Automotive supply chains are struggling to keep pace with a surge of sales and new car models this year leading large automakers such as Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) and Nissan Motor Co.  to brace themselves for the worst. The news is leading many observers to wonder whether the automotive chain will snap.

New car sales are estimated to eclipse 15 million this year with 500 vehicles launched by 2016 — a new record. However, because of the economic downturn, many suppliers were forced to close plants, lay off large numbers of workers, and reduce the capacity of their operations by as much as 30 percent. Now that the auto industry is seeing a huge rebound in the realm of 22 percent, the supply chain and automakers are in a huge bind due to delays, disruptions, material shortages, and quality issues.

In order to increase capacity, Ford has added shifts at their plants resulting in an additional 400,00 vehicles with plans to add another 200,000  this year. Ford’s purchasing staff, which works directly with suppliers, has been in constant damage-control. ”We’re meeting weekly,” Joe Hinrichs, Ford President of the Americas, said.

Article source: http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/will-supply-chain-issues-ruin-auto-industrys-resurgence.html/?a=viewall

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TONY EASTLEY: There was a time when ford and Holden had the Australian car market to themselves.

(Excerpt from Holden advertisement)

VOICEOVER: Holden, Australia’s own car, is playing a major role. The first export Holden went to New Zealand in 1954, then in 1956 came Malaya, Singapore and other Pacific territories.

This testing and expert craftsmanship has played its part in making Holden a showpiece among Australian exports, given new meaning and value to the stamp Made in Australia.

TONY EASTLEY: Even when other makers came along, there still seemed to be plenty to go around.

But for 30 years the Australian car manufacturing industry has been dying. One plant after another has closed. Nissan, Mitsubishi and, soon Ford.

By 2016 just two car makers will be left: Toyota and Holden.

Ford’s closure will put 1,200 people out of work. The ACTU estimates that nine times that number of workers in associated auto industries will also face the sack.

(Sound of car factory)

We’re broadcasting this morning from Hirotec, a Japanese company that built this $100 million facility eight years ago. It makes all the boots, doors and bonnets for Holden Commodores and Cruzes. One hundred and fifty people work here.

With Holden putting people off and Ford closing, the workers at Hirotec wonder whether they might be next.

Alan King is Human Resources manager for Hirotec. I spoke to him and to Hirotec company director Tex Igarashi about the delicate state of the car industry.

(To Tex Igarashi)

Holden recently announced that it was pulling back another 400 staff. The situation with the manufacturing, the car industry, isn’t all that bright. How do you feel about your future here?

TEX IGARASHI: It is very, very difficult to forecast the future of the auto industry in Australia. Cost is very expensive comparing to other country like Thailand and so on.

TONY EASTLEY: So, just in one or two words, are you optimistic or pessimistic or something in between?

TEX IGARASHI: It’s just in between.

TONY EASTLEY: Al King, you’re the HR manager here. When news comes through of closures or of Ford, for instance, how does that affect a workforce here, even though you’re not tied in with Ford?

ALAN KING: I think from the employees’ point of view, anything that comes through that’s bad news is taken really to heart and there are concerns about the longevity of manufacturing in this particular situation.

Our workforce have got skills that may not necessarily be transferable to other industries. So, you know, they’re caught in a catch 22 situation: do we stay here or do we move on?

TONY EASTLEY: There were slowdowns in this particular company in 2009 and you dropped back to one shift. That must be in the back of some people’s minds that it could occur again in the future.

ALAN KING: I’m sure that is the case. I think that, if people had a choice of being in the automotive industry or being in some other industry, they would take that opportunity to move on.

TONY EASTLEY: Your future here is very much predicated on the health of Holden. What signs are there, at the moment, that that health is good or otherwise?

ALAN KING: I think in the short term the production levels that are coming from Holden are very good. You mentioned before about in August the numbers being reduced in Holden’s workforce.

We don’t know what the impact of that will be on our business, but we’re hopeful that it won’t, but again, we just don’t know.

TONY EASTLEY: Is the Australian car industry sustainable?

ALAN KING: That’s a very hard question. I think, if the volumes of Australian-manufactured cars continues to go down, if there is a situation where maybe Holden decide to leave Australia, then I don’t think there is an industry in the future.

TONY EASTLEY: That’s a fairly pessimistic outlook.

