Siemens VDO Automotive Presents 2003 Rep of the Year Award
Siemens VDO Automotive has presented Mike Wirth and Doug Mathe of RepWorks Marketing with their 2003 Rep of the Year Award. RepWorks Marketing is responsible for Siemens VDO’s automotive aftermarket sales activities in California, Arizona and Nevada. RepWorks Marketing has represented Siemens VDO Automotive for approximately four years. RepWorks is headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif., and has an office in Phoenix, Ariz.
Aftermarket Veteran George Halford Dies
George Halford, co-owner and vice president of H.B. International Marketing Services, died this week. A Royal Air Force veteran who served in World War II, Halford emigrated to Canada in 1957 and entered the automotive business. In 1966, he purchased BMC dealership for Triumph, MG and Jaguar, and in 1976, opened three jobber stores. Halford formed Tandem Marketing Co., an automotive parts sales agency, in 1980, and in 1987 merged with Bearden Marketing Services to form H.B. International Marketing Services, Inc.
ArvinMeritor to Sell Ohio Trailer Systems Business to Sypris Solutions
ArvinMeritor has announced plans to sell its Kenton, Ohio, trailer systems business to Louisville, Ky.-based Solutions. ArvinMeritor said the sale of the facility, which employs more than 200 people, will allow the company to focus strategically within trailer products on its core processes for the design and assembly of complete systems, which consist of axles, brakes, suspension and ride control. Once the transaction is complete, Sypris Solutions would become a long-term, key supplier of trailer axle beams to ArvinMeritor’s trailer assembly facility in Frankfort, Ky.
Learn How to Work Leaner, Faster, Better at GAAS 2004
Early registrants for the ninth annual Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) program will learn how the aftermarket will work leaner, faster and better at a substantial savings. GAAS 2004 is set for Tuesday and Wednesday, May 18-19, at the Hyatt Regency, Chicago, Ill. Dr. Jeffrey Rosensweig, economist and professor at Emory University, heads the lineup of speakers at GAAS 2004. NASCAR Driver Bill Lester is the featured lunch speaker on Tuesday, May 18. GAAS 2004 will also include two pre-conference events: the 2004 Manufacturers’ Reps Conference on Sunday and Monday, May 16-17, and the University of the Aftermarket Pre-Symposium Seminar on Monday, May 17, “How to Accelerate Your Sales Growth through Increased Customer Loyalty.”
ArvinMeritor Taps Don Polk to Lead Its LVS Wheels Business
ArvinMeritor has promoted Donald Polk to the position of vice president and general manager of its Light Vehicle Systems (LVS) business group’s Wheels product line, effective immediately. Before being named to this new position, Polk was vice president and general manager of the LVS Ride Control product line. Polk began his career with the company as a Wheels sales engineer in 1989.
TI Automotive Wins $1.2 Billion in New Business
TI Automotive recently won contracts in its fuel systems division valued at more than $1.2 billion from automotive manufacturers in Europe, Asia and North America. Beginning with 2006-model-year production, the fourth-quarter contract awards include complete fuel systems and subsystems for a range of products,
Dana and GETRAG Sign Joint-Venture Agreement with Volvo
A recently formed joint venture company between Dana and GETRAG has signed an agreement with Volvo Car Corp. (VCC) to purchase a 60-percent interest in VCC’s operations in Koping, Sweden. The resulting joint venture with VCC will be known as GETRAG All Wheel Drive AB, a Dana/GETRAG Co. The company will produce all-wheel-drive (AWD) and chassis systems and components for passenger cars and sport-utility vehicles.
U-Haul Bars Trailers for Explorers
U-Haul International, North America’s largest trailer company announced yesterday that it will no longer allow trailer rentals for Ford Explorers, the popular SUVs which have been involved in numerous rollover crashes in recent years. U-Haul said the decision was not based on safety concerns, but due to the excessive costs of defending liability lawsuits related to the vehicle.
Automakers Tailor Ads to Woo Minorities
The auto industry increasingly is targeting the black, Hispanic and Asian American communities with tailored advertising, as the buying power of minorities grows, according to a recent report in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Reporter . Companies are now beginning to create ads that speak to specific audiences, placing them in targeted media outlets. According to Randi Payton, publisher of the magazines African Americans on Wheels and Latinos on Wheels, this increased attention to diversity is even making its way into the design of cars, as automakers tailor products to lifestyle choices.
Transpro Named NAPA Branded Radiator Supplier
Transpro has been named supplier of a new radiator program for NAPA. Under the agreement, Transpro will supply NAPA with a radiator program that will offer a selection of popular radiator models covering a variety of automotive and light truck applications. Transpro will begin shipping product to NAPA this month, and the program will be rolled out to the NAPA distribution system in February.