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Beetle Sales Stumble; Recall, Paint Problems Cited

Volkswagen AG officials expected June sales of its New Beetle to rebound into the range of 8,000 to 10,000, but May was a disaster.Sales of the supposedly hot car tumbled 42% from 4,870 in April to 2,730 in May after the company recalled about 10,000 cars.It is installing redesigned battery trays. The original trays were, in some cases, cutting through wiring in a way that could create a fire hazard.

July 1, 1998

Lubed, but Not Rude--Metal coating improves the environment for everyone

Anyone who's spent time around tool and die shops - "metal benders" - knows what a mess they are. The traditional metalworking fluids used to lubricate metals so that they can be cold-formed leave an oily mist throughout the plant. And because the mist is just that - usually some type of oil - employees are constantly exposed. It gets in the pores, the respiratory system.And, eventually, into the

By Bill Visnic • June 1, 1998

Space shuttle TPS spinoff aimed at the auto industry

Two proven concepts, "Race on Sunday, Sell on Monday" and spinoffs of space technology into other applications are behind a plethora of new advanced technology automotive insulating materials.Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) like "Inconel - Encapsulated Ceramic Fiber," "S Glass Kapton Aluminized" and "Modified Multilayer Insulation" used to protect the Space Shuttle from the searing heat of re-entry

By Bill Siuru • June 1, 1998

Recaro Finds a Comfy Fit with JCI

The proposed joint venture between Johnson Controls Inc. and Recaro North America Inc. is a bittersweet moment for Douglas Eriksen.As a former Findlay Industries executive, Mr. Eriksen had worked for nearly a year trying to put together a joint venture between his company and Recaro.When the Findlay deal fell through at the 11th hour, Mr. Eriksen decided he liked the prospects for the high-end German

May 1, 1998

3M: Automotive Could Double Company Sales

He's not making any promises, but 3M's Thomas F. Beddow is expecting big things from the auto industry."I think there could be another 3M just in automotive," says Mr. Beddow, executive director of the 3M Automotive Industry Center in suburban Detroit. "I wouldn't go to the board (of directors) and promise anything, but I think there's another $15 billion company in automotive."We could spin off (automotive)

By David E. Zoia • May 1, 1998

Suzuki Gets Aggressive Japanese maker has grand plans for Grand Vitara SUV

Since arriving in the U.S. 13 years ago, American Suzuki Motor Corp. has acted like the quiet kid in the back of the classroom: not making waves, but not doing much else either.Now Suzuki wants to get noticed and go up a few rows, if not to the head of the class. It wants to boost annual U.S. sales from about 35,000 units currently to 65,000 next year and to 100,000 by 2002.Suzuki plans to do that

By Steve Finlay • May 1, 1998

Korea After the Crash Fighting ‘the enemy within’ is tough challenge

KUNSAN, South Korea - Foreign visitors to Daewoo Motor Co. Ltd.'s auto plant in the western seaport city of Kunsan are startled to see a large Plexiglas box half filled with currency at the airport.A note fixed to the box asks travelers for a donation to help Korea's economy. The plea is one of the few outward signs of South Korea's tremendous internal struggle to overcome its life-threatening financial

By Barbara McClellan • May 1, 1998

Economic Troubles Lead to Fire Sales

Like other multinational companies, Dana is watching for fire sales. "Opportunity is the watch word," Mr. Heine says. "We're looking at Korea and Thailand. Our direction hasn't changed. This fits into our strategic plan." Mr. Heine recently made a stopover in South Korea, where, he joked, it was difficult to find a hotel room due to so many visiting foreign companies. Just a few years ago, the South

May 1, 1998

ULSAB’s Strongest Feature: Steel Unity Aluminum, plastic makers can’t yetmanage a strong united front

In a rather anti-climactic moment, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) in early March unveils a physical prototype of its UltraLight Steel Auto Body (ULSAB), basically proving out a digital prototype developed several years ago. It verifies what AISI has been chanting for the past four years: It is possible to build a steel automotive body that's dramatically lighter, stronger and less expensive

By Drew Winter • April 1, 1998

ITT prepares to sell most of its automotive business

Another east coast conglomerate decides the auto industry's just too tough. ITT Industries Inc. has hired Lazard Freres & Co. and Goldman Sachs & Co. to put a price tag on its automotive brakes, chassis modules and electrical systems businesses. In a statement, ITT CEO Travis Engen says ITT wants to stay in the fluid handling, fricton and shock absorber and automotive switch businesses. Those operations

April 1, 1998

ITW Hosco Offers Encapsulated Ball Valves

Penninger Introduces Circuit TesterA semiautomatic circuit testing system for insert molded parts that verifies continuity and Hi-Pot conditions has been developed by Penninger Machine Corp., St. Charles, IL. Tested in the field for more than five years, and nicknamed PAT (Penninger Auto-Tester), this system can act as a continuity/Hi-Pot tester and simultaneously control associated devices or machines

April 1, 1998

SMC Use Soars

The SMC Automotive Alliance says more than 45 new SMC components can be found on '98 cars and trucks, a 64% increase in the number of total SMC components introduced since 1993. The amount of SMC used also has risen during the past five years, from 156 million lbs. (71 million kg) in 1993 to a projected 237 million lbs. (108 million kg) in 1998. "SMC has long been known as a composite used for automotive

April 1, 1998

Emission Impossible? No problem, say suppliers helping meet NLEV

Suppliers that develop catalytic converters and fuel-injection systems have been eagerly awaiting a greenlight to apply their new technologies in meeting the National Low Emission Vehicle standards.Now, they get their chance. This fall, at the start of the 1999 model year, the major foreign and domestic automakers have announced plans to sell cars and trucks in the northeastern United States that

