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April 2000
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Tenneco Provides Shock Absorbers and Exhaust System for New BMW C1 Tenneco Automotive
has worked alongside BMW since 1981 developing exhaust and ride control
products for its car and motorbike range. The launch of the car/motor
scooter hybrid, the BMW C1, marks the first time Tenneco has designed
products specifically for a city bike, having focused previously on
sports, cruiser and custom machines. Vauxhall Cuts Prices on Nova Parts Vauxhall Aftersales is launching a new parts promotion designed to help dealers maximise the profit potential from restoration and maintenance of the Nova. Both trade and retail prices of Nova parts most frequently replaced after an accident are being reduced by more than 25%. The savings apply to all Nova models and are effective until the end of August 2000. The price structure has also been rationalised; all wings and grilles are now the same price and there is only one bonnet part number. Reduced prices also apply to front and rear bumpers. The new promotion is linked to reductions of up to 40% on retail prices already in place for Nova, Corsa, Astra and Cavalier headlamps. Hella Restructures Senior Management Team Hella UK has announced a restructuring of its senior management team in order to meet growing business demands. The company, which employs 15,000 people in manufacturing facilities and sales offices worldwide and has a turnover of £1.5bn, has reorganized its UK subsidiary in order to respond to a rapidly changing market and to enable it to build on Hella's move into areas such as electronics and air conditioning. Among other changes, air conditioning will now be the responsibility of John Guppy, electrical, electronic and replacement parts will be the responsibility of Jonathan Walls, while Hella's core business of lighting and accessory products will be headed by Tom Harrison. Unipart have arranged a series of nationwide roadshows to take place over the next three months with the objective of sharing with its national network of around 2000 independent garages - the Unipart Car Care Centre network - the Unipart vision of the future of the car servicing and repair market. Included in the roadshows will be interactive seminars explaining the role of cost effective local marketing programmes in developing customer loyalty and showing various techniques and processes aimed at improving the running of a garage business. The latest Unipart business systems will be on show and the future role of e-commerce in the independent motor trade will be a key feature of the presentations. Supporting organisations including FM Green (insurance), Midland De-Greasing waste management, RAC Training Services and Warranty Direct will also be available at the roadshows to demonstrate additional products and services and to offer technical support. The roadshows begin on 30th March and end, 32 shows later on 8th June. MITC Publishes New Occupational Standards New occupational
standards, qualifications and a careers website for the retail motor
industry were announced by the Motor Industry Training Council (MITC)
in London this month in the presence of Malcolm Wicks, Lifelong Learning
Minister. Mr Wicks welcomed the new standards and commended the retail
motor industry for its good track record on training but also reminded
those present of the need to ensure that more women entered the industry
and had the opportunity to forge successful careers within it. Speaking
of the new occupational standards, Miss Sheila McGregor, the Chief
Executive of the MITC, said that they represented a "significant
improvement to address employers' concerns". The intentions behind
drawing up new standards were that they should be written in plain
English, offer greater flexibility through a 'core and options' structure
and that they should include independent assessment of underpinning
knowledge. Other activities currently being undertaken by MITC include 'manufacture referencing' so that standards for technicians established by motor manufacturers for dealerships could be cross-referenced to NVQs. A new framework for national traineeships and Modern Apprenticeships is being developed and work has started on revised standards for sales and parts occupations. Discussions are also taking place concerning the possibility of introducing a Graduate Apprenticeship for the industry. MITC are currently in the process of setting up separate advisory committees for Scotland and Wales to meet the demands of devolution and a careers website is being developed in order to provide young people, their parents and others with information about the opportunities which exist in the industry. A publicity campaign, including the distribution of posters to every school, college and library service in the country, is taking place together with the establishment of links with other relevant websites.
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Tenneco Automotive is providing shock absorbers and the complete exhaust
system for the BMW C1, which has already won several accolades for
being environmentally friendly and has been given a high safety rating
in Germany, Spain, Italy, France and Austria.