Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Automotive News
  • Automobilwoche
  • Automotive News Canada
  • Automotive News Mexico
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Login
  • HOME
  • News
    • Photos
    • Automakers
    • Suppliers
    • Sales By Market
    • Environment/Emissions
    • Latest Launches
    • Sales and Retail
    • Car Cutaways
    • On The Move
    • EU, Japan back automatic braking regulation
      German auto jobs at risk from hard Brexit
      Aston Martin to preview SUV for revived Lagonda nameplate at Geneva show
      How VW, Daimler, BMW, others are transforming into tech companies
    • Sweden's Veoneer forecasts flat sales in 2019
      Ionity boss has plan for stations across Europe; he just needs an EV boom
      Moscow's short-term car rental boom highlights threat to automakers from new players
      German auto jobs at risk from hard Brexit
    • Porsche, Alfa Romeo and Nissan take big hits as European sales fall 5% in January
      Russia sales rise nearly 1% in January despite VAT increase
      Audi, Fiat, BMW among losers as Spanish sales fall 8% in January
      Volvo, VW gain sales in UK market down nearly 2% in January as diesel plunge continues
    • Volvo blurs the wagon/SUV line with the V60 Cross Country
      view gallery
      7 photos
      New Range Rover Evoque designed for the 'urban jungle'
      Range Rover Evoque gets hybrid tech to cut emissions
      Tarraco gives Seat a flagship SUV to help retain wealthy buyers
    • Ferrari will unveil V-8 hybrid supercar this year
      Mercedes outsold Audi in China last month on sedan demand
      Tesla's Musk visits Norway to review delivery delays
      Europe's minicar segment to shrink as VW, PSA mull axing their smallest cars
    • Suppliers to the new Porsche Panamera
      Suppliers to the new Peugeot 5008
      Suppliers to the new Seat Ibiza
      Suppliers to the new VW Touareg
    • Daimler appoints Airbus exec as finance chief
      VW China CEO to join VW brand's management board
      Mini USA names marketing veteran McKenna head of product planning
      Dyson hires former Infiniti chief to head its electric-car business
    • Geneva Photo Gallery
    • Beijing Photo Gallery
    • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
    • Paris Photo Gallery
    • Shanghai Photo Gallery
  • Auto Shows
    • Geneva Auto Show
    • Frankfurt Auto Show
    • Paris Auto Show
    • Beijing Auto Show
    • Shanghai Auto Show
    • China EV startup Aiways will launch SUV in Europe
      Bentley revs up Bentayga with Speed variant
      Skoda will debut first EV at Geneva show
      VW Passat gets cleaner diesel, partial autonomy
    • Bugatti considers four-door model for 2024
      Frankfurt photo booth
      Frankfurt's best and wurst
      Merkel says German car industry must work to rebuild trust
    • Vietnam's first automaker now has names for first sedan, SUV
      Bugatti mulls SUV as part of broader model range
      Ferrari Monza supercars will earn $755 million in revenue
      China's GAC likely to debut in Europe with an EV
    • VW will launch SOL EV brand in China with subcompact crossover
      view gallery
      9 photos
      BMW's iX3 concept heralds electric expansion
      view gallery
      9 photos
      BMW will export iX3 electric SUV to Europe, U.S. from China
      view gallery
      15 photos
      Mercedes-Maybach is betting on a hybrid SUV-sedan look
    • view gallery
      7 photos
      Jeep finds green groove with plug-in hybrid SUV concept
      Ferrari, Aston Martin, Maserati sales soar in China as rich snub austerity push
      China's luxury market to grow to 3M a year, Audi, Mercedes predict
      view gallery
      10 photos
      Mercedes hints at new styling with sedan concept
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Luca Ciferri
    • Douglas A. Bolduc
    • Paul McVeigh
    • Ford's 'redesign' for Europe emphasizes SUVs, LCVs
      Russia's Google, Yandex, impresses with its self-driving tech
      Renault Twizy gets new life in Korea as motorcycle replacement
      Why the car is no longer the ticket to freedom
    • Ford's 'redesign' for Europe emphasizes SUVs, LCVs
      Russia's Google, Yandex, impresses with its self-driving tech
      Renault Twizy gets new life in Korea as motorcycle replacement
      Why the car is no longer the ticket to freedom
    • Ford's 'redesign' for Europe emphasizes SUVs, LCVs
      Russia's Google, Yandex, impresses with its self-driving tech
      Renault Twizy gets new life in Korea as motorcycle replacement
      Why the car is no longer the ticket to freedom
    • Ford's 'redesign' for Europe emphasizes SUVs, LCVs
      Russia's Google, Yandex, impresses with its self-driving tech
      Renault Twizy gets new life in Korea as motorcycle replacement
      Why the car is no longer the ticket to freedom
  • Maps
    • E-Car & Component Map of Europe
    • Powertrain Map of Europe
    • Assembly Plant Map of Europe
  • Supplements
    • Connected Car
    • Talk From The Top
    • BMW 100
    • Car Cutaways
  • EVENTS & AWARDS
    • Automotive News Europe Congress
    • Rising Stars
    • Eurostars
    • Leading Women
  • E-MAGAZINE
    • Read the latest issue
    • Download the app
    • Subscribe
  • More
    • E-Magazine
    • Contact Us
    • 2019 Media Kit
    • About Us
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Automotive News Europe
January 17, 2000 12:00 AM

Y2K glitches were few and minor, industry reports

Ralph Kisiel
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    On New Year's Eve, Johnson Controls Inc. had prepared for the worst.

