Survey Says Suppliers Should Pay More Attention to Their Brands
Suppliers must do a better job of building and utilizing their brand names, according to new research by SupplierBusiness.com. Companies make a mistake when they submerge their identities or consolidate brand portfolios out of existence, say executives who were surveyed. By having a clear brand strategy they say suppliers can capitalize on their good name and good will. The cost of developing a brand strategy is low and the risk is small. A strong brand means a company is taken more seriously in the bidding process and can open doors when trying to win new business with an OEM it has no relationship with.
IMR Founder Ken Brenneman Dies at 61
Kenneth Brenneman, Sr., founder and president of Industrial Marketing Research, an international automotive research firm, died Sunday, Dec. 28 of heart failure. He was 61-years-old. Brenneman founded Industrial Marketing Research in 1971 in Clarendon Hills, Ill., as a one-man operation. The firm quickly grew to become an international company that now serves the U.S., Europe and Asia.
Commemorative Issue of FOCUS Marks MEMA’s 100th Anniversary
MEMA is teaming with Babcox Publications to publish a special commemorative issue of its quarterly magazine, Focus, in June 2004 to mark the association’s 100th anniversary. This special edition will be a collector’s item, produced in “coffee-table” quality. The magazine will commemorate the past 100 years of contributions that suppliers and individuals have made to the original equipment, aftermarket and heavy duty industries, a historic timeline and many historic photos from MEMA and its member companies.
Two Visteon Employees to be Honored by Society of Automotive Engineers
Two engineering professionals from Visteon Corporation will be honored with the prestigious Forest R. McFarland Award on Tuesday, March 9, at the Honors Convocation during the 2004 Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) World Congress & Exhibition in Detroit.
David Dobson Joins Alcoa as President of Its Engineered Products Business
David Dobson has been named president of Alcoa Engineered Products, the Alcoa business which supplies extruded aluminum products to customers worldwide in a variety of industries, including automotive and commercial transportation.
GAAS Fund Organizers Announce $50,000 GAAS Scholarship Challenge
An anonymous donor has issued a $50,000 fund raising challenge for the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) scholarship program, awarded to students planning aftermarket careers. The “$50,000 GAAS Scholarship Challenge” was initiated after the donor committed to donate up to $10,000 to the Global Scholarship fund in 2004 and will match 25 percent of all other donations to the fund up to a matching amount of $10,000. The challenge campaign aims to net the fund a total of $50,000 in donations. Delphi Corp. has made the first challenge donation of $3,000.
Superchips Opens New Facility in Florida
Superchips Inc., manufacturers of Max MicroTuners, has opened a new facility in Sanford, Fla. The new 30,000-square-foot building houses Superchips’ corporate offices, manufacturing, research and development facilities.
Johnson Controls Delays Move
Plymouth Township, Mich., will retain its largest taxpayer for the time being. Johnson Controls officials recently announced they will not to move to Salem Township this year, but still expect to relocate their headquarters and technology facilities from Plymouth Township to a larger site when a suitable location is found.
New Tire May Put Goodyear on Track
It’s a mystery tire that’s making a lot of tire dealers, analysts and investors excited — and seems to be pushing the stock upward. Goodyear Tire & Rubber plans to launch a new high-end line of passenger tires next month with huge fanfare at its annual convention of dealers and distributors in Orlando, Fla. Some say the tire line, known as Assurance, could become Goodyear’s hottest-selling new line in a decade, a move that could go a long way to helping the Akron, Ohio-based company boost its flagging sales and turn around three years of losses.
TI Automotive Names Ernst Kuhlen to New Position
TI Automotive has named Ernst Kuhlen director of global fuel delivery pumps and modules. Kuhlen will be responsible for development and implementation of the company’s global pump-and-module product strategy. Based in Neuss, Germany, he will report to Manouchehr Kambakhsh, vice president for global engineering. Previously engineering director for pumps at Pierburg AG in Neuss, Kuhlen joined TI Automotive as part of the company’s recent purchase of Pierburg’s pump business.