17 Million Vehicles Sold: Where's the Profit?

Automotive Suppliers Address Key Question During SAE 2003 World Congress

TROY, Mich., Feb. 14 -- As automakers and their suppliers wrestle with competitive pressures to cut costs and lower prices, automotive executives on both sides of the issue are asking: "We just sold 17 million vehicles - where is the profit?" Can OEM and supplier partnerships lead to financial success for both parties? If so, when? If not, what's the new business model that will allow a survivable situation for both manufactures and their suppliers? Executives will tackle these burning questions during the SAE 2003 World Congress, March 3-6, Cobo Center, Detroit, Michigan, USA.

A panel discussion, "17 Million Vehicles Sold: Where's the Profit?" will commence at 4 p.m., Monday, March 3, Technology Theater, Exhibit Hall. It is open to all registered SAE 2003 World Congress attendees. The session will focus on examples of successful partnerships between automakers and suppliers that have led to profitability. New opportunities for engineering teams to develop a new "scorecard" based on systems relationship rather than a commodity relationship will be explored.

Ronald E. Harbour, President, Harbour & Associates Inc., will moderate the panel discussion. Panelists include: J. Michael Laisure, President, Engine & Fluid Management Group, Dana Corp.; James Orchard, President, North America, Visteon Corp.; Robert J. Buckler, President & COO, DTE Energy; Murray Davis, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, DTE Energy; George R. Perry, President & CEO, Yazaki North American Inc.; Donald L. Runkle, Vice Chairman, Enterprise Technologies, Delphi Corp.; and Alan Shaffer, Senior Vice President, American Axle & Manufacturing Inc.

Advance questions for this and other SAE 2003 World Congress Technology Theater panels can be submitted online to theater@sae.org. The speaker to whom you are addressing the question(s) should be noted, as well as the name of the session.

New to the SAE 2003 World Congress: DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors will hold corporate engineering meetings at Cobo followed by VIP tours of the SAE 2003 exhibit floor; a Technology Theater on the exhibit floor, home to executive panel discussions throughout the week; and a recatergorized technical session program.

SAE World Congress, the world's largest showcase of automotive engineering technologies, attracts attendees from more than 40 countries. This year's host company is DaimlerChrysler.

To attend, visit www.sae.org or call 1-877-SAE-CONG (723-2664); outside the U.S. and Canada, call 1-724-772-4027.