RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Tim Kraus, president and COO of the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA), will discuss “The Strength of the Heavy Duty Aftermarket” in his keynote address at the 2009 MIS Council Fall Conference, slated for Sunday, Oct. 11, through Tuesday, Oct. 13, in Marco Island, Fla.
Automotive aftermarket professionals who utilize technology are urged to attend the MEMA Information Services Council Annual Fall Conference. This includes those whose responsibilities involve customer service, business support, e-commerce, information services, cataloging, forecasting and supply chain.
Kraus has served as the president and chief operating officer of HDMA and vice president of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) since 2007. An industry veteran, Kraus joined HDMA and MEMA in 2004. HDMA is MEMA’s heavy duty affiliate association that exclusively serves the suppliers of components to the commercial vehicle industry.
Kraus is responsible for the overall business operations of the association and is its primary spokesperson to the industry. He is an industry advocate and provides leadership for the staff and membership on industry issues related to government affairs, the commercial vehicle market and for the various events, forums and councils of HDMA. He also serves on the editorial boards of several industry trade publications and is active in several industry associations and foundations.
Another key presentation at the MIS Council Fall Conference 2009 will be “Turning on the Data Spigot,” which will feature representatives of AutoZone, O’Reilly and CARQUEST discussing how to simplify and quicken the flow of data from suppliers to channel partners
Also during the conference, Brad Duncan, CEO of MindQuest, will discuss the new OptiCat e-catalog application that will be owned by the industry and driven by suppliers. O’Reilly, Automotive Distribution Network and National Pronto Association will hold Customer Roundtables with suppliers.
Other conference highlights will include:
• Member spotlight: The Timken Corp.
• MIS Council update – new council vision, mission, name; council activities
• Microsoft SharePoint Server
• S&OP – improving supplier profitability
• Vendor Walks – sponsor demonstrations at their booths
• Collaborative forecasting
• Compliance: eDiscovery
• New approaches to the returns management process
• Business tracks – business process automation, business intelligence
More details, the conference agenda and registration information are available on the Fall Conference page of the MIS Council Web site, www.miscouncil.org.
The first registration for MIS Council member companies is free, and additional employees can attend at a discounted rate. Participants can earn 1.5 CEUs through the University of the Aftermarket.
The conference sponsors to date are Activant, Autologue Computer Systems, Corcentric, Edgenet, Experian Automotive, GCommerce, MAM Software, OptiCat, Pricedex Software, R.L. Polk & Co. and Vertical Development.
