TRAVERSE CITY – On Aug. 4, the CAR Management Briefing Seminars will kick off in this Northern Michigan resort town to focus on the major transformations rocking the auto world, given current economic challenges, continued technology advancements and demands, and heightened global competition. The program also will examine how the implications of these changes will have far-reaching consequences beyond the plant floor for all automakers and their suppliers.

To address the impact industry, this year’s CAR Management Briefing

Seminars, sponsored by the Center for Automotive Research, will offer two sessions focused on manufacturing.

“New Business Models and Reducing the Cost of Manufacturing” on Tuesday

morning will provide insight into changing manufacturing paradigms and producing high quality at low cost�??methodologies the most competitive manufacturers employ. “Manufacturing for Fuel Economy” on Tuesday afternoon considers the near-term evolution of fuel economy technologies and their implications for manufacturers of both body and powertrain components and systems.

“Mass production came first, and then came lean production. The question is

“wha”s next?” asked Jay Baron, president/CEO of CAR. “Tomorrow’s suppliers have to reinvent the business model as they develop new product technologies for powertrain and lightweight components. These sessions will include discussions from some of the world’s leaders on these topics.” Baron will chair both sessions.

Selected speakers at the Aug. 4 manufacturing sessions demonstrate a broad

depth of industry knowledge. They include:

Josef Kersher, President, BMW

Manufacturing Co., LLC ;

Ted Brown, Vice President and General Manager, Powertrain

Systems, Comau North America;

Bruce Hettle, Executive Director, Manufacturing

Engineering, Ford Motor Company;

James P. Womack, Ph.D., Chairman, Lean

Enterprise Institute and Senior Lecturer, Engineering Systems Division, Massachusetts

Institute of Technology (MIT);

Stephen B. Johnson, Manufacturing Program Manager,

Wind NPI Programs, GE Energy;

Swamy Kotagiri, Executive Vice President, Engineering

and R&D, Cosma International (Magna);

Harald Naunheimer, Ph.D., Vice President,

Corporate Research and Development, ZF Friedrichshafen.

The CAR Management Briefing Seminars have been an automotive industry

tradition for more than 40 years and attract attendees from auto manufacturers, suppliers, the government, academia and the media who participate in targeted sessions, senior level executive panels and highly valued networking opportunities.

In addition to the special sessions on manufacturing, general sessions on

Wednesday and Thursday (Aug. 5-6) focus on critical global automotive strategies, including the new role of the government in the industry and sustainability in an era of climate change and related policies.

Additional Aug. 4 sessions will address the evolving role of innovation and how it must be incorporated into products and processes; as well as the growing development and impact of the connected vehicle. A Friday, Aug. 7, session will look at the changing financial environment given low sales, bankruptcies, availability of financing and the U.S. government’s role as lender.

In addition, the 9th Advanced Powertrain Forum, sponsored by the Michigan

Economic Development Corporation, will address both policy and technology issues in the evolving area of powertrains.

An up-to-date listing of speakers and sessions is available on CAR’s Web site at MBS.Cargroup.org

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