    The US supplier had SWAT teams - Strategic World Action Teams - in Plymouth and Holland, Michigan, and in Milwaukee.

    JCI had made equipment upgrades, replaced software and examined 500 key supplier sites to prevent any Y2K problems.

    But when the new century arrived, the company experienced no significant Y2K problems. A computer spat out a wrong date, but that was it.

    That appeared to be the story throughout the industry. By Tuesday, January 4, automakers and suppliers were cautiously declaring victory.

    A few glitches cropped up, but nothing serious. Some factory robots refused to operate. Some computers dated materials 1900, rather than 2000. But 'no major problems' was the common refrain.

    The key word is no major problems, said Joe Bione, partner at Deloitte & Touche Consulting.

    'For anybody to say there's been no problem, that this has been a hoax, they don't know what they are talking about,' Bione said. 'Nobody that I know has shut down. But the yellow flags have gone up on a couple. There will continue to be some problems.'

    Deloitte & Touche was part of an industry consortium that helped automakers and suppliers prepare for Y2K.

    While no critical problems were encountered, some problems needed immediate attention.

    'There was a robot here and there shutting down that wasn't checked or looked over,' Bione said. 'Obviously, one robot is not the end of the world, but if it's in the middle of a production line, it certainly could stop the line for a while.'

    But problems were quickly fixed or were 'work-arounds,' Bione said.

    At DaimlerChrysler's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Susan Unger, chief information officer, said operations have been running smoothly since Sunday, January 2, when 181 Jeep Grand Cherokees were assembled at its Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit without a hitch.

    'We had some very minor things that did not affect production or selling of vehicles or suppliers or anything else,' Unger said.

    The industry consortium that helped companies prepare for January 1 monitored results from suppliers at the start of the year. In all, 8,000 supplier sites used a consortium website to report the results of two production checks.

    Core consortium members are the Automotive Industry Action Group, DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Manufacturing USA, Volvo Car Corp., Deloitte & Touche Consulting and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

    'We provide that data electronically back to the OEMs and they can see specifics about their suppliers,' said Fred Craig, AIAG Year 2000 program manager.

    The information relayed to the automakers supplemented that which was obtained from suppliers, he said.

    'I heard of one problem,' said John Ahearne, a GM spokesman. 'A report that was generated in Canada, instead of saying 00/01/01, it said 19/01/01. That's not very serious. That's the nature of the stuff.'

    Monthly E-Magazine
    Thumbnail
    View latest issue
    See our archive
    Sign up for free newsletters
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up and get the best of Automotive News Europe delivered straight to your email inbox, free of charge. Choose your news – we will deliver.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Automotive News Europe Monthly E-Magazine

    Sign up to receive your free link to each monthly issue of Automotive News Europe as soon as it's published.

    GET THE E-MAGAZINE
    Connect with Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram

    Founded in 1996, Automotive News Europe is the preferred information source for decision-makers and opinion leaders operating in Europe.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI  48207-2997
    Tel: +1 877-812-1584


    Email Us

    Resources
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • 2019 Media Kit
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Awards
    • Rising Stars
    • Eurostars
    • Leading Women
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    Copyright © 1996-2019. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • HOME
    • News
      • Photos
        • Geneva Photo Gallery
        • Beijing Photo Gallery
        • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
        • Paris Photo Gallery
        • Shanghai Photo Gallery
      • Automakers
      • Suppliers
      • Sales By Market
      • Environment/Emissions
      • Latest Launches
      • Sales and Retail
      • Car Cutaways
      • On The Move
    • Auto Shows
      • Geneva Auto Show
      • Frankfurt Auto Show
      • Paris Auto Show
      • Beijing Auto Show
      • Shanghai Auto Show
    • Opinion
      • Blogs
      • Luca Ciferri
      • Douglas A. Bolduc
      • Paul McVeigh
    • Maps
      • E-Car & Component Map of Europe
      • Powertrain Map of Europe
      • Assembly Plant Map of Europe
    • Supplements
      • Connected Car
      • Talk From The Top
      • BMW 100
      • Car Cutaways
    • EVENTS & AWARDS
      • Automotive News Europe Congress
      • Rising Stars
      • Eurostars
      • Leading Women
    • E-MAGAZINE
      • Read the latest issue
      • Download the app
      • Subscribe
    • More
      • E-Magazine
      • Contact Us
      • 2019 Media Kit
      • About Us