ALAN KING: I think when you look at the amount of skills, people in the industry, you definitely need two car manufacturers in Australia to maintain the supply chain.

Without it, it becomes very difficult.

TONY EASTLEY: Alan King from Hirotec.

Article source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-17/australian-car-industry-must-go-global-to-survive/4757842?section=sa

Holden’s manufacturing plant at Elizabeth.
Source: The Advertiser

The automotive industry is undergoing a fundamental change from producer to service provider but it is far from dead, writes Nicholas Hudson.

****

MUCH negativity has been cast on Australia’s automotive and logistics industry following the announcement of 270 job cuts by port and rail operator Asciano recently, and the retrenchment of 500 workers from Holden’s Adelaide and Geelong plants in April.

The Holden cuts bring the total number of workers who’ve lost their jobs in automotive manufacturing to 100,000 in the past decade.

No wonder then that many perceive the industry as being in its death throes, largely relying on government assistance to keep it afloat.

There is no doubt the manufacturing side of the industry is struggling. Demand for locally built cars has fallen from a peak of 286,000 annually in 2003 to just 148,000 in 2011.

A stubbornly high Australian dollar and rising labour costs hasn’t helped, with many local manufacturers fighting against cheaper overseas rivals. But it’s not all doom and gloom.

In 2012 Australians bought a record 1.1 million new cars, many of them with a service life that has increased to 10.7 years.

This, combined with the fact consumers hold on to vehicles for longer during periods of slow growth and will spend on average one and half times the original purchase price on maintenance, means Australia’s automotive after market is fast becoming the panacea for skilled workers re-entering or moving around the industry.

A report by Auto Skills Australia earlier this year revealed that the wider automotive sector in Australia employs over 371,000 people, many of them highly skilled engineers.

You could be forgiven for thinking most are employed in the manufacturing sector, but almost 80 per cent are employed by the downstream automotive components industry in repair and maintenance and parts retailing roles.

The industry is undergoing a significant shift, but if Australians are buying new cars at record numbers it would be foolish to say the industry is dying. It is simply experiencing the same structural changes that have taken place in similar industries in North America and the UK.

Australia is one of only 15 countries in the world that can build a car from the ground up.

It is the ability to innovate and invest in new technology that will keep our automotive industry flourishing. When Snap-on Tools entered the Australian and New Zealand markets in 1988 the landscape was already starting to shift.

Where one door closes, another one usually opens. In this case a growing aftermarket sector can easily accommodate workers moving out of automotive manufacturing.

In 2012 Snap-on Tools grew by 7 per cent, despite low consumer confidence and retail spending. Our growth is reflective of the potential of the automotive aftermarket and many of our customers, for whom business is booming, would agree.

Proclaiming the death of our automotive industry is simplistic. It fails to recognise that the automotive industry has long been one of the hallmarks of a developed industrial economy and that it does not just disappear. Even when many manufacturers are struggling, countries like China and India are placing heavy emphasis on building an auto industry of their own.

Our industry is undergoing a fundamental change from producer to service provider.

It is adapting to a world where things happen on a global scale and where changes in technology dictate the direction most business will take this century.

The automotive industry in this country is not dead, far from it. It is just different from what we grew used to last century.

Nicholas Hudson is the national franchising manager of Snap-on Tools Australia and New Zealand.

 

 

Article source: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/nicholas-hudson-motor-vehicle-industry-is-not-dead-just-shifting-gear/story-e6freabc-1226665214204

DETROIT — The auto industry is about to go on a hiring spree as car makers and parts suppliers race to find engineers, technicians and factory workers to build the next generation of vehicles.

The new employees will be part of a larger, busier workforce. From coast to coast, the industry is in top gear. Factories are operating at about 95 percent of capacity, and many are already running three shifts. As a result, some auto and parts companies are doing something they’ve been reluctant to consider since the recession: Adding floor space and spending millions of dollars on new equipment.

“We’re really bumping up against the edge,” says Michael Robinet, managing director of IHS Automotive, which forecasts auto production. “So it really is brick-and-mortar time.”

The auto industry’s stepped-up hiring will help sustain the nation’s job growth and help fuel consumer spending. On Friday, the government said U.S. employers added 175,000 jobs in May, roughly the monthly average for the past year and a sign of the economy’s resilience.

