Opinion Archives - Page 52 of 53 - aftermarketNews
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Walks the AAPEX Show Floor

This year, more than 2,050 aftermarket companies made their way to Las Vegas to exhibit their wares and promote their businesses at AAPEX 2005. From booth visits and one-on-one meetings with vendors, to seminars, conferences and cocktail receptions, there were countless ways to spend one’s time at AAPEX. We asked a few of this year’s attendees what the highlight of AAPEX 2005 was for them.

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Looks at the Value of Motorsports Marketing Programs

Racing. Fortune magazine has called it the “fastest-growing, best-run sport.” One in three Americans consider themselves fans. And, today, businesses across all industries want a part of the action.Over the past decade, motorsports marketing and racing sponsorships have become among the most successful and lucrative vehicles for building brand awareness, so much so that companies today have executives dedicated solely to building their brands through motorsports marketing efforts. For this week’s Ask the Industry, we asked a number of aftermarket businesses that are active in motorsports marketing and racing sponsorships to tell us what they get out of it and where they see it all heading.

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Looks at the Ways WDs Are Handling Rising Gas Prices

As if trying to succeed in this industry wasn’t challenging enough, the past few months have made it even more difficult as gas prices have risen to more than $3 per gallon in some parts of the nation. Today, the national average for a gallon of gas is $2.77, nearly double what it was just one year ago. Every driver in the U.S. is feeling the pinch and taking steps to ease the burden, but what do you do if your business relies on a vehicle (or a fleet of vehicles) to transport parts to jobbers and installers? We asked three WDs from across the country how they are dealing with the rising cost of fuel.

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask The Industry Learns How Hurricane Katrina Affected the Aftermarket

For this edition of Ask The Industry, we asked members of the industry who were affected by Hurricane Katrina how they are handling their recovery efforts. We talked to O’Reilly Automotive CEO and Co-President Greg Henslee, whose area stores sustained much damage, and Automotive Aftermarket Association of the Southeast (AAAS) President Randal Ward, whose members in the Alabama and Mississippi region were directly affected as well.

R.L. Polk & Co.’s Ask The Industry Wants to Know What are Busiest Times for Your Business?

This edition of ATI asks: For a variety of reasons, the late summer/early fall timeframe is among the busiest times for many companies in the aftermarket. Is this true for your company? To what do you attribute the extra workload? How does your company internally prepare for these times?

R.L. Polk & Co.’s Ask The Industry Wants to Know Who’s Going to AAPEX

This edition of ATI asks the simple question: Are you going to the AAPEX Trade Show in Las Vegas in November? If so, what is the primary benefit? If not, what keeps you from coming?

R.L. Polk & Co.’s Ask The Industry Wants to Know Who’s Going to AAPEX

This edition of ATI asks the simple question: Are you going to the AAPEX Trade Show in Las Vegas in November? If so, what is the primary benefit? If not, what keeps you from coming?

R.L. Polk & Co.’s Ask The Industry Looks to Find the Meaning of the Lifetime Warranty

Lifetime warranties often warranty a product that can’t possibly provide a lifetime of service. Do lifetime warranties serve a bona-fide marketing purpose or do they do more harm than good in the eyes of the consumer by making them believe a product will last longer than it was designed to?

R.L. Polk & Co.’s Ask The Industry Explores the Philosophy of Collaboration

For this edition of Ask The Industry, we venture into the philosophy of collaboration. It’s a single word solution to an extremely complex problem for everybody in the automotive aftermarket, from manufacturer CEO to warehouse manager. Although that word has been spoken from prominent voices throughout the years, the reality is that there are still major hurdles that need to be dealt with before the industry can begin to chart a course to success via collaboration. We spoke with some industry executives to give us insight on how we may be able to arrive at that point.

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Looks Into The Perception of the Internet

Five years ago, the industry was abuzz about the Internet. Many thought it would revolutionize distribution and fundamentally change the way consumers and repair shops sourced auto parts. From a business perspective, what is your perception of the Internet today versus five years ago? We spoke with various people in the industry who had their own take on the information superhighway.

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Explores the Value of Professional Development

Opportunities today for professional development abound — books by professional gurus, self-guided CD-ROM’s, industry seminars, in-house training. How important is professional development to you? Does your company put a premium on it, or are you on your own when it comes to expanding your horizons? We talked to two aftermarket executives with two very different perspectives on the matter.

R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry Looks at the Future of U.S. Manufacturing

While the reasons the U.S. manufacturing landscape have changed over the past few years are numerous, a few reasons stand out like bright red flags, causing concern for the future of manufacturing in the United States. Among those red flags are the increasing pricing pressures automotive suppliers are experiencing and the increasing presence, and increasing quality, of offshore product — two issues currently putting a serious squeeze on the U.S. manufacturing base. here exactly is U.S. manufacturing headed? Are we destined to become a nation of merely packagers, marketers and retailers?