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MotnHer‘s Day Winner Julia LiSetto (centre) was the lucky winner of the recent Mother‘s Day draw at Harvey‘s at the Upper Oakville Shopping Centre for a free membership to the Mademoiselle Spa, 474 Iroquois Shore Rd. Presenting the prize were (left) Christina Hermansson, manager of Mademoiselle Spa, and Suzzanne Davis, of Harvey‘s. (Photo by Riziero Vertolli) Quality checklist [= Eightway handtied coil springs O Builtâ€"in leg construction O Joints, double dowelled _ comner blocks _ _ _ O You choose the fabric O You choose the frame 4205 Fairview St., Burlington 634â€"5298 Mon.â€"Wed. 10:00 a.m.â€"5:30 p.m., Thurs.â€"Fri. 10:00 a.m.â€"9:00 p.m. Sat. 10:00 a.m.â€"5:30 p.m. BUSINESS Family Owned and Operated Since 1977 O Good choice of finishes incl. white wash 9 Matchi:fi bedroom pes. avail. Beautiful Pine Sleigh Bed Quality Buttersoft leather sofa loveseat chair avail Queen By LINDA GUTRIL Special to the Beaver "I _ ‘strongly believe battleground of the ‘90s will be found in the showroom and service departments," James G. O‘Connor told an annual shareholder meetine. repare to be wooed "hassleâ€" Pfree” by Ford Motor Company of â€" Canada, Limited. Be relatively assured of a stable employment outlook at Fordâ€" Oakville. And watch for new products such as the Windstar minivan, to be built in Oakville for all of North America and possibly overseas, the president and chief executive officer of Ford said Tuesday. "In the sales showroom, we‘re changing the traditional selling process. Customers are not to be hassled," O‘Connor said. "Product and warranty features are to be fully explained in an advisory manner," he said. Ford expects six more months of dealer training which aims for uniform service standards at Ford dealerships, with all staff. "I‘m very pleased to say to you, the dealers are embracing us," he said. An independent audit put Ford tops in performance improvement, ‘92 over ‘91, for vehicles, sales and service. Dealers in turn receive defectâ€"free vehicles and prompt response on technical requests. The service challenge has replaced a global one, as nearly one in three import owners plans to buy North American next time, O‘Connor said citing Ford research. In fact, a chunk of global concerns dissolved with Japan‘s Ford president sees bright future ahead HOPEDALE MALL 15 Rebecca Street of Naturalizer Shoes SERVICE e SELECTION e SIZES AA 7 to 11 «B 4 to 12 * C 5/ to 11 * D 5/ to 11 (Independently owned and operated) Already in James V Connor 1993‘s first quarter, Ford enjoyed a $14â€"million profit despite the slow, jobless economic recovery with unemployment stuck at about 11%. Ford predicts 1993 gross domestic product increase of 2.6% over 1992‘s 9/10th of a point. Inflation will likely remain low. The consumer price index likely will be 2.5% over last year‘s 1.5%. "In major markets such as Toronto and Montreal, it‘s more than 50%," O‘Connor said. Windstar is one of 13 new vehicles planned for the next two years. Retooling Oakville Assembly Plant to produce the minivan by January 1994 is expected to affect Ford‘s 1993 operating results. Other factors are the Canadian dollar fluctuations and auto industry overcapacity. firstâ€"quarter car sales dropping 23% and even 30%, compared to only less than a percent car sales drop by all Big Three â€" Ford, GM, and Chrysler. Ford lost $133â€"million in last year‘s first quarter. The $133â€" million swing to black ink is a first quarterly profit in 11 quarters, O‘Connor said. Also on the bright side, truck sales of the Big Three are up 2% this first quarter while Japan‘s are down 10%. This bodes well for Windstar, as minivans account for nearly 40% of trucks sold in Canada. Lack of revenue due to the idle James O‘Connor Free TQM Process breakfast seminar Bryan Onion, of Brycar Consulting will speak about "The Basic Activities of a TQM Process" at a breakfast seminar May 26th. The seminar is sponsored by O‘Connor MacLeod and Arthur Rivard Associates Inc. The seminar runs from 7:45 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Oakville Holiday Inn. Anyone interested in attending the complimentary seminar or who would like to be added to the mailing list for the "Fall" Breakfast Seminar Series, should contact either Jarvis Sheridan at O‘Connor MacLeod (842â€"8030)) or Art Rivard at Arthur Rivard Associates Inc. (847â€"0560). OPEN HOUSE Sunday, May 23 2â€"4 p.m. 399 Willis Drive $205,000 2l Layoffs will range from five weeks to three months, starting Oct. 1st. Worker return will be gradual, public affairs viceâ€"president Tony Fredo told media. plant will be the biggest concern of the fourth quarter, O‘Connor said. Oakville employs 5,000 of Canada‘s 13,000. Windstar requires 1,100 additional workers; first dibs on jobs go to 900 laid off in Windsor and St. Thomas; also Niagara Falls, from where already 50 have arrived. The conversion will be the assembly plant‘s most extensive. A major people conversion is also underway. Oakville‘s Sheridan College, Ford, and Canadian Auto Workers are collaborating to train 3,900 employees an average 324 hours each for 1.265 million hours of classroom and onâ€"theâ€"job training. "The future of this particular plant has never looked brighter," Fredo says. "It‘s the only plant in North America building a product in a North American segment that‘s growing." O‘Connor expressed confidence in Windstar because compared to competitors it will be stateâ€"ofâ€"theâ€"art with airbags and hiâ€"tech. It will have frontâ€"wheel drive, just like the competition. Oakville Assembly Plant marks 40 years this month. On other roads, Ford dazzled shareholders just as it did consumers during a recent auto show in Toronto. Displayed were two alternate fuel vehicles which the annual report describes â€" the electricâ€" powered Ford Ecostar van, and the Taurus Flexible Fuel Vehicle. FRIDAY, MAY 21, 1993 PAGE 24