by Amy Antenora
Managing Editor, aftermarketnews.com
CHICAGO — While he admits the word is a bit overused in our industry, Scott Luckett, chair of the 2004 Aftermarket eForum conference, told the crowd of more than 350 attendees at this year’s eforum that “More than anything else, this conference is about collaboration.”
The full house at the event was proof positive of the growing need and interest in learning more about supply chain technology processes and collaborative initiatives. As witnessed in the number of presentations taking place on Tuesday, implementing supply chain technology in the aftermarket isn’t so much about IT as it is about collaboration between trading partners. Presenters at the event focused on showing real-world examples of how their companies implemented and manage supply chain technology – from the manufacturer, warehouse distributor and solutions provider levels.
Starting off the day was Activant’s Terry Ross, with a presentation titled “Chimneys, Chutes and Chickenheads: What to Expect from Your Technology Partner,” which used mountain climbing terminology to help create an analogy of supply chain technology processes in the aftermarket. Reiterating what Luckett had said in his introduction, Ross noted that linking internal and external communications is the number one issue in IT today. “Software vendors must focus on integration to deliver value to customers,” he said.
A number of panel discussions took place on Tuesday, providing a channel-wide perspective on current supply chain initiatives underway in the aftermarket. This includes the T.E.S.T. (Technology Enabled Standards-Based Training) program. The program, using the Partnership Network software, is setting out to prove that standards such as PIES are indeed ready for implementation and will improve processes while reducing inventory and increasing efficiency. “It’s about keeping America rolling,” said Dana AAG’s Jerry McCabe, who is participating in the program.
Floyd Beadle, vice president of business development for DST, Inc. in Mission Viejo, Calif., led a panel of parts distributors through a discussion of how they use e-commerce to build a competitive advantage. The group discussed unique initiatives created to drive e-commerce. Among the creative ideas mentioned were Internet ordering promotions designed to drive more customers to the web such as Genuine Parts Distributor’s “Get Wired” promotion, which offered customers $5 Starbucks coupons for ordering parts online. By using promotions such as this and utilizing e-commerce Tim Engvall of Genuine Parts Distributor said his company has reduced the number of parts ordering personnel from 15 to two people.
Dick Morgan, president and CEO of Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance, and his panel of speakers, walked conference attendees through an aftermarket model of data warehousing. Continuing to drive home the theme of collaboration, industry executives such as Corey Bartlett of Automotive Parts Headquarters, Michael Cardone III and Rod Bayless of Activant, talked about their roles in and use of the Alliance data warehouse, with support from Morgan and the Alliance’s Steve Marks. “This project is really 25 percent IT and 75 percent business,” said Bayless. The group answered some commonly asked questions about data warehousing and took questions from the audience.
In addition to the presentations and panel discussions that normally take place at this event, organizers of the Aftermarket eForum unveiled several new agenda items this year. New to this year’s event were three breakout sessions created in response to requests for more interaction and question-and-answer sessions.
Reaching into different levels of the distribution channel, the breakout sessions addressed topics such as technology in the service retail environment – talking with representatives from Hunter, ALLDATA, Delphi and All Night Auto, as well as forecasting for targeting customers and inventory planning. Another session provided smaller- and medium-sized examples of how to use e-commerce and e-marketing initiatives that are effective and affordable.
In addition, this year’s event included a vendor trade show. Also new this year, MEMA and SEMA have joined AAIA, AWDA and AIA Canada in planning and promotion of the event.
In the spirit of industry collaboration, for the first time in the event’s four-year history, the sponsors of Aftermarket eForum have named a benefactor of the conference. This year, all proceeds from the event will be used to support the industry’s “Be Car Care Aware” consumer education campaign. “Now you can help grow the size of the industry at the same time that you are growing a profitable and efficient business,” said Luckett in making the announcement.
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