Clips

Automotive News

India’s Sakthi puts faith in second chances: Automotive News
The Indian steering-component supplier has emerged as a player in Detroit’s urban comeback by putting manufacturing into a low-cost, tax-abated neighborhood in the city’s challenged southwest side over the past three years.

Forces align to rekindle a Michigan city: Automotive News
Michigan and local officials believe there is a new life for Flint – a city that often symbolized the image of Rust Belt America. And the auto industry is making efforts to reconsider the once booming location.

The glaring problem with headlights: Automotive News
The auto industry’s headlights shine better, brighter, farther and more ornately than ever. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re good, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Can a defunct factory return to relevance?: Automotive News
Automakers rarely walk away from their plants. When it happens, it’s challenging for a different automaker to fit itself into the footprint. And suppliers are rarely able to make full use of an enormous auto plant site, which can consist of hundreds of acres.

Fixed Ops Journal

Virginia dealership group trains nonviolent inmates to become its service techs: Fixed Ops Journal
Damion Britt was serving a sentence for felony drug distribution in a state prison in Capron, Va., when he saw a flyer advertising a new and unusual work-release program. Priority Auto Group, of Chesapeake, Va., was recruiting nonviolent offenders to train as service technicians.

Techs’ strike in Chicago highlights workforce issues affecting all dealerships: Fixed Ops Journal
The stakes are higher than ever for dealerships in the competition for techs. As new-vehicle sales cool, fixed operations will account for a greater share of dealership profits in coming years. The chronic shortage of technicians will grow more acute as those now on the job retire.

Two of every five service advisers leave each year. How can dealers keep their best ones from burning out?: Fixed Ops Journal
— Out and out: Here are profiles of former service advisers who talk about why they quit not only their jobs, but also automotive retailing: Fixed Ops Journal

Capital News Service

Michigan farmers struggle to fill seasonal jobs: Great Lakes Echo
The fall farming season in West Michigan has ended, but the future need for migrant workers remains.

Changing preferences challenge transportation agencies: Grand Rapids Business Journal
Increased fuel efficiency, an insufficient gas tax and younger generations’ disinterest in owning cars have created a complicated combination of financial concerns for Michigan transportation agencies.