Global auto conference

Tuesday, March 23, 2004

With the burgeoning hybrid vehicle industry, a recovering, but not-yet-strong U.S. economy and the instability of global politics, predicting any future in the automotive industry can be short-term at best. But attendees of the fifth-annual Global Automotive Conference in Bowling Green will set out to do just that in this years conference, titled Driving to the new business model Where will your business be in five years. Sponsored by the Office of Global Business at Western Kentucky University, the April 19 and 20 conference will bring ranking speakers and middle- and senior-level management together at the Sloan Convention Center. About 300 participants are expected. The Global Automotive Conference is a unique opportunity to meet industry leaders, network and learn about critical issues facing management and automotive professionals during these challenging economic times, said Bill Parsons, executive professor at WKU and director of the Office of Global Business and Entrepreneurship. Parsons is coordinating the conference. Attendees in the automotive industry and those working in non-automotive industries will have the opportunity to come away with key skills that can help in different careers and job situations. Speakers will include Mark Emkes, new chairman and CEO of Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc. and Bridgestone/Firestone North America Tire; Martin McKinley, president of Wells Fargo Business Credit; and Stephen Walukas, vice president of Corporate Quality for DaimlerChrysler. Christine Karbowiak, vice president of public affairs Bridgestone Americas, spoke about Emkes. Hes a strong supporter of the conference, and was impressed with the level of presentations made last year, Karbowiak said. He was also impressed with the scope of the Office of Global Business and Entrepreneurship. Its absolutely remarkable to see the program at Western Kentucky University has built, she said. Emkes has spent most of his career with Firestone outside the United States, Karbowiak said. She described some of the issues the tire industry currently faces. Its becoming more complex by the day the volatility in material costs is making old business models obsolete, Karbowiak said. Crude oil by the barrel costs have increased to $32, she said, referring to the major component of tires. Additionally, market demand for larger rim sizes is forcing change in manufacturing processes. Rim sizes used to be generally between 13 to 15 inches in diameter, and now rims run between 17 and 22 inches. Theyre stunning looking products, but a whole new manufacturing process, she said. Wil Cooksey, General Motors Bowling Green Plant manager, described what it means for Bowling Green to host the conference. Its great for the city and for the whole community, he said. I have a lot of (Western graduates) working full-time jobs. The revenue the visitors bring is good for the city, and the event attracts new business to the area. Past speakers include Magna International officials, and now its subsidiary Bowling Green Metal Forming will commence manufacturing in a year or two. Compared with any other conference … that address issues of marketing, its tops, the quality is exceptional, said Ken Fairweather, professor of marketing at LeTourneau University in Long View, Texas. The speakers represent Fortune 100 companies, the issues they address are very carefully selected and a person who leaves the conference walks away with two days very well spent. Fairweather plans to attend this year, and looks forward to discussion on how e-commerce can be used in supply chain management. Cooksey encourages employees of the Corvette plant to attend. It helps them understand what suppliers are faced with what quality issues are faced by every company, he said. Whenever you pull people together at a conference, it promotes the learning process. The topics are what you come for, and you hear how someone else does it. Parsons added that the annual conference will have a long-term impact on Bowling Green. People will think of the city as a location of a world-class conference, Parsons said. It will contribute to what he describes as a very interesting future for the city. Bowling Green is becoming a real diverse, enriched area to live and work in, Parsons said. It has a small-town flavor with a cosmopolitan outlook. The 27 different languages spoken in Bowling Green mean different ways of looking at things and solving things, he pointed out, adding vibrancy to the community. The GAC will include bilingual presentations. Rochelle Kopp, author and authority on Japanese culture and business, will facilitate two workshops one in English and another in Japanese. Her English workshop will seek to develop further understanding of Japanese concepts of customer service as well as the cultural style of communication. The Japanese workshop will teach Japanese heads of U.S. operations more about the Western thought process and address how technology interacts with and becomes a part of culture. Neil DeKoker, president of the Original Equipment Suppliers Association, David Jean, executive vice president of Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems, and Rich Iler of LanpherWilson Business Consulting will also attend. Rick Wilson, chairman of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, will speak and Gov. Ernie Fletcher has been invited. Other workshops include Safety and Ergonomics in a Manufacturing Environment, by Tim Davidson of MARSH, Barry Smith of GM and Paul Adams of EnSafe; Materials Technology Roadmap for the Southeastern Automobile Industry by Ross Brindle of Energetics in cooperation with SECAT; Ethics and Technology, by Antonio Osuna, Pan Americana Universidad, Guadalajara, Mexico; and Toyota Production System by the Toyota Supplier Support Center. For Cooksey and GM, the event will be a time to share ideas and information about the industry. People have a thirst for knowledge on how (GM) is able to be effective all over the world, Cooksey said. We have tremendous supply chains. He and others from GM will be looking to improve business relationships through meeting with many Original Equipment Manufacturer suppliers. GMs success and its suppliers success go hand in hand, Cooksey said. During the conference, attendees will have the chance to tour the Corvette plant to see GMs manufacturing process. For an industry laden with history in Detroit and the steel belt, this 5-year-old conference comes out of the geographic move toward the South in car manufacturing. The newly developing corridor of automotive is clearly headed south into Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia, in addition to Kentucky Parsons said. Instead of being on the fringe of it, Bowling Green is now a part of it. Little Detroit, as Parson likes to describe Bowling Green, has American, Japanese, French, Korean, and German automotive firms. The city has 62 Original Equipment Manufacturer assembly plants within 500 miles, he said. These include Kentuckys two Ford plants, a Toyota plant and the local General Motors plant, a Toyota plant just across the river in Indiana and two Nissan plants in Nashville. Cooksey is impressed the conference is moving into its fifth year, and that its lasted as long as it has. Youre in the infancy stages comparably, but you have to crawl before you walk, he said. It will grow as successful people attend it. He added that Bowling Green has this conference says a lot about the city. My hats off to the people in Bowling Green, Cooksey said. This town didnt get to where it was being all conservative. To attend, register before March 31 by calling (887) 604-8971. Conference cost is $395. Daily News ·813 College St. ·PO Box 90012 ·Bowling Green, KY ·42102 ·270-781-1700