AUTO-TECH '97 Breaks Attendance Records
24 September 1997
AUTO-TECH '97 Breaks Attendance Records
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. Sept. 24 -- The 10th annual AUTO-TECH
Conference and Exposition held this past August 26-28 at Detroit's Cobo Center
posted a new record for attendance with more than 3,300 industry professionals
attending more than 130 educational sessions over the three day conference --
a 17 percent increase in attendance over 1996.
"Since 1993, we've seen an 84 percent increase in attendance," said Thomas
S. Hoy, AIAG Executive Director on loan from General Motors Corp. "We've
successfully been building AUTO-TECH over the past 10 years to create an
interactive, multi-technology conference that brings value to attendees
throughout the extended enterprise, regardless of their role in the automotive
supply chain."
More than 1,200 attendees packed the conference hall for the Tuesday and
Wednesday lunches to hear keynote remarks from racing legend Mario Andretti
and General Motors Vice President and Chief Information Officer Ralph
Szygenda.
AIAG also sold out the Outstanding Achievement Awards Dinner for the third
consecutive year with 600 industry professionals gathering to honor Johnson
Controls, Inc.; Dana Corporation and 17 individuals for their cooperative
industry efforts. Charlie Szuluk, president of Visteon (formerly Ford
Automotive Products Operations) was the keynote speaker for the evening.
One of this year's AUTO-TECH highlights was a demonstration of the AIAG's
Automotive Network eXchange(SM) (ANX(SM)), a dedicated network service for the
automotive industry. The AIAG's Telecommunications project team, responsible
for the ANX, unveiled the network for the first time and performed more than
60 demos to approximately 600 attendees over two days. Nine different ANX
presentations catered to the specific questions of industry executives.
"This is our second year exhibiting at AUTO-TECH," said Richard S.
Ringlespa, vice president of marketing for Powerway, Inc., a provider of
software applications and educational programs to industry. "We doubled our
booth space this year and believe we get an exceptional value through our
participation. Two days at AUTO-TECH provide us an avenue to reach key
customers and make important contacts."
"AUTO-TECH has become an essential resource for information on auto
industry initiatives, both present and future," said Lee Pittman, vice
president of Industry Relations for Future Three Inc., a provider of
automotive-focused business process software and consulting. "The conference
sessions bring a vast array of industry information to your fingertips -- from
quality to technology -- while the exhibit floor provides a one-stop-shop for
technology and business oriented solutions."
Sponsored by the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG), AUTO-TECH is an
annual conference geared toward improving trading partner relationships while
helping companies improve costs, quality and business practices through the
adoption of new technologies, standards and industry best practices.
Founded in 1982, AIAG is a not-for-profit trade association of more than
1,300 North American auto and truck manufacturers and their suppliers.
Originally recognized for its efforts to standardize electronic data
interchange (EDI) and bar code standards to assist Tier One suppliers, AIAG's
mission has expanded to cover all levels of the OEM supply chain, as well as
to include numerous programs and initiatives aimed at improving its members'
productivity and quality.
More information about AIAG and its annual AUTO-TECH Conference &
Exposition can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.aiag.org.
SOURCE AIAG