ASA Tire Systems to Sell TireMaster Software for Bandag’s QDS Subsidiary
Bandag Inc. has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with ASA Tire Systems to sell TireMaster software for tire and auto service dealerships. TireMaster products are designed, developed and supported by Quality Design Systems, Inc. (QDS), a subsidiary of Bandag. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Pickups Plus Franchisee to Distribute New ValuGard Line
Aftermarket accessories retailer Pickups Plus, which recently acquired Auto Preservation (AP) from Automotive International Inc. will begin to distribute its new ValuGard product and service offering through a franchisee in Columbus, Ohio. Through the recent acquisition, Pickups Plus will now offer automotive dealerships ValuGard care and warranty products, including paint sealant, undercoating, fabric protector and anti-rust compounds, plus a full line of prep/recon products.
Reliable Automotive Completes Acquisition of Add-On Distributing
Reliable Automotive, a Kansas-based wholesale specialty equipment distributor, has completed its purchase of privately-held Add-On Distributing, Inc., a specialty automotive wholesale distributor headquartered in South Burlington, Vermont. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Pickups Plus Completes Acquisition of Automotive International’s Auto Preservation Division
Pickups Plus, a retailer and national franchiser in the $38 billion truck and SUV aftermarket accessory industry, has acquired the Auto Preservation Division of Automotive International Inc. AI is a privately owned company based in Cincinnati, Ohio that supplies car care and environmental protection products.
DST Asks:Does Your Multi-Store Business Management System Capture and Consolidate Operating Information?
It’s the American way. Start your own business. Perfect your methods. Hire good people. Grow your customer base. Perfect the idea at one location, then expand by adding new locations that share the same business model. Thousands of successful retail enterprises have started in exactly this way. It’s a fundamental way to apply the principle we all learned in Economics 101 – economies of scale. Business 101 would call it leverage. Good entrepreneurs call it survival!
Buffalo Insurance Group Buys Aftermarket Firm
The Lawley Service Insurance Group of Companies, based in Buffalo, NY, has acquired TWS and Associates, an Orchard Park, NY-based firm specializing in automotive aftermarket products. The purchase of the 30-year-old firm by Lawley’s Automotive Dealership Solutions subsidiary is designed to strengthen the agency’s automotive business in Western New York and the Southern Tier.
ASA’s Bill Haas Featured on Fox News Program
Bill Haas, the Automotive Service Association’s (ASA) vice president of service repair markets, was featured on an interview that aired on the Fox News Channel yesterday. The interview took place at the cable station’s affiliate in Dallas, where Haas discussed the OEMs progress in providing repair information to independent automotive repair facilities.
Snap-on Tools and NASCAR Driver Rusty Wallace Team-Up to Create Films on Fluid Maintenance
Snap-on Tools and NASCAR champion Rusty Wallace have joined forces to produce a series of films demonstrating to consumers the importance of regular maintenance of cooling, fuel, power steering and transmission fluid systems. One of NASCAR’s most successful and popular drivers, Rusty Wallace narrates each of the four episodes, explaining the function of cooling, fuel, power steering and transmission fluid systems and the benefits of properly maintaining those systems.
New AAIA Report Provides Insight Into Auto Repair Professional’s Tool Buying Habits
A new market research report published by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) reveals that technicians, shop owners and service managers prefer to purchase their tools from mobile tool distributors. The report — “Tool Purchasing Trends” — offers insight into current and future purchasing decisions of professional users of tools and equipment for automotive repair based on surveys of more than 1,340 respondents.
Technology Outpaces Would-be Technicians
Help Wanted: Automotive technician. Starting salary: $30,000. Benefits include medical insurance, plus two weeks paid vacation and two long weekends off — that’s Thursday through Sunday — a year. How difficult is it to fill a job like that in Michigan’s lackluster economy? Plenty, according to Stan Shephard, owner of Shephard’s Hi Tech Automotive in Detroit. Shephard posted his help-wanted sign 18 months ago, and today the position remains unfilled. He’s had only 15 applicants for the job.