Customers flee air bag supplier Takata

TOKYO >> Customers are quickly rethinking their relationship with Takata, leaving the fate of its big air bag business in doubt. On Friday, Nissan and Toyota dropped Takata as an air bag supplier after a similar move by Honda on Tuesday following the largest automotive safety recall in history.

Other Japanese automakers, including Mazda, Mitsubishi Motors and Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subaru vehicles, said this week that they were considering phasing out Takata’s main air bag technology.

For Takata those relationships are critical. Air bags are a major part of Takata’s business, generating about 40 percent of its sales. The trouble centers on the ammonium nitrate propellant in Takata’s air bag inflaters. The ammonium nitrate can destabilize, in extreme cases causing the device to explode and send metal fragments into the vehicle. Eight deaths and more than 100 injuries have been linked to the defective inflaters.

U.S. consumer credit has record month

WASHINGTON >> U.S. consumer borrowing jumped by a record amount in September, driven higher by big gains in borrowing for auto and student loans.

The Federal Reserve says consumer borrowing increased $28.9 billion, the largest one-month increase on record going back to 1941. It followed a gain of $16 billion in August and pushed total consumer borrowing to an all-time high of $3.5 trillion.

ON THE MOVE

The Plaza Assisted Living (The Plaza) has announced the following additions to its senior community management team at its newest community, The Plaza at Waikiki, which opened last month:

>> Beth Seymour has been appointed director of nursing. She brings numerous years of geriatric nursing and acute care experience to her new role.

>> Sasha Dimond was named activities director. She was previously an activities director at The Plaza at Mililani.

>> Ricky Eduarte has been named director of maintenance and housekeeping. He has more than 25 years of building maintenance experience, including serving as director of maintenance and housekeeping at The Plaza at Pearl City.

>> Brian Amacher has been named executive sous-chef. He has 16 years of food service industry experience, completed the American Culinary Federation’s Apprenticeship Program and trained in classical French cuisine.

>> Bonnie McCuddin has been appointed to business office manager. She has numerous years of administration and human resources experience in a variety of fields, including housing, senior care, insurance and community health.