Following are personnel changes that recently occurred in the trucking industry:
- Phillips Industries named Filiberto Coello general manager of the company’s Electrical Harness Division.
- Freightliner Trucks appointed Rich Ferguson vice president, sales.
- Dana Holding Corporation named Frank Sheehan president of international business for its Heavy Vehicle Systems Group; James Wojciehowski vice president and general manager of marketing, sales and service for its Commercial Vehicle Products Group; and Brian Couch general manager of service and support for Spicer Service Parts.
- Dennis Michels, president and CEO of Link Manufacturing, was elected 2009 chairman of the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association. Additionally, two vice chairmen were elected: Terry Keating, chairman of Accuride Corporation, and Jack Shaffer, president and COO of Bergstrom. Several new board members also were appointed: Pat Cavanaugh, president and COO of Williams Controls; Pedro Ferro, president of Webb Wheel; and Tim Meyer, vice president and general manager of Alcoa CV Wheel.
- The International Heat Transfer Association (NARSA) announced its new board of directors for the 2008-2010 term:
- Chuck Braswell, co-owner and general operations manager of Rocky Mount Radiator and Air Conditioning, is chairman of the board;
- Jim Holowka, vice president of sales and marketing for Erie Radiator & Core Sales, is national president;
- Rick Fuller, national co-manufacturer sales manager of Delphi Automotive Systems, is national first vice president;
- Maarten Taal, Jr., manager of Taalman Engineered Products, is national second vice president;
- Angelo Miozza, owner of West Side Radiator Works,
is national treasurer; - Patrick O’Connor, vice president of marketing and sales at S.A. Day Manufacturing Company, is national secretary;
- Vinay Mamidi, general manager of CSF, Inc., is associate liaison;
- Jeff Gibson, vice president of Gibson Radiator Shop, Inc., is southeast chairman;
- Riekie Roncinske, manager of the Laredo Division of Taalman Incorporated, is southwest chairman;
- Bobby Duran, president of S&F Radiator Service, Inc., is northeast chairman; and
- Mark Hicks, president of Maas Radiator Shop, Inc., is central chairman.
- The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) announced its board of directors for 2009:
- Joe Torchiana, One Stop Tire & Auto Service, Inc, continues as chair;
- John Pfennig, Navistar, continues as vice chair;
- Barry Bronson, Valvoline, was named treasurer;
- Jim Uffer, Truck Tech, Inc., is secretary; and
- Stan Elmore, Stan’s Automotive, continues as past chair.
- The National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) announced its 2009 board officers:
- Lori Blaker, president of Technical Training, Inc., is chair;
- Bill Bergen, Toyota, is vice chair; and
- Katharine Oliver, assistant state superintendent for Career Technology and Adult Learning for the Maryland Department of Education, is treasurer.
- Bee Line Company hired Doug Edwardsen as sales manager.
- Lori Newton joined Global Parts Network (an independent company that supports the VIPAR Heavy Duty network) as director of operations for the organization’s new brake
remanufacturing facilities. - Thermo King Corporation named Matt Nuijens director of Dealer Development.
- Heil Environmental hired Randy Brown as vice president of sales and marketing.
- Kinedyne appointed Deborah Forbes global director of Human Resources.
- Kinedyne Canada made the following personnel changes: Dorothy Creighton was promoted to product manager of Steadymate; Alan Giraud was appointed Western Region sales representative for Steadymate; Romolo Di Vito was promoted to operations manager for Kinedyne Canada; and the company split its central sales region for Kinedyne’s Cargo Control Product Line into a Northern Ontario market headed by Stephen DeRusett and a Southern Ontario market headed by Paul Hirst.
- Ed Miller joined Anjer Trailer and Truck Body Sales as a district sales manager for Southern N.J., Delaware and Delaware County in Penn. Additionally, Jordan Blady is now the company’s marketing director.
Penske Earns ASE Certification for Technician Training Program
Penske Truck Leasing announced it received certification from the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence for the company’s Continuing Automotive Service Education program. Penske says it is the first and only truck leasing, rental and logistics provider to earn ASE certification for a program of this kind.
Penske says its program is designed to enhance the skills of its 5,000 U.S. vehicle maintenance technicians and customer service representatives who service more than 200,000 vehicles. The three-tiered program uses web-based, hands-on and classroom training methods. Penske expects to fully implement its ASE-certified CASE training program companywide over the next 18 months.
Betts Adds to Network
Betts Spring Company announced that Dallas-based DFW Heavy Duty Parts joined its Master Warehouse Distribution (MWD) network.
Mike Betts, president of Betts Spring Company, says, “Providing local availability of the premium spray suppression solutions included in the Betts and Life-Time Fender brands through partnering with best in class distributors like DFW is the highest value approach to serving the needs of local, regional and national fleets. We are particularly delighted that DFW has chosen to partner with Betts because of their superior reputation in serving customers in their key markets.”
New Partnership for Technician Testing
The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES) and Skills USA announced an agreement to provide co-branded end-of-program exams for students in secondary and post-secondary automotive technology programs.
