Sonnax appoints new company president
Sonnax Transmission Co. announced that vice president of operations Klynt Baker has been promoted to president. Baker joined Sonnax in 2018 to oversee manufacturing, engineering, quality, safety, facilities, maintenance, packaging automation and LEAN initiatives at the company’s Vermont and North Carolina locations. He succeeds outgoing president Steve Boyer. Sonnax says that Baker’s leadership and expertise
TCRA 2023 annual meeting in pictures
I’m not sure where all of the years went, but it was a quarter century ago that Corky and Carole Meyers turned an educational user group for their TCRS converter rebuilding equipment into an association of converter rebuilders: the Torque Converter Rebuilders Association (TCRA). The initial meetings of the association took place in Reno, NV
Vehicle average age hits record high
The average age of cars and light trucks in the U.S. has risen again this year to a new record of 12.5 years, according to the latest analysis from S&P Global Mobility. The growth is in line with the firm’s prediction from last year that constrained new vehicle sales would continue to impact and put
Superior’s Jimmy Arledge passes
White recalled that Arledge’s first invention was the AXOD/AXOD-E/AX4S Lube in 1996.
BendPak invests in new global headquarters
BendPak has purchased a new global headquarters in Agoura Hills, Calif. The 22,256-square-foot administrative building, built in 2012 for the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, is situated on 12 acres in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, just west of Los Angeles. BendPak expects to move from its current Santa Paula, Calif., offices by the end of
Transtar launches new AC ad campaign with Vanilla Ice
Transtar has launched a new ad campaign that features musician Vanilla Ice, the “Ice Ice Baby” hitmaker, promoting its vehicle air conditioning (AC) product line. The Transtar AC product line is the organization’s first entry into non-transmission or driveline parts. “The company has grown and evolved in the past year and is more than just
AAPEX announces Joe’s Garage training schedule
AAPEX has announced the schedule for its technical and business-management training courses in Joe’s Garage, an entire floor of The Venetian Expo dedicated to meeting the needs of today’s service and repair professionals. AAPEX will take place Tuesday, Oct. 31, through Thursday, Nov. 2, in Las Vegas. Technical training topics include advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) calibration;
ETE Reman, Gauge Capital announce investment partnership agreement
ETE Reman has announced a new partnership agreement with Gauge Capital, a middle‐market private equity firm based in Southlake, Texas, to recapitalize the company. “We are excited to partner with Gauge and for the resources they add to ETE Reman. Gauge’s investment in the business will allow us to accelerate our growth and further invest
Vehicle miles traveled rise in early 2023
January 2023 was a good month for travel on the nation’s highways, as Vehicle Miles Traveled rose. As measured by the 12-month moving total, January was up 0.4% from December to 3.181 trillion miles, as shown by the chart below. January 2023’s monthly total was up 5.6% over January 2022, according to the Federal Highway
2023 State of the Powertrain Industry
The Transmission Digest Annual Survey of Retail Shops has served as benchmark and planning tool for the industry now for the past 37 years. Charts and tables in this study are based on a survey that was conducted early this year. Where differences are obvious, we separate the responses of transmission specialty shops from general
Powertrain industry directory and buyer’s guide 2023
This is the latest in TD’s annual series of directories for the powertrain industry. Companies that supply products to the powertrain aftermarket are listed in alphabetical order. Because data changes frequently, only organizations that have updated information with Transmission Digest in the recent past are included. Every precaution has been taken in the preparation of
Stellantis transmission plants in Indiana to begin manufacturing electric drive modules
Stellantis announced that it will invest a total of $155 million in three Kokomo, Indiana, plants to produce new electric drive modules (EDM) that will help power future electric vehicles assembled in North America. Investments will be made at the Indiana Transmission, Kokomo Transmission and Kokomo Casting Plants. The gearbox cover will be cast at
