With the addition of the organization’s 3000th member company, AIAG leadership reflects on opportunities and challenges in an evolving industry.
Southfield, Michigan, December 10, 2018 – The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) today announced a milestone in membership with the recent addition of its 3,000th member company. The significance of this number for AIAG is rooted in the organization’s long-term goal to work collaboratively with and support the automotive industry as a whole by reaching as many industry organizations as possible.
The 3,000th member in question, Ultimate Hydro-form Inc. (UHI), is a Sterling Heights, Michigan based organization that is 100 percent woman owned. Established in 1979, UHI specializes in forming and assembling complex, high precision parts for numerous industries. UHI’s business is currently approximately 50 percent automotive and 50 percent aerospace. In this capacity, they have been focusing on pre-production and concept prove out builds for major OEMs, transplants, and tier 1 suppliers for Body in White (BIW) Systems.
UHI joined AIAG as part of the association’s Sponsored Membership Program, which provides free membership to qualifying organizations and all their employees. As Nancy Malo, AIAG’s director of member services, notes: “Our sponsored membership has allowed us to expand our reach in terms of working with and offering solutions to the global automotive industry. A more diverse membership community fosters a greater exchange of unique ideas and more innovative solutions which benefit us all.”
Following this line of thought in relation to his own company, UHI Vice President Shane Klyn explains, “At this juncture in UHI’s life, it behooves us to be a part of AIAG. Our primary objective at this time is to implement IATF 16949; other organizational goals include gaining insights into the direction of the automotive industry, solving process and technical issues, implementing benchmarked practices in processes and tooling and influencing the industry.”
As with many AIAG member companies, UHI also looks forward to fostering relationships with other members to benefit from best practices and benchmarking efforts. As Klyn explains, “UHI recognizes that being with AIAG is the first step to being part of a large community of automotive manufacturers and suppliers. UHI feels strongly that AIAG is a ‘one stop spot’ for a safe, noncompetitive forum to find answers to our questions.”
Despite their relatively new status to the AIAG membership community, UHI has already taken advantage of one notable member benefit – deep discounts on most AIAG publications. Moving forward, UHI team members plan on becoming more involved by attending AIAG training and certification courses, participating in networking events and volunteering on committees.
“With current membership numbers on the rise and more than 5,000 volunteers from industry organizations, we anticipate even more collaboration in the future,” Malo concludes. “Whether it’s attending a networking event, joining a committee or taking a training, getting involved at AIAG is the key to getting the most out of your membership.”
About AIAG: The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) is a unique not-for-profit organization where OEMs, suppliers, service providers, government entities, and individuals in academia have worked collaboratively for more than 36 years to drive down costs and complexity from the automotive supply chain. AIAG membership includes leading global manufacturers, parts suppliers, and service providers. Visit www.aiag.org for more information.