“Opel labor aims to rescue Antwerp plant - Reuters” plus 3 more

Opel labor aims to rescue Antwerp plant - Reuters
Automotive Recruit - Shining Opportunities Amid the Gloom - PR.com
Sage Automotive announces official launch - Spartanburg Herald-Journal
Fox introduces smaller automotive-grade crystals - Electronics Talk

Opel labor aims to rescue Antwerp plant - Reuters

Posted: 15 Sep 2009 04:16 AM PDT

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German carmaker Opel needs to cut capacity and workforce quickly to return to profitability, but any decision on restructuring the company would not be driven by political considerations, Opel Chairman Carl-Peter Forster said on Tuesday.

Forster said at the Frankfurt Motor Show that turning around the unprofitable automaker in the next few years would not be "an easy road" and the overall economy would need to pick up to ensure a successful turnaround.

A consortium led by Canada's Magna International (MGa.TO) plans to cut about 10,500 jobs from Opel's workforce of 50,000 after striking a deal to buy a 55 percent stake in Opel from General Motors Co GM.UL last week.

Magna has said that all four German plants will stay open under the agreement, while a plant in Antwerp, Belgium, could close.

Britain and Belgium urged the European Commission to ensure the takeover of Opel did not favor German workers because of 4.5 billion euros ($6.6 billion) in promised aid from Germany. The European Commission plans to question Germany over its preference for Magna's bid for Opel over a rival offer by Belgium-based RHJ International (RHJI.BR).

"The European Commission will find that any final decision on restructuring Opel would be based on facts, not on politics," Forster said.

At the Frankfurt show, Opel introduced the new Astra compact hatchback -- among the most closely watched vehicles of the show and its best-selling model whose success would be crucial for its turnaround.

The new Astra, which competes with Volkswagen's (VOWG.DE) Golf hatchback, has 12 percent better fuel economy over the previous generation, Forster said.

The automaker also showcased the Ampera electric vehicle - which shares the platform and technology used to develop GM's heavily touted Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid car.

The Ampera, like the Chevrolet Volt, will be powered by a lithium-ion battery pack and will drive 60 kilometers (40 miles) on a single battery charge, Forster said.

(Reporting by Soyoung Kim, editing by Dave Zimmerman)

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Automotive Recruit - Shining Opportunities Amid the Gloom - PR.com

Posted: 15 Sep 2009 11:57 PM PDT

London, United Kingdom, September 16, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Visionline Management - expert in Global Engineering Recruitment - notices a resurgence in automotive recruitment.

Visionline is a recruitment agency whose field of operations includes recruitment for the automotive supplier industry. According to indications from clients, the final quarter of 2009 is expected to bring considerable new business.

"While many manufacturers are laying off staff around the globe, we have noted an increase in requests for Sales Engineers; in fact at this moment we have more automotive business than usual. While the sector is in flux, it seems some suppliers are redoubling their efforts to gain new business with automotive OEMs."
- Irene McNulty, Director

Visionline specializes in the recruitment of qualified engineers for almost all branches of engineering. Typical Vacancies filled in the automotive components sector are Sales Engineers, Test Engineers, R&D and Applications Engineers.

"Although the first two quarters were dismal, we have already experienced a considerable resurgence since July, and the final quarter is likely to bring further growth."
- Jason Jones, Senior Manager

Currently Visionline is engaged in recruitment of Sales Engineers and Customer Support Engineers for various automotive components, including hose assemblies, wire harness and factory-fill lubricants. For this reason, Visionline has determined to capitalise on this market and is engaged in attracting further automotive customers.

Other Industrial clients have expressed the expectancy of beginning greenfield projects for the construction of new factories in Central Europe, and have nominally enlisted Visionline to supply their recruitment needs.

"Therefore we are gearing-up for full throttle business in the final quarter."
– David Saunders, Senior Consultant, Partner

Founded December 1998 Visionline has more than a decade-long success story of well-satisfied clients. Working for both global giants and local small business, Visionline carved a niche in recruitment for factory automation. While retaining this core domain, Visionline has expanded tob e a highly competent Recruitment agency in the automotive components and oil & gas. Visionline's mother company site for recruitment: www.vision-line.co.uk

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Sage Automotive announces official launch - Spartanburg Herald-Journal

Posted: 16 Sep 2009 12:12 AM PDT

Sage Automotive Interiors, a joint venture between former Milliken executives Dirk Pieper and Brian McSharry and the investment firm Azalea Capital LLC, announced its official launch.

