BETHESDA, MD — With the entrance of several e-commerce retailers to the automotive aftermarket, what impact will they have upon the industry? Steve Frazier, vice president of U.S. category management for Amazon Services, Inc., will give his perspective on the subject when he addresses the 2006 Aftermarket eForum.
This year’s event is scheduled from July17-19 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Chicago. Other speakers already confirmed, include Steven Liao of MechanicNet and Dr. Mitch Javidi of Digiton.
Frazier was appointed vice president of U.S. hardlines category management in August 2001 and oversees the automotive retail group. Frazier’s leadership in helping suppliers and retailers leverage the power of the Amazon.com e-commerce platform has allowed his group to add a vast selection of new and used products, as well as new features that help make shopping at Amazon.com convenient.
Frazier’s presentation will kick-off Day Two of the 2006 eForum on Tuesday, July 18 from 8 to 8:45 a.m. Also, slated for Tuesday’s lineup is Liao, who will look at “Aftermarket Service vs. OE Dealers – Who is Ahead in the eBusiness Race.” Liao believes that the information available from the point-of-service is critical to any improvements in inventory and supply chain in the aftermarket. He has years of experience collecting and analyzing data at the point of consumption in automotive, grocery and other industries. He will share what he has learned about the strengths and opportunities in the aftermarket, as well as the threats posed by practices of the OE dealers and technologies such as telematics.
The leading aftermarket trade associations have funded a research study to understand industry feelings about product data and what is needed to improve synchronization in the supply chain. Dr. Javidi, who conducted the industry survey, will also speak on Tuesday at eForum. His presentation, “Aftermarket Data Vision – The Industry Research Report,” will offer an industry-first overview of the findings and solutions that are indicated.
For 2006, the Aftermarket eForum has been organized into three distinct segments so attendees can schedule their time to derive the most value from the event. Monday, July 17 will be devoted to themed educational tracks in the afternoon on eMarketing, eCommerce, plus an exclusive CIO Roundtable. The following full day, on Tuesday, July 18, is the heart of the program. In addition to Frazier’s presentation, attendees will hear top-level information on protecting intellectual property and IT ethics in a digital world. The program on Wednesday, July 19 will conclude in the morning with practical breakout session topics on vendor managed inventory, specialty automotive e-commerce, and new technology (RFID, XML and more).
In addition, eForum organizers are encouraging distribution program groups, association committees and other groups to plan a meeting in conjunction with the Aftermarket eForum, to take advantage of the venue and critical gathering of aftermarket leaders and decision makers.
For more information on the 2006 Aftermarket eForum, visit www.AftermarketeForum.com or contact Barbara Clark of AAIA at (301) 654-6664.
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