From Yahoo News... Craig Winn, who had been with DaimlerChrysler for 19 years, joined Aurora, Ontario-based Magna International Inc. as president of the supplier's Symatec North America unit. Winn had been DaimlerChrysler's vice president of Jeep platform engineering. Platforms are the basic building blocks on which vehicles are built. His departure follows the retirement or exit of about seven other top executives from the former Chrysler Corp. When the U.S. automaker merged last November with Germany's Daimler-Benz AG, analysts wondered whether U.S. executives would leave the newly formed transportation giant rather than take a back seat to German executives. DaimlerChrysler's co-chairmen, Juergen Schrempp and Robert Eaton, have criticized media coverage of the executive defections as overplayed. They said when companies merge such movement is natural, and the former Chrysler operations have not suffered any damage. Magna said in a statement DaimlerChrysler supported the move because it will strengthen Magna's role as a key supplier. It also adds an executive with expertise on total vehicle platforms to a company increasingly building larger chunks of cars and as well as handling final vehicle assembly.
Replacing Winn is Craig Love, an "outstanding engineer, and we expect he will make a significant contribution to future generations of Jeep Brand Products," said Bernard Robertson, Senior Vice President - Engineering and Technology. "Craig comes to the Jeep Platform from two very successful niche programs for DaimlerChrysler, the Plymouth Prowler, and EPIC Electric Minivan." Love has spent his entire career at DaimlerChrysler, starting in 1971 at Chrysler Corporation as a Student Engineer.
| 