By Tom Murphy • April 1, 1998

SPX Bid for Echlin Starts to Get Ugly

Echlin Inc. has implored the Connecticut House of Representatives for a little legislative assistance in fending off the $3 billion hostile takeover bid by SPX Corp. of Muskegon, MI. And as of press time in March, the tactic appeared to be working.Connecticut-based Echlin, with annual sales of $3.6 billion, helped initiate HB 5695, which would block the removal of Echlin directors for a year, even

April 1, 1998

We Won’t See CVTs PDQ Three letters that spell better transmission efficiency

Automotive customers are steadily becoming more shiftless. No, not in their general deportment. In their attitude about manipulating transmissions themselves.Ward's data marks 1997 domestic passenger-car installation rates for manual transmissions at only 13.6%; light trucks came in a bit higher at 16.2%. Nearly nine out of 10 vehicles produced domestically have an automatic transmission, and installation

By Bill Visnic • March 1, 1998

Eaton Stands Firm - Goals by 2000: $10 billion in sales, 10% annual growth

It has been two years since Eaton Corp. Chairman Stephen Hardis announced a bold directive: to grow the business at least 10% annually and reach $10 billion in sales by 2000.But that was before the economies plunged in the key developing automotive markets of Asia/Pacific and South America, regions where Eaton, like other suppliers, has invested considerable resources to support its global customers.With

By Tom Murphy • Feb. 1, 1998

Oh My Aachen Head - Arvin, Air Force develop neural network to interpret sound

When it comes to automated sound-quality testing, perhaps two heads are better than one.In recent years, the automotive industry has relied on the Aachen Head, a microphone-equipped mannequin from Head Acoustics in Germany, to record the many sounds that flow from the tailpipe when a car is running.But it was up to the human ears of trained sound specialists to analyze the source of those sounds and

By Tom Murphy • Feb. 1, 1998

Big Three Economists: Hey, Not to Worry Despite overseas economic turmoil,they see strong ‘98

Despite a financial maelstrom in Hong Kong, Thailand and Brazil, plus fourth-quarter turbulence on Wall Street and a late-fall slippage in U.S. vehicle sales, the U.S. Big Three economists - to a man and a woman - dauntlessly look for a seventh straight record year for the auto industry's U.S. market in 1998.The year just completed already has prolonged the winning streak, and the economists expect

By AL Rothenberg • Jan. 1, 1998

Kyoto ‘Agreement’ Likely Means Nothing But Gore gets to play candidate

When negotiators sat down to regulate controls on six greenhouse gases last month in Kyoto, Japan, they should also have considered a seventh: limits on the emissions that contribute to smoke and mirrors.Because when the fog clears and the hall of mirrors is taken down, Kyoto shapes up as little more than a campaign stop for Vice President Al Gore.The U.S. agreed to participate in a binding plan to

By Jeff Green • Jan. 1, 1998

Detroit, LA auto shows usher in the new year.

Less than a decade ago, the concurrent auto shows in Detroit and Los Angeles were reviewed by the carmaking industry as separate but equal. But since the Detroit event became the Northamerican International Auto Show (NAIAS) in 1989, the world's spotlight has focused on the Motor City during the first week of January.Media from around the globe flock to Detroit to see the more significant world and

By Tim Keenan • Jan. 1, 1998

Kuka’s Welding Technique Doubles Production Speed

An exciting high-speed MIG/MAG arc welding system, combining stationary two-wire MAG welding equipment with robot-aided manipulation of the component, is now available from KUKA Welding Systems+Robot Corp., Sterling Heights, MI. Not to be confused with other arc-welding systems that require huge inputs of energy, KUKA's two-wire MAG technique achieves maximum deposition efficiency and high welding

Jan. 1, 1998

Kaisen Cuts Costs GROWTTH pays big dividends at Freudenberg-NOK

CLEVELAND, GA - Tim Stickles and Gary Chastain knew it was possible.They knew that if their kaizen - or "continuous improvement" - team cut the time it takes to change over a valve stem seal press at the Freudenberg-NOK General Partnership (FNGP) plant here, the company would save money and employees could once again spend weekends with their families.Currently, machine operators spend 37.5 hours

By Tom Murphy • Dec. 1, 1997

Brazil Hits Major Bump A rocky road in early ‘98, but wheels won’t fall off

Hitting on all cylinders, the Brazilian auto industry this year seemed poised to cruise past the 2.1 million-vehicle output mark. Until, that is, the world stock market hit some rough pavement and sent the economy of the world's seventh largest car market into the wall.Industry observers say the damage likely will linger through the first quarter of 1998, dropping as much as 18% from like-1997 and

By SAID DEEP • Dec. 1, 1997

Asia Future is Cloudy Asia/Pacific’s crash calls for caution

From Indonesia's burning forests to Thailand's downward spiraling baht to Japan Inc.'s slippery slide to Hong Kong's plunging stock markets - Asia/Pacific's boom times turned to bust in the economic meltdown of late 1997."It was a horrible year," says Linda Yuen-Ching Lim, director of the Southeast Asia Business Program at the University of Michigan School of Business. "And next year should be just

By Barbara McClellan • Dec. 1, 1997

The Day the Earth Stood Still Global Warming: Sci-Fi or real thing?

TOKYO - I'm not a big sci-fi fan. Most of the old sci-fi movies had the same plot: Some-where west of Laramie, a family in a station wagon suddenly was horrified to see a brightly shining object coming toward them. When it landed, out popped little creatures with huge eyes, pot bellies and frog-like skin.Their language was unintelligible, but their message was clear: Give us your youngest child. Then

By David C. Smith • Nov. 1, 1997