Polk Survey: Will the Slowdown in SUV/Light Truck Production Impact Your Business?
News reports recently have indicated that several vehicle manufacturers are making production adjustments based on the rapid slowdown in sales of trucks and SUVs. For our next edition of R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry, we will look at the impact this production slowdown may be having on the aftermarket. To provide your comments on this important industry issue, click here to take our quick poll, or email your comments to Editor Amy Antenora at [email protected].
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry: The Value of New Vehicle Information for Product and Inventory Planning
Every year, there are more than 100 new vehicle launches and changes that significantly affect the landscape of the automotive industry. What impact do these new vehicles have on your company and the industry? How important is receiving timely new vehicle information to your product and inventory planning? These questions were asked of AMN readers and aftermarket executives working within various segments of the automotive aftermarket – including warehouse distribution, manufacturing and collision repair. And, what stands out most among all the comments were heard is the emphasis on the need for timely information.
GUEST EDITORIAL: NGK Director Michael Schwab Responds to “A Missed Opportunity”
The following guest editorial comes from Michael Schwab, director for NGK Spark Plugs USA, Inc. He writes the following letter in response to another recently published guest editorial authored by Fred Meyers, titled “A Missed Opportunity,” which addressed Meyers opinions on the value of aftermarket manufacturers’ brands in the technicians mind.
GUEST COMMENTARY: A Missed Opportunity
The following guest commentary was written by Fred Meyers, founder and CEO of One Stop Parts Source in California, Denver and Dallas. Meyers, a panelist at the 2008 Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium in Chicago, feels there was a golden opportunity that he missed while speaking at the event. Today, he shares with AMN what that is.
Polk Survey: How Important is New Vehicle Information for Your Product and Inventory Planning?
Posted: May 28, 2008 For our next edition of R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry, we will look at the role that new vehicle information plays in p rod uct and inventory planning. Every year, there are more than 100 new vehicle launches and changes that significantly affect the landscape of the automotive
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry: How Important is New Vehicle Information for Your Product and Inventory Planning?
For our next edition of R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry, we will look at the role that new vehicle information plays in product and inventory planning. Every year, there are more than 100 new vehicle launches and changes that significantly affect the landscape of the automotive industry.In the ever-changing environment that is the automotive aftermarket, what impact do these new vehicles have on your company and the industry?
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry: What’s in Store for the Aftermarket in ’08
For this week’s Ask the Industry, we gather insights and predictions from leading industry experts and analysts, to provide an overview of some of the industry’s biggest concerns right now, and how the aftermarket is expected to perform in 2008.
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Looks at the Keys to Great Packaging Design
Strong design, for both packaging and marketing materials, is key to promoting brand recognition. Whether it is created with an in-house design team or with the help of an agency, there are a multitude of elements that go into developing a packaging design that “stands out yet fits in” as marketing communications expert Joel Spencer puts it.
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Looks at the Fluctuating Dollar’s Impact on Manufacturing
This edition of “Ask the Industry” looks at the affect changes in U.S. currency is having on the automotive aftermarket industry, particularly the manufacturing sector. Helping us sort through this complex issue is Frank Hampshire, senior director of market research for the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) and the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA). In this exclusive “Ask the Industry” discussion, Hampshire says the fluctuating value of the dollar isn’t all bad for aftermarket manufacturers.
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry: Aftermarket Executives Offer Their Predictions
In the trade press, we often say that we have a “30,000 foot view” of the aftermarket, a view that many others do not get to have. From our vantage point, we get perspectives on all segments of the industry. When interviewing industry executives, we like to ask a common question about where they see the industry headed in the next five to 10 years. For this week’s edition of “Ask the Industry,” we thought it would be interesting to put side by side several of the responses to that common question and see what commonalities and what differences there are in their predictions.
GUEST COMMENTARY: How to Go Beyond Customer Service and Deliver Customer Value
The following guest commentary comes from Joe Mejaly, vice president and general manager of ArvinMeritor’s Commercial Vehicle Aftermarket (CVA) business. His comments are excerpted from remarks made in October to a national meeting of warehouse distributors and independent service garage operators. ArvinMeritor provides its parts and services to and through authorized parts outlets, including warehouse distributors and OE dealers.
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry: You Ask, We Deliver!
For more than four years now, aftermarketNews has provided an industry dialogue on issues of interest to you, our readers. Through our bi-weekly feature, Ask the Industry, sponsored by R. L. Polk & Co., we have asked hundreds of seasoned industry executives to chime in on every industry ‘hot topic’ — from parts proliferation and promotional ideas to globalization and offshoring. So, as we prepare for another year of bringing you the most timely and relevant industry news, we also look to find out what current industry issues you are most interested in.