CONFERENCE DAY 1: Ford seeks to keep 2-tier wages | Supplier pinch point: Small players not up to speed

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August 6, 2012 Tell a colleague about this newsletter         Contact Us     Click here for the Traverse City Show Daily Complete online coverage of the CAR Management Briefing Seminars from Traverse City, Mich.     Ford seeks to keep 2-tier wages Global manufacturing chief: System is key to remaining competitive The top global manufacturing executive at Ford Motor Co. says he wants the Detroit 3's two-tier wage system, in which some hourly workers earn lower pay and benefits than others, to remain in place permanently. ...  story  Supplier pinch point: Small players not up to speed Some manufacturing executives fear that many North American Tier 2 suppliers will be unable to keep up with the anticipated growth to 15 million U.S. sales a year, up from about 14 million now. ...  story  Subscription fees won't deliver connected cars The auto industry may dream of one day having all automobiles connected to one another, but it won't get there if consumers have to pay the bill each month, industry officials argued here today. ...  story  TC BUZZ     Jason Stein is editor of Automotive News JASON STEIN Industry feels Europe's pain Just a year ago, the troubling stories that were 6,000 miles and an ocean away seemed like distant thunder. Twelve months later, on a picture-perfect August day in Traverse City, the financial storm in Europe is here. "There are ominous signs," Jay Baron, CEO of the Center for Automotive Research, said just before Monday's official start of the Management Briefing Seminars. "There are issues and constraints we're very worried about." Traverse City is a long way from Turin or Toulouse, but the decision-makers here this week are watching the European financial crisis roll this way. It's affecting their short-term decisions and changing their long-term outlook. John Fleming, Ford's global manufacturing boss and the CEO of Ford of Europe from 2005 to 2009, doesn't see an immediate end to the crisis. Ominously, he can't predict an end date. "We can't see the total European industry improving," he said. "The issues are more structural than tactical." That's code for, plants must close, automakers must rethink and changes have to be made. North America may be on a solid road, but how firm is an industry that is so globally connected? On a day when Spain seemed to be stumbling toward a full bailout - in an ironic twist, Spain's finance minister used to head up Lehman Brothers' Spanish operations - suppliers and automakers are bracing for the future. The question is: Who's ready? Published: Aug 6 5:00 pm U.S. Eastern time Ford seeks reduced European capacity without plant closing Ford is studying plans to correct its factory over-capacity issues in its money-losing European unit -- but not necessarily by closing a plant there. ...  story  Why vehicle-to-vehicle communications will improve driver safety Automakers and suppliers believe vehicle-to-vehicle communications systems someday will radically reduce the frequency of accidents. ...  story  Mazda seeks to lighten redesigned vehicles by 220 pounds Mazda has a goal that will at some point become impossible to achieve: Eliminate at least 220 pounds of weight every time it redesigns one of its models. ...  story  Chrysler's new infotainment system connects without smartphone New versions of Chrysler Group's Uconnect infotainment system this fall will, for the first time, connect to a cellular network in the United States without an onboard smartphone. ...  story  Chrysler using digital modeling to speed up powertrain builds Chrysler Group is creating advanced three-dimensional digital models of its powertrain plants and the machinery in them to accelerate introductions of new transmissions and engines. ...  story  For GM, a different kind of worker Manual dexterity is nice. But team thinking is better, according to the new hiring philosophy at General Motors as it recruits workers for new factory jobs. ...  story  Continental's cameras detect pedestrians Continental AG says it will launch production of a pedestrian detection system early next year for an unnamed German automaker that will introduce it on a global vehicle. ...  story  Ford building in more factory flexibility Ford said today some of its new plants in Asia will be able to build up to seven vehicles as part of the automaker's new One Manufacturing flexible global production system. ...  story  Suppliers to the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Suppliers to the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu include ElringKlinger, IEE, Gentex, Shawmut, Amphenol, Modineer, NARMCO, Flexitech, Raufoss Technology, Henniges, Guelph Tool, Mold Masters, HellermannTyton,... ...  story  Suppliers to the 2013 Ford Fusion Suppliers to the 2013 Ford Fusion include Montaplast, MCI Mirror Controls, Southco, Takata-Petri, ADAC, WR Controls, Uniseal, AGM Automotive Superior Industries, New Mather Metals Cooper-Standard... ...  story  Innovation, speed to market are keys for suppliers Auto suppliers have until Sept. 7 to apply for the 2013 Automotive News PACE Awards. The awards recognize innovation, technological advancement and business performance. ...  story        Auto suppliers have until Sept. 7, 2012, to apply for the 2013 Automotive News PACE Awards. The awards, which are co-sponsored by Ernst & Young and the Transportation Research Center Inc., recognize suppliers for innovations in four categories: Product, Manufacturing Process and Capital Equipment, Information Technology and Open. Winners will be announced at a gala awards ceremony on April 15, 2013, in Detroit. The Automotive News PACE Awards program is open to all automotive suppliers. The application fee is $1,500. To apply, visit www.autonews.com/pace. Questions? Call 313-446-6039.     Copyright © Automotive News                        Designed by Templatesbox.com Automotive News is located at 1155 Gratiot Ave., Detroit, Michigan, 48207 If you wish to cancel your subscription to this newsletter click here