American automaker woes trickle down

Never before in recent history has the crunch on American automakers affected so many suppliers. Automotive-parts makers that depended heavily on the fortunes of GM and Ford have been hit hard with recent production cutbacks. Tower Automotive Inc. was the first to file for Chapter 11 with Collins & Aikman Corp. predicted to file this week. Auto analysts are also watching the fortunes of two other Tier One suppliers – Visteon Corp. and Delphi Corp. Bad news all around.