Driving Continuous Improvement When Demand Stagnates

The part got replaced, and the problem went away, but Warner Norcross + Judd attorney and partner Ashley Racette explains why that doesn’t prove it was the culprit, and how a rushed call on root cause can cost suppliers millions on this episode of Automotive Insiders.

When a plant is hours from a line-down, ground freight isn’t an option, and a helicopter might be. Nick McMahon of McMahon Airborne Logistics joins Jason Stein to explain how one phone call puts a part in the air, and how a company that started with one leased helicopter in 1980 became automotive’s last-resort delivery partner.

With growth stalled across the automotive supply chain, Redzone President Ken Fisher explains why suppliers can no longer count on rising OEM volume to protect their margins. Ken and host Jason Stein dig into why the fastest path to profitability right now runs through the frontline — not the capital budget.

Jennifer Dukarski of Butzel joins host Jason Stein to break down AI's legal landmines for automotive suppliers — and previews Butzel's September 17 "Ts & Cs Update”

BEV market share has slid from 10% to 6% in just a few quarters; hybrids are picking up the slack, and the regulatory ground keeps shifting under everyone's feet. Ian Smith of UL Solutions joins the program to break down what it actually takes to validate and certify a vehicle — battery, charger, fluids and all — when nobody's sure which powertrain wins next.

On the latest Automotive Insiders, Matthew Smith, President and CEO of 3C Software, breaks down why suppliers who build their own bottom-up cost model — rather than reacting to whatever number a customer offers — walk into negotiations with real leverage. He and host Jason Stein follow that discipline into today's tariff-driven pricing environment, where suppliers who can reprice in hours instead of weeks are the ones winning the bids, the others lose.

On the latest Automotive Insiders, Greg Urban of Greenwich Capital breaks down the forces reshaping automotive M&A and what suppliers need to know to prepare for the next wave of deals.

Recorded live at the MEMA Original Equipment Suppliers Southern Supplier Summit in Greenville, S.C., Jason Stein sits down with Danielle Momany of MEMA OE and Tim Morris of Tohoom to discuss shifting production forecasts, supplier profitability, RFQ strategy, commercial issue management, and the tools suppliers need to navigate an increasingly volatile automotive landscape. 

Tariffs. EV program delays. Contract disputes. Workforce shortages. For automotive suppliers, the challenges aren't arriving one at a time—they're colliding all at once. Today, we're joined by David DeVine of Butzel to discuss how suppliers can navigate one of the most complex operating environments the industry has faced in years.

Tariffs and supply chain disruption aren’t going away—but they can be leveraged. Mary Buchzeiger, CEO of Lucerne International, explains how suppliers can unlock cash flow, improve control, and turn volatility into opportunity.