While GM's capitulation grabs most of the headlines, it was not an entirely one-sided affair. The UAW agreed to hold its members to a performance benchmark for scrap and errors, including only 25 parts-per-million returned; 95% uptime on equipment...
The use of lean systems saved Freudenberg-NOK $8.2 million, or $2,300 per employee, during 1994, the rubber and plastic component manufacturer reports. CEO Joseph C. Day says the cost savings and improvements -- $3.2 million higher than 1993 -...
Now that they con trol Congress, analysts expect the Republicans to move quickly on tax-cut and credit measures that could put more money in consumers' pockets, helping to stretch out an auto sales boom that some economists fear could start to...
Dreamers, schemers and down-to-earth electric vehicle diehards shared the stage at the 12th annual International Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS-12) in California in December. Major automakers joined many would-be manufacturers at the conference...
A lot of large companies are not only going outside of their organization to fill top positions, but often they're even going outside of their particular businesses.I find this strange. It tells me that some CEOs and boards of directors do not...
When Toyota introduced its Lexus Div. five years ago the big question was, "Can it build a luxury car that will sell in the U.S.?" The big question today is, "How is Toyota holding the price on the Lexus?" The '95 top-of-the-line LS400 now is...
Current trade conditions are great, except for one segment of Toyota Motor Corp.'s sales, that of T-100 pickups, which are subject to a 25% duty. Yale Giesel, Toyota's U.S. sales chief, says the duties are "ridiculous" but that his company will...
Holiday joys continue right on as '95 begins. This year promises to be even better to the auto industry than 1994. Analysts forecast '95 sales between 15.5 million and 16.5 million vehicles, with 16 million the most likely scenario. That's...
There are 623 million cars and trucks on roads worldwide--enough for one vehicle for every nine people on the planet. If that's not enough room for growth, one-fourth of the vehicles in operation are more than 12 years old and closing in on the...
Tough, rigid and surprisingly flexible and adaptable, SMC is becoming the material of choice for many new applications on higher volume vehicles.Take the exotic hood of the new Ford Mustang with its raised center section that tapers back to a...