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Jim Destefani
Editor
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Big Trouble in Motor City
With gasoline at more than $4/gal and no price let-up in sight, the pressure’s on the Detroit 3 automakers, who for years have made their bones (and whatever profits they had) selling gas-guzzling SUVs and pickups.
The latest bad news comes out of General Motors, which just announced a restructuring plan including elimination of dividends, cuts of up to 20% of its salaried workforce and other cost-cutting measures that will save it $15 billion by the end of next year. The company will also borrow up to $3 billion to see it through the current crisis. GM stock, which traded above $40/share last fall, now is below $10.
As grim as this sounds, GM may have the best chance of any of the former Big Three to survive in the long term—if anything, Ford is even more battered financially, and Chrysler is owned by a venture capital company.
It took a long time to get to this point, and many management decisions along the way have contributed to the decline. The bottom line is, none of the Detroit Three have ever been able to profitably build a decent small car, and they’re now paying for that failure.
ALSO In this issue..
- Finisher’s Perspective
- Painting
- Plating
- Cleaning
- New Products
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Feature Article—High-Tech "Weaponry" for Painters
There are many things finishers can do to reduce coating costs and improve part quality. But, did you ever think using laser-guided spray guns would be one of them? Click here to read about one shop’s experience with the guns.
Painting Clinic—Hash Marks
This reader would like to know what is causing striations, or “hash marks,” on his company’s enameled parts. To read the answer of our painting expert Carl Izzo, click here.
Painting Forum—Lacquer Thinner Issues
A reader is having trouble finding “virgin” lacquer thinner without additives that give it an objectionable odor. Have ideas for a source or potential replacement? Click here.
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Feature Article—Calculating Corrosion
For automotive applications, corrosion performance has most often been measured using salt-spray testing, but that’s beginning to change. To read how, click here.
Plating Clinic—Hull Cell 101
A reader would like to know how to use his Hull Cell, and why it’s designed to hold 267 mL of solution. Our plating expert Art Kushner responds here.
Plating Forum—Copper on PEEK
A reader is looking for a process to plate approximately 20 μm of copper on the OD of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) plastic tubing. Any thoughts? Click here.
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Feature Article—The Value of Spray System Optimization
A few pipes, a pump, some liquid and a few spray nozzles…spray cleaning/pretreatment systems seem simple, but poor performance could be costing your company thousands of dollars per year. Here’s how to avoid such problems.
Cleaning Clinic—Calculating Energy Savings
“How do I calculate energy savings from reducing washer temperature?” a reader wonders. PF’s cleaning expert David S. Peterson answers the question here.
Cleaning Forum—Removing Iron Phosphate
A reader wants to remove iron phosphate pretreatment from mild steel. Click here to kick in your two cents on the topic.
From the product repository of PF Online:
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