Matchmaking event helps car manufacturers meet American car part suppliers

"The ballrooms in Huntsville, Alabama's Von Braun Center aren't exactly romantic. There are the fluorescent lights, those gray conference room dividers. And with more than 180 sellers, it's pretty loud. But one thing it does have in common with actual dating are the jitters. So how's the speed dating been going? JACK GRACE: Nerve-racking. BISAHA: Jack Grace is the director of sales for Landrum Workforce Management, which provides staffing and consulting. He's nervous because.... GRACE: You get five minutes to either get it right or not get it right."

"BISAHA: And, yeah, that's the way it goes. Five minutes for sellers like Grace to pitch many of the biggest carmakers in the South like Honda, Mercedes and Hyundai until... (SOUNDBITE OF DEVICE BEEPING) BISAHA: The beep means it's on to the next date. The Southern Automotive Conference has been doing this matchmaking event for 13 years. The big idea here is making networking easier. And Grace says it works. GRACE: Having this environment where it's very distilled, albeit a little chaotic, is really interesting."

"The big talking point this year is tariffs. President Trump put a 25% tariff on most cars and auto parts, though, there's recently been some relief for cars assembled in the U.S. The goal is getting carmakers to move more of their supply chain to the United States to avoid tariffs."

Carmakers can avoid tariffs by sourcing more parts from American suppliers. Complex and fragmented supply chains make it difficult for suppliers and manufacturers to meet. A Southern Automotive Conference event in Huntsville uses a speed-dating format to bring over 180 sellers together with major automakers for short, focused five-minute pitches. The rapid-rotation meetings compress networking into a distilled but occasionally chaotic environment that helps suppliers introduce capabilities quickly. U.S. tariffs of 25% on most cars and auto parts have increased urgency for domestic sourcing, and some tariff relief exists for vehicles assembled in the United States.

Read at www.npr.org