News that Federal-Mogul launched its "Totally MOOG" promotion for professional technicians led the pack of most-read stories this week.
Under the promotion, professional automotive repair technicians have the chance to win any of more than 1 million prizes and be entered into a sweepstakes drawing for a 2011 Daytona 500 trip package with each qualifying MOOG chassis part purchase through the new "Totally MOOG" online promotion.
In other top news, Fras-le Asia’s operations in Pinghu, Zhejiang Province, China, that have been in operation since July 2009, were officially inaugurated this week. Fras-le President Daniel Randon and Randon Corp. President David Randon announced that plant also would be expanded.
Fras-le Asia will be adding an additional 47,361 square feet to its current 37,674-square-foot facility. The staff of 75 will increase to 140 by the end of 2010. The new areas at Fras-le Asia will house warehouses, product shipping facilities and a quality control laboratory, in addition to administrative offices.
Fras-le’s Daniel Randon said that in just over a year in operation, the company has already earned ISO 9001 certification, which also opened space for Fras-le Asia to certify the brake liners it produces with the demanding European ECE-R90 standards.
Vista-Pro Automotive announced this week that it appointed Joe Rich as the new director of distribution and logistics. Rich previously served as general manager for Magna International, where he was responsible for the start-up of a new facility that supplied automotive parts to Chrysler. Rich managed all aspects of the business, including manufacturing, human resources, engineering, production control, transportation, customer service and sales, safety and profit and loss performance.
Prior to his tenure at Magna International, Rich had a nearly 20-year career at Johnson Controls serving in several capacities. Most recently, he was Plant Manager for their St. Joseph, Mo., location, which is the largest battery facility in the world. He managed all aspects of the facility, including manufacturing and distribution, human resources, engineering, production control, customer service, transportation, safety and profit and loss.
In this week’s Executive Interview, Don Youngblood, president and CEO of DYK Automotive, discussed acquisitions and the three companies that operate under the DYK umbrella. DYK Automotive is the parent company for three automotive aftermarket entities, with each entity operating independently under the names: Atlantic Pacific Automotive (AP Auto), Superior Automotive and Keltner Distribution.
Lastly, Dayco announced the addition of "Linear Groove Technology" (LGT) to the company’s line of Poly Rib belts, which already includes the patented "W" profile and deep grooved belts. This new LGT belt is manufactured with small, specially designed grooves on the backside of the belt, increasing the backside friction to aggressively drive accessories with the back side of the belt.
