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'Detroit in the Cross Hairs' Part 1
The following keynote remarks were delivered by Richard E. Dauch, co-founder, chairman and CEO of American Axle & Manufacturing, at the Detroit Economic Club meeting on May 10:
Thank you Larry (Yost). Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.
I am honored to be joining all of you in this forum today. The Detroit Economic Club, in its 70th year, does a superb job at aligning students along with leaders from business, government and the community to confer on everything from matters of local interest to international issues and world events.
Today, the topic of my discussion combines a critical world event with a matter of great local interest. If you live in Southeastern Michigan, you undoubtedly have felt the tremors relative to the structural change transforming the automotive industry. The epicenter of that change is here in the heartland of the automobile world. But, the fault lines undoubtedly circle the globe.
But the issue for you and me is Detroit. Ladies and gentlemen, like it or not, Detroit is in the cross hairs of world automotive competition.
If you look at the American auto industry in terms of vehicle production, with a Seasonal Average Adjusted Rate (SAAR) hovering 17 million units for 2004, you could assume that it is business as usual for U.S. automakers. But the significance of SAAR takes on a different meaning when you understand that there is a new generation of manufacturers that have become a part of the landscape.
Whether this change is viewed as a success or a setback, depends on whether your job is in Detroit, Michigan; Flint, Michigan; Marysville, Ohio; Smyrna, Tennessee; Mobile,Alabama; San Antonio, Texas; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; or Spartanburg, South Carolina.
CROSSHAIRS
When you come to the end of the article (Part 1), just click on the article's link to Part 2 ("Read Part 2") to complete the remainder of the comments, if you're inclined!
The following keynote remarks were delivered by Richard E. Dauch, co-founder, chairman and CEO of American Axle & Manufacturing, at the Detroit Economic Club meeting on May 10:
Thank you Larry (Yost). Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.
I am honored to be joining all of you in this forum today. The Detroit Economic Club, in its 70th year, does a superb job at aligning students along with leaders from business, government and the community to confer on everything from matters of local interest to international issues and world events.
Today, the topic of my discussion combines a critical world event with a matter of great local interest. If you live in Southeastern Michigan, you undoubtedly have felt the tremors relative to the structural change transforming the automotive industry. The epicenter of that change is here in the heartland of the automobile world. But, the fault lines undoubtedly circle the globe.
But the issue for you and me is Detroit. Ladies and gentlemen, like it or not, Detroit is in the cross hairs of world automotive competition.
If you look at the American auto industry in terms of vehicle production, with a Seasonal Average Adjusted Rate (SAAR) hovering 17 million units for 2004, you could assume that it is business as usual for U.S. automakers. But the significance of SAAR takes on a different meaning when you understand that there is a new generation of manufacturers that have become a part of the landscape.
Whether this change is viewed as a success or a setback, depends on whether your job is in Detroit, Michigan; Flint, Michigan; Marysville, Ohio; Smyrna, Tennessee; Mobile,Alabama; San Antonio, Texas; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; or Spartanburg, South Carolina.
CROSSHAIRS
When you come to the end of the article (Part 1), just click on the article's link to Part 2 ("Read Part 2") to complete the remainder of the comments, if you're inclined!