East Coast, Wesco: Wesco Group acquires Albert Kemperle Inc.
Toronto, Ontario — The North American paint distribution powerhouses of Wesco Group and Albert Kemperle Inc. have joined forces, with the latter being integrated into the Wesco family. Albert and Mary Kemperle of Kemperle Auto Paint, Body and Equipment first opened their doors in Brooklyn, NY in 1940, expanding over the course of decades and […]
Meet Mitch: Uniparts names new territory manager for Toronto, North GTA
Toronto, Ontario — Uniparts has doled out a piece of turf in southern Ontario to auto industry veteran Mitch Sabourin, the new territory manager for Toronto and North GTA. Sabourin has worked in various automotive supply chains throughout his career, from tools to equipment to chemical products, making his name as the proprietor of a […]
Thieved and Peeved: Car stolen every 48 minutes in Ontario, HelloSafe report says
Toronto, Ontario — A new study from HelloSafe claims that a car is stolen in Ontario every 48 minutes and the bill for all that merchandise is starting to add up big time. Supported by data from the Insurance Bureau of Canada, Statistics Canada, and several other organizations, HelloSafe’s study shows that auto theft costs […]
Rebound Traffic: Kilometres driven higher than pre-pandemic rates, AIA Canada report says
Toronto, Ontario — Canadians are travelling even more than before the COVID-19 pandemic started, with travel rates reaching a peak of 130 billion km travelled in the third quarter of 2021, according to a study by StreetLight Data and released by AIA Canada. The report showed the last peak of 126 billion kilometres driven was […]
Light at the End: SEMA trends report claims supply chain trouble to ease by 2023
Toronto, Ontario — A new future trends report from SEMA is predicting that supply chain constraints in the global automotive industry will finally start to ease by the end of this year. According to SEMA’s data, more than 80 percent of automotive companies reported moderate to severe impacts on their business through 2021, as a […]
Life-Proof Paint: Queen’s University coatings research gets $24 million funding boost
Kingston, Ontario — A research project led by Queen’s University received an injection of $24 million to continue developing molecular coatings technology that aims to extend the lifespan of automotive paints. With this latest boost of funding provided by the New Frontiers in Research Funding program, the university believes that this research could put Canada […]
Oh Boy, NACTOY: Ford and Honda sweep top spots in vehicle of the year awards
Detroit, Michigan — The 2022 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) award winners have been announced, recognizing two old favourites and one new contender that is making its mark in the truck market. The winners of the 2022 NACTOY awards are the Honda Civic, the Ford Maverick and the Ford […]
Fortner’s Fortitude: LKQs Terry Fortner announces retirement, effective July
Toronto, Ontario — Terry Fortner, the long-time v-p of sales and marketing for LKQ has announced his retirement, effective at the end of July. Fortner, who gave 12 years of his career to LKQ, was initially brought on to develop relationships with the company’s corporate insurance partners and high-volume shops. President, Wholesale North America Operations […]
The Story of Inventory: Truck sales prevail amid global inventory shortages, DesRosiers report says
Toronto, Ontario — DesRosiers Automotive Consults Inc. has released its year-end sales report for the Canadian auto sales industry in which the company boils down the past year to the following idea: if 2020 year was the year of no customers; 2021 is the year of no cars. A year into various forms of COVID-19 […]
Farewell Frank: Linamar founder Frank Hasenfratz dead at 86
Guelph, Ontario — Frank Hasenfratz, founder of Guelph, Ontario-based auto parts manufacturer Linamar, has died at the age of 86 years old. Hasenfratz, a survivor of the Hungarian Revolution, was surrounded by family as he finished his battle with cancer on Saturday. Using his skills as a toolmaker and machinist, Hasenfratz managed to start a […]
