Tesla's seat strategy puts company's butt on the line, industry analysts say
Elon Musk rejects suppliers and goes it alone, and that's a big part of Tesla's manufacturing "bottlenecks."
Automotive Supplier
20 Japanese auto supplier execs on the lam from US authorities?
The US Department of Justice has been on a campaign over the past few years to crack down on price fixing in the auto industry, especially from Japanese parts suppliers. In the agency's most recent count, it has indicted 46 people with 26 guilty pleas and raised over $2.4 billion in fines from 31 co
ZF buying TRW for $12.4B, creates second-largest supplier
Two well-known companies in the industry will combine to create the second-largest auto parts supplier in the world. ZF Friedrichshafen AG, best known for its transmissions, has announced it is buying TRW Automotive Holdings, a major player in safety tech, as part of an approximately $12.4-billion cash deal based on equity value that is already approved by both companies' boards.
Toyo Tires found guilty of price fixing
A global auto industry price-fixing scandal being investigated by the US Department of Justice continues to unfurl as ever more companies – most of them Japanese – are found guilty of fixing the prices of numerous types of vehicle parts. Toyo Tire & Rubber is the latest company to agree to plead guilty to the crime and to pay a fine of $120 million, according to a statement by the DoJ.
Half of all major U.S. suppliers said to be bankruptcy risks in 2009
A new study by consulting firm A.T. Kearney has found that more than half of all current automotive suppliers could file for bankruptcy protection in 2009, resulting in at least 1 million job losses. Even the most optimistic scenario would have 35% of all suppliers facing insolvency, and some projections suggest as many as 70% could face restructuring through bankruptcy. No specific names were mentioned, but these suppliers could range in size from small Tier 2 companies all the way to the
IBM and OESA to hold automotive industry brainstorming jam
IBM has been running brainstorming 'jams' for years now, I remember them myself from my days with Big Blue. Until now though, the ecosystem of automotive suppliers has yet to take advantage of these online brainstorming session where thousands of people from hundreds of organisations come together, via online discussion, to identify solutions to common industry challenges and concerns. IBM