The papers lately have been chock full of headlines about the cutbacks, layoffs and sell-offs the Big Three are undergoing in order to stay afloat in these troubled times. Well, the news hit a bit closer to home this week when General Motors announced that it is considering selling ACDelco as part of its plans to help bolster its liquidity position. Based in Grand Blanc, Mich., ACDelco has approximately 600 employees worldwide. The business provides light-duty maintenance and repair parts and associated services for both GM and non-GM vehicles in more than 100 countries. GM is also exploring the potential sale of its Hummer brand and its technical and manufacturing center in Strasbourg, France.
In other OE news, Ford is once again under the spotlight for a potential safety issue with its vehicles. (You may recall Ford was involved in a series of court cases in 2006 related to several fatal accidents that occurred in Ford Explorer models.) This time the issue revolves around faulty valve stems. A Federal probe has been launched into more than 1 million Ford vehicles, after reports of tires leaking air due to bad valve stems manufactured by a Chinese company. Safety advocates claim any threat of sudden air loss in tires should be seen as serious enough to merit a recall.
In more personal news, the aftermarket noted the sad passing of industry veteran Larry Steck, who died Oct. 17. Steck, 56, was vice president of his family’s business, Steck Manufacturing in Dayton, Ohio. His brother Ray wrote in a recent memorial that Larry was the ultimate “people person. “Larry was a doer, not a talker,” Ray Steck writes. “He loved getting his hands dirty helping others.” A memorial service was held Tuesday, Oct. 21.
Another top story on aftermarketNews this week told of Norm Young’s new appointment as CEO of ThyssenKrupp Crankshaft Co. Young joins Thyssenkrupp following a 20-year career in the automotive industry, most recently as vice president of North American sales and global service operations for Delphi Product and Service Solutions. Young also served as president of Delphi’s Integrated Service Solutions and as vice president of global aftermarket sales and service for SPX Corp.
The final story in our round-up of the week’s top news comes from VIPAR Heavy Duty, which has announced plans to open new parts distribution centers in the eastern and western U.S. by the end of this year. A specialty of the new operation will be the assembly of new and remanufactured brake shoes and related products. This new business will operate under Global Parts Network LLC (GPN), an independent company that provides service support exclusively to the VIPAR Heavy Duty network of distributors and suppliers.
One last note: Don’t forget to check out our newly relaunched website at www.aftermarketNews.com. There, you will find fresh web-only content not seen in our daily e-newsletter, as well as updates to breaking news stories and a variety of other informative resources.
