Author: Lisa Wang

Spring 2020

AutoCommuniqué

Auto Communiqué

AutoCom Associates – Driving Your Communications

Upcoming
Industry Events
Car Management Briefing Seminars
Virtual
August 4-5, 2020
The Battery Show 2020
Novi, Michigan
September 15-17, 2020
SAE Brake Colloquium and
Exhibition
San Antonio, Texas
October 11-14, 2020
The Assembly Show
Rosemont, Illinois
October 27-29, 2020
Automotive Testing Expo
Novi, Michigan
October 27-29
Advanced Automotive Battery Conference
San Francisco, California
November 2-5, 2020
AAPEX
Las Vegas, Nevada
November 3-5, 2020
Publisher: Larry Weis
Editor: Ramona Sommerstorfer

ALCANTARA REOPENS UMBRIA PLANT IN ITALY

NERA MONTORO – Alcantara reopens its Nera Montoro production and R&D facilities north of Rome to supply demand for its “Made in Italy” luxury material from customers in the automotive, fashion, consumer electronics and home interiors industries.
Alcantara voluntarily closed the facility, which has 500 employees, in late March in response to the COVID-19 crisis, although it was an Italian business authorized to stay in production.
“Our decision to close the plant in March was based on a need to guarantee the safety of our employees,” said Alcantara Chairman and CEO Andrea Boragno. The facility has since undergone a deep-sanitization process and returning employees are being provided with masks, gloves and goggles as they enter the plant.
Boragno added, “It is evident that containment and social distancing measures currently in place will extend for some time. We don’t know how long the emergency will last, but a complete mid- to long-term shutdown simply would not be viable.”
The Alcantara Chairman noted that safety measures developed with trade unions and business associations will be in place for a very long time.
The company currently is implementing serological test programs in cooperation with trade unions and the Umbria Region.

Production resumes at Alcantara facilities
in Nera Montoro, Italy

Blood tests are taken for employees
entering the plant

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CORONAVIRUS SPARKS JUMP IN CAR-CARE PRODUCT SALES AT CHIPEX

DETROIT – Stay-at-home coronavirus guidelines have given lots of extra time for do-it-yourself enthusiasts to work on their cars and light trucks.
Chipex, a leading provider of paint-chip repair kits and other car-care products, expects its online sales to hit record levels during the second quarter, traditionally the most popular time for do-it-yourself car and light-truck repairs.
“Since the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis in February and March, our sales have been running 20-30 percent higher compared to year-ago levels,” says Chipex founder Johnny Graham. “We expect the convenience of online shopping coupled with the need to stay at home will have a significant effect on our paint and car-care product sales this spring.”
Second-quarter sales account for nearly 35 percent of the company’s annual revenue. Graham predicts that this year’s total will be 30 to 40 percent higher than the same period in 2019.

Chipex Paint Repair Kit

UVEYE HAS VEHICLE-SAFETY INSPECTION SYSTEMS FOR EMERGENCY FLEETS

TEL AVIV – An Israeli company has developed contact-free, emergency-vehicle inspection systems equipped with thermal sensors that not only can detect critical vehicle-safety problems, but also can identify drivers and passengers with fevers through vehicle windshields.
UVeye is offering to equip health-related fleet operators with vehicle-inspection equipment on a not-for-profit basis during the current COVID-19 crisis. Ambulance and police fleets, as well as delivery services for food and medical equipment, all would be eligible for assistance.
“Our technology can help fleet operators maintain their vehicles in safe operating condition without the need for ‘hands on’ testing or inspection,” said Amir Hever, UVeye’s founder and CEO. “As crisis conditions ease, we also will be able to assist car dealers, independent garages and vehicle rental agencies in setting up inspection lanes that can ensure that their mechanics are not exposed to individuals that still might be infected with the virus.”
Hever added that UVeye hoped its vehicle-inspection technology could assist federal, state and local government officials who are attempting to speed up the process of identifying people infected by the COVID-19 virus.

