Suppliers: Page

Quick Change Artist Richard Snell: The man who saved Federal-Mogul

When Richard Snell became the new chief executive of Federal-Mogul Corp. in November 1996, he arrived with a bitter pill for the company to swallow.In the end, the medicine he prescribed would not only save the automotive supplier from a painful and uncertain future, but would more than double the company's size in little more than a year and send its stock soaring.At the time, Federal-Mogul's board

By Tom Murphy • March 1, 1998

Noise Still an Issue With Plastic Intakes Suppliers fight problem with newtechnology

It's hard not to believe engine intake manifolds made of plastic eventually will take over under the hood. Proponents argue convincingly that plastic manifolds - usually glass-reinforced nylon 6/6 - are substantially lighter and less expensive than those made of metals such as aluminum. The interior surfaces of plastic intake runners also are smoother. That translates into less turbulent airflow through

By Drew Winter • Jan. 1, 1998

Explore the Trendline➔

Automotive Manufacturing

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

By WardsAuto staff

Seeking the Perfect Mate Weak profits, niches, new markets drive suppliers

Missed opportunity" is a term auto supplier executives don't like to hear, at least in reference to their own companies.In the face of narrow profit margins and deep price cuts, when a potentially lucrative corporate marriage presents itself, no one wants to be left at the altar. Perhaps that explains why the frenetic pace of mergers and acquisitions was the top story of 1997 on the automotive supply

By Tom Murphy • Dec. 1, 1997

Field of Opportunity Transplants’ commitment to minority suppliers questioned

Harold Kutner sees opportunity rising from the dust of Cadillac's old Clark Street Assembly Plant in southwest Detroit.Vitec, a joint venture between Michigan-based Walbro Corp. and businessmen William Pickard and Lawrence Crawford, will make plastic fuel tanks at the old Cadillac site in Detroit's Empowerment Zone, beginning in July.The minority company has lined up about $640 million in business

By Tom Murphy • Dec. 1, 1997

Magna’s Bright Idea Decoma enters lighting market with high hopes for LED

Are you crazy? is a question Joseph Griffin is getting tired of answering.No, the engineering manager for Magna International's Decoma Exterior Systems does not belong in a straightjacket, and yes, his company is serious about entering the exterior lighting market, first in North America, then going global later on.The response from some automotive executives to the idea has less to do with Decoma's

By Tom Murphy • Nov. 1, 1997

Give ‘Em What They Want Breed, Siemens sign deal for restraint systems

Barely a month after announcing its purchase of AlliedSignal's Safety Restraints business, Breed Technologies inks yet another major deal to help plant its feet squarely in the market of complete occupant restraint systems.The Lakeland, FL, company had been a relatively small supplier of sensors, air bag modules and inflators when it stepped to the head of the North American seat belt market in September

By Tom Murphy • Nov. 1, 1997

Executives on the move

While most supplier executives bask in profits and look forward to more of the same with a strong 1997 auto motive market, two big names in the supplier community are moving on to greater challenges.ITT Automotive President Timothy D. Leuliette goes to a similar post at Penske Corp. and Tenneco Inc. President Richard A. Snell becomes chairman and CEO at the troubled Federal-Mogul Corp. in the wake

By Tim Keenan • Dec. 1, 1996

Welcome to alligator alley: supplier consolidation craze sometimes leads to rocky marriages

Supplier consolidation - or "merger-mania" as it is being referred to by some - is no walk in the park. In fact, some companies that enter into corporate wedlock find the stroll can be quite treacherous.Stephen J. Girsky, a principal and automotive analyst at Morgan Stanley A Co., says his firm has tracked 75 supplier mergers and acquisitions worth $17 billion since February 1995. The current pace

By Tim Keenan • Dec. 1, 1996

After the battle: as smoke clears, mirror makers aren’t looking back

Holland, MI - For most of the last seven years, Gentex Corp. and Donnelly Corp. spent so much money - a collective $30 million - trying to destroy each other in court that most folks forget, if they ever knew, what exactly these two western Michigan automotive suppliers actually manufactured.They make mirrors - regular prismatic mirrors and electrochromic mirrors, the kind that can sense when that

By Gardner, Greg • Dec. 1, 1996

Bosch raises the bar: microelectronic advances keep company on cutting edge

REUTLINGEN, Germany - You won't find Robert Bosch GmbH's microelectronics plant on any German tourism bureau lists of places to see, but it should be - at least if you have any interest in the future of automobiles.With electronic controls responsible for more vehicle character and personality with each passing model year, where best to look into the automotive crystal ball than at one of the world's

By Tim Keenan • Nov. 1, 1996

Suppliers and the ‘97s

What would happen if auto shows were put on by suppliers? An automaker executive would pull the veil off a new model and the public would ooh and aah as usual. A supplier executive would, in turn, peel the skin off the vehicle, point to his company's technology and the audience would roar its approval. Then the supplier wakes up.The above scene may be a dream right now for suppliers, but with more

By Tim Keenan • Oct. 1, 1996

Breed buys UTA’s steering wheel business

Continuing its aggressive growth, Breed Technologies has agreed to buy United Technologies Automotive's steering wheel operations. While the price was not disclosed initially, the deal is expected to close in late October or early November. It is Breed's fifth acquisition this year. Strategically, it will allow the Lakeland, FL-based supplier to integrate driver's side air bags into the steering wheel.

