People In The News
Following are personnel changes that recently occurred in the
trucking industry:
·ArvinMeritor Inc. appointed Christopher Kete vice president and general manager of its Specialty Products business unit.
·Philippe Trentin of Armand Signori Auto Radiateur in Laval, Quebec, was elected to the Board of Directors of NARSA [International Heat Transfer Association] as Canadian regional chairman.
·Daimler Trucks Remarketing Corporation (DTR) named Rich Simons its new president.
·The Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) board of directors elected the following officers for the 2009 board term:
- Chairman – Andy Fiffick of Rad-Air Complete Car Care, Cleveland, Ohio;
- Past Chairman – Michael Deese of Santech Industries, Dallas, Texas;
- Treasurer – Peter Coll of Neutronics, Exton, Penn.; and
- Secretary – David Jack of DENSO Sales, Long Beach, Calif.
·Accuride Corporation named Dick Unrath vice president of OEM Sales and David McCleave director of Aftermarket Sales.
·Dr. Reiner Beutel was named CEO of SAF-HOLLAND Group GmbH.
·Kyle Treadway, president of Kenworth Sales Company in Salt Lake City, is the new chairman of the American Truck Dealers (ATD).
More Options in the MAHLE Clevite Engine Kit Program
MAHLE Clevite announced it enhanced its Heavy Duty Kit program with two major improvements:
- The company’s range of engine kits can now be searched by part number, in addition to manufacturer, engine model and tractor model. It is now possible, according to MAHLE Clevite, to key in a part number for a specific component, such as a sleeve assembly, bearing or gasket, and find all the available kits that include that specific part number.
For more information regarding the MAHLE Clevite Heavy Duty Engine Kit Program, visit www.mahleclevite.com or www.heavydutyenginekits.com.
Navistar Enters Private Label Arena with PartSmart
Navistar announced it is launching a new “value line, private label brand of truck parts aimed at cost-conscious truck owners.” The new product line, called PartSmart, will initially focus on fast-moving and fast-wearing parts for all makes of trucks, including air valves, bearings, belts, clutch, hoses, hydraulic pads and calipers, lighting, rotating electrics, u-joints, seals and wipers. Product lines will continue to be added based on customer feedback.
According to Navistar, the new product line offers quality products that cost up to 20 percent less than genuine, original equipment parts.
“PartSmart provides Navistar a great opportunity to support our customers during these challenging economic times when many customers are cutting back and pinching pennies,” said Michael Cancelliere, senior vice president and general manager for Warrenville, Ill.-based Navistar Parts in North America. “With this new value line, Navistar enters a segment of the parts business in which we previously have not been involved. It’s a necessity in today’s environment to offer cost-effective products customers can use to hold down their operating expenses without sacrificing quality.”
All PartSmart parts come with a one-year parts-only replacement warranty and can be purchased at any one of more than 500 International dealers in the United States. PartSmart will be available globally later in the year; this month, Navistar will launch a five-month national media campaign to create brand awareness and drive traffic and parts sales to International and IC Dealers.
Phillips Industries Launches New Web Site with New Tools
Phillips Industries announced it launched a new Web site with informative videos, corrosion prevention tips and information, downloadable product literature and a sales representative locator. Additionally, Phillips customers, distributors and representatives can gain access to additional content in a password-protected area.
Phillips said the new Web site – www.phillipsind.com – features improvements designed to help visitors easily locate information, including the entire company product catalog and specific product category information, both of which are accessible and searchable from the redesigned home page.
Volvo, Mack Have Retrofit Solution for California Regulations
Volvo Trucks North America and Mack Trucks announced last month that both now offer dealer-installed retrofit diesel particulate filters (DPF) to meet strict new California emissions requirements for in-use vehicles. The DPFs are designed to work with non-exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) engines sold from 1996 to 2002.
The companies say the retrofit DPF is integrated into existing exhaust systems and offered in several sizes based upon engine displacement and horsepower. Each retrofit DPF comes with an installation kit, complete with brackets, engineered for the customer’s specific truck model; dealer installation is required. The DPFs come with a five-year/150,000-mile warranty and can be ordered through any Mack or Volvo dealer in the United States and Canada.
The companies say the DPF uses active regeneration to clear accumulated particulate matter (PM) from the unit’s filter element; this involves raising the heat of the DPF by injecting a small amount of diesel fuel, typically after eight to 10 hours of truck operation. The DPF system includes an electronic control unit designed to constantly monitor the filter element to precisely control PM accumulation and regeneration.
The companies say retrofit DPFs using passive and passive/active regeneration technologies are under development for 2002-2006 EGR engines.
VIPAR Heavy Duty Announces PDC Locations
Global Parts Network, a wholly owned subsidiary of VIPAR Heavy Duty, officially opened its two new CoMan Centers (Cooperative Manufacturing Centers) – one in Indianapolis and one in Salt Lake City.
The two new centers will support VIPAR shareholders, according to VIPAR President and CEO Steve Crowley, as parts distribution centers and brake remanufacturing operations.
“Global Parts Network’s new CoMan Centers will help our distributors remain competitive in today’s challenging marketplace with quality remanufactured brake friction products,” said Crowley. “In addition, it will help us provide more value to end users with superior products that are produced in state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities.”
Air-Weigh Earns ISO Certification
Air-Weigh, designer and manufacturer of on-board weighing and brake monitoring systems, announced it achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification.
“This achievement is a significant milestone for our company,” said Martin Ambros, Air-Weigh’s president and CEO. “Air-Weigh’s certification to ISO 9001:2000 confirms that we have implemented a very comprehensive quality management system and further assures our customers that we deliver products and services that will meet their highest quality and reliability requirements.”
