AIAG'S AUTO-TECH 2000 Sets Attendance Record; AUTO-TECH 2001 Slated for Aug. 28-30

18 September 2000
AIAG'S AUTO-TECH 2000 Sets Attendance Record; AUTO-TECH 2001 Slated for Aug. 28-30
    SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Sept. 18 The 13th annual Automotive
Industry Action Group (AIAG) AUTO-TECH Conference and Exposition held Sept.
12-14, 2000 at Detroit's Cobo Center posted another record year, with more
than 4,000 industry professionals attending more than 120 educational sessions
during the three-day conference.
    "With this year's conference and exposition focusing on the growing
importance of global e-commerce, we saw a steady increase in conference
attendance," said Kenneth W. Godzina, AIAG executive director.  "Attendees
have found that by attending AUTO-TECH they learn valuable information that
they can utilize within their companies and supply chains."
    Educational sessions held at the conference focused on key industry
initiatives -- such as electronic data interchange (EDI), ANX, automatic
identification and bar coding, materials management, supply chain integration,
quality, customs and regulatory reporting, engineering and product data
exchange, global automotive issues, OEM updates, packaging and returnable
containers.
    The exposition included more than 150 booths featuring some of the latest
productivity-boosting technologies and approaches related to automatic
identification, CAD/CAM, materials management, logistics, electronic commerce,
packaging, international trade and more.
    More than 1,200 attendees packed the conference hall for the two luncheon
sessions to hear keynote remarks from Peter A. Weiss, DaimlerChrysler Corp.
lead and member of the executive team for Covisint, and three-time Emmy award-
winning sportscaster Greg Gumbel.
    More than 400 industry professionals gathered to honor Cummins, Inc.,
Dofasco, Inc. and 23 individuals for their volunteer work on cooperative
industry efforts at the Outstanding Achievement Awards Dinner.  Joseph C. Day,
chairman and chief executive officer of Freudenberg-NOK, was the keynote
speaker for the awards dinner.
    Sponsored by the AIAG, AUTO-TECH is an annual conference and exposition
geared toward improving trading partner relationships, while helping companies
improve cost, quality and business practices through the adoption of new
technologies, standards and industry best practices.
    For information on attending or exhibiting at AUTO-TECH 2001 -- which is
scheduled for Aug. 28-30, 2001 at Detroit's Cobo Center -- please contact the
AIAG at 248-358-9782.
    Founded in 1982, the AIAG is a not-for-profit trade association of over
1,600 automotive and truck manufacturers and their suppliers.  AIAG's purpose
is to provide an open forum where members cooperate in developing and
promoting solutions that enhance the prosperity of the automotive industry.
Its focus is to continuously improve business processes and practices
involving trading partners throughout the supply chain.
    More information about the AIAG and its annual AUTO-TECH Conference &
Exposition can be found at its website at http://www.aiag.org