The Week in Review offers a snapshot of the most read stories of the week as seen on aftermarketNews. To access the complete stories, simply click on the highlighted links. If you missed reading one of our daily news emails, click on any of the dates listed at the bottom of the page to begin catching up on the latest industry news.
The top story on aftermarketNews (AMN) this week comes from Andrew Markel, editor of AMN’s sister publications Brake & Front End and Servicio Automotriz. In the article, Markel taps into his experiences working with Spanish-speaking readers to give aftermarket marketing execs the Five Rules for Communicating with Spanish-Speaking Automotive Professionals.
Outside of marketing advice, AMN readers were also very interested to learn about the sale of wiper systems manufacturer Trico Products to affiliates of U.S. private equity firm Kohlberg & Co. As part of the acquisition, James Finley has been appointed president and chief executive officer of the company. Finley comes to Trico with broad experience in automotive manufacturing and in general management. He was most recently president and CEO of Tinnerman-Planut Engineered Products, an automotive fastener supplier, and a group president at Stanley Works.
The latest news about Dana Corp’s bankruptcy proceedings was also among the highest read stories on AMN this week. According to a report from the Detroit Free Press, Dana Corp. and two labor unions asked the judge overseeing the auto parts maker’s bankruptcy to delay ruling until Friday on whether Dana can reject its contracts with unionized workers. Then, today it was announced that Dana has reached settlement agreements with its two largest unions that will save the bankrupt auto parts maker more than $100 million per year. In March, the company asked a U.S. bankruptcy court judge for the right to force cuts on the unions, but the judge urged more negotiations toward a negotiated settlement.
On the financial side of the business, Motorcar Parts of America has released its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2007 results. Net sales for the quarter ending March 31 were $31.4 million, up 11.6 percent from $28.1 million in the same quarter last year. The company said this increase was primarily due to additional sales to new and existing customers.
Our final item in this week’s top five news stories comes from aftermarket solutions provider Autologue. Autologue has implemented its ePaperless Office System at AED Warehouse, netting “profound” results, according to the company. Through ePaperless Office, AED can view/print or fax invoices, statements and part numbers ordered, all via a secure Internet connection. Mac Gritton, IT/operations manager of AED Warehouse, said the product has enabled AED customers to become more self-sufficient.
To view all of the news from the past week, simply click on the link for each corresponding day:
Wednesday, July 4 – Holiday Observed, No AMN News Delivery
