Michael Held

"On the supply side, we've addressed the (battery) module issues and are on track to produce 300,000 vehicles this year. Our focus remains on building a platform for EVs that aligns with customer expectations. We prioritize avoiding overproduction and potential inventory surplus by not blindly producing without market demand." #AutomotiveIndustry #ElectricVehicles #Justintime #Justincase #supplychain #GM

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CAWA in Coalition Opposes SB 903 - A New Regulatory Program Update: The Senate Appropriations Committee today held SB 903, meaning the measure will not be advancing this session. A major win for CAWA and the coalition. This Legislation Stifles Innovation, Negatively Impacts Virtually Every Sector of the Economy Aerospace, Semiconductors, Clean Energy, Electronics, Medical, Industrial Processes, Agriculture ...Millions in New State Costs to Implement. A coalition of California’s leading job creators, innovators, manufacturers, grocers, clean energy producers, agriculture and others is opposed to SB 903 (Skinner), legislation that would create an expensive and complex new regulatory program at the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to regulate all commercial and consumer products that may contain, as well as any industrial manufacturing processes that may use, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances. See the Coalition letter enclosed. Should you have any questions regarding this matter, contact CAWA's Legislative Advocate Ryan Pierini at rpierini@mwcllc.com or 916.995.5323.

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Attached is our Wealth Management team's interpretation of the recent economic growth and inflation numbers. The line I pulled out of the report was: "Still, policymakers appear to be justifiably focused on reining in inflation and not repeating the mistakes of their predecessors by easing too soon, allowing price pressures to reaccelerate." That would be correct - we don't want to take down inflation via deflation through choked-off economic growth.

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🚗 Big news from the auto industry and a huge step forward for electric vehicles (EVs)! VP Kamala Harris has just announced a thrilling $3 billion investment from the DOE to bolster EV component production. Here’s why this matters: American Axle & Manufacturing, a Michigan-based supplier, is set to utilize these funds to build a new facility in Detroit, bringing 1,300 new job opportunities to the community. The initiative is a key part of the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act, which allocates a whopping $7 billion towards expanding EV and battery production capabilities. 🔋 As someone who has closely followed the transformation of the automotive industry, this milestone resonates deeply. I remember a colleague consulting with an auto parts manufacturer years ago, where transitioning to EV was more a distant plan than an impending reality. Seeing such substantial government backing now solidifies the shift towards sustainable transport as a national priority. This development is poised to reduce reliance on foreign parts, reinforcing the US EV supply chain. It's an exciting time, but some critics fear it may spike inflation or increase taxpayer burdens. 🤔 What are your thoughts on this boost for EVs? Will the benefits outweigh potential economic downsides? Share your insights or stories about how shifts in industry standards have impacted your sector! #ElectricVehicles #SustainableEnergy #ManufacturingJobs #InflationReductionAct #EconomicDevelopment #JobCreation #USAutoIndustry https://lnkd.in/gwdbnUnV

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Concerning results from the recent J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) reveal the deteriorating dependability of vehicles. Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power, highlights surprising findings, noting the increase in problems when comparing J.D. Power studies across 90 days and three years. In 2023, there was a 12% increase in issues from 90 days to three years of ownership, with a further rise to 17% in 2024. The five-percentage-point deterioration compared with 2023 underscores a worsening trend. Customers are experiencing more problems, on average, not only with new technology, but also with issues thought to be resolved long ago. Explore further into Frank Hanley’s article on WardsAuto:

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Ford names ex-Lucid Motors exec as next CFO, promotes current chief #Ford #LucidMotors #CFO #ChiefFinancialOfficer #Executive #Promotion #Leadership #Automotive #Industry #Business #Brand #BrandManagement #Corporate #Management #CareerMove #Finance #ExecutiveAppointmen

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While everyone is talking about Tesla’s Supercharge network, I’m watching General Motors. Last week GM’s CEO Mary Barra spoke at the Detroit Economic Club. She described EV adoption as a “once-in-a-generation type of transformation.” In this interview she discussed; - EV adoption challenges - Charging station partnerships - Charging infrastructure concerns - Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill funding GM views the lack of sufficient charging infrastructure in the US as a major challenge to mass EV adoption. Here's what they're doing about it; ​​- Investing $750M in charging infrastructure through various partnerships - Building 2,000 charging stalls nationwide with EVgo and Pilot Flying J   - Installing (with EVgo) an additional 3,250 stalls by 2025 (1,000+ already installed) - Installing 40,000 chargers at local dealers through the Dealer Community Charging Program While Tesla is dominant in the modern EV market, GM has been in the game for 20+ years -- they built the first mass-produced EV (the EV1) back in 1996. Expect to see GM continue to play an increasingly large role in charging infrastructure.

