Dayco Sues Ottawa’s Kingdom Auto Parts

Dayco Products, LLC, a subsidiary of Mark IV Industries, Inc., announced it has filed a lawsuit against Kingdom Auto Parts Ltd. based in Ottawa, Ontario.

This federal court action, brought in the Eastern District of Michigan (Detroit) includes claims for trademark infringement, trade dress infringement and false designation of origin, unfair competition and patent infringement under state and federal law. Dayco’s lawsuit is based on certain aftermarket automatic belt tensioners and pulleys sold by Kingdom in the United States.

The lawsuit alleges that Kingdom has been selling automatic belt tensioners and pulleys for the automotive aftermarket that appear to be “Dayco”

Affinia To Close Canadian Facility

As the final elements in a three-year global restructuring program, Affinia Group Inc. has announced plans for closing three manufacturing facilities in the U. S. and Canada. The affected facilities in Dallas, Texas, Litchfield, Illinois, and Milton, Ontario, employ approximately 400 people involved in the manufacture of brake components. Dallas and Milton are expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2009 with the Litchfield closing coming shortly thereafter. Affinia will offer transitional assistance to affected workers. belt tensioners and pulleys but which are, in fact, counterfeit products. The company says the packaging for the Kingdom products includes the well-known “Dayco” trademark and the unique five-digit product code associated with Dayco. Also, Dayco alleges the Kingdom tensioner products themselves duplicate the distinctive, aesthetic, non-functional trade dress elements of the Dayco automatic belt tensioners, including the overall configuration and appearance, the number and shape of ribs, recesses, cutouts and cavities reflected in the product’s castings, and the inclusion of a flat spring.

If left unaddressed, Dayco contends that Kingdom’s use of “Dayco” trademarks, the unique Dayco product numbers and the Dayco trade dress will enable Kingdom to utilize the goodwill established by Dayco for its own benefit. Moreover, Dayco contends that there is a substantial risk to Dayco that confusion in the marketplace regarding the source of the Kingdom products will adversely affect Dayco’s reputation as a provider of superior belt tensioner and pulley products. Dayco has requested a jury trial and seeks a variety of remedies from the court, including permanent injunctive relief, seizure and destruction of infringing goods, monetary damages, punitive damages, costs and attorneys’ fees.

Delphi Appoints Sissmore

Delphi has appointed Malcolm Sissmore as general manager, Canadian Aftermarket and Delphi product & service solutions (DPSS) country director. This appointment is in line with the DPSS global strategy of geographical expansion and customer growth. Sissmore will be responsible for supporting the DPSS expansion strategy in the country, growing Delphi’s business with Canadian aftermarket customers and coordinating DPSS Canadian activities. Delphi’s activities in the Canadian aftermarket focus on products as fuel handling, engine management, HVAC, training materials and diagnostic tools. Sissmore spent the past nine years as vice president, sales & marketing, for Ultrafit Manufacturing in Mississauga Ontario.

Canadian TIA Members Eligible To Join eBay Motors Web Site

The Tire Industry Association (TIA) announced that their Canadian members who provide tire and wheel service can be featured as an available installer on eBay Motors’ Web site for free. Offered as a value-added service to eBay Motors’ customers, the available installer network allows shoppers to select a TIA member business to perform service on their vehicles.

There is no requirement to launch a Web site or even have a computer system in place. TIA will provide basic contact information to eBay Motors on the members’ behalf, including their business name, address and phone number. In addition, TIA will tell eBay Motors which markets they serve and whether they employ TIA-Certified technicians. When an eBay Motors customer has finished shopping, he or she can enter their zip code and select a business in their area to perform service on their vehicle. The TIA logo will signify that a business is a member of TIA, along with a separate identifier, in the event that a business has one or more certified technician(s).

Federal Government Announces Apprenticeship Help

The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development announced two new projects that will promote apprenticeship as an effective training model. Speaking at the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum’s (CAF) 2008 Apprenticeship Conference, Minister Solberg announced a total of $1.37 million in funding to the CAF.

“Apprenticeships are crucial to building a highly skilled and mobile work force,” said Solberg. “Apprenticeships lead to the kind of successful and rewarding careers that Canadians deserve and expect in today’s demanding labour market.”

The Government of Canada will provide the CAF with $1,117,367 in funding through its Sector Council Program. The government says this will help increase engagement and awareness of apprenticeship training and programs among employers, as well as provide them with the information and tools they need to attract and retain apprentices. An additional $262,607 will be provided to the CAF to examine the key barriers to accessing and completing apprenticeship in Canada, and what is being done nationwide to address them.