The new exams will merge the well-known National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) end-of-program tests into a joint offering from the three groups. Through the NATEF, ASE will oversee the question development and delivery of the exams for all three organizations. Candidates and instructors will be able to access the exam through a single co-branded test entry portal. Partner web sites will link to this common portal. A spring 2009 launch is anticipated.
Streamlined Warranty Process
Eaton Corp.’s pre-authorized warranty repair program allows technicians, service managers and warranty administrators at all North American truck dealerships to identify and administer 19 different repairs with no outside intervention by following clear guidelines that are accessible through the Roadranger web site. The program covers Eaton transmissions, clutches and VORAD collision warning systems.
“By eliminating the need for telephone authorization, dealer’s now have the autonomy to troubleshoot, diagnose and repair problems; submit their claims; and receive compensation in the fastest possible manner,” explains John Needham, warranty manager. “Of course, they still can call us if they want to do so.”
The program can be accessed 24/7 by clicking the warranty tab on the top of the roadranger.com home page. Among the more than 50 repair guidelines available on the web site, pre-authorized guidelines are provided for five automated transmission repairs, 10 manual transmission repairs, three clutch repairs and one collision warning system repair.
In each case, site visitors are provided with a description of the repair, parts required, labor required, a claim code and parts disposition. Another link provides submission guidelines and all necessary forms to file the claim.
“By giving our dealer customers more autonomy with the manner in which they perform their jobs, we can help to reduce expenses associated with warranty claims,” says Rick Muth, manager of special programs.
MAHLE Clevite Introduces Updated eLearning Courses
MAHLE Clevite recently unveiled brand new courses pertaining to Clevite engine bearings and Perfect Circle piston ring lines for the eLearning curriculum it launched in 2005. According to the company, this is the first major revision to the hallmark courses for the major MAHLE Clevite categories like engine bearings and piston rings.
The curriculum is composed of courses pertaining to each product line and is designed to help increase the knowledge base among technicians, enthusiasts and buyers. Each course is divided into chapters, and depending on length, the chapters are divided into lessons. Each chapter is designed to take only 15 to 20 minutes to complete. Once a course is completed, a certificate is generated that technicians can print to let customers and others know of their achievements.
VIPAR Heavy Duty Holds Annual Meeting
Despite a down economy and economic uncertainty, attendees of the VIPAR Heavy Duty Annual Business Conference in Las Vegas generally remained positive and optimistic.
“In the midst of today’s challenging economic climate, we had a strong turnout of both distributors and suppliers for our event,” said Pete Pasdach, VIPAR board chairman and president of Midway Truck Parts. “The mood of participants was incredibly upbeat as we focused on profitability and how to provide maximum service to customers.”
Keynote presentations included Brent Grover, Evergreen Consulting, LLC, who addressed “Sacred Cows of Distribution.” Grover argued that 10 “sacred” beliefs held by many distributors must be confronted and overcome if management expects the company to become a top-quartile performer.
Other keynote presentations included perspectives on improved order and management technology systems, program management, the introduction of 2009 marketing strategies and programs, and an announcement about the launch of two distribution centers with brake remanufacturing facilities.
“The positive attitude of this year’s conference participants reflects upon the fact that many of our distributors and suppliers had already made adjustments to their business plans in light of marketplace conditions,” said Steve Crowley, VIPAR president and CEO. “The conference provided an avenue to not only discuss the conditions being faced right now, but also how we can work better together over the next year.”
Bendix Makes Moves in Refuse Trucks, School Buses
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems announced it will assemble Class 8 Xpeditor refuse truck cabs for Autocar.
Bendix will assemble the cabs – requiring 1,000 parts from 140 suppliers – in a 75,000 square-foot facility in Huntington, Ind., which will be dedicated to this purpose. According to Bendix CEO Joe McAleese, the plant will be fully operational by the end of the first quarter of 2009.
Bendix also announced it was selected by Blue Bird Corporation to assemble the integrated control module (ICM) for its All American school buses. The new agreement expands the partnership between Bendix and Blue Bird, which manufactures thousands of school buses annually.
Bendix has assembled the ICM at its Huntington module facility for Blue Bird’s Vision school bus since 2003.
“The addition of the second Blue Bird module to our Huntington operation is evidence of Bendix success and expertise in design, manufacturing and logistics,” McAleese said. “It also validates our competence and world-class quality when it comes to products that were traditionally outside of our core business. This is an important win for Bendix, and we’re enthusiastic about the opportunity to continue to grow our presence in the commercial vehicle industry.”
Updated MACS Section 609 Certification Program
The Mobile Air Conditioning Society announced it received approval from the Environmental Protection Agency to release an updated version of the Section 609 certification program for recovery and recycling of refrigerant.
“The new MACS certification program reflects major advances in refrigerant recovery and recharging technology, and emphasizes best practices and equipment maintenance to promote effective, efficient service and minimize refrigerant emissions,” says Elvis L. Hoffpauir, MACS president and chief operating officer.
The new MACS Section 609 study guide and test will first be phased in on the web version of the MACS Section 609 test available at www.macsw.org with a debut to proctor/trainers and home study customers later in 2008.
