Suppliers: Page 45

Shepherd Solutions Helps Suppliers Sell

DETROIT – Working at broadening Fanuc Robotics America Inc.’s reach in Indiana gave Stuart Shepherd an idea. “My original direction…(was) to find what other business besides General Motors (Corp.) there was (in Indiana),” Shepherd says of his early sales assignment with Fanuc 16 years ago. He was so successful Fanuc eventually brought Shepherd to the Detroit area to figure out how to grow its business

By Christie Schweinsberg • April 13, 2005

High Gear

After two years on the market, BorgWarner Inc.'s innovative dual-clutch transmission (DCT) technology is on the verge of becoming a formidable force in the gearbox sector, as the supplier says it expects to produce several million units annually within three years. The new technology, known internally as DualTronic, enables a manual transmission to perform like an automatic, without the annoying that

By Tom Murphy • April 1, 2005

Explore the Trendline➔

Automotive Manufacturing

Production strategies are changing rapidly as tariffs and shifts in consumer buying patterns affect the industry.

By WardsAuto staff

Magna Starts Building Grand Cherokee

Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik AG & Co. KG, the world's biggest contract-vehicle manufacturer, started serial production of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee in Graz, Austria, in early March. The launch will mark the third generation of Grand Cherokees to be built in Graz since 1994. The agreement with DaimlerChrysler AG calls for Austrian production of the new Grand Cherokee until 2009. European content of

March 1, 2005

Taking it to Dealerships

BAUDETTE, MN Noting that dealership sales personnel remain the first line of information for most consumers, automotive supplier Robert Bosch Corp. is training such staffers to spread the word about electronic stability control (ESC) systems. A well-educated dealership sales force is really the way to go, says Bosch Marketing Director Rich Golitko, who is spearheading a new program called aimed at

By Steve Finlay • March 1, 2005

Gaining Traction

In the span of a few weeks in November, it appeared the U.S. Big Three auto makers discovered the wonders of electronic stability control (ESC). For years, the top suppliers of the enhanced antilock brake system have marketed the technology for preventing drivers from skidding out of control. Now that the suppliers smartly extol the virtues of the technology in preventing rollovers, it appears auto

Dec. 1, 2004

Continental: Accidents Not Inevitable

PONTIAC, MI Continental Automotive Systems says it has two auto maker customers that plan to integrate elements of the supplier’s new active/passive safety technology into future vehicles. Continental contends its Active Passive Integration Approach (APIA), which links existing active safety devices such as antilock brakes and electronic stability control (ESC) with passive safety systems such as

By Tom Murphy • Nov. 4, 2004

300C Bound For Magna Steyr Plant

Chrysler Group signs an agreement with Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik AG & Co KG to use the supplier's Graz, Austria, facility to support production of the Chrysler 300C for markets outside of North America. Magna Steyr will begin building rear- and all-wheel-drive versions of the Chrysler 300C Touring (wagon) and sedan in second-quarter 2005, while the high-performance SRT-8 and a diesel-powered model

Nov. 1, 2004

Fleet Management Growing Use of Telematics

DETROIT Delphi Corp. uses Convergence 2004 to announce it will co-develop and manufacture the next-generation of transceiver modems for Stellar Satellite Communications Ltd. Delphi will supply two new models of 2-way satellite communicator modems to Stellar. One is a high-volume telematics modem that can be used in vehicles or as fixed equipment. The other will use sensors and software to relay information

By Alisa Priddle • Oct. 18, 2004

Tier 2 Supplier Goes Global, Swallows 50% Price Cut

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – The pressure for suppliers to follow their customers to new markets overseas has been most acute for the big Tier 1 parts producers, but smaller Tier 2s are far from immune. Autocam Corp., a small manufacturer of precision metal components used in brake, steering and airbag systems, was founded 15 years ago with one facility in Kentwood, near Grand Rapids. The supplier has since

By Tom Murphy • Aug. 2, 2004

Product Focused

The purchasing chiefs of North America's largest auto makers face the unwieldy task of getting quality parts to their assembly plants. From day to day, complications arise: Labor unrest at a supplier plant, fires, inclement weather and shipping accidents all can raise the likelihood that parts won't arrive on time or at all. But through the daily machinations of supply-chain management, the purchasing

By Tom Murphy • July 1, 2004

Steyr Targets N.A. for 2008

Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik AG & Co. KG is aiming to establish a vehicle manufacturing presence in the U.S. by 2008, which would function much like its operation in Graz, Austria, where it produces six vehicles for three different auto makers. Magna Steyr additionally aims to launch similar operations in the Asia/Pacific region within the same timeframe, Manfred Eibeck, director-production technology,

July 1, 2004

China Strategy Pays Off

The challenges of doing business in China's booming automotive industry are, without question, overwhelming. There is no network of stable, qualified suppliers for components. Logistics chains are so long that suppliers must stockpile reserves hardly a model of just-in-time efficiency. The Chinese government occasionally institutes rolling blackouts when regional powerplants are nearing capacity.

