Arthur “Butch” Smith Named Director of Product and New Business Development for Proliance’s Ready-Aire Division
Proliance International has named Arthur “Butch” Smith director of product and new business development for Ready-Aire, the company’s line of air conditioning and temperature control products for the automotive and light truck aftermarket in the U.S. Smith will be headquartered at Arlington, Texas, where the company’s center of operations for its domestic air conditioning business is located.
Centric Parts Names New VP Sales Special Markets
CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. — Centric Parts has appointed Jamie Fiffles to the newly created position of vice president sales special markets. In this role, Fiffles will be responsible for expanding market share by focusing on national installer chains, major buying groups, OES, co-manufacturers, fleets, private label and retail. Fiffles has extensive experience in the
Federated Names East Penn Outstanding Vendor of the Year
Federated Auto Parts recently presented its Outstanding Vendor of the Year Award for 2007 to East Penn Manufacturing. The award was presented by Bo Fisher, chairman of Federated Auto Parts, during an awards dinner held April 24 in Dallas. Accepting the award on behalf of East Penn were Harold Eberly, vice president of sales; Bruce Herman, national sales manager; and John Lutes, sales manager.
New Name, New Org, New Team for Bandag
Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions (BBTS) is the new name for Bridgestone/Firestone North America Tire’s (BFNAT) reconfiguration of its medium truck tire business, which sees the formal melding of that group with Bandag. Bridgestone Corp. bought Bandag, closing the $1 billion deal last June, when the company was renamed Bridgestone Bandag Inc.
The Pulse: What Types of Benefits Do Tire Dealerships Offer Employees
Each week, The Pulse provides insight into the buying, sourcing and brand-loyalty habits of counter personnel and professional technicians. This week, using Babcox Research, we look at the most common types of employee benefits offered by tire dealerships.
Federal-Mogul Introduces Comprehensive ‘Brake and Front End’ Electronic Catalog
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — Aftermarket professionals can now locate thousands of premium replacement undercar parts in the new “Brake & Front End” electronic catalog from Federal-Mogul Corporation’s MOOG chassis parts, Wagner brake and National wheel-end components brands. Available at no charge to distributors, parts stores and repair facilities, the new Brake and Front End CD catalog
Monroe Lobbies Consumers to “Save a Squirrel”
Tenneco’s Monroe shocks and struts brand will launch an aggressive integrated advertising campaign this spring to remind consumers that replacing worn ride control components could help improve vehicle steering, stopping and stability – and just might save the life of an innocent squirrel darting across the road. Monroe’s “Save a Squirrel” campaign, encompassing thousands of media outlets, urges consumers to “Save a Squirrel. Change your shocks at 50,000 miles.” This message will be featured on billboards in major North American markets, in ads broadcast on nearly 2,000 radio stations, at Major League Baseball stadiums, on Web banners, on the www.monroesavethesquirrels.com campaign Web site, and other high-impact promotional activities. A variety of creative, comical campaign videos will be available on the program Web site as well as on several other consumer-oriented sites.
IMR Unveils New Corporate Identity
IMR Inc., formerly Industrial Marketing Research, has unveiled its new corporate identity campaign, which aims to reflect the company’s position as the premier source of automotive research, offering syndicated tracking studies and custom research. The company has a new name, a redesigned logo and a new Web site address, www.AutomotiveResearch.com, plus new trade advertisements and an updated corporate brochure.
WIX Filters Honored by Hahn Automotive Warehouse
WIX Filters has been recognized by Hahn Automotive Warehouse for outstanding shipping performance in 2007. WIX was honored at the distributor’s national sales conference, which was held on April 5. The Outstanding Shipping Performance Award is presented to the vendor that consistently has an order fill rate in the high 90s, with the best on time performance in 2007, according to Michael Bonacci, marketing director with Hahn Automotive
WORLDPAC Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary of speedDIAL
WORLDPAC is celebrating the 10 year anniversary of speedDIAL, the company’s online catalog and fulfillment ordering software program. The program was first introduced in 1998, and was developed exclusively for independent automotive service centers. In 1998, it was called DIAL (Direct Information Access Link) and could only be installed using a CD-ROM that was also required for upgrades. Today, WORLDPAC conducts more than 75 percent of its North American business through speedDIAL, with a goal to increase business by listening to its customers and constantly striving to improve customer efficiency.