The company's core business will continue to be in the production of cloth for seating, door panels and headliners for automotive manufacturers, and it will be headquartered at Milliken's former Cotton Blossom Warehouse at 295 Broadcast Drive in Spartanburg.

"It has taken a lot of work from a great group of people to make this announcement possible," Pieper said in an e-mail statement. "We could not be more pleased that we have successfully transitioned to Sage Automotive Interiors. It is great news for our associates, our customers, and our community. The support from Milliken in the transition process has been truly appreciated. We thank Milliken for this opportunity."

Pieper said Sage will continue to provide the same high quality, technological innovation and integrity that Milliken's automotive division established, as well as growing its global footprint by working with established contacts to give manufacturers and consumers more options.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Milliken spokesman Richard Dillard said in May his company had signed a letter of intent to sell the division to Pieper and McSharry.

He added that the sale had nothing to do with the global automotive slump, rather it was determined that the auto cloth business was not a strategic fit for Milliken.

At the time, the division had about 1,200 associates who accounted for more than 12 percent of Milliken's total workforce.

Sage has not revealed who its primary customers will be, although it said in the release it will continue to provide its clientele products under the Yes Essentials and FXC brands, as well as other branded products.

Milliken plants that will fall under the Sage umbrella are as follows: Gayley plant in Marietta; Abbeville plant in Abbeville; Cotton Blossom in Spartanburg; Avalon plant in Toccoa, Ga.; and Autotex plant in Brazil, as well as support operations in the United Kingdom, Japan and China.

The company's Sharon plant, located near Abbeville and employing 140 associates, was closed.

An additional 80 management jobs worldwide in various businesses were also eliminated, but those layoffs were unrelated to the sale.

Sage said in the release it will focus on "consumer research, sustainability and innovative problem solving for the original equipment manufacturers" and its long term vision is "to be the market leader in design, engineering and technical capability supported by world class manufacturing."

For more information, visit www.sageautomotiveinteriors.com.

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Fox introduces smaller automotive-grade crystals - Electronics Talk

Posted: 15 Sep 2009 10:39 PM PDT

Fox Electronics, a supplier of frequency control solutions, has expanded its line of RoHS-compliant ceramic surface-mount-device (SMD) automotive-grade crystals to include two smaller package sizes.

The 3.2mm x 2.5mm FXA3225B series with a frequency range from 12MHz to 52MHz and the 2.5mm x 2.0mm FXA2520B series with a 16MHz to 50MHz frequency range are suitable for use in several automotive devices and systems.

These include GPS navigation, high-end audio and video, collision warning, onboard computer, Bluetooth and climate control.

The company's automotive-grade crystals, specifically engineered to withstand higher levels of shock and vibration in extended temperature ranges, are also available in a 5mm x 3mm size with a frequency range of 8MHz to 150MHz (FXA5032B) and a larger 7mm x 5mm size with a 6MHz to 133MHz frequency range (FXA7050B).

All Fox automotive-grade crystals have standard frequency stabilities from +/-50ppm to +/-100ppm and operating temperatures from -40C to +125C.

The entire line features a drive level of 100mW and a maximum soldering temperature of 260C per 10 seconds.

The crystals also have a gold termination finish and are seam sealed to reduce the infiltration of foreign matter and moisture into the package.

The FXA2520B series and the FXA3225B series have a load capacitance of 7pF and a +/-5ppm ageing per year, compared to the larger FXA5032B and FXA7050B series load capacitance of 10pF with a +/-3ppm ageing per year.

The automotive-grade crystal line meets AEC-Q200, the Automotive Electronics Council's stress test qualification for passive components.

For quantities of 10,000, pricing for the FXA2520B starts at USD0.49 (GBP0.30) per unit and for the FXA3225B at USD0.59 per unit.

Delivery is eight weeks after receipt of order.