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Tata Steel introduced a new high-strength, abrasion-resistant steel in North America in partnership with Steel Warehouse.
Ideally suited for use on heavy equipment used in the mining, agriculture, construction, refuse and recycling industries, Tata’s new hot-rolled Valast® 450 offers vehicle manufacturers a variety of advantages compared to conventional abrasion-resistant plate-steel products.
Gordon AuBuchon, Steel Warehouse’s executive vice president for product development, points out that Valast rolled-steel will be offered in lighter gauges and tighter tolerances than plate, allowing for lightweighting and cost savings.
A low-alloy steel suitable for welding, Valast also will be available in widths of up to 81 inches, nearly 30 percent more than the maximum of 60 inches offered by many of Tata’s strip-steel competitors. Steel Warehouse also plans to introduce autogeneous laser welding at its production facilities to provide Valast in custom widths and lengths not available anywhere else in the world.

TATA STEEL AND STEEL WAREHOUSE UNVEIL NEW ABRASION-RESISTANT STEEL

Valast 450 steel on a temper-pass cut-to-length line in South Bend

NEW CZINGER 21C HYPERCAR INTERIORS FEATURE ALCANTARA

MILAN – Alcantara has partnered with Czinger Vehicles to create highly customizable interior treatments for the all-new Czinger 21C,
including the hypercar’s seating, door panels, steering wheel and instrument panel.
Unveiled at an exclusive media-only event in the UK this spring, the car originally was scheduled to make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show which was a COVID-19 casualty.
Designers at Alcantara, the “Made in Italy” lifestyle brand based in Milan, worked with Czinger’s development team to create a range of cutting-edge applications for Alcantara’s lightweight and sustainable materials (100 percent Carbon Neutral since 2009) to customize the hypercar’s interior.
A limited production run of just 80 hand-made 21C vehicles will take place in Los Angeles, California, and will offer a variety of options and opportunities for customization by each customer.
Two versions of the 21C will be available. The 21C road car will feature a light beige, ecru-colored Alcantara® interior, while a lightweight track-focused variant of the car will offer unique 3D-embossed black Alcantara material.

21C’s ecru-colored Alcantara interior

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Freudenberg Reports Solid Results Globally and in North America

DETROIT – The Freudenberg Group recently reported solid results for its 2019 financial year with sales of $10.6 billion (€9.46 billion) globally and $2.84 billion (€2.54 billion) in North America.
The Group’s global sales were about the same as the previous year’s total of €9.45 billion, despite a difficult economic and geopolitical environment. Acquisitions and divestments basically offset each other.
North American sales totaled $2.84 billion (€2.54 billion) with employment at 10,562 in fiscal 2019, declines of about two percent compared to 208 that were primarily due to the sale of Freudenberg IT early last year. North America’s 10 business groups accounted for 27 percent of Freudenberg’s 2019 sales, about the same percentage as in 2018.
The Group’s future viability was strengthened by its broad positioning in about 40 markets and 56 countries with an intensified focus on new-product innovations. More than one third of Freudenberg’s 2019 fiscal-year sales were generated by products introduced less than four years ago. Last year the company also invested a record $538 million (€481 million) in research and development activities.

UVeye UNVEILED IndusTRY-FIRST Vehicle Threat-Detection Technology in N.A.

TEL AVIV – UVeye is unveiling vehicle threat-detection technology in the United States that for the first time can instantly identify bombs, weapons, drugs and other security threats concealed in the undercarriage of new or unfamiliar vehicles.
The company’s Helios underbody scanning systems when equipped with UV Inspect software now provide law enforcement agencies and security professionals with the ability to automatically pinpoint threats on vehicles that are not in security databases, offering an entirely new level of protection.
In addition to weapons and other security threats, UVeye artificial intelligence technology now also can identify hard drives, storage devices and other computer equipment used to commit cyber crimes.
Previously in use with a select number of UVeye clients in Europe and the Asia Pacific region, UV Inspect technology soon will be available to security-industry customers worldwide.
UVeye Helios inspection systems currently are deployed at hundreds of high-security locations throughout the world and have generated millions of vehicle scans at border crossings, vehicle check points, prisons, embassies, hotel entrances and other commercial locations.

