R. L. Polk & Co’s Ask the Industry Looks at the Increased Selling and Buying of Outsourced Products
The words “offshoring” and “outsourcing” are loaded terms that can touch a nerve with some in the automotive aftermarket. The idea of manufacturing or importing product from overseas brings up questions about quality, safety and intellectual property, not to mention concerns over the loss of U.S. manufacturing jobs. However, for many in the aftermarket, outsourcing is starting to lose its stigma; not everyone in the aftermarket still sees outsourcing as a dirty word.
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Looks at Business Solutions for Rising Healthcare Costs
For this week’s Ask the Industry, we look at an issue that is on nearly everyone’s mind these days – healthcare. It has become such a critical concern, both for business owners and employees, that the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) recently developed the Health Care Working Group, to assist its members in addressing the issue. Based on the model of MEMA’s successful Brand Protection Council, the Health Care Working Group began meeting this past year, under the direction of Ann McCullough, MEMA’s director of external affairs.
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Looks at the Environmental Benefits of Remanufacturing
Last month in our bi-weekly Ask the Industry column we looked at the various ways automotive companies work to reduce their overall impact on the environment. With Earth Day just around the corner, we focus on one segment of the industry that has become known as the ‘ultimate form of recycling’ – remanufacturing.
R. L. Polk & Co’s Ask the Industry: Great Ideas for National Car Care Month Events
National Car Care Month (NCCM) officially begins in just under a week, but there’s still time to take a few cues from current NCCM participants and plan your own great event. To mark NCCM, automotive repair shops, parts stores, distributors and vocational schools throughout the country will offer free vehicle check-up events and car care aware fairs for consumers, according to the Car Care Council, the organization that spearheads the campaign. During these events, automotive technicians check the vehicle’s lubricants and fluids, windshield wipers, belts and hoses, the battery, tires and lighting. But many aftermarket organizations go way beyond simply offering vehicle safety inspections, developing events that showcase the aftermarket industry and also reach out to their communities.
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Talks to
Many aftermarket companies today are jumping on the “green” bandwagon and taking steps to reduce their companys’ overall impact on the environment — from office recycling programs to complete product redesigns. Consumers are showing a growing interest in vehicles and automotive products that are environmentally conscious as well. According to 2006 sales data from R. L. Polk & Co., there are 10.5 million alternative fuel vehicles on the roads today.
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Looks at Aftermarket Legislative Issues
Motor vehicle suppliers are the largest single manufacturing industry in the U.S. As such, this industry is not only greatly impacted by what goes on in Washington , but it can also be a great influence on Capitol Hill as well. There are a number of issues in debate right now that this industry must keep a close watch of – from environmental emissions regulations to small business health insurance plans and more.
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Talks to Female Industry Executives About Their Vehicle Maintenance Habits
During the annual winter meeting of the Car Care Council Women’s Board held last week in Savannah, GA, Van Kirk, of Kirk’s Auto Repair, told the board that today approximately 72 percent of his customers are female. This number is in line with industry statistics that show females are becoming more actively involved in vehicle maintenance for their households. We asked several members of the Car Care Council Women’s Board how their habits compared to the numbers. We asked them: Who is the primary vehicle maintainer in their households, and how do they decide where to take their cars when it’s time for maintenance or repair?
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Offers Tips for Better Business Travel
Thanks to advanced technology, business travel gets more efficient every day. Yet, even with all of the modern-day conveniences, corporate travel can still be stressful and exhausting. Travel delays, limited access to creature comforts and the general fatigue that comes with having to be your at your best, regardless of time zone, are just a few of the ways travel can all take a toll on a person. We asked a few well-traveled aftermarket executives for their best tips for staying healthy and focused during business travel.
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Looks at the Hot Performance Items for 2007
This is the time of year that major corporations, automotive or otherwise, unveil new toys and new technologies for consumers. Keeping with that theme, for this week’s Ask the Industry we asked several aftermarket professionals well versed in the performance and accessories market what they anticipate will be the hot item(s) in the performance segment this year.
R. L. Polk & Co’s Ask the Industry Looks at the Year Ahead for Aftermarket Companies
With every new year, it is common practice, both in business and in one’s personal life, to evaluate the past 12 months – what went well, what didn’t – and create a plan to make improvements for the new year. For the first Ask the Industry of 2007, we asked a couple of aftermarket professionals what they anticipate will be the biggest issues for their companies this year.
R. L. Polk & Co’s Ask the Industry Looks at Predictions for Raw Materials in 2007 (Part II)
In this week’s edition of Ask the Industry, MEMA Senior Market Research Analyst Richard Anderson provides his predictions for some of the industry’s most important raw materials. In our interview with Anderson , he indicated that petroleum, steel, aluminum, copper and nickel will be the top five raw materials for the aftermarket to keep an eye on in 2007. Below, are his thoughts on two of the most talked about raw materials for this industry — petroleum and steel.
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Looks at Predictions for Raw Materials in 2007
The U.S. automotive industry is one of the top consumers of a number of raw materials – steel, petroleum, aluminum, plastic resins, to name a few. The fluctuating cost of raw materials over the past few years has caused major problems for the automotive aftermarket, impacting nearly every sector of the industry.