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MOTIONS AND PROMOTIONS
Dr. Frances E. Lockwood has been promoted to senior vice president,
technology, for The Valvoline Company. according to James J. O'Brien,
the company president.
A native of New Jersey, Lockwood received a BS in chemistry from
Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute (RPI), and an MS in chemical engineering from the Pennsylvania
State University, where she also served as adjunct professor of
chemical engineering. She was only the second woman ever to earn
a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Penn State.
The driving force behind the company's new Valvoline Product Development
Lab in Lexington, KY, Lockwood also led the technical success of
such profitable new products and product lines as SynPower oils
and chemicals, MaxLife motor oil (developed for cars with more than
75,000 miles on the odometer), and the newest product, Spirit 3D
Foam for use on cars and other non-porous surfaces.
AUTO WAX SUES MOTHERS
Auto Wax Company Inc. has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in
federal court in Dallas, TX against Mothers Polishes Waxes Cleaners
Inc. The suit seeks to stop Mothers from infringing Auto Wax's U.S.
Patent No. 5,727,993, and/or from inducing others to infringe this
patent, which protects Auto Wax's clay product. The clay at issue
is sold by Mothers as the "California Gold Clay Bar Paint Saving
System."
Mothers, according to Auto Wax, resells, and/or has resold, clay
supplied by Mark V Products Inc. and Kucala Enterprises. The Mark
V clay was the subject of a previous lawsuit in Dallas. In that
suit, a federal judge and jury found that Mark V had infringed Auto
Wax's patent rights, and ordered Mark V to pay Auto Wax over $3.6
million, including triple damages, attorneys' fees, and prejudgment
interest.
PDQ TOPS IN ISO 9001 AUDIT
PDQ Manufacturing Inc. completed a recent ISO 9001 audit with zero
non-conformances. The main focus of the audit was on management
and systems. Specifically, the audit reviewed PDQ's document control
system, quality system, internal audits, design control, corrective
actions, and management review systems. In 1998, PDQ Manufacturing
Inc. passed the ISO 9001 registration during its first audit.
CARWACS 2002
CARWACS (short for Canadian Automobile, Refueling, Washing and
C-Store Show) 2002 is Canada's premier petroleum convenience center
event and takes place June 5-6, 2002 at the Toronto Congress Centre
in Toronto, Ontario. Produced and managed by Octane Magazine, CARWACS
is sponsored by the Canadian Carwash Association.
Interested parties located in Eastern and Central US can call (905)
891-0365 for further information. If you are located in the Western
US, call (800) 561-1294.
PDQ WINS AWARD
Charlie Lieb, president of PDQ Manufacturing Inc., accepted the
"Manufacturers Award of Distinction 2001" for a medium-size
company (100-299 employees) presented by the Green Bay Chamber of
Commerce late last year in Green Bay, WI. Anindependent panel of
judges selected winners based on excellence in manufacturing as
well as the following criteria:
Customer Focus
Operational Excellence/Continuous Improvement
Commitment to Employees
Profitable Growth
Effective Research & Development
Investment in Training and Retraining.
GREASE MONKEY AWARDS
Grease Monkey International Inc. announced top franchisee award
winners for outstanding performance at its recent Annual Conference
held in San Diego, CA.
The Pursuit of Excellence Award was presented to three winners:
Bill Byrd and Lance Petersen of Port Charlotte, FL; Navfam, Inc.
of Riverside, CA; and Francisco Muzquiz of Monclova, Mexico.
The President's Award went to operators in recognition of excellence
in marketing, operations, and an overall commitment to the Grease
Monkey system. This award was presented to: James Harbeson of Havertown,
PA; Gary Kelley, Marvin Rowan and Wayne Taylor of Fairmont, WV;
and Polo Elizondo and Jose Luis Elizondo of Saltillo and Torreon,
Mexico.
Top sales awards went to Black Gold, LLC, owned by Steve Cloward
and Mike Leone for their center in Parker, CO, and to Bill Navigato
and Navfam, Inc.'s center in Riverside, CA.
The Vendor of the Year Award was presented to Service Champ in
recognition of the quality products and outstanding customer service
it has provided to the Grease Monkey system since 1985.
