Suppliers: Page
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Who to Call On to Make Business-Development Calls
DANA POINT, CA They're introduced lightheartedly as foes, yet Katie Barnes and Glenn Porzelt seem friendly enough towards each other. But they see things differently on the issue of whether car dealers should use their own staffers or retain outside firms to drum up business on the phone. Many dealers rely on such business-development calls to get customers into the showroom or service department.
By Steve Finlay • Nov. 1, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Delphi Dials Up Smartphone Strategy
The No.1 enemy in the fight against driver distraction could be its savior. That's how Delphi Corp. views it, as the supplier builds its next-generation infotainment strategy firmly around cellular smartphone technology. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has declared war on driver distraction, with much of the focus on weaning Americans off texting and other cell-phone use while behind the
By David E. Zoia • Oct. 1, 2010 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
TrendlineAutonomous Vehicles
Automakers continue to make big investments in autonomous vehicles. We’ve put together a curated list of stories showcasing the technologies and strategies propelling autonomy.
By WardsAuto staff -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
TRW Deal Portends Collision Avoidance for Masses
The supplier’s 24-GHz technology will provide the benefit of collision warning at a cost that is “fundamentally lower,” says Matt Roney, vice president-product planning.
By Eric Mayne • Sept. 23, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Magna Co-CEO Resigns to Join Russian Conglomerate
Magna International co-CEO Siegfried Wolf, who is leaving to serve as chairman of Russian firm Basic Element, will not be replaced.
By Ward's Staff • Sept. 13, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Global Growth Drives Transmission Supplier JATCO
Factoring in a slow but steady recovery in U.S. vehicle demand, Ishida expects JATCO sales to rebound this year to 4 million units.
By Roger Schreffler • Aug. 5, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Magna: AWD Gaining Traction
Magna expects to debut a new AWD system in 2013 with a volume of 500,000 units.
By Eric Mayne • July 15, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
IAC Advancing With DIY Materials
The supplier estimates it produces 90 million lbs. of compounded raw material a year, meeting a quarter of its needs internally.
By Tom Murphy • July 13, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Continental’s AutoLinQ System ‘Smarting Up’ Vehicle Infotainment
Because the software is embedded in the vehicle, it does away with the handheld device and makes access to content applications through the car’s existing human machine interface.
By James M. Amend • June 8, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
TS Tech Surviving Downturn, Expanding Emerging-Markets Presence
TS Tech’s goal is to achieve ¥600 billion in annual sales, but CEO Toshio Komeji says he is uncertain when the supplier will fully recover from the economic slump, “let alone reach our ¥600 billion target.”
By Roger Schreffler • May 3, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Magna Forecasts Hike in Manual Transmission Demand
Unlike in North America, European drivers still prefer manuals, but recent technological advances, such as dual-clutch transmissions, are changing the landscape, the supplier says.
By Byron Pope • April 30, 2010 -
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 -
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
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
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
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
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