People in the News
Following are personnel changes that recently occurred in the trucking industry.
- Nicholas K. Petek, an engineering supervisor for Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC, has been elected to serve a three-year term as one of the 18 members of the national board of directors of the Society of Automotive Engineers. The company also announced that it promoted John Allgaier to director of corporate accounts.
- DENSO Corporation announced changes to its board of directors and managing officers: Akihiko Saito, chairman; Nobuaki Katoh, senior managing director; Kenji Ohya, senior managing director; Koji Kobayashi, senior managing director; Kazuo Hironaka, senior managing director; and Sojiro Tsuchiya, senior managing director.
- BP Lubricants announced that Paul Waterman has been promoted to chief executive for BP Lubricants Americas, assuming full responsibility for the company’s lubricants business across North and South America.
- John Brooks joined IPD as purchasing manager. Roger Spooner also has returned to the company in the product development and the tech support department.
- Matt Boler assumed duties as vice president of corporate development for The Boler Company. Kurt Kern succeeded Boler as general manager of Hendrickson Bumper and Trim Division.
- Mitchell International named Erez Nir senior vice president of technology.
- Horton Inc. appointed Joe Herzog vice president of engineering for all company products.
- STEMCO named Jim Reis as vice president business development. The company also named Donnie Wells as vice president, engineering.
- Silver Eagle Manufacturing Company hired Jerry Goodwin as president and chief operating officer.
- Webb Wheel Products promoted Rick Gaulrapp to the newly-created position
of national sales manager for the OEM business unit. - AIM announced that Becky Burciaga joined the company as marketing coordinator.
CVSN, HDAW ORGANIZERS TO DISCUSS UNIFIED AFTERMARKET SHOW
The Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network (CVSN) and organizers of Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) will meet to discuss joint participation in future aftermarket industry events.
CVSN, one of the largest independent aftermarket distributor associations, has not previously supported HDAW, which had its second annual event in January. HDAW is North America’s largest show for independent parts distributors and service providers, and includes new product exhibitions and educational seminars.
The meetings between organizers of the show and a CVSN negotiating team were expected to take place in late May or early June.
In a statement released by CVSN, Incoming President and Chairman of the Negotiating Team Ken Duval said, “Incorporating some aspects of both CVSN and HDAW meetings may be the best solution for the industry and we are willing to explore the opportunity for the benefit of our members and the industry as a whole.”
According to Tim Krause, executive director of the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA) which co-organizes HDAW, CVSN’s support will benefit the independent aftermarket by helping define issues to be discussed during seminars as well as bring the influence of CVSN’s membership to the event.
“We’re very, very hopeful that they join,” said Krause. “And I’m speaking for my association, HDMA, and the other associations on the joint operating committee who have universally applauded the idea of CVSN coming in.
“We just need to talk through our issues and that’s what this group of leaders intends to do.”
Lift Company Recognized
For the second consecutive year, Rotary Lift was recognized with the Top 5 Tools award for excellence in the automotive service and repair industry.
The recipients of the award are selected by more than 100,000 repair shop owners and technicians based on product quality, performance and reliability.
Safety Milestone Celebrated
Penray reached the safety milestone of 1000 days or 600,000 hours without a recordable lost-time injury at either of its manufacturing plants located in Elk Grove Village, Ill., and Wheeling, Ill.
The company attributes its achievement to its internal safety precautions, extended training and employees’ positive attitude about safety.
TPS Wins Awards
The Truck Writers Of North America held its industry awards banquet at this year’s Mid-America Trucking Show. Now in its fourth year, the communications award program generated more than 100 entries ranging from newspaper and magazine articles, covers and layouts, to press kits.
Truck Parts & Service received the following awards in magazine writing: A bronze award in the company profile category went to Denise Rondini and Jim Moss; a bronze award in the environmental/regulatory category went to Erin Sund; a bronze award in the category of interview went to Jessica Erickson; a silver award in the technical how-to category went to Peggy Wehrle; a gold award in the feature category went to Peggy Wehrle; a gold award in the feature category and this year’s best in magazine writing award went to Denise Rondini.