At 7.6 percent, U.S. unemployment remains well above the 5 percent to 6 percent typical of a healthy economy. Growth is still modest, in part because of higher taxes and government spending cuts that kicked in this year and weak overseas economies. But the housing market is strengthening, and U.S. consumer confidence has reached a five-year high.

The auto industry’s outlook is bright. Vehicle sales for 2013 could reach 15.5 million, the highest in six years. To meet that demand, automakers must find more people. Hundreds of companies that make parts for automakers have to hire, too, just to keep up.

“As volume goes up, we will really need to add heads,” says Mel Stephens, a spokesman for Lear Corp., which makes automotive seats.

From January through May, automakers and parts companies hired 8,000 workers, a relatively slow rate. But the pace is picking up. The Center for Automotive Research expects the industry to add 35,000 over the full year.

The hiring plans are widespread. Chrysler Group LLC, Honda Motor Co., General Motors Co., Mercedes-Benz and Ford Motor Co. plan to add more than 13,000 people this year.

Large parts companies such as Lear, BorgWarner Inc. and TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. are hiring at factories and research centers. Smaller suppliers are adding jobs as well.

The auto business has helped keep the economy afloat while Americans wait for the rest of the business world to start hiring. Since 2009, 1 in every 4 manufacturing jobs added in the U.S. came in the auto industry, says Daniel Meckstroth, chief economist for the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation, a manufacturing trade group. The auto industry is just under 7 percent of U.S. manufacturing jobs.

Car companies and parts makers created 167,500 jobs from the end of the recession in June 2009 through May. At the same time, U.S. auto sales rose from a low point of 10.4 million in 2009 to an annual rate of more than 15 million so far this year.

Chrysler’s comeback gave Jeff Caldwell the confidence to leave a human resources consulting firm. Caldwell joined the company in February as an assembly line supervisor at a Jeep Grand Cherokee factory in Detroit. He supervises 100 workers who build the SUV’s chassis.

“I knew Chrysler was moving in the right direction,” says Caldwell, 29, who was born in Detroit and always had an interest in cars. “They kind of reinvented themselves, and I really wanted to get in while I could.”

Among the hiring planned for this year:

— Chrysler will add more than 3,500 workers this year at factories in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan to make transmissions and to build Jeeps and Ram pickups.

— Ford expects to hire 2,200 salaried workers in information technology, product development and manufacturing. Plus the company is hiring 1,400 factory workers and recalling another 2,000 laid-off employees, in Michigan and Missouri.

— GM is hiring 4,000 engineers and computer professionals at four technical centers in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Texas to develop software and other innovations.

— Honda is adding at least 500 jobs this year at factories in Ohio, Indiana and Alabama as it moves more production to North America.

— At TRW Automotive, recruiters are looking for 50 engineers in the Detroit area to work on new safety features such as a system that warns drivers when large animals are in their path.

Smaller companies also are joining in. Automotive business at Waukesha Metal Products in Sussex, Wis., is so strong that the company is near its capacity to make metal parts for axles, drive shafts and interiors. It’s adding $1 million worth of equipment near Milwaukee and building a plant in Mexico to be closer to companies it supplies.

Most industry analysts predict that U.S. auto sales will rise gradually during the next five years. Estimates for this year range from 15 million to 15.5 million, compared with 14.5 million a year ago. LMC Automotive, a Troy, Mich., forecasting firm, predicts that sales will gradually increase to 17 million in 2017. That level would be almost equal to the boom years of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Analysts say sales will climb as more people reach driving age. Also, many consumers and businesses still have cars and trucks they bought last decade, if not earlier. The average vehicle on U.S. roads is now a record 11.2 years.

The improving economy also helps lift sales. As the housing and construction sectors have come back to life, pickup sales have risen faster than the rest of the market. That has meant a job for Curtis Enkey of suburban Kansas City.

Enkey was laid off in April of last year when Ford moved production of the Escape SUV from his factory near Kansas City to Louisville, Ky. He wasn’t supposed to come back until Ford started making a commercial van at his plant in July or August. But higher sales of the F-150 pickup, which also is made at his factory, brought an early call to return.

Now Enkey is happily working 50-hour weeks. A Ford worker since 1995, he makes about $29 per hour plus benefits.

Even with the added hiring, the auto industry isn’t the job creator it once was. In 2005, before huge cuts began, more than 1.1 million people made motor vehicles and parts. Today, 798,000 do, according to the latest government statistics.