By Tom Murphy • July 1, 2004

UAW Next Hurdle in Magna Deal

Labor issues are among the biggest hurdles facing Magna International Inc. as it moves to close its purchase of New Venture Gear Inc. from DaimlerChrysler AG. Magna says it began negotiations with the United Auto Workers in mid-May on a new contract for some 3,100 Syracuse, NY, NVG employees in which it is seeking modifications to the 4-year deal signed by DC and the union last fall. Among those will

June 1, 2004

Get Days’ Supply Right

Thorough understanding of days' supply is necessary if a parts inventory is to be both immediately responsive to customer needs and profitable. To correctly calculate days' supply levels, it's necessary to understand two buying methods, split guide and straight guide. It's also important to recognize the differences between them and when to use them. Failure to do so can mean excess stock or an inability

By GARY NAPLES • June 1, 2004

High Days’ Supply Alert

What was expected to be a robust year has yet to materialize. Through April, only a few franchises are reporting strong results. And for the industry, sales are up fractionally, 3.1%, thanks to trucks. What is happening though, presenting more of a concern, are rising new-vehicle inventory levels and a higher-than-desirable days' supply. This bodes well for the consumer, with incentives averaging

By Tony Noland • June 1, 2004

Magna Drivetrain

Magna International Inc. says it will produce transfer cases for General Motors Corp. fullsize pickups and SUVs at two U.S. plants that will open by 2007. Magna details the contract and simultaneously announces creation of Magna Drivetrain, the seventh division within Magna. It consists of the former Powertrain unit of Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik AG & Co KG, based in Austria. This division has experienced

May 1, 2004

Dana Expects Fast Payback on Hydraulic Hybrid

DETROIT Based on experience with a hydraulic-hybrid (HH) military truck, Dana Corp. says the cost of the technology, when applied to a garbage truck, for example, may be offset within as little as one year of service. Echoing the outlook of other advocates of hydraulic-hybrid technology applied to frequent stop/start vehicles, the Toledo, OH, supplier says the net combination of high-efficiency hydraulics

By Bob Brooks • March 23, 2004

Survey: Supplier Migration to Emerging Markets

DETROIT –The auto parts business will grow in all regions – to the tune of $228 billion a year – between now and 2010, concludes a study by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants LLC. But the manufacturing footprint of the players will be realigned with forecasted global shifts in market share. Suppliers are looking to change their manufacturing footprint. The study, entitled The Odyssey of the Auto Industry;

By Alisa Priddle • March 9, 2004

Invest in France Honors Suppliers

The 9th Annual Invest in France Automotive Awards Reception will honor Johnson Controls Inc., Cignet LLC and AxleTech International March 9 in Detroit. The agency wants to recognize North American auto companies that have invested significantly in new or expanded facilities in France. Keith Wandell, president of JCI's automotive group, will accept the award for the supplier, which is being honored

March 1, 2004

Hostility Reigns

Combining ArvinMeritor Inc. and Dana Corp. is a bad idea because the new company would be the highest-leveraged supplier in the sector, there would be no benefit for Dana shareholders and U.S. antitrust regulators surely would object, Dana CEO Joe Magliochetti tells Ward's. Magliochetti had been quiet since ArvinMeritor announced its $2.2 billion bid for the larger, Toledo, OH-based Dana. But he broke

By Tom Murphy • Sept. 1, 2003

My Formula for Success

The quality of feedback is important if you use a measurement to provide feedback for evaluating operational effectiveness of the parts department. Yet there is only one place this measurement really matters, in the service department. The success of a dealership is won or lost there. If the parts department can't efficiently and quickly supply the service department, then the service department will

By GARY NAPLES • Sept. 1, 2003

Magna Steyr Launches 9-3 Drop-Top

Production of the new Saab 9-3 convertible is under way at the Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik AG & Co. KG plant in Graz, Austria, marking the first time a Saab car is being manufactured outside of Scandinavia. Until now, all Saab cars were built in Sweden or Finland. Magna Steyr builds the car and also engineered it. Two hundred engineers and technicians worked on the project for 36 months. When the

Aug. 1, 2003

HOLDING BACK

It seems inconceivable that an automotive supplier whose sheer survival hinges on its ability to create something useful and continue to improve on it would decline the opportunity to shop its most advanced, far-out, game-changing technology to North America's Big Three auto makers. Yet, with alarming frequency, suppliers are growing so disenchanted with the daily bruising associated with selling

By Tom Murphy • July 1, 2003

Eyesight to the Blind

Valeo SA predicts that its radar-based blindspot detection system will be in use on 1 million vehicles worldwide within a decade. The French supplier says the system, dubbed Radar Traffic Environment Sensing, should debut on a production vehicle in 2005, likely first in the U.S. Although the OEM decides retail price, Valeo officials estimate the technology could be available to consumers for $600

By Tom Murphy • July 1, 2003

TRW: Right Where We Want to Be

Expect no restructuring at TRW Automotive following its acquisition by Blackstone Group, says John Plant, the supplier's president and CEO. The Blackstone Group is an investor, not a manager, Plant says, adding TRW Automotive recently concluded extensive restructuring. Blackstone, a private investment bank, paid $4.7 billion for the automotive unit of TRW Inc., which was acquired in July by Northrop

April 1, 2003