Volvo Joins AIAG'S Year 2000 Task Force

28 April 1998
Volvo Joins AIAG'S Year 2000 Task Force

    DETROIT, April 28 -- With the new millennium quickly
approaching, Volvo Corp. has joined the Big Three automakers and the
Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) Year 2000 Task Force to implement an
aggressive supplier assessment program and support mechanism intended to aid
in a smooth automotive industry transition.
    "Correcting the Year 2000 problem is essential to ensure continuity
throughout the automotive supply chain," said AIAG Executive Director Richard
T. Simmons, on loan from Ford Motor Co.  "Volvo's commitment to working with
suppliers to solve the problem is a significant step forward for European
automakers and will help to increase the global awareness of this time-
sensitive issue."
    As part of its involvement, Volvo will be selecting Tier One supplier
sites, on a global basis, for participation in the Year 2000 assessment
program.  Supplier CEOs will be mailed a Year 2000 self-assessment program
with a completion date to be returned to AIAG.  The surveys will be updated on
an on-going basis and used for tracking Year 2000 readiness throughout the
supply chain.
    Suppliers completing the survey will be given on-line access to a Year
2000 Tool Kit which includes a database of Year 2000 tips and techniques, a
plant floor equipment knowledge database and the specific company's self-
assessment survey.  The interactive survey database allows suppliers to update
surveys as the company's readiness status changes.  AIAG monitors overall
supplier progress and the automakers have access to the surveys completed by
their own suppliers.
    AIAG's Year 2000 Information Center in Southfield, Mich., also supports a
help line staffed by industry professionals supplied by Deloitte & Touche
Consulting Group and Coopers & Lybrand Consulting.
    "The Year 2000 computer glitch impacts the entire automotive industry and
virtually every other industry as well," said Urban Bjoorn, director business
support.  "That's why Volvo has made a commitment to the industry by joining
the comprehensive program developed by Chrysler, Ford and General Motors under
the auspices of the AIAG.  We are now working hard through the additional AIAG
resources to ensure that our suppliers are readying their systems for the Year
2000."
    In addition to the assessment program and support mechanism, Volvo's
suppliers will gain access to other Year 2000 training, workshops, videos and
compliance checklists.  For more information on becoming Year 2000 compliant,
contact the AIAG at 248-358-3570 or visit http://www.aiag.org.
    Founded in 1982, AIAG is a not-for-profit trade association of more than
1,300 automotive 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 automotive supply chain as well as to
include numerous programs and initiatives aimed at improving its members'
productivity and quality.

SOURCE  Automotive Industry Action Group