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Jeffrey (Jeff) Cote has retired as the president and CEO of Sensata Technologies as well as stepped down as a member of the board of directors. The board has appointed Martha Sullivan as interim president and CEO and has established a search committee to identify a new, permanent chief executive. Sullivan has been a director on Sensata’s board since 2013 and was the company’s president and CEO from 2013-‘20. Additionally, following a “constructive dialogue” with activist Elliott Investment Management L.P., Sensata has appointed Phil Eyler to the board, giving the company 11 directors, 10 of whom are deemed to be independent. Eyler is the president and CEO of Gentherm, a thermal management and pneumatic comfort technology company operating in the automotive and medical industries. Eyler will serve on the CEO search committee when he joins the board July 1. Further, Sensata has entered into a cooperation agreement with Elliott as well as an information-sharing agreement to facilitate ongoing dialogue between Elliott and the board. The cooperation agreement contains standstill, voting and other provisions. Elliott Partner Marc Steinberg and Portfolio Manager Austin Camporin, CFA stated: “As Sensata’s largest investor, we believe the company is on the path to substantial shareholder value creation. We thank Jeff for his leadership, and we are highly confident in Martha’s ability to guide Sensata through this transition. In addition, we believe Phil Eyler will bring fresh and relevant perspectives to the board. Sensata’s strategic sensor portfolio positions it to benefit from ongoing secular tailwinds, and we believe that, as Sensata executes on its plans to improve performance, shareholders will benefit from this multi-year value creation opportunity.” #aftermarket #autoparts #autocare

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"The grand reopening of the train station is the focal point of the past six years of work, but Ford’s broader mobility project, Michigan Central, has been building up momentum for the past year with the opening of Newlab. It’s a membership-based venture platform for startups with a focus on mobility, and the facility they’re in has a mix of offices, fabrication labs, and shared collaboration spaces where serendipitous collisions and idea sharing among entrepreneurs can spark new business ideas. Venture capitalists have offices on site to help these companies take form. As of June, 97 startups are operating out of Newlab, up from about 15 last spring, including many from out of state." Major props to Bill Ford and Ford Motor Company for the vision and commitment to not only rehabilitate this iconic Detroit landmark, but to establish the infrastructure to create the future of #mobility. #Ford #USManufacturing #FutureOfMobility #automobiles #automotive #cars #innovation #startups #VentureCapital #StartupEcosystem #PublicPrivatePartnerships #leadership

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Customs and Border Protection enforce the laws to stop the American economy's use of China's forced labor, imposing swift penalties for subsequent abuses. Possible discussion at the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association (APMA) Summit next week - curious on Ontario, Canada's perspective. #APMA #summit #borderprotection #forcedlabor #manufacturers Petrina Gentile #supplychain

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while there is some conversation about ev marketplace. this is the truth, we need more public infrastructure and we need it soon.At EVaaS Solutions we take the risk our, delivering turn key solutions without any capital risk from the site owners, how can we help you?

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Hazing is traditional in automotive. It's also a great way to get views, who knew 🤷‍♂️ Being Social, Sept 24, 2024. Madison, Wisconsin. Sheila Pogue, Thad Clabaugh, and the mythological hero Sean Welsh will speak. BONUS: this is an "intimate" event. Which means 2 things. 1. You won't have 5000 vendors vying for your attention, stopping your education, giving you a meaningless card, and a pitch meant for the general population. 2. Q and freaking A!!! How many conferences do you go to and the information given applies to the "general population" but not your store? ALL of them, right? With a small event, you get to ASK questions, and GET answers!!! Seriously, don't delay; the event sold out in a month last year. We're only a week and a half into tickets available and we're half sold. Click here to register: https://bit.ly/4aqZGRY j.

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In the summer edition of #springs Magazine 2024 I a writing an article about the EV Automotive Market in US and the implication of the use of Springs in the future. If you follow the podcast below you will find accurate insights from Derek Kaufman

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This conversation highlights the changing dynamics of the automotive industry, stressing the importance of proactive succession planning for continued prosperity. Thanks to George Karolis of The Presidio Group and Loyd "Champ" Rawls of Rawls Succession Planners for their valuable contributions and to Jason Stein for moderating the discussion. Read more 👉 https://lttr.ai/AS5rW #SuccessionPlanning #BusinessOwnership #StrategicPlanning #Automotive #FamilyBusiness #ChangingConsumerPreferences #PubliclyTradedCompanies

