As shop owner John "JJ" Jobst said earlier this week at the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) in Chicago, we don’t sell to shops, we sell to people. And people like Carroll Shelby are what make this industry great. This week, AMN readers mourn the loss of the automotive icon, who passed away May 10 at the age of 89. It was announced today that Carroll Shelby International Inc. and Ford Motor Co. will celebrate the incredible life of Carroll Hall Shelby at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles on May 30. The two-day event will feature a display of significant cars, an opportunity for fans to film a message about Shelby, a special ceremony and other activities. An invitation-only memorial service also is being organized.
In other top news this week, industry veteran Bill Long has been named executive vice president of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA). Currently, Long is a managing partner of BC Partners LLC, providing business improvement strategies, global competitiveness, brand relevance development, marketing programs and leadership services. Previously, he was executive vice president, North American operations and officer for Proliance International Inc. He began his aftermarket career at Echlin, first as a field sales manager and then was promoted through a series of positions of increasing responsibility. After Dana acquired Echlin, Long served as vice president and general manager of the Dana Engine Management Division. He was then recruited by the Indy Racing League, where he served as vice president of marketing prior to joining Proliance International. He joins AASA on June 4.
Again, recognizing the positive impact people can make on this industry, Polk this week at GAAS presented the eighth annual Polk Inventory Efficiency Awards. The awards, given in the Manufacturing and Distributor/Retailer categories, recognize and reward outstanding aftermarket companies for process improvements in supply chain and inventory efficiency. This year, The Timken Co. and Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance Inc. were honored. To read more about the inventory efficiencies that earned the two businesses these accolades, click here.
Within the manufacturing segment, Federal-Mogul recently introduced what the company says will be a new benchmark for ceramic friction technology with a broad new line of premium ceramic brake pads engineered specifically for today’s foreign nameplate and domestic passenger vehicles. New Wagner ThermoQuiet CeramicNXT brake pads were designed within the company’s global network of advanced research and development facilities serving the original equipment and replacement markets. Click here to read more about the engineering behind this next generation in friction technology.
Last in our look back at the week’s most popular news items, we are pleased to announce the release of the 2012 AASA Top 100 Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers list. Now in its eighth year, this multi-page, full-color publication features information on the largest suppliers to the automotive aftermarket, and ranks suppliers by annual North American aftermarket sales.