For engineers and many white-collar jobs, auto companies pay salaries that are competitive with the rest of the country. But wages and benefits in the factories have declined.

Most new hires will start around $16 per hour, a little over half the pay that longtime workers get. The lower wage was a concession made by the United Auto Workers union to cut costs as the companies ran into financial trouble six years ago. New hires receive health care but get 401K plans instead of pensions, and they don’t get health care in retirement like longtime workers do. Still, their wages are better than most other factory workers, who make $13 to $14 per hour in the U.S.

The industry would be adding even more workers if not for productivity gains made since the boom years, says Kristin Dziczek, head of the labor and industry group at the Center for Automotive Research.

In 2004, the nation had 70 auto-assembly plants. Now there are only 55. But the industry will make 10.7 million vehicles in those plants this year, only 850,000 fewer than in 2004, according to Ward’s Automotive.

Executives are being forced to rethink hard lines they’ve drawn against adding space — and costs — since they closed factories during the economic downturn.

For instance, General Motors is building a 500,000-square-foot addition to its plant in Wentzville, Mo., to handle expected sales of the next generation of midsize pickup trucks due out next year.

But at Ford, executives want to keep costs down by squeezing as many cars and trucks as possible out of existing factory space, mostly by increasing line speeds and breaking up equipment bottlenecks.

“We are running a number of our plants pretty full,” says Joe Hinrichs, the company’s president of the Americas. “But we have more upside if we need it.”

The recent hiring binge is even causing worker shortages in some areas. Skilled workers such as engineers, machinists, software developers and welders are hard to find, especially in the Detroit area. Entry-level factory jobs, which start around $15 per hour, are filled quickly.

“We’re having some pretty good success finding people,” said Ken Kaiser, vice president of engineering for TRW Automotive. “But we’d like to find more, faster.”

Article source: http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130616/GJBUSINESS_01/130619394/-1/FOSBUSINESS

Column: Will Apple’s ‘iOS in the Car’ upend the auto industry?

Photo credit: MINYANVILLE

The introduction of iOS 7 dominated the discussion of Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) 2013 Worldwide Developers Conference, but another announcement the company made that was just as significant was that of car connectivity.

Come 2014, the Cupertino, California-based company said at WWDC, Apple lovers will be able to get their hands on car-specific versions of iOS on the dashboards of up to a dozen automakers. Through the voice-activated Siri, drivers will be able to access features like voice calling, Apple Maps, iMessages, and music.

Automotive partners who are on board with the “iOS in the car” program include Honda (NYSE:HMC), Mercedes (OTCMKTS:DDAIF), Nissan (OTCMKTS:NSANY), Ferrari, Chevrolet (NYSE:GM), Kia (KRX:000270), Hyundai (KRX:005380), Volvo (HKG:0175), Jaguar (NYSE:TTM), and Opel (a GM brand not sold in the U.S.), though it’s unclear which specific models will come with iOS integration.

Full story at Minyanville.

Article source: http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/column-will-apple-s-ios-in-the-car-upend-the-auto-industry-1.5495536

Updated

June 17, 2013 09:59:58

Photo:
There has been a slow and steady decline in the car manufacturing industry since the early ’80s. (AAP: Julian Smith)

A high dollar, cheap overseas labour and a global market are putting pressure on Australia’s manufacturing sector, and the car industry represents the malaise like no other.

There was a time when Australia had five car companies successfully making and selling cars locally.

But those days are long gone – there has been a slow and steady decline in the industry since the early 1980s.

Nissan closed its doors in 1992, Mitsubishi followed in 2008, and now Ford has announced it will stop production in Australia in 2016.

The remaining companies, Toyota and Holden, have cut hundreds of jobs in the past two years.

This week the team from the ABC’s AM program is on the road in three states to examine the health of the automotive industry.

Today it broadcast from the shop floor of Adelaide car parts company Hirotec, which supplies Holden with its doors and bonnets and also does some work for Toyota.

Hirotec has no contracts with Ford and yet the announcement that Ford was going to close still sent a shiver through the company’s workforce.

Hirotec’s human resources manager Alan King says employees took the Ford news to heart.

“Our workforce have got skills that may not necessarily be transferrable to other industries, so they’re caught in a catch 22 situation: Do we stay here or do we move on?” he told AM.