PROGRAM ASSESSES SKILLS
Castrol North America has developed a new skills assessment and
training program for fast lube technicians. The computer-based Lube
Tech Certification program will ensure that technicians have the
knowledge critical to succeed in today's automotive environment.
The program's unique interactive multimedia format makes difficult
and sometimes-technical issues easy to understand, learn, and implement.
The program, on CD-ROM, covers lubricants, customer service, transmission
fluids, technical service, filters, environmental issues, and shop
safety. It includes tutorial programs, a printable study guide,
a pre-test, and the certification test.
BEND-PAK/RANGER EXPANDS
Bend-Pak/Ranger has begun construction on a new $4.5 million expansion
that will
almost double the size of its current warehouse and administrative
capacity. Four years of planning preceded the construction phase.
Construction began January 1, 2002 along Lemonwood Drive, adjacent
to the company's existing facility in Santa Paula, CA, on a separate
4-acre parcel purchased in the early stages of the new development.
The new expansion, consisting mainly of warehouse space for its
expanding Ranger Products line, will also include additional offices
and a training facility. The new building is scheduled to be complete
by the spring of 2002.
Bend-Pak/Ranger moved to Santa Paula in 1995 from Moorpark, CA
to accommodate growth the company had seen for more than a decade.
CUSTOMER SERVICE SUPERSTAR
Johnny B's Pro Lube of Carbondale, IL has been named the winner
of Performance Resources Inc.'s National Award for Excellence in
Customer Service for the fourth quarter of 2001.
Johnny B's owners, John and Sharon Heern, are no strangers to awards
as they have previously received beautification honors for two of
their locations. They are also extremely proud of the "Customer
Care" rules in place at each of their four locations, which
focus on courtesy and professionalism.
As recipient of this prestigious award, Johnny B's Pro Lube will
receive an engraved plaque noting its achievement. Performance Resources
will also make a donation to the Automotive Oil Change Association's
Scholarship Fund in Johnny B's name.
D&S ACQUIRES PURETAP
D&S Manufacturing of High Ridge, MO has acquired
Puretap Inc., a manufacturer of water vending machines based in
Festus, MO. With this acquisition, D&S is further expanding
its line of vending products for self-service car washes to include
the Puretap water vendor.
The Puretap vending machines will now be marketed
as the PureVend(tm) Water Vendor by D&S. The PureVend Water
Vendor by D&S allows car wash operators the opportunity to sell
their spot free rinse water as premium quality drinking water. The
PureVend systems supply clean, refreshing and delicious water to
the consumer for a fraction of the cost of delivered bottled water.
Bottled water sales are increasing at double-digit growth rates
throughout the U.S.
WMDA's C-STORE EXPO
The WMDA Service Station and Automotive Repair Association has
hosted an Expo dedicated to owners and managers of convenience stores,
for the past 10 years. The Expo continues to grow and each year
is more successful than the year before. This year, WMDA's C-Store
Expo will be held at the La Fontaine Bleu in Glen Burnie, MD on
Tuesday, April 30, 2002.
The C-Store Expo is geared specifically towards owners and managers
of service stations that have convenience stores, co-branded stations,
and car washes. For more information, call (301) 577-2875, ext.
104.
MOPAR PICKS MEGUIAR'S
Meguiar's Inc. has finalized an arrangement with DaimlerChrysler's
Mopar Division to distribute its Professional line of Mirror Glaze
cleaners, polishes and waxes through all Mopar corporate distribution
centers. An official announcement was expected to be made at the
National Automobile Dealers' Association (NADA) Convention on January
26, 2002.
Under the new arrangements, Chrysler/Mopar will offer its dealers
a complete assortment of Meguiar's Professional Mirror Glaze products
that are used in the prep, reconditioning, and detail areas, as
well as in the body shop. Meguiar's will provide DaimlerChrysler
dealer support through easy-to-comprehend collateral materials,
hands-on field training, a "live" call center, as well
as through the Internet.
"Today's paint finishes are superb, both visually and technically,
and easier than ever to maintain with the right formulations, tools
and technicians," says Barry Meguiar, president and CEO of
Meguiar's Inc. "Our emphasis on information and training has
become as important as the products we provide, and it is so rewarding
to teach technicians how to eliminate things like swirl marks, which
have become the number one paint-related complaint among car owners."
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