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.
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.”
The 2008 AASA Top 100 is Available Now: This Year’s List Shows the Aftermarket’s Resilience
The results of this year’s Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) Top 100 Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers List show that despite the current turbulent economy, the aftermarket continues to grow at a steady pace. The 2008 AASA Top 100 Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers List is now available online. This year’s edition of AASA’s multi-page, full-color publication features information on the largest suppliers to the automotive aftermarket, and ranks suppliers by annual North American aftermarket sales. This annual report is published by AASA, produced by Babcox Publications and sponsored by Ernst & Young.
IMR and Counterman Magazine Partner to Produce Second Annual Consumer Aftermarket Behavior Study
For the second year in a row, Counterman magazine has partnered with IMR, Inc. to provide profiles of consumer and technician product sourcing trends. Research for this year’s report has been compiled in the Consumer Aftermarket Behavior Study (CABS), which can be seen in the May issue of Counterman. Counterman magazine is read by more than 45,000 parts store, warehouse distribution and headquarter professionals each month.
Pain in the Chain: What Do We Do When 50 Percent of One Member’s Contribution is Useless and Wasted?
The following article was authored by Tom Easton and Chuck Udell of Essential Action Design Group exclusively for aftermarketNews and Counterman magazine. It is intended as a call to action for the industry to fund the effort to determine the Root Cause for returns. Essential Action Design Group and Babcox Publications hope to develop a joint research project as a result of this call to action, and subsequently publish a series of articles to educate the industry and (hopefully) significantly decrease returns in the future.
The Week in Review (May 12-16, 2008)
By Amy Antenora The Week in Review offers a snapshot of the most highly read stories of the week as seen on aftermarketNews. To access the complete stories, simply click on the highlighted links. If you missed reading one of our daily news emails, just click on the link that says "News Archives" at the
Donald Stebbins Named Visteon CEO, Michael Johnston to Continue as Executive Chairman
The board of directors of Visteon Corp. has elected Donald Stebbins as president and chief executive officer, effective June 1. Stebbins, who currently serves as president and chief operating officer, will succeed Michael Johnston in the CEO role. Johnston will continue as executive chairman. Stebbins, 50, has been president and COO since joining Visteon in 2005, following 13 years in senior leadership positions with Lear Corp. Expanding Stebbins’ leadership role is a timely and logical step in Visteon’s long-term executive succession planning process, according to Johnston.
OEConnection Int rod uces ServiceAdvantage Electronic Service Menu for GM Dealerships
OEConnection, a provider of online buying, selling and analysis of original equipment parts, has expanded into dealership service lanes with the introduction of ServiceAdvantage to General Motors dealerships. This customizable Web-based tool designed collaboratively with General Motors dealerships, was built to help dealership service consultants quickly and professionally communicate an automaker’s recommended routine maintenance based on a vehicle’s make, model, year and mileage. ServiceAdvantage supports GM’s Simplified Maintenance Schedules by consolidating and synchronizing the hundreds of owner’s manual service recommendations for easy and on-demand Internet access by any General Motors dealership in the U.S.
Barry Soltz to Join AMRA/MAP
The board of directors of the Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association (AMRA) and the board of trustees for the Motorist Assurance Program (MAP) have jointly announced the selection of Barry Soltz as the organization’s executive director and president. Soltz, who most recently served as program manager for CARFAX, Inc., will officially take over upon the retirement of Larry Hecker on June 30. Soltz previously was president and CEO of the Automotive Engine Rebuilders Association.
Uni-Select Reports 3.9 Percent Increase in Sales in 2007
For the year ended Dec. 31, 2007, sales were $1,168,289,000, an increase of $44,386,000 or 3.9 percent compared to the previous period. Net earnings, for their part, were recorded at $40,841,000 or $2.07 per share, a 3.4 percent decrease compared to net earnings of $42,264,000 or $2.15 per share in 2006. The results for the 2007 period include the contribution to earnings resulting from recent acquisitions significantly reduced by the unfavorable U.S. exchange rate compared to the Canadian dollar.