“If the volumes of Australian manufactured cars continues to go down, if there is a situation where maybe Holden decides to leave Australia, then I don’t think there is an industry in the future.”

Exports the key to survival as six-cylinder market shrinks

The reality is that Australia is now part of a global car market.

Gone are the days when a family simply had to choose between a locally-built Ford or Holden.

More often than not Australians are buying small cars sourced from Japan or Korea.

The Australian speciality – large six-cylinder family cars – are no longer in demand locally.

Now Australian car manufacturers have to export to survive. 

Evan Stents, the head of HWL Ebsworth’s Automotive Industry Group, says Australia “will never be able to compete or have a sustainable business model just to build cars for the Australia market because of competition”.

“It’s all about exporting. Holden and Toyota both have export plans, but it’s hard to carry them out when the dollar is where it’s at,” he said.

Government support called into question

The Federal Government has been supporting the Australian car industry for years.

Many argue that is simply a waste of money.

Research strategist Thomas Barlow is one who questions the logic of that financial support.

“Why the car industry?” he said.

“Why do we pump literally billions of taxpayers dollars into the car industry, rather than, say the medical devices industry?

“If you want to invest in innovation as a government, why not take that billion dollars and stick it in fundamental research at universities? We support our failures rather than our successes.”

Topics:
manufacturing,
industry,
business-economics-and-finance,
automotive,
adelaide-5000,
sa,
australia

First posted

June 17, 2013 09:28:54

More
stories from South Australia

Article source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-17/ford-closure-highlights-decline-of-car-manufacturing-industry/4757426

Topics: 

automotive industry repairs

PLACING power in consumer hands is the main aim of the Federal Government’s automotive industry reforms.

The Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Council recommended three changes to the automotive industry after an inquiry into the repair market.

Included in the recommendations was informing motorists they do not need to have their vehicle repaired by an authorised repairer to ensure warranty continuation, a voluntary industry code of conduct and ensuring independent workshops were provided with adequate repair information.

Independent mechanic, owner of Brees Automotive, said the changes were great news for the little guys in the industry, as well as consumers.

“They’ll go there (dealership) for their $155 dollar service and then they’ll get a $1500 service bill when the fixed price servicing period ends,” he said. “And there’s a trap with extended warranty because it’s loyalty based, so they’ll continue to go to dealerships.”

Mr Brees said often people were not informed they could use independent mechanics and still maintain their car’s warranty. “They just don’t say anything,” he said. “I have had it here previously, they’ve brought their daughters, or someone’s, car in and in the end I tell them and they feel pretty p***ed.”

Mr Brees said he sometimes struggled to obtain manufacturers settings for electrical components and his business paid more for everyday automotive parts.

But dealership Southcoast Automotive service manager Darryl Rigney said better service, not deceiving consumers, was why dealerships attracted customers.

“You can buy something at David Jones or you can go to the dollar shop,” he said.

“Independents shouldn’t get the repair info.”

“Manufacturers spend squillions on development, would Apple do that?”

Mr Rigney said it was simply good business sense to attract customers back to the dealership for service.

Article source: http://www.mydailynews.com.au/news/auto-repair-reforms-promise-more-power-to-consumer/1907909/

THE global motor industry is in a major state of flux and the one thing that is certain is that the “old order changeth”.

How often does one read about one or other long-established motor manufacturer battling the challenge of cutting production, closing factories and laying off staff?

It is something that can tear the fabric of a community apart because most of these factories were established many years ago and have been a work haven for local fathers, mums, sons and daughters over the years. These factories have been part of the family.

You will have noticed that it is in the main the old US companies — General Motors (GM), Ford and Chrysler — that have been hit the hardest. GM and Ford face massive losses from their European operations, where the economy is sluggish and seems unlikely to rise again to the heady pre-2006 days.

Their decisions to close plants or relocate production are met with huge social resistance and they face massive pay-outs to those affected.

Chrysler, on the other hand, has been bailed out by a European company, Fiat, which has been a perennial under-performer for many years. Fortunately this US company had no remaining exposure in Europe as its ventures in taking over European companies had all ended in abject failure many years ago. It also benefited from a Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US in 2008, but has already paid back its loans to the US government. Now it seems it will be taken over by Fiat, a company that has been through many rough seas itself.

GM also required the respite of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy to get back on its feet as a leaner, meaner competitor and is effectively maximising its links with the former Daewoo company in South Korea, now known as GM Daewoo and producing Chevrolet-badged cars, to renew many of its product lines.

