Editor’s Note: The aftermarketNews Week in Review, sponsored by WIX Filters, is normally distributed on Friday afternoons. However, due to last week’s AAPEX Show in Las Vegas, we’re bringing you our weekly wrap-up today.
The most-viewed story from the past week detailed several leadership awards that were presented last week in Las Vegas in conjunction with AAPEX. Among those to be recognized this year were Dave Caracci, Bob Egan, Bob McKenna, Dick Morgan and Denny Welvaert. The awards were presented at special programs during the Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association annual meeting, and at the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association Executive Breakfast.
Also, last week at AAPEX, ACDelco unveiled its new Business-to-Consumer (B2C) capability. Automotive "Do-It-Yourself" enthusiasts with Internet access can now purchase ACDelco parts from the ACDelco.com website and have their orders shipped directly to a specified address. According to ACDelco eBusiness Manager Steve Sigg, about 50 percent of visitors to the ACDelco.com website currently go there in the hopes of purchasing parts online.
Another highly read news item from the past week announced a new U.S. patent for Centric Parts. Centric has been issued a patent for the AeroHat, which induces air to flow between the rotor and the hat to improve cooling of the outer face of the rotor. The AeroHat was created by StopTech, the ultra performance division of Centric.
On the distribution front, CARQUEST has selected ZF Services – the strategic aftermarket business unit of ZF Friedrichshafen AG — to supply the distributor with its Sachs passenger car and light truck clutch product line. Under the agreement, ZF Services North America will be the sole supplier of complete clutch kits, flywheels and clutch hydraulics to CARQUEST, effective the first quarter of 2009.
The final news item in our weekly wrap-up also pertains to the distribution segment. Last week, Activant and Gcommerce announced that they have agreed to offer a bundled electronic document exchange (EDI) solution that will enable automotive aftermarket distributors to exchange electronic purchase orders, advance shipping notices and invoices with hundreds of aftermarket manufacturers. Activant’s new EDI package combines the Activant AConneX DX connectivity solution with GCommerce’s relationships with hundreds of aftermarket suppliers to enable electronic trading through distributors’ Activant A-DIS, Activant Ultimate, Activant Prism, Activant Vision or Activant Eagle for the Aftermarket business management systems.
To catch up on more news from the 2008 AAPEX show, check out our sister website: http://www.aapextoday.com.
