One cannot walk 10 feet in Michigan without hearing some discussion about cars or the Big Three.
Independence Township’s Dave Spinweber has a finger on the pulse of the worldwide automobile industry. As a senior consultant for the automotive group of Global Insight, Spinweber knows better than most the key issues surrounding the automotive world.
According to Spinweber, Global Insight is a consulting company known around the world for economic forecasting and accurate economic predictions, particularly for the auto industry.
‘If you’re a company which invented a gadget, we would update you on what’s going on worldwide. Our customers are strategic planning people with companies,? said Spinweber. ‘When a company wants to get involved with a product, we do a study.?
Spinweber said Global Insight writes a ‘white paper,? which provides forecasts for a client showing everything from current utilization and industry trends, to the political situation in the country the company is considering for business.
For example Spinweber said a client from Asia was interested in Delphi’s recent financial situation, so Global Insight gave their analysis of the situation and updates them on events with General Motors and Delphi.
Another company from Europe was interested in what was preventing the European car industry from being more competitive. Global Insight looked into how the United States develops rules and regulations regarding the industry.
‘The big difference is our process requires public comment. After a law hits the docket, it requires a 60-day comment period,? said Spinweber. ‘We’re much more litigious than the Europeans.?
Research on the world wide web, interviews and discussions all go into Spinweber’s day.
‘I spend a lot of time on the web. I don’t know how they did this before the web,? said Spinweber. ‘We’re looking for people who love everything automotive. We’re a bunch of gearheads, but it’s a lot more than nuts and bolts engineering.?
Spinweber’s work often deals with the key issues debated worldwide by environmentalists, business people and government officials.
‘In my (personal) opinion, hybrids don’t make a lot of economic sense. You can add up the money you pay for gas per gallon and the difference you get takes a long time to make you’re money back. A hybrid is a good idea if you have high environmental values,? said Spinweber. ‘Hybrids are dependent on your drive cycle. If you don’t stop often, you can’t see much benefit. If the traffic is tap and go you’ll save some.?
Japan and the United States are leading the market in hybrid technology, while Europe continues to use diesel fuel, he explained.
‘If we wanted to decrease fuel consumption, diesel is the way to go, but there’s difficulty meeting emission standards with diesel. Europe’s emission standards are not as high,? said Spinweber.
Noting that all car companies in this country have announced plans for hybrids, Spinweber thinks many companies worldwide are waiting to see what happens with gas before embarking full speed on the designs.
‘Consumer preference is holding up hybrids. Some consumers make the decision that the hybrid economically doesn’t make sense. The question is how long will the market for hybrids grow with people who make decisions based on the environment,? said Spinweber.
With the debate over global warming raging for the last few decades, Spinweber has formed his own opinions about the controversial issue based on his experience.
‘I buy into global warming. I’m no sure it’s caused those hurricanes (to increase in number)? but I think the data shows the severity of them have increased due to global warming,? said Spinweber. ‘Within my lifetime, weather has gotten worse. When I moved to Michigan in 1977, we had snow every day (during winter). I thought I moved to Siberia. If you think about it now, the winters have been mild.?
Spinweber acknowledges there is data showing the temperature around the globe rising.
‘It’s either global warming or a longer climate cycle. I don’t think we understand the real impacts of it and one of the problems is the science is so young compared to the weather trends. We’re trying to forecast over hundreds of thousands of years,? he said.
Using the example of China adjusting fuel emission standards, Spinweber said the current U.S. political system prohibits that type of government mandate to inflict a massive switch from oil consumption some environmentalists want.
‘If someone said we’re going to reduce our oil dependency, you could do it, but it would require a government mandate. You could require people to only buy from the Big Three and keep money here and say you can only buy stick shift, four cylinder engine which would cut consumption. Our consumer society helps and hurts us,? said Spinweber.
Another recent controversial event surrounds the United States posture on the Kyoto Treaty. When giving a presentation on global emission standards, Spinweber noted the reason the United States did not sign the treaty was due to the costs of implementation and the fact that the law did not address China and India.
?(China and India’s) population and energy demands would have obliterated the advantages of Kyoto by their consumption rates. There’s logic there. Why strap America down if not them too,? said Spinweber.
Since his move to Michigan, there have been other changes besides the weather.
‘Hostility towards foreign cars is fading. We don’t have a nationalistic view of vehicles anymore,? said Spinweber, who buys only Fords so profits stay in this country. The struggles of the United States manufacturing market, particularly the auto industry, is not lost on him.
‘We’re going the way of England. We won’t have domestic industry? I don’t want that to happen,? said Spinweber.
Sometimes Spinweber’s work brings him knowledge that may not always be known by people, even though they drive cars everyday.
‘If you’re going to idle for more than five seconds, turn (the engine) off. I can get more fuel economy by turning the vehicle off than by idling,? said Spinweber.
Before joining Global Insight this past January, Spinweber was involved with the auto industry since 1977, when he worked for Ford in Dearborn doing engineering research. From 1984 to 2004, he worked for several companies dealing with automotive and/or engineering including Bosch, Dana and Magnetti-Marelli.
Prior to working with Ford, Spinweber graduated from Cornell University in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He also earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Penn State University in 1979 and a master’s in business administration from the University of Michigan in 1986.
When not working, Spinweber enjoys car racing on the amateur level in the Sports Car Club of America. He has raced since 1989, but recently took a break as his three daughters enter or finish college.
‘I’m the pit crew, owner, mechanic and racer? It’s like driving an Indy car, but a lot less powerful,? said Spinweber, who has won three races.
The Spinweber family moved to Independence Township in 1996 from Dearborn.
‘We had to find a place and (my company at the time) was in Auburn Hills. We looked north because of the commute,? said Spinweber. ‘My daughter Elly was involved in the marching band, so I called up several of the school districts and Clarkston was one of the top three.?
The presence of Clarkston’s ski team also influenced the move, because the Spinwebers enjoy skiing and heard Clarkston had a strong team.
Spinweber and his wife Carol have been married since 1978 and have three daughters. Caitlin, 16, is a sophomore at Clarkston High School; Allison, 21, is a senior at the University of Michigan; and Elly, 24, works for Reingold Inc. in Washington D.C.