This week, our recap of the most popular news posted on aftermarketNews begins with our exclusive Executive Interview with Bill Hanvey, director of business development for Schaeffler Group USA’s Automotive Aftermarket Division. A veteran of the aftermarket industry, Hanvey discusses the critical role of anti-counterfeiting efforts in Schaeffler’s overall brand strategy. He also gives us the scoop on some exciting new products from the company.
In other product news this week, high-performance lubricant maker Royal Purple (RP) has unveiled a unique new packaging concept intended to help prevent potential counterfeiting. While the new proprietary quart bottle for the consumer market, maintains the company’s trademark purple bottle and yellow cap, the new bottle features an embossed logo that serves as an anti-counterfeiting measure. “There have not been any incidents to date, but we know our rapid growth and expansion into additional international markets makes RP more tempting to counterfeiters. We also thought it was important to upgrade the look of the bottle to convey the quality of the product it contains,” said Director of Consumer Marketing Randy Fisher. “We’re simply trying to be proactive.” Although the bottles underwent structural and aesthetic upgrades, Royal Purple says it was diligent in keeping the “shelf footprint” of the bottle the same so distributors and retailers would not be impacted.
Also this week, Steve Davis, president of the esteemed Barrett-Jackson Auction company, announced he will auction off a vehicle from his personal collection, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting the Armed Forces Foundation, a national non-profit organization that provides support for wounded service members and their families. Additionally, Barrett-Jackson will waive its commissions on the sale, as it has on all charity sales in recent years. Visitors to Barrett-Jackson’s upcoming fourth annual “No Reserve” Las Vegas event will have the chance to bid on the meticulously restored 1964 Ford Fairlane custom-painted in the striking “Red Hot Chili Pepper” hue from the Sherwin-Williams Planet Color Barrett-Jackson Collector Color Series. The car, which underwent hundreds of hours of restoration and detailing, was a showstopper at the 2009 SEMA Show, where it was displayed at the Sherwin-Williams booth. It features a Roush Performance 427IR, 8-stack fuel injection 560 HOP engine with torque of 540 ft-lbs and a Tremec TKO 6-speed.
From vintage vehicles at the auction house, to restoring muscle cars on movie sets, Lincoln Electric is getting its own 15 minutes of fame this fall. The Cleveland, Ohio-based welding products company is teaming up with Picture Car Warehouse to serve as the exclusive welding supplier for the car-heist motion picture, “Drive,” produced by OddLot Entertainment. Starring Ryan Gosling, the indie film features adrenaline-pumping, vehicle-destructing car chases. Picture Car Warehouse owner and founder Ted Moser chose Lincoln Electric to provide the welding equipment and consumables to restore and fabricate muscle cars used during filming. The upcoming appearance in “Drive” isn’t the first time Lincoln Electric equipment has made it into a major motion picture. The company’s products also have enjoyed screen time in “Ironman,” “Ironman 2” and most recently, “The Green Hornet.”
And while this last story may sound like it’s right out of a Hollywood spy movie, it is unfortunately true crime. A federal judge Wednesday sentenced two engineers convicted of stealing trade secrets from Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. to four years probation and 150 hours of community service. In addition, the men were each given four months confinement to their homes, except for employment and a few other exceptions, and a $1,000 fine, which the court waived because of the defendants’ inability to pay. Last December, a federal jury found the men guilty on all 10 counts that they conspired to steal and use trade secrets. In 2007, the charges said, Clark Alan Roberts and Sean Edward Howley, acting as employees of Wyko Tire Technology Inc. in Greenback, Tenn., visited Goodyear’s Topeka, Kan., plant, where Howley used his cell phone camera to photograph critical OTR tire production equipment. Prosecutors alleged that Wyko had trouble getting a similar piece of equipment from China, so the defendants decided to steal Goodyear’s design.
