ATLANTA—Genuine Parts Co., parent company to Motion Industries, has named James Howe as president of the subsidiary, effective April 1.
Genuine is a major distributor to the automotive and industrial replacement part markets.
"James has an impressive history, having served in numerous executive roles during his long career at Motion," said Paul Donahue, chairman and CEO of GPC. "His extensive experience makes him an excellent choice to lead Motion.
"We feel confident that under James' leadership, our talented and experienced Motion team will continue to achieve great results."
Howe has been with Motion for more than 30 years, most recently serving as executive vice president and chief commercial and technology officer.
He has directed eCommerce, strategic pricing, sales excellence, corporate accounts and human resources at Motion.
He will report to Randy Breaux, group president of GPC North America.
GPC started in 1928 and has evolved into a leading distributor of automotive and industrial replacement parts. The company's reach extends to the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australasia, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Portugal.
The multi-billion dollar Motion concluded a run of acquisitions in March 2022 with the $1.3 billion mega-deal reached for Kaman Distribution Group.
The Bloomfield, Conn.-based KDG has about 220 North American locations, providing electro-mechanical products, bearings, power transmission, motion control and electrical and fluid power components to MRO and OEM customers.
Breaux told Rubber News at the time that the company aligned strategically for Motion, in both markets to leverage and geographic reach.