ACDelco Canada Announces Web Site, Shop Management Offering

ACDelco Canada announced the development of a new Web site devoted exclusively to ACDelco Total Service Support (TSS) Members. The new site compliments the refreshed ACDelcocanada.com.

TechConnect Canada is a restricted access site providing this exclusive base of industry members with an online reference for everything they need to know the TSS Program as well as additional privileged information. The site will feature indepth information on ACDelco Training, helpful diagnostic Tech Tips, as well as updates on What’s New from ACDelco and Latest Promotions. To make it easier for TSS members to take advantage of the benefits they’re entitled to, the site will offer business and marketing support information and downloadable resources.

Users will also have access to special marketing materials — including the “Words on Wheels” Newsletter, and Customer Tools resources. The TechConnect site can be accessed via www.ACDelcoCanada.com, by selecting the Trade Members area or directly via www.TechConnectCanada.com.

As well, ACDelco Canada announced a new shop management system for ACDelco TSS members. TSS members can now access and receive member discounts on the ACDelco Solution (Shop Management System) as powered by Carrus Technologies. The ACDelco Solution as powered by Carrus Technologies provides an integrated program that brings sophistication, reliability and simplicity to the management of the shop’s business, including invoicing, job costing, accounting details and more. The system has a direct link to ACDelco’s Wise Internet Parts System. TSS members qualify for three TSS Solution levels which include discounts. Qualifying shop’s can contact their ACDelco representative or Distributor for more information.

Automechanika Canada Showcase Business, Technical Training

Canadian service providers, jobbers, and technicians need to embrace change and remain on top of their training and new technologies in order to succeed in the coming years.

Presenting at Automechanika Canada in Mississauga, Ont., Bob Greenwood, president of E. K. Williams & Co. said Canadian service providers had to embrace the changes coming, both in terms of new automotive technologies and global competitive pressures, or face rough waters ahead that
could sink their businesses.

However, too many service shops lack the long-term strategic planning needed to move to a maintenance model for future success.

“We have an attitude of waiting for someone else to do something,” Greenwood said. “We have to implement the needed actions ourselves. Vehicles today are better built, last longer and we (as an industry) have not transitioned our businesses from mechanical repair to maintenance. Just running around trying to get business is a recipe for not getting any business.”

Greenwood added that Canadian shop owners needed to invest more in ongoing technician training and business management skills training in order to improve the industry’s poor profit record.

The equation is simple, he told attendees.

“A knowledgeable staff means you can have a higher door rate,” he said. “A poorly educated staff means you will have a low door rate.”

Kelly Bennett, owner of Business Training International, said shop owners also needed to put a greater effort in improving the sales and customer relations ability of service writers in shops. More training is needed to find out who is best suited to work with customers and to better communicate with them in order to build customer loyalty and increase sales.

“If your customers don’t want a lot of (technical) detail, don’t give it to them; other customer will want that kind of detail,” Bennett said. “People have different needs and personalities and we have to meet people on their own level. Not everyone thinks or talks the same.”

Automechanika Canada also featured a wide-range of technical seminars. Mohammed Sammi, president of Sammy’s Auto Electric Service Inc. of Champaign, Ill., presented to a small but interested group of technicians an in-depth look at today’s advanced starting and charging systems.

He warned attendees from the start that his was not to be a presentation for beginners.

“I am not going to talk to you about how a diode works and how a battery charges,” he said. “You should know that. I am going to talk about what is in the market and trends in design. If we know how something works, we know how to diagnose it.”

Sammi, who is also a long-time technical resource for the Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association, ran through a long list of diagnostic tips related to new starter and alternator construction–including connection failures that can leave an alternator in default mode and still able to charge the battery, but can cause a variety of seemingly unrelated malfunctions– as well as a number of other quirky failures that could stump a technician should they try to use the same logic as on older systems.

One catastrophic failure that Sammi said may be of interest to technicians and jobbers who may have seen cores that meet the description involves the Delco PG 260 Starter 6449, which replaces the 3510 and is used in a number of vehicles, including most of the truck line.

“Sometimes, they have a damaged or missing nose,” Sammi added. The place to look for the cause, he says, is nowhere near the starter. The fault in fact lies in the crank position sensor.

“The crank position sensor has a defect, and it will try to advance the timing as much as 25 degrees, so something has to give. So when you take the starter off and the nose of the starter is off, you have to get your scan tool and check for P0338, which is a dead giveaway that you have to change the crank position sensor,” he says, adding the fact that this trouble code will not illuminate the Service Engine Soon light.