TRAVERSE CITY - David Cole, the host of the Management Briefing Seminars, kicked off Friday?s Powertrain program by praising bio-diesel, ethanol and other cellulose-based gasoline brews. Such new fuels ?don?t need invention,? Cole says, ?they need aggressive investment and development.? He criticizes CAF� standards as misconceptions of ?politicians in fantasyland.? Cole?s recommendation? The U.S. government
TRAVERSE CITY - Former Marine Corps combat pilot Robert A. Lutz became a star executive at GM, Ford, Chrysler and Exide, then returned to GM as vice chairman for Global Product Development. For 40 years he has been a visionary, advocate of innovation and butt-kicker of the lazy-minded. He may also be the greatest promoter
BOSTON - U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff defended a federal move toward a secure driver's license identification system Wednesday before state legislators who are actively opposing the proposal on both financial and philosophical grounds. Two hours after Chertoff's speech at the National Conference of State Legislatures, delegates called for repeal of the law unless
LANSING - Business leaders on Wednesday implored members of the House Tax Committee to pass what they called a technical fix to the Michigan Business Tax that, if left unchecked, could cost state corporations millions. Meanwhile, Ann Marsden, CEO of the Michigan League for Human Services, said that the proposed change businesses ask for is
TRAVERSE CITY - The tarmac at Cherry Capital Airport was populated with corporate jets Wednesday morning, indicating the arrival of automotive industry big guns scheduled to share their wisdom with 1,200 or more acolytes assembled in the ballroom at the Grand Traverse Resort. This year's theme is "The Road Ahead - Steering Through Discontinuous Change."
DEARBORN - Ford Motor Company Thursday confirmed the distribution and pricing strategy of Ford Sync, an advanced in-car communication and entertainment system developed in collaboration with Microsoft. On models where Sync is optional, it will be priced at $395. Sync will be standard on Lincoln vehicles and widely available on Ford and Mercury vehicles. In
TRAVERSE CITY - Opening the Monday session on manufacturing in the era of Discontinuous Change, CAR CEO Dr. Jay Baron quoted from Thomas Freidman's book, "The World Is Flat." Freidman claims globalization "is good for everyone." Not everyone in the audience appeared to agree, however. Joseph R. Hinrichs, Ford's V-P for North America Manufacturing, and
TRAVERSE CITY - Tuesday?s Designing for Customization briefing was chaired by John Waraniak, vice president of the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association. This marked the first major participation in CAR's annual international conference by automotive aftermarket forces. It's a multi-billion dollar market that's getting bigger as the Generation Z population climbs toward 100 million. SEMA's big
BOSTON - A report from the National Conference of State Legislatures said Monday that lawmakers should seize the opportunity to lead reform of a U.S. higher education system that no longer is the best in the world. A 12-member NCSL "Blue Ribbon Commission" said that in dealing with higher education policy-making, legislators react rather than
BOSTON - The federal Real ID driver's license law is drawing considerable opposition from states as a multi-billion dollar unfunded mandate, yet it is not without its supporters. A self-described "grass roots" organization called the Coalition for a Secure Driver's License said as the National Conference of State Legislatures opened its annual meeting that implementation