DETROIT — At Motor Bella this week, a silver Airstream trailer emblazoned with the blue and white logo of Aisin will be parked on the field at the M1 Concourse. There are no Aisin transmission or other parts in the aluminum trailer, but the rig is an important component in the Tier 1 supplier's effort to recruit engineers.
It's been about two years since southeastern Michigan-based suppliers have recruited at a big, local event. With the North American International Auto Show canceled twice and SAE International having moved its big Detroit conference online the past two years, automakers and suppliers have been deprived of two of their biggest and best venues to recruit engineers.
Motor Bella has attracted about two dozen suppliers as well as every major automaker, and many will use the event to attract potential employees.
The event near Detroit comes at a time when the industry is spending an estimated $300 billion between now and 2026 to develop electric and automated vehicle technology.
A look at the job openings of the major suppliers attending Motor Bella shows hundreds of vacancies, not just in the Detroit area but nationally. Magna International, for example, had 311 engineering job openings listed on its website as of last week.
"Our collaboration with universities is critical to advancing future mobility," said Tracy Fuerst, Magna's vice president of communications. She said recruiters will be at Motor Bella to detail the company's job openings for students and professionals. Magna will display its technologies during the Industry Days event.
