
Executive Interview with Philip Martens, ArvinMeritor Senior Vice President, President, Light Vehicle Systems
In this exclusive Executive Interview, Phil Martens, senior vice president and president of ArvinMeritor’s Light Vehicle Systems business group, brings us up to speed on the return of the Gabriel brand as part of the company’s focus on re-invigorating its global ride control business.
Jim Betournay Named VP of Sales, Canada for Beck/Arnley
SMYRNA, TN – Jim Betournay has joined Beck/Arnley as the vice president of sales, Canada. In his new position, Betournay is responsible for the Canadian sales efforts for the company. He reports to Vince McMahon, vice president and general manager of Beck/Arnley. “As a veteran of the automotive aftermarket, we feel extremely fortunate to have
Clarcor Acquires Fibers Filtration Product Line from Newton Tool Co.; Receives $1.6 Million Incentive Package from State of Pennsylvania
Clarcor Inc. has acquired the synthetic fibers filtration business of Newton Tool & Manufacturing Co., a privately-owned engineering and machining company based in Swedesboro, NJ. The synthetic fibers filtration business, including all of the related production equipment, will be moved into CLARCOR’s Purolator EFP operations in Houston, TX, and Shelby, NC. In other news, it has been reported that the state of Pennsylvania will provide Clarcor with a series of incentives worth $1.6 million in exchange for Clarcor opening a new manufacturing and warehouse facility in Pittson, PA.
Bosch Group 2006 Sales Grow 5 Percent
The Bosch Group announced that it reached its growth target for 2006, by achieving sales of $54.9 billion, a 5 percent increase over the previous year. Profit for the year was slightly down, with the pre-tax result at the lower end of the target corridor of between seven and eight percent of sales. The company said primary growth drivers were the Asia-Pacific region, the Consumer Goods and Building Technology business sector as well as the Industrial Technology business sector.
The Top 10 News Stories of 2006
For the third year in a row, the editorial staffs of aftermarketNews and Counterman magazine take a look at the events that have had the most impact on the automotive aftermarket in the past year.
Forecast Products Corp. Hires Senior Product Manager for Filters
Forecast Products Corp. , a national supplier of engine management components and filters, has appointed Allen Wright as its new senior product manager for filters. In this role, Wright will be responsible for new product development, and to ensure the consistency and quality of Forecast’s overseas filter production. Wright joins Forecast with 27 years of experience in the automotive aftermarket. He comes to the company from Purolator Filters, formerly a division of ArvinMeritor’s Light Vehicle Aftermarket business, where he most recently served as manager, advanced product design engineering and air filter product design.
Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance Holds Annual Winter Meeting in Sunny Florida
The shareholders of Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance, Inc. gathered in Boca Raton, FL, for the group’s annual winter meeting held Dec. 2-6. Each shareholder of the Alliance was represented. The meeting is a culmination of the past year’s efforts of Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper parts stores and certified service centers. Reports and breakout meetings focusing on marketing, product and education were reviewed. New vendors were reviewed and approved and the 2007 marketing strategy was presented.
ArvinMeritor to Sell its Light Vehicle Aftermarket Motion Control Business
ArvinMeritor has announced plans to sell its Light Vehicle Aftermarket (LVA) Motion Control business in Marion, SC, to AVM Industries LLC, an Ohio Limited Liability Company. According to ArvinMeritor top executive Chip McClure, the sale brings the company closer to its goal of divesting the entire LVA business group and focus on its core competencies in the global automotive and commercial truck markets.
UCI Appoints New VP for Export Sales; Sales Manager for Canadian Market
United Components Inc. (UCI) has announced the appointment of two new executives. Rafaat (Raf) Kureshi will join UCI in the newly created position of vice president of export sales and marketing. UCI has also announced the appointment of Phil Kasper as Canadian sales manager.