Portable Brake Training Unit Developed
Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake developed a portable training unit to demonstrate foundation brake assembly, disassembly and proper maintenance practices. The unit was created to eliminate the need for the company’s customers to tear down their own vehicles or use partial brake hardware to conduct foundation brake training.
It will be available to fleets, distributors, dealers and vocational schools across North America. Training can be scheduled by contacting a company representative.
Product Built Around Technicians’ Needs
Raybestos launched its brand 1-2-3 strategy as a program that addresses the proliferation of both parts and vendors, said the company.
The product offering for the company’s brakes was re-engineered based on research with repair technicians. According to the company, the research showed that technicians require a single line of hydraulics, two grades of rotors and three grades of friction.
The company’s friction line is segmented into three grades: The core offering, Professional Grade friction, comes with all required hardware. The core offering is augmented by the Advanced Technology friction, designed for specific severe-duty and performance applications and Service Grade friction, priced to help meet budgets.
Study Shows Increased Demand For Diesel Engines
According to Diesel Engines, a study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., the U.S. demand for diesel engines and related aftermarket parts is forecast to increase 3.8 percent annually through 2011 to $20 billion.
The study also found that the motor vehicle market accounts for more than 70 percent of diesel engine demand. Heavy-duty trucks comprise the largest segment in the market. Demand for diesel engines and parts in light-duty trucks will expand at a 9.6 percent annual rate, according to the study.
The group also found that off-highway diesel engines will experience slowing, but still robust demand through 2011 as new Tier-4 off-highway diesel emissions regulations phase in between 2008 and 2015.
Finally, the study concluded that shipments of diesel engine products from U.S. manufacturing sites will grow 2.3 percent annually through 2011 to $18.8 billion, driven by rising exports, which will benefit from the weakness of the dollar.
New Member Announced
VIPAR Heavy Duty announced that Jack Lyons Truck Parts, Inc., has joined its North American network of distributors. Marking the 114th stockholder company for VIPAR Heavy Duty, Jack Lyons Truck Parts is headquartered in Medley, Fla., with a branch location in Fort Meyers, Fla.
Warehouse Opened
Interstate-McBee LLC opened a new inventory warehouse in Montebello, Calif. The warehouse is five times larger than the former warehouse in Lodi, Calif., allowing the company to better serve its West Coast customers.
Free Online Training Course
Chevron’s Lubricants University, an online training resource offering information on technologies and trends in the lubrication and maintenance industry, announced that it will offer its “Fundamentals of Lubrication” training course in Spanish for free.
The course is geared toward Spanish speaking industrial maintenance professionals and maintenance departments interested in gaining an understanding of lubrication and its role in preventing wear and friction in mechanical equipment.
The course is divided into five sections: An introduction, friction, viscosity, viscosity grades and wear. For more information, visit this site.
Web Site Redevelops Job Board
Truckjobs.com announced that it will concentrate a major part of its job board and site on placing truck technicians, sales, parts, leasing and logistics personnel positions. The revised site features videos explaining requirements as well as job descriptions to introduce new candidates to the opportunities and compensation offered by this industry.
Filter Earns Five Awards
Cummins Filtration received five honors for its Fleetguard filters. The spin-on fuel and lube filters use no paint, steel or adhesives and are designed to reduce service time and maintenance costs while protecting the environment from harmful chemicals and disposal issues, said the company.
The filter was recognized in several industry magazines’ best products lists. It also received the Technician Achievement Award for 2006 from the Truck Writers of North America organization. To receive this award, a product or service has to exhibit technical innovation, have a wide applicability in the trucking industry and offer significant benefits along with broad availability.
Enhanced Online Order Process Announced
Luber-finer, a division of Champion Laboratories, Inc., introduced an upgrade to its online ordering process.
Found at this site under the “catalog” link, the online ordering page is expanded to include a “contact” link. When the link is accessed, the visitor can register general account information as well as ask specific questions about the company’s products. When the form is submitted, a customer service representative facilitates the set-up of an account for the visitor or supplies the responses to the questions.
