| Aisin Seiki Co. Ltd., a leading Japanese auto parts | | | | Japanese companies also signifies the importance of |
| supplier and partly owned by Toyota Motor Corp. the | | | | the US market to their bottom line. It is no secret |
| producer of high quality Toyota Corolla parts has | | | | that Toyota, Honda, and Nissan generate more than |
| chosen for the first time an American to head its US | | | | half of their earning in North America. |
| operations. This is part of the latest series of | | | | In what seem to be a symbolic move Toyota has |
| promotions of US executives at Japanese auto | | | | also appointed its highest-ranking North American |
| companies. | | | | executive, Jim Press the very first non-Japanese |
| Aisin Seiki is expected to announce the name of Don | | | | member of its board last June. |
| Whitsitt, who is a 19-year veteran of the company | | | | Aisin Seiki part of Toyota's network of affiliated |
| and has been appointed president of Aisin World | | | | companies contributes nearly fifth of its $20.2 billion in |
| Corp. of America, based in Plymouth. | | | | annual global ales in North America. The Aisin World |
| The appointments of American executives to high | | | | Corporation of America has 28 manufacturing, sales, |
| positions in Japanese automakers are the result of | | | | and research facilities in North America and about |
| shortages of Japanese managers. According to | | | | 10,000 employees. Last 2005 it opened a vehicle |
| George Peterson, president of consultant firm | | | | probing ground in Fowlerville. |
| AutoPacific Inc. in Tustin, California, "The Japanese | | | | Whitsitt in an interview with The Detroit News last |
| used to be very chauvinistic about using people of | | | | Monday said, "As we expand in North America, we'll |
| their own nationality but that's loosening up. The | | | | localize production more and more, not just with our |
| engineering and management resources of many | | | | content but with our suppliers." |
| Japanese companies are getting stretched. They're | | | | He also added that Aisin aimed to expand its North |
| also finding that the best thing for them is to find the | | | | American operations and at the same time diversify |
| best and brightest managers," regardless of | | | | its customer base. At present Toyota is still the |
| nationality." | | | | biggest client of Aisin World Corp. of America |
| Last year Honda has promoted Frank Paluch to head | | | | accounting to the company's 50 to 60 percent of |
| Honda R&D Americas' engineering and design division, | | | | revenues. General Motors is also a client of Aisin |
| which has produced a third of the vehicles sold in the | | | | World Corp. |
| region. Honda spokesman David Iida said, "This | | | | Whitsitt will be replacing Jurichi Nishimura who will |
| speaks to the maturity of Honda's local development | | | | return to Japan to take care of the company's global |
| capabilities." | | | | sales. |
| The increasing numbers of American executives at | | | | |