As I write this, Chrysler has entered bankruptcy with a strong possibility that GM may follow. The media are in a tizzy with some predicting a smooth transition for both into leaner manufacturing organizations, while others expect a dramatic bloodbath. Here and there the Tier One suppliers to these two storied American automotive companies are mentioned in passing. Almost no attention is given to the tiers below the first. This is a shame because the issues affecting the small-to-mid-sized supplier companies go far beyond the financial repercussions that they most assuredly will feel. I am extremely concerned with the passing away of our metal-forming-automation sensor and controller skill sets as the under-Tier One suppliers fall in the proverbial domino pattern.
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