We ring in the first week of 2011 with a compelling new Executive Interview with Dino Maggioni, CEO, After Market Parts and Services, Magneti Marelli, who recently sat down with aftermarketNews to talk about the company’s plans to distribute product to the North American market through Chrysler Mopar dealers. In the interview, Maggioni outlines Magneti Marelli’s global strategy as well as its intentions for the re-entry into the North American market.
In other news this week, Akebono announced the appointment of Larry Volek as the company’s new national sales manager for the aftermarket. Volek is a seasoned professional with more than 30 years of experience in sales and management. Before joining Akebono, Volek spent his entire career with the Consumer Products Group of Honeywell International, where he directed the sales and marketing objectives for program distribution groups, warehouse distributors, major installer accounts and retail accounts. In this new role, Volek will be responsible for key sales strategies to maintain Akebono’s branding power and expand its aftermarket presence.
While we kick off a new year and a new decade, the folks at Ford Motor Co. offer up a look back at the most significant automotive technologies of the past decade. In this article, Ford offers a look at the top 10 ways vehicles have changed in the past 10 years. As the article highlights, automotive interiors have evolved from featuring extra cup holders to now including WiFi, in-vehicle “infotainment” and voice-activated controls.
Also this week, Johnson Controls announced plans to acquire recliner system technology leader KEIPER and the automotive sport and specialty seat business of Recaro. KEIPER, known for its engineering and manufacturing expertise in metal components and mechanisms, has headquarters and an engineering center in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The acquisition will include approximately 4,750 employees in seven countries. Excluded from the transaction are KEIPER’s operations, business and entity in Brazil. The deal is expected to close during the first half of 2011.
The final item in our round-up of the top news from the first week of 2011 comes from Federated Auto Parts, which announces that its member KOI Auto Parts will hold its 51st annual Cavalcade of Customs and Training Expo in Cincinnati, Ohio. The 2011 event, sponsored by Federated, runs today through Jan. 9 at the Duke Energy Convention Center. This year’s KOI training workshops will feature classes from such Federated and KOI manufacturing partners as Standard, ACDelco, Motorcraft, Denso and Bosch.
