Archive for the ‘Automotive’ Category
Fun – and dogs – at the Detroit Auto Show
Monday, January 9th, 2012
Rhoda Miel, our Detroit-based staff reporter, shared these fun snippets of news today from the 2012 North American International Auto Show: The Detroit show boasts that it hosts 5,000 members of the media for its press preview. And while that...
Flex-N-Gate’s Khan finally gets an NFL team
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011
Shahid Khan, the owner of auto supplier Flex-N-Gate Corp., is joining the fraternity of National Football League owners after all. You may recall that last year Khan was blocked from buying a majority stake in NFL's St. Louis Rams. But...
Designers make cool stuff from ‘old’ car parts
Tuesday, November 29th, 2011
Would the phrase "Make it work" be appropriate here? Lexus had four designers -- jewelry, shoes, eyewear and clothing -- create something from parts from its CT Hybrid. Final products included: "Nomadic Sanctuary"--A sleek trench coat, shorts and clutch designed...
More insight into the US vs. Canada issue
Monday, November 28th, 2011
Need more proof that Canadian manufacturers are feeling anxiety about the "buy American" trend? Then check out this column, "U.S. again insults its friendly neighbor," from Bill Mann of Marketwatch. Readers may recall that I was surprised last week by...
Using more plastics for more MPG
Tuesday, November 8th, 2011
There's no shortage of great ideas for saving weight in vehicles using plastics. So what's holding the industry back? That's a question I'm hearing a lot today, as I blog and tweet from the Plastics in Lightweight & Electric Vehicles...
SPE Automotive Innovation finalists
Monday, October 24th, 2011
Today the Society of the Plastics Engineers Automotive Division named the finalists for its 41st annual awards competition. The winners will be announced Nov. 9. Here are the finalists: CATEGORY: Body Exterior SPOILER WITH INTEGRATED ANTENNA & AMPLIFIER OEM Make...
Wolverine Plastics: a 65-year-old fairy tale?
Thursday, October 6th, 2011
Stories about the pioneering plastics plastics firms can be fascinating, and this is one of the best. The Milan News-Leader posted a great story yesterday about a local injection molder, Wolverine Plastics Inc. The firm apparently went out of business...
Buyers cite design problems in vehicle interiors
Friday, September 16th, 2011
Defects and malfunctions can be fixed, but design problems are forever. And auto interiors are full of them, according to a new report from J.D. Power and Associates. According to the 2011 U.S. Interior Quality and Satisfaction Study, released today,...
If you’re an auto supplier, you’re talking resin pricing
Wednesday, September 14th, 2011
Processors of all types have been dealing with rising prices for many commodity and engineering resins this year. For auto suppliers like Magna International Inc., that signals the start of negotiations on who pays for the increases. Magna CEO Don...
US plastics sector ‘on the edge’
Tuesday, September 6th, 2011
U.S. manufacturing is at a "critical crossroads" according to a new report from consulting firm Booz & Co., with the plastics sector "on the edge" -- it could become a global competitor or see its operations displaced to other countries....