Advance Auto Parts Launches Consumer Education DIY Program
Advance Auto Parts has launched a new consumer education campaign which claims that with a little knowