
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, June 30, 1995                   TAG: 9506300055
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

U.S.-JAPAN TRADE ACCORD MAY HELP VIRGINIA COMPANIES

The trade accord between the United States and Japan is expected to spur interest among Virginia companies making auto parts, although some of those outfits said it was too early to determine the impact.

Joe Robinson, manager of the Virginia Department of Economic Development's international trade office in Roanoke, said he expects to be getting calls within the next couple of weeks from companies interested in taking advantage of the new Japanese markets.

The Virginia Department of Economic Development said 81 plants in Virginia are involved in the manufacture of automotive parts.

Three dozen of those auto-part makers are located in Western Virginia and have a total employment 6,241. Some of those workers, however, are involved in making other products.

Dave Boyd, general manager of the Automotive Industries Inc. plant in Covington, said he wasn't in a position to know yet what the impact of the agreement would be on his business, which makes door trim.

Boyd said his plant supplies parts to the U.S. plants of Japanese automakers. The trade agreement is expected to increase production at Japanese plants in the United States.

Jan Toennisson, a spokeswoman for Intermet Corp. of Atlanta, said the U.S.-Japanese trade agreement is not expected to have a major impact on the company, because its business is so closely tied to the domestic auto industry. Intermet owns two foundries in Radford that make castings for the auto industry.

Toennisson said, however, that Intermet would be interested in pursuing any new business that is created by the trade pact.

Rubatex of Bedford, which makes fabricated rubber parts and gaskets, may see a little new business from the trade pact, said Steve Schaefer, the company's CEO. Up to this point, though, the company has been a supplier of parts to domestic plants, he said.

by CNB