The Auto Care Association will host a series of technology conferences and meetings in key Latin American capitals as part of the Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) award the association recently received from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The conferences will focus on the processes around technology standards development and maintenance. Presentations will include detailed adoption methodologies for existing standards, Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard (ACES) and Product Information Exchange Standard (PIES). The first conference is confirmed to take place mid-July in Bogota, Colombia.
The association recently hosted a webinar on technology standards for U.S. Embassy personnel throughout Latin America in preparation for the conferences. Evaristo Garcia, Integrate Data Facts, presented on the Webinar and also will participate in the conferences.
“With a strong history of success in the U.S., the Auto Care Association is well-positioned to help our members reap the benefits of their current investments by taking our standards and best practices to other regions,” said Bill Hanvey, president and CEO, Auto Care Association. “This series of technical seminars will supplement our trade mission program by helping to address a barrier to trade in key Latin American markets. By leading the charge for a common standard for electronic data transfer, we can play a pivotal role in helping our members increase their global footprint.”
ACES makes the process of compiling an electronic catalog with quality, consistent content for thousands of product lines more efficient. Using ACES, suppliers can describe vehicle configuration with valid database values. Suppliers can define product terminology with a database of product names, all in a computer-readable format for the exchange of this information from supplier to receiver.
PIES defines the rules of managing elements of product information, product images and product attributes. With PIES, customers and those in the distribution chain will know what a product looks like, what it weighs, the size of the box and how many are packed inside, the length of the warranty, the country of origin, the performance attributes and more.
For more information on the technology standards, visit autocare.org/technology.