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We just talked about this in class...“Cost recovery mechanisms should not be judged in isolation. Inflation-driven cost increases & adjustments need to be addressed in a timely manner that is consistent, tested, & institutionalized & supported by OEM & supplier cost reduction efforts.” From Plante Moran: https://lnkd.in/ebpCgDZw. 70% of new supplier agreements contain inflation driven economic adjustment clauses with the use of indices being the most common. https://lnkd.in/g_ByzrNU. It might be time for price risk sharing in buyer-supplier relationships. Has Strategic Cost Mgmt (i.e., Price Analysis) become a lost art? Tools we use to teach this: https://lnkd.in/gNrUtNU5. I have asked a lot of SCM managers how they “prepare” to negotiate price increase requests from their suppliers. In particular, I was curious about how and where they get their data from (i.e., CME, COMEX, etc.). Many said their suppliers provide that information. I am not convinced that using data from your suppliers is a form of “Preparation” for negotiation.   What are buyers to do? Procurement orgs need processes & “tools” to mitigate & negotiate on these requests in a strategic, data-driven manner (& we/I need to do a better job of teaching it). In our SCM program, we are looking at raw material market data from multiple sources, we will visualize & analyze historical pricing scenarios, & do some simulating on planned purchases & what-if scenarios against forward price curves. Stay tuned for our case study report based on price analysis & strategic cost mgmt research... Some of our alumni are already testing and / or implementing automated business processes based on such tools, serving as the basis for addressing price indexing implementations (formulas, economic adjustments, etc.) by champions in a few larger orgs, & we're following these implementations from an academic perspective. It beats updating color coded excel spreadsheets. https://lnkd.in/ghjfe3gh https://lnkd.in/gMuhMNf6 Automated economic adjustments: https://lnkd.in/gNrUtNU5.   Ongoing Study by WMU’s SCM Program  · Studying how orgs in different industries administer indexing & economic adjustments, their challenges, & how such processes may be improved  · Initial findings:  o Organizational ownership of process is not well defined  o Human error, lack of audit trail  o Lack of automation, requiring sufficient time & manual effort  o Limited collaboration & visibility  o Scalability issues o Data security & access control  o Limited integration Some Practices that Can Make Your Commodity Related Supply Chain Job More Fun and Rewarding ($$$): https://lnkd.in/gwPfkdkK. #inflation #procurement #rawmaterials #supplychain

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The Inspirational Story of NUMMI: A Joint Venture by GM and Toyota In the early 1980s, GM's Fremont plant in California grappled with low productivity, subpar quality, and frequent labor conflicts, putting it on the brink of closure. In contrast, Toyota excelled in efficient manufacturing and producing high-quality vehicles. Recognizing a unique opportunity, Toyota proposed a collaboration, resulting in the formation of New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) in 1984. This joint venture aimed to merge GM's resources & Toyota's manufacturing prowess. Toyota suggested a collaborative management of the Fremont facility. GM contributed plant and its workforce, while Toyota brought in its pioneering production methods and management principles, effectively integrating the strengths of both companies. NUMMI's transformation was rapid. Toyota implemented its Toyota Production System (TPS), focusing on worker respect, continuous improvement (Kaizen), and just-in-time production. These practices empowered employees to detect and resolve assembly line issues, significantly boosting productivity and quality. The previously struggling plant became one of the world's most productive and cooperative. Vehicles manufactured at NUMMI, including the Chevrolet Nova, Toyota Corolla, and Pontiac Vibe, were highly regarded for their reliability and quality. NUMMI's success provided valuable lessons for GM, Toyota, and the wider automotive industry. Here are the top ten key learnings from the NUMMI joint venture: Employee Empowerment: Giving workers the authority to oversee quality and solve problems enhances productivity and morale. Continuous Improvement: Kaizen, or continuous improvement, promotes an environment where small, ongoing changes lead to significant long-term benefits. Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Merging the strengths of diverse corporate cultures can create powerful synergies, resulting in innovative solutions and better outcomes. Quality Over Quantity: Prioritizing quality at every production stage reduces defects and boosts customer satisfaction. Just-in-Time Production: Reducing inventory and producing only what's needed when it's needed minimizes waste and increases efficiency. Respect for Workers: Treating employees with respect and involving them in decision-making processes improves their dedication and performance. Lean Manufacturing: Optimizing processes to eliminate waste leads to more efficient production and better resource utilization. Adaptability: Being open to new ideas and adaptable to different methods can result in significant improvements and breakthroughs. Shared Vision: A clear, shared vision between partners aligns efforts and achieves common goals. Long-Term Perspective: Focusing on long-term success rather than short-term gains results in sustainable improvements and lasting benefits. #subhansharif #canvassoftskills #values #automotiveindustry #leadership #entrepreneurship #business #productivity

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