Suppliers: Page 41
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Magna Moving Forward in Russia
Canada’s largest supplier is maintaining stability in its pickup and SUV frame business and considers 2010 a “transition year” at the company’s Graz vehicle-assembly operations.
By Tom Murphy • Feb. 23, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Time Short for Zombie Companies, Ross Warns
It's time to drive a stake through the hearts of the industry's walking dead, supply-chain guru Wilbur Ross says. Following a year that only can be likened to a horror movie, the chairman of International Automotive Components Group warns auto makers are less forgiving than they were in 2007, when U.S. sales breached the 17 million-unit mark. Referring to the time-honored OEM practice of supporting
By Eric Mayne • Feb. 1, 2010 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Courtesy of Toyota
TrendlineAutomotive Manufacturing
Production strategies are changing rapidly as tariffs and shifts in consumer buying patterns affect the industry.
By WardsAuto staff -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Automotive Hall of Fame Struggles to Stay Open
The Automotive Hall of fame cele-brates the industry's past, but for now it is struggling with a massive budget shortfall that severely jeopardizes its future. The Dearborn, MI, museum, which opened in 1997, gets most of its funding from auto makers and suppliers, some of which have gone through bankruptcy recently or are still there. Due to depressed vehicle sales, many companies that gave in 2008
By Tom Murphy • Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Magna: More EV Programs to Come
Indications are Magna has or is close to landing additional EV programs beyond the 2011 Ford Focus.
By David E. Zoia • Oct. 21, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Keep Them Short and Sweet
My law firm regularly gets some version of this call: My service manager signed a three-year contract with a uniform supplier. He's not an officer of our corporation. We don't have to honor the contract, do we? Usual answer: Yes, you do. Under the laws of most states, a contract signed by a dealership employee who has the apparent authority to enter it will be binding on the dealership. For example,
By Michael Charapp • Oct. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Faurecia Downsizes; Plants Stay Open
FOLLOWING SEVERAL YEARS OF STEADY growth and expansion of manufacturing operations into new regions of the world, Faurecia SA is scaling back. In North America, where the French supplier has opened an astounding nine plants since 2006, the change in direction was inevitable as plummeting vehicle sales in the face of recession left the facilities overstaffed. All nine plants remain open today, but
By Tom Murphy • Oct. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Magna Seeks to Calm Customer Concerns
The proposed Opel transaction pushes Magna further into uncharted territory and obliterates the traditional boundary between OEM and supplier.
By Tom Murphy • Sept. 15, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Conti Exec Grew Up With Turmoil
Continental’s North American CEO left Iraq with his family when he was 17 at a time when the war-torn nation was sinking into political chaos.
By Tom Murphy • Aug. 6, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Magna Steyr Sees Vehicle Electrification Key to Future Success
In addition to Li-ion, the supplier also is working with other battery chemical compositions to power future vehicles that call for smaller, more power-dense energy sources.
By Byron Pope • Aug. 5, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Bosch Changes Direction on Brake Operations
A month after telling Ward’s it will stay in the money-losing foundation-brake business, Bosch now says it is negotiating the potential sale of certain U.S. assets.
By Tom Murphy • July 30, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
The Days’ Supply Dilemma
Let's face it, there are lots of ways you can mess up your parts business. One is by establishing a days' supply for inventory based strictly on an industry guide or some other arbitrary level. I've spoken to many parts managers who operate fine with low days' supply. Yet, they complain about pressure from the auto maker to get their supply of parts up to the manufacturer's guidelines. I've also had
By GARY J. NAPLES • July 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Foundation Brakes Still Unprofitable for Bosch
Robert Bosch GmbH Continues to lose money on its foundation brake business, but automotive Chairman Bernd Bohr says the supplier is taking action to shore up the division and is not interested in selling it. Two years ago, Bohr told Ward's Bosch was losing money on foundation brakes rotors, calipers and other mechanical parts dedicated to deceleration. These are highly commoditized parts with low
By Tom Murphy • July 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Visteon Seeks Court Permission to Pay Critical Suppliers
Ford’s largest parts maker says it owes its critical suppliers $33.9 million, including $15.4 million in interim relief, and that failure to pay could “stop operations or halt production lines altogether.”
By Tom Murphy • May 28, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
All-Wheel-Drive Suppliers Get Grip on Changing Market
In the U.S., all-wheel-drive systems traditionally have been more widely available on imports than domestic models.
By Byron Pope • April 27, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Some European Auto Makers, Suppliers See Opportunity in Economic Crisis
“We get more help from dealers and have better relations with suppliers than we would if the industry (were) in normal times,” says niche car maker cofounder Cesar Theodore.
By William Diem • March 10, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Auto Makers, Suppliers Gear Up to Make Small Cars Safer
The risk of dying in a crash in one of the smallest 4-door cars is about twice as high as in the largest 4-door car.
By Drew Winter • Feb. 27, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mexico’s Auto Industry Weathers Tumultuous 2008
Despite the global economic slowdown, auto maker and supplier investment in the region came fast and furious last year.
By Byron Pope • Feb. 10, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Denso May Suffer First Loss in U.S.
When the going gets tough, the Japanese turn to kaizen. The principle of continuous improvement has been rooting out inefficiency in Japanese plants for years, but the philosophy gains importance as supplier Denso Corp. faces the prospect of losing money in the challenged U.S. market for the first time on an annual basis. Denso's fiscal year ends March 31, and the supplier has downgraded its earnings
By Tom Murphy • Feb. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
NASA Vendor Sky High on Li-ion Batteries for Autos
Yardney Technical joins a crowded field, as suppliers, some of which have banded together, race to design Li-ion batteries that will satisfy the rigors of an automotive application.
By Eric Mayne • Jan. 9, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Bosch VMS: Networking for Maximum Driver Support
The supplier’s Vehicle Motion and Safety initiative supports the driver and improves dynamic performance by networking active safety, comfort and agility systems.
By Mike Sutton • Nov. 3, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Eagle Ottawa Seeks Hold on Market
It Hardly Would Seem Necessary for a 140-year-old company to introduce itself to the world, but given its new strategy, that's the irony of leather supplier Eagle Ottawa LLC. A typically modest company despite its industry-best 20% market share and a presence on more than 100 vehicle programs worldwide, Eagle Ottawa steps center stage recently with Interauto 2008 to trumpet a more vertically integrated
By James M. Amend • Nov. 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
New Composite Can Replace Steel, Suppliers Say
Earlier versions of the IXIS composite were used in GM and Hyundai concept cars.
By Byron Pope • Sept. 22, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Dana Sees Greatest Opportunity Overseas, Seeks Expansion Into Russia
Important gains lie in the “mundane and very unsexy” business of systematic process improvements, CEO Gary Convis says.
By James M. Amend • Aug. 13, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Don’t Look to India, China for Bailout, Suppliers Warned
More than 50% of those interviewed say “strict labor laws” that favor workers is a key obstacle in their decisions to keep their distance from North American suppliers.
By Eric Mayne • Aug. 5, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Continental AG’s New Display System Does Double Duty
Continental AG is introducing an in-car system that lets a driver look at one image and a front-seat passenger look at another on the same screen, at the same time and without either person seeing what the other is viewing. That way, the driver can see driving-related information, such as a navigation map, on the full screen while the passenger enjoys a DVD movie or other video entertainment that
By Steve Finlay • Aug. 1, 2008
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