A portable UVeye drive-through check point

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AUTOMOTIVE HERITAGE JOURNALISM AWARDS PROGRAM OPEN FOR ENTRIES

PLYMOUTH, Mich. – The Automotive Heritage Foundation is accepting entries in its 2020 journalism awards competition.
The program recognizes outstanding journalism in 10 automotive heritage categories, including best book, vehicle-restoration article and motorsports feature, as well as best heritage blog, column or broadcast story. Kiekert AG, the technology leader in automotive locking systems, is the official sponsor of the competition.
The entry deadline for this year’s program is May 31. Awards were to be presented at the Concours d’Elegance of America on Sunday, July 26 in the Brembo media center at the Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth, Michigan. Since the concours has been canceled due to the coronavirus crisis, the Automotive Heritage Foundation (AHA) is developing plans for a “virtual” online awards ceremony.
“Kiekert has been an ideal corporate partner for our annual journalism awards program,” said AHA founder Steve Purdy. “A leader in the development of automotive latch and entry-system technology, the company has a long and distinguished history that dates back to the mid 1800’s.”
Additional information along with a list of previous “gold medal” winners is available on the AHA’s website: http://bit.ly/2GIsOJm .

GKN Automotive’s Technology Offers Host of Driveline Benefits

ROESRATH, Germany – “Face spline” technology developed by GKN Automotive provides car makers, as well as independent repair shops, with a variety of lighter, more powerful driveline options.
Faced with strict emissions targets, downsizing demands, new high-torque turbocharged engines and electric-drive systems, an increasing number of vehicle manufacturers are making use of GKN’s patented face-spline technology to connect sideshaft joints to a vehicle’s wheel hubs, according to Frank Huerter, the company’s automotive aftermarket commercial director.
The GKN face spline:
Is considerably less complex, as well as lighter and more compact than previous designs;
Has a greater surface area than longitudinal shafts, which allows for torque transmission up to 50 percent greater than previously possible;
Offers a zero-play connection to the wheel hub, simplifies assembly and is easier to maintain, and
Has a new, space-saving membrane boot that enables articulation up to 25 degrees.
In the past, sideshafts usually were connected to a vehicle’s wheel hub with a splined longitudinal shaft.

Face-spline connection with wheel hub

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CANCELLATION OF AUTOMOTIVE EVENTS IN 2020 DUE TO CORONA-VIRUS CRISIS

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. – A variety of automotive-industry events have been canceled around the world due to the corona-virus pandemic.
The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) would have taken place in the summer for the first time, but had to be canceled. Other major events like the Geneva Motor Show, the New York International Auto Show and the SAE World Congress also were canceled.
Some events have switched to virtual platforms. The Car Management Briefing Seminars, for example, now will be held virtually. In addition many other major events have been canceled or postponed, such as the Detroit Grand Prix, the AABC in San Francisco and the Paris Motor Show.

AUTOCOM WILL WELCOME SEVERAL NEW INTERNS IN THE COMING MONTHS

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. – Coronavirus restrictions in Europe and the United States permitting, AutoCom will welcome three new interns to its North American team during the remainder of 2020.
Ramona Sommerstorfer, who has served as an intern since the summer of 2019, will be returning to Germany in June to complete her studies at the OTH University in Regensburg. She will be replaced by Christoph Neunsinger, a student from the Ohm University of Applied Science in Nueremberg.
Philipp Weber, currently at Regensburg’s OTH University, will join Neunsinger at AutoCom in August. He will be followed in September or early October by Patrick Horzella, a student at Germany’s Ruhr West University of Applied Science.
“Ms. Sommerstorfer has done an outstanding job during her 10-month internship at AutoCom,” said Larry Weis, the agency’s president. “She’ll be greatly missed by our clients and everyone else she’s worked with here in Detroit.
“At the same time, we’re very much looking forward to welcoming three new interns to our agency team this year. Ms. Sommerstorfer has set a high standard of performance for them to meet.”

SAVE THE DATES

The Battery Show 2020
September 15-17, 2020
Novi, Michigan

SAE Brake Colloquium and
Exhibition
October 11-14, 2020
San Antonio, Texas

The Assembly Show
October 27-29, 2020
Rosemont, Illinois

AutoCom Associates
100 West Long Lake Road
Suite 122
Bloomfield Hills
MI 48304
Phone: +1.248.647.8621
www.usautocom.com