“Meridian Automotive files for liquidation - Indianapolis Star” plus 4 more

Meridian Automotive files for liquidation - Indianapolis Star
Shop owner caters to Christian customers - Twin Falls Times-News
Dorman Products, Inc., Supplier of Automotive Replacement Parts ... - Market Wire
Plex Chief Tells User Group, ‘We Are Doing OK’(2) - ManagingAutomation.com
Mass production expected to lower battery costs, weight - Detroit Free Press

Meridian Automotive files for liquidation - Indianapolis Star

Posted: 07 Aug 2009 01:45 PM PDT

WILMINGTON, Del. -- Auto parts supplier Meridian Automotive Systems, which emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2006, has filed for Chapter 7 liquidation.

In a filing submitted Friday in Delaware bankruptcy court, the Michigan-based company reported assets and liabilities of between $100 million to $500 million.

Meridian announced last month that it was idling two Indiana factories, putting more than 400 people out of work. The company had previously said layoffs were necessary because it had lost a major customer, which it did not identify. Meridian has made various parts for several auto companies, including General Motors.

Several other auto parts suppliers have sought bankruptcy protection in recent months amid a steep decline in auto sales and production cuts by car makers.

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Shop owner caters to Christian customers - Twin Falls Times-News

Posted: 07 Aug 2009 11:10 PM PDT

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Dorman Products, Inc., Supplier of Automotive Replacement Parts ... - Market Wire

Posted: 07 Aug 2009 11:43 AM PDT

SOURCE: Dorman Products, Inc.

Dorman Products

Digital Catalog

COLMAR, PA--(Marketwire - August 7, 2009) - Dorman Products, Inc. ( NASDAQ : DORM), supplier of "New to the Aftermarket" products and innovative repair solutions, today announced the addition of a Window Regulator & Window Lift Motor Digital Catalog to www.DormanProducts.com. This catalog is done in the user-friendly Flipbook format giving the feel of a printed catalog but with instant access and interactive capabilities such as product and keyword search.

This Digital Catalog features over 700 Window Regulators and Window Lift Motors with coverage for domestic and import models. The Buyers Guide section of the catalog shows pictures and a brief application description of Dorman's extensive line of window regulators and window lift motors in part number order. The Application Guide section provides detailed application information listed by Make and Model.

Chris Nierintz, Manager of Product Data Services, remarked, "This Digital Catalog gives you the form, function and key benefits of a printed catalog in a whole new way by using full motion flip-animation. But, unlike a printed catalog, the digital version can easily be changed to add new SKUs, photos and applications to give customers access to the latest information. Our goal is to update the catalog quarterly as new SKUs are added to this fast growing product category. This format also allows customers to view and print the guide at any time."

With 300 Aftermarket Exclusive SKUs, the Dorman Window Regulator Program gives Dorman customers more opportunities to take sales from the OE Dealer and their competitors. In addition, our Window Lift Motor Program provides significant inventory savings as a result of our engineered and tested consolidations plus ease of installation with our Plug-n-Play harnesses and hardware.

Dorman Products, Inc. is a leading supplier of OE Dealer "Exclusive" automotive replacement parts, automotive hardware, brake products, and household hardware to the Automotive Aftermarket and Mass Merchandise markets. Dorman products are marketed under the OE Solutions™, HELP!®, AutoGrade™, First Stop™, Conduct-Tite®, Symmetry® and Scan-Tech® brand names.

Forward looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward looking statements which speak only as of the date hereof. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, those factors discussed in the Company's 2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K under "Item 1A - Risk Factors."

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Plex Chief Tells User Group, ‘We Are Doing OK’(2) - ManagingAutomation.com

Posted: 07 Aug 2009 09:37 PM PDT

About 225 users representing 120 manufacturing companies gathered recently in Cleveland to hear the current state and future plans of Plex Systems, Inc., an on-demand provider of enterprise software for manufacturing. What they heard was a wide-ranging plan to grow the Plex software product in the months ahead, as well as a commentary on the success of the software-as-a-service model for software delivery itself.

Mark Symonds, Plex president and CEO, told attendees that, while he did plan for some customers to liquidate and close plants as a result of the recession, Plex had a strong 2008 and first half of 2009. He said that revenue at Plex, a privately held company, grew 33% in 2008, adding 50 new customers, and 18% in the first half of 2009. He is projecting 53 new customers for all of 2009. The company's customer base, measured in what it calls subscribing business units, now stands at 350. The automotive sector represents 66% of the base.

In his opening remarks, Symonds said he is often asked about Plex's exposure to the automotive industry. "For the most part, the crisis has spawned opportunity," he said. Case in point: Plex recently signed its largest licensing deal ever, a contract with Royal Oak Industries, a manufacturer of engine blocks for heavy equipment. The Plex system will be used in a new factory being built by Caterpillar, which has brought in Royal Oak to run the new facility, Symonds said.

Nevertheless, Symonds, in an interview, said that a year from now, the automotive sector will probably account for 45% to 50% of Plex's base, with medical device, pharmaceutical, and food and beverage companies occupying more of the mix.

Plex's results stand in marked contrast to the difficulties a host of on-premise ERP suppliers are having during the recession, a difference not lost on Plex customers attending the Cleveland conference. "The company really has a lot of legs," said Ronald Zilkowski, chief financial officer of Cuisine Solutions. "They have the model figured out."

That's not to say that the model will stand still. Symonds outlined six key areas in which Plex will make improvements: infrastructure, including more real-time reporting capabilities in the system; compliance, such as with the International Financial Reporting Standards; application productivity, potentially including support for mobile devices; integration, with such services as FedX, as well as with on-premise ERP systems such as SAP; sustainability; and tools, including report writers.

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Mass production expected to lower battery costs, weight - Detroit Free Press

Posted: 08 Aug 2009 12:15 AM PDT

TRAVERSE CITY -- Several automotive industry leaders said Friday they are convinced that the cost of lithium-ion batteries, as well as the size and weight of the battery, will decline substantially once automakers begin to produce them at higher volumes.

Further reducing the size and the cost of the batteries are crucial challenges facing manufacturers as they race to develop plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles aimed at consumers.

Already, GM has found a way to reduce the weight of the lithium-ion battery for the Chevrolet Volt, set to debut in 2010, to 400 pounds, down from 1,200 pounds for the lead-acid battery in the EV1, an unsuccessful electric vehicle that GM introduced in the 1990s, according to Bob Kruse, GM's executive director of global vehicle engineering.

"You can project that out over the next 10 years and imagine where we are going to be," Kruse said. "Getting the energy density up, getting the weight out, getting the cost out, that's all part of what we are going to be challenged to do."

And Kruse said GM knows it must work fast. The Volt, expected to cost close to $40,000, will initially benefit from federal tax credits of up to $7,500 per vehicle.

"That won't last, so in order to keep the electrification growing, we've got to get the costs down," Kruse said.

Kruse declined to comment on the cost of the Volt battery on Friday, but company officials have previously estimated it would cost about $8,000 per car.

Almost every major automotive manufacturer has announced plans to introduce plug-in hybrids over the next few years. The main difference between plug-in hybrids and existing hybrids -- such as the Toyota Prius and Ford Fusion -- is that plug-ins are recharged by plugging them into an electrical outlet.

"If you think about lithium-ion" batteries, "most people don't know that only 25% of the weight is actually storing energy," said Ric Fulop, founder and president of A123 Systems Inc., a battery supplier. "I think there is significant room for improvement to take that from 25% to 50% over the next decade ... and costs should come down by more than half."

Contact BRENT SNAVELY: 313-222-6512 or bsnavely@freepress.com.