After the failures of two prominent minority-owned suppliers amid a shrinking North American auto industry, others are wondering: Who's next?

Crain's Detroit Business, July, 2006 by Snavely, Brent

Byline: Brent Snavely The demise of Engineered Plastic Products Inc. on June 30 stunned many in the minority-owned supplier community and underscored their own uncertainty about their future as the North American automotive industry continues to shrink. For more than 15 years Engineered Plastic Products, owned and founded by Gerald Edwards, was a successful automotive supplier that was praised often by customers.

Before experiencing a $2.5 million cost overrun on a new product launch last year that led to a Chapter 11 filing in March, Edwards had received five consecutive supplier of the year awards from 1999-2003 from General Motors Corp. "He was the best of the best,'' said Glenda Gill, executive director of the automotive project for RainbowPush...

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