 Clifford to
Market its Avital Brand in UK
HSE
Warns Motor Trade of Asbestos Regulations
Mercedes To
Replace Child Seats
SAE2000 World
Congress Set for Detroit
Delphi
and Ashimori Announce Teaming Agreement in Seat
Belt Business
Arvin Targets
Retailers in Customer Services
Bosal
Launches Fax Ordering
Würth Sets
Up Customer Service Advisory Group
Clifford
to Market its Avital Brand in UK
Effective
from 10 August 1999, all Avital Technologies
products have been marketed in the UK by Clifford
Electronics UK. Clifford now stocks all Avital
products and accessories along with the Clifford
brand.
"Avital
has grown significantly in the USA and is now
ready for the next stage of development through
the Clifford UK corporate headquarters. Clifford
Electronics’ acquisition of Avital
distribution in the United Kingdom forms an
important part of our global marketing
scheme," said Alden Stiefel, Executive Vice
President of Global Sales and Marketing.
Clifford
Electronics, based in Chatsworth, California, is
the parent company of the Avital brand. The
company designs, markets, and manufactures
vehicle security and convenience systems
worldwide. (9/99)
HSE Warns
Motor Trade of Asbestos Regulations
The Health
and Safety Executive on August 2 attempted to
clarify asbestos regulations, and issued a
warning to the motor trade about the use of the
carcinogenic substance in vehicle brakes. Concern
had been raised after an HSE inspector discovered
asbestos brakes being fitted to heavy goods
vehicles even though there were asbestos free
alternatives readily available.
The Control
of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 (CAWR), the
HSE explained, requires asbestos to be
substituted where this is practicable and where
the substitute is safer than asbestos. This means
that cost is not a consideration – if it is
technically possible to use a safer material than
asbestos, this must be done.
A new EU
Braking Directive, due to be implemented by
October 1 further prohibits fitting asbestos
brake linings to any new motor vehicle or
trailer, fitting replacement brake linings
containing asbestos to any vehicle first used
after the end of 1972, and supplying vehicle
friction materials containing asbestos or holding
such materials for supply for fitment to any
vehicle first used after 1972.
In a warning
to bus and lorry operators, Bernard Robinson,
head of HSE’s Engineering National Interest
Group, said, "We have an allegation from a
reliable source that some fleet operators may
have fitted asbestos brakes back onto vehicles
originally supplied with asbestos-free brakes,
simply because they are cheaper. This, in our
view, would be a blatant breach of the Control of
Asbestos at Work Regulations, and legal
proceedings would be considered if this were
found." (9/99)
Mercedes
To Replace Child Seats
Mercedes-Benz
is to replace child seats with automatic child
seat recognition transponders free of charge
after the company’s safety research
department discovered a fault.
Mercedes’
"Zoom" and "Baby Safe" child
seats are fitted with transponders designed to
automatically deactivate passinger-side airbags
when the seat is in place. If the child seats are
set in an unusual position, the company found,
the transponders could not always be relied upon
to correctly deactivate the passenger-side
airbag.
The company
is not aware of any case of the incorrect
deployment of an airbag involving the child
seats.
Over
four-hundred of the seats were sold in the UK.
Mercedes-Benz customers who have such seats
should contact the Mercedez-Benz Customer
Assisatnce Centre on 008 001 7777777 (9/99)
SAE2000
World Congress Set for Detroit
The Society
of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International
announced earlier this month that its next World
Congress would be held at the Cobo Centre in
Detroit, Michigan, USA from March 6 through 9,
2000. The convention, entitled "Adding Value
to Life through Technology and Advanced
Mobility" will be sponsored by BMW AG.
SEA 2000
World Congress is the world’s most
comprehensive technical conference for the global
automotive engineering community, providing
resources for engineers and engineering
management, with special emphasis on women in
engineering, education, and the consumer. (9/99)
Delphi and
Ashimori Announce Teaming Agreement in Seat Belt
Business
Delphi
Automotive Systems and Ashimori Industry Co. Ltd
announced August 2 that they had signed a teaming
agreement that focuses on the technical,
production, and marketing capabilities of the two
companies on developing new business
opportunities in automotive seat belts. (9/99)
Arvin
Targets Retailers in Customer Services
 Exhaust and
catalyst manufacturer and distributor Arvin
Replacement Products (Timax) is targeting
aftermarket fast-fit and independent retailers in
a campaign to increase awareness of its customer
support services.
In an A4
double-sided leaflet, the company lists the
company’s assistance and support services
available to retailers, such as a profiling
service which researches individual retail centre
exhaust sales and identifies regional variations
in order to produce a profile of the core stock
required to give the best possible retail
coverage. (9/99)
Bosal
Launches Fax Ordering
The
exhaust-system supplier Bosal UK announced the
launch of a new fax ordering system on August 12.
The new high-capacity system allows incoming
orders to be channelled through a single fax
number, making the previously used alternative
fax number redundant.
Bosal’s
new fax number is 01772 628362. (9/99)
Würth
Sets Up Customer Service Advisory Group
The workshop
consumables supplier Würth UK Ltd has set up an
advisory group to improve its customer service.
The group’s inaugural meeting was held in
Bournemouth in late July.
Hosted by the
Erith-based company’s Joint Managing
Directors Terry Slade and Jens Förstmann, the
first meeting was attended by a number of
manufacturers and importers with whom Würth UK
has business partnerships, including Chrysler
Jeep, Daihatsu, Kia, MAN Truck and Bus, Motor
Vehicle Imports, Nissan and Saab.
"In such
a competitive market we need to be able to react
quickly to our customers’ every changing
requirements with flexibility and
resourcefulness," said Slade. "We are
confident that our advisory board will keep us
all on the ball."
Würth UK
plans regular meetings of the advisory group.
(9/99)
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