Oct. 1, 1996

New cable channel appeals to speed lovers

Racing fans and automobile enthusiasts now have a place they can call home on cable television. Speedvision, which offers shows about cars, airplanes and motorcycles exclusively is well into its ninth month of programming.Speedvision, the brainchild of former ESPN President Roger L. Werner Jr., debuted New Year's Day on Cox Communications, Continental Cablevision and Comcast Corp. cable systems."What

Sept. 1, 1996

Glass attack: window suppliers embrace systems approach, new technology.

Parts consolidation, systems integration, simplified assembly and customer satisfaction are phrases one normally doesn't associate with windshields, yet automotive glass suppliers are focusing intently on each.Glass suppliers are looking at their products as part of the exterior system, participating in vehicle design, supplying glass-based modules and integrating radio antennas into windshields and

By Tim Keenan • Sept. 1, 1996

Quality questions: industry looking for new ways to evaluate suppliers

What is the true measure of supplier quality? Is it the number of defective parts that elude inspection and make it all the way to customer plants?Or is it the total number of defective parts the supplier generates? Many in the industry are talking about scrapping the measurement of defects -- commonly known as ppm, or parts per million -- altogether.Consider also that parts that appear to be defect-free

By Tim Keenan • Aug. 1, 1996

Back to the future: a new type of vertical integration takes shape

One of the most significant and potentially far-reaching trends impacting today's auto industry is the shift in the balance of influence, importance and power from auto assemblers (i.e., original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs) to global Tier 1 suppliers.It's ironic that during this year's centennial celebration of the U.S. auto industry, OEM/supplier relationships are migrating back toward the

By Fitzgerald, Craig M. • June 1, 1996

Varity, Lucas explore merging

In yet another sign that consolidation among suppliers is far from over, Varity Corp. and Lucas Industries plc are talking about a "potential strategic combination" that would give them more muscle in the increasingly competitive antilock brake market. Varity, which derives more than half its $2.4 billion annual sales from brakes, is a strong player in North America, but not as big as ITT Automotive

June 1, 1996

Dana’s destiny: Morcott shooting for 50% sales outside U.S.

When you're on a roll, sometimes the best strategy is to stay at the table. That's apparently how Dana Corp. Chairman and CEO Southwood J. (Woody) Morcott thinks.Mr. Morcott just finished his busiest and most profitable year at the helm of the venerable 92-year-old Toledo, OH-based company, and he's got a hot hand. Sales hit a record $7.6 billion in 1995, up $1 billion -- or 15% -- from 1994, and

By Tim Keenan • April 1, 1996

Battle for exteriors heats up: feud between SMC and aluminum escalates

You thought the Plymouth Prowler was all aluminum, right? WRONG! Clearly miffed that aluminum producers were getting all the glory for supplying Prowler body materials, the SMC Automotive Alliance, a trade group representing sheet molding composite (SMC) molders and suppliers, fired off a press release during SAE pointing out the car has seven large body panels made of SMC, comprising 30% of the car's

By Drew Winter • April 1, 1996

AlliedSignal brakes put Bosch in systems business.

The biggest news coming out of the 1996 Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) annual congress wasn't announced at a press conference and wasn't on the show floor It came from Pans when Robert Bosch Gmbh and AlliedSignal Inc. ended more than a year of negotiations with Bosch agreeing to buy AlliedSignal's passenger car, light- and medium-duty vehicle hydraulic foundation brake and antilock braking

April 1, 1996

Snake pit suppliers: Viper vendors contribute technology to new coupe

PHOENIX -- Viper is the pride of ChrysLer Corp.'s Dodge Div. It may also be the darling of the supplier community.The Viper engineering crew is small in comparison with other platform teams. That leaves several key projects delegated to suppliers willing to invest a lot of time and energy on a project that offers little profit but much prestige and public relations potential.When it came time to put

By Tim Keenan • March 1, 1996

Small suppliers take a global step; trend reflects what’s happening in the upper tiers

Parts manufacturers are on a ma dash to establish local manufacturing capabilities in the key markets where their customer assemble vehicles. It's a hot topic, but it is not a new idea. in fact, it has been decade since the first automotive parts suppliers began establishing extensive manufacturing networks outside their domestic borders.Companies such as TRW, ITT Automotive, Bosch, Valeo, United

By Fitzgerald, Craig M. • March 1, 1996

Magliochetti is new Dana Corp president

Joseph M. Magliochetti, president of Dana's North American operations since 1992, is the new president of Dana Corp. He adds responsibility for the company's European operations to his current duties. Southwood J. Morcott, chairman and president since 1989, continues as chairman and CEO. In a related move, Carl H. Hirsch becomes president of Dana International, with responsibility for Dana's businesses

Jan. 1, 1996

Holiday cheer: suppliers enjoying good times, yet tread carefully

Would the looming holiday season be the reason why supplier executives are in such a cheerful mood these days? More likely it is the waterfall of black ink on their balance sheets in 1995 and projected good times at least through 1996.If one believes in the power of positive vibes, those emanating from supplier officials indicate 1996 will be a very solid year for the auto industry. Supplier executives

By Michelle Kaczynski, Tim Keenan • Dec. 1, 1995

Waste warriors: automaker purchasing chiefs want leaner suppliers.

Television fitness gurus Denise Austin and Susan Powter have nothing on the purchasing bosses of the domestic Big Three automakers. These men have been leading an industry-wide aerobics class for years, and suppliers will be feeling the burn even more in 1996.While it may be difficult to imagine Ford Motor Co.'s Carlos Mazzorin, General Motors Corp.'s Harold Kutner and Chrysler Corp.'s Thomas Stallkamp

By Tim Keenan • Dec. 1, 1995