GAAS 2008: After Five Years, Be Car Care Aware Shows Measurable Results
By Amy Antenora CHICAGO — The Be Car Care Aware (BCCA) campaign is celebrating a birthday this year, having been established five years ago, and as Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), told attendees at the 2008 Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium, “Baby it’s come a long way since then.”
GAAS 2008: Trends in Parts Sourcing Today
By Amy Antenora CHICAGO — What drives today’s independent repair shop owner to choose one parts source over another? This was the question asked during a panel discussion led by moderator Gary Molinaro, and including Jim Bastone, owner of Bastone Auto Service; Scott Bennett, director of operations, Bennett Auto Supply; and Fred Meyers, president, One
GAAS 2008: University of the Aftermarket Leadership 2.0 Team Envision Tackles Telematics
On day two of the 2008 Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium in Chicago, “Team Envision,” one of two teams of aftermarket executives who participated in the 2007-2008 University of the Aftermarket Leadership 2.0 program, presented their winning research project on telematics. The team, comprised of Nataki Barnes, marketing manager, Federal-Mogul Corp.; JR Bishop, director of racing & event marketing for Federated Auto Parts; Jim Dykstra, owner of Dykstra’s Auto Service, T.J. Fontana, manager of sales operations & training, Tenneco; and Mike Harvey of Affinia, gave a clear, concise breakdown of the current state of telematics as well as a look at where it’s headed and how the aftermarket can play a part. Just after their presentation, aftermarketNews took a few minutes to chat with Team Envision about their telematics research.
GAAS 2008 VIDEO FEATURE: University of the Aftermarket Unveils New Programs
Midland , Mich. – Leadership 2.0, the University of the Aftermarket ’s Leadership Development Program, officially opened registration for the 2008-2009 class. The announcement was made by University of the Aftermarket Director Brian Cruickshank at the 2008 Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS), held in Chicago May 20-21. While at GAAS, aftermarketNews had a chance to
GAAS 2008: Private Equity and the Aftermarket
“You can hardly pick up a newspaper without reading about the multi billion dollar funds buying up everything, everywhere, in every country,” said Dan Smith, president of Capstone Financial Group. Smith led a panel discussion on private equity at the 2008 Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium in Chicago.
GAAS 2008: How Family Run Businesses Adapt to Changes in Today’s Aftermarket
Conjuring the spirit of an FDR fireside chat, Affinia Group’s John Washbish sat poised behind a table with his 1940s style microphone and a mug that read “Big Boss” as he kicked off the Family Affair panel discussion on day two of the 2008 Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium in Chicago. Panelists included Craig Bond, senior vice president of Bond Auto Parts, a warehouse distributor based in Barre, Vt.; Dominic Grote, vice president of sales and marketing, Grote Industries, an LED lighting and wire harness manufacturer; and Doug Reevey, president of Autotec Inc., a Canadian service and repair business.
LIVE FROM GAAS: Preparing to Outfit and Service the Connected Car
Telematics. it’s a word you may hear bandied about a lot these days, but what does it mean exactly? Telematics is defined as a source of measuring, sending, receiving and storing information via telecommunication devices. To put it in more visual terms, it’s the iPod you can dock in your new car, it’s the GPS device sitting on your dashboard, guiding your way to an unfamiliar destination or the EZ Pass allowing you to breeze through toll booths without stopping. But according to Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, the opportunities and risks go way beyond that.
LIVE FROM GAAS: Attendees Divided Over Private Label Products, Brands
Probably not surprisingly, the attendees at the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium can’t agree on whether private label products are a positive trend in the industry. When 425 attendees were polled Tuesday using electronic audience response devices, 51 percent of distributors said they believed private label brands were a positive aftermarket industry trend. By contrast, 71 percent of manufacturers said it wasn’t a positive trend. However, when the audience as a whole was asked if private label products were corrosive to brands, 68 percent responded yes.
LIVE FROM GAAS: Aftermarket Must Communicate with Service Technicians, Panel Says
The rapid increase in global sourcing of parts requires that aftermarket manufacturers provide more information to service technicians, Steve Handschuh, president and COO of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association, and Ron Pyle, chief executive of the Automotive Service Association, told attendees of the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium. “The repair technician is confused about what’s in the box anymore,” Handschuh said. “We have the end-user who may have been forgotten or neglected.”
LIVE FROM GAAS: Steve Hoellein Presented with Mort Schwartz Excellence in Education Award
by Amy Antenora CHICAGO — Yesterday at the 2008 Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium in Chicago, Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), presented this year’s Mort Schwartz Excellence in Education Award to Steve Hoellein. Established in 2005, the award is given annually by AAIA’s Education Committee to the person, aftermarket
LIVE FROM GAAS: Respecting Cultural Norms is Key When Doing Business in New Markets
by Amy Antenora CHICAGO — Mirroring similar comments made earlier in the day at the 2008 Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium, Ernst & Young’s (E&Y) Mike Hanley stressed the importance of respecting cultural norms when looking to do business in another country. This was just one of the many recommendations he made during his presentation on
LIVE FROM GAAS: Hastings, VIP Garner Polk Inventory Efficiency Awards
Hastings Manufacturing, of Hasting, Mich., and VIP Parts, Tires and Service of Lewiston, Maine, were recognized yesterday with R.L. Polk’s Fourth Annual Inventory Efficiency Awards in the manufacturing and retailer/distributor categories. The awards were presented during the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium in Chicago.