Ford chose, bravely, to go it alone and to its credit it is faring well in most markets, including SA. However, it does have many spectres hanging over it in the form of plant closures and retrenchments.

The latest shock came only recently with the announcement that it will close its plant in Australia in 2016. This factory has been operating since 1925 and its closure will be expensive and heart-wrenching. Ford will also cull the Falcon brand, which has long been a hallowed high-performance brand and part of Australian folklore for decades.

Where to now? Having had the privilege of visiting factories recently in Japan, South Korea, India and China, I can tell you this is where the future global automotive giants will come from, although the Japanese cycle seems to be on the wane with a stumbling domestic economy and, until recently, a strong yen.

The Indians and Chinese have some way to go to get their vehicles up to the standards of established manufacturers in Europe, the US and Japan, but South Korea, particularly the Hyundai-Kia partnership, are already world class.

They now seem set to hold back on increasing global production too quickly as they do not want to jeopardise quality and suffer the consequences of safety-and quality-related recalls, as happened to Toyota as it chased volume in the late 1990s and early 2000s to overtake GM as the world’s biggest vehicle maker.

On a recent visit to Korea it was interesting to hear that it is now time for consolidation, instead of growing too quickly. This seems a wise choice.

 

Article source: http://www.bdlive.co.za/life/motoring/2013/06/13/editors-note-time-for-change-in-automotive-industry

Topics: 

automotive industry repairs

PLACING power in consumer hands is the main aim of the Federal Government’s automotive industry reforms.

The Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Council recommended three changes to the automotive industry after an inquiry into the repair market.

Included in the recommendations was informing motorists they do not need to have their vehicle repaired by an authorised repairer to ensure warranty continuation, a voluntary industry code of conduct and ensuring independent workshops were provided with adequate repair information.

Independent mechanic, owner of Brees Automotive, said the changes were great news for the little guys in the industry, as well as consumers.

“They’ll go there (dealership) for their $155 dollar service and then they’ll get a $1500 service bill when the fixed price servicing period ends,” he said. “And there’s a trap with extended warranty because it’s loyalty based, so they’ll continue to go to dealerships.”

Mr Brees said often people were not informed they could use independent mechanics and still maintain their car’s warranty. “They just don’t say anything,” he said. “I have had it here previously, they’ve brought their daughters, or someone’s, car in and in the end I tell them and they feel pretty p***ed.”

Mr Brees said he sometimes struggled to obtain manufacturers settings for electrical components and his business paid more for everyday automotive parts.

But dealership Southcoast Automotive service manager Darryl Rigney said better service, not deceiving consumers, was why dealerships attracted customers.

“You can buy something at David Jones or you can go to the dollar shop,” he said.

“Independents shouldn’t get the repair info.”

“Manufacturers spend squillions on development, would Apple do that?”

Mr Rigney said it was simply good business sense to attract customers back to the dealership for service.

Article source: http://www.mydailynews.com.au/news/auto-repair-reforms-promise-more-power-to-consumer/1907909/

Mercedes-Benz produces luxury SUVs in Tuscaloosa County. (File)

The Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association will hold a
seminar next week in Tuscaloosa that will cover state resources available for
all manufacturers to help grow their business, not just those who make
vehicles.

The seminar will be held Thursday from 8:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at the
Bryant Conference Center at 240 Paul W. Bryant Drive.

Ron Davis, AAMA president, said many manufacturers miss out
on cost savings and improvements they can make.

“Partnering with resources in Alabama is one of the
answers to making those cost savings and improvements happen quickly in our
organizations,” he said in a prepared statement.

Seminar topics include: How to Build a Team with Challenging
Technology; Millennials and the Future Market for Alabama-Made Vehicles;
Available Workforce Training Programs; and Alabama Technology Network: Your
Partner for Success.

Speakers will be Alabama Community College Chancellor Mark
Heinrich; Bill Visnic of Edmunds.com; Auburn University’s Business College Dean
Bill Hardgrave; Ed Castile, executive director of the Alabama Industrial
Development Training (AIDT) program; and Bharat Balasubramanian, executive
director of the Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies.

Standard registration for the conference is $95.
For more information, visit the AAMA’s website.

Article source: http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2013/06/state_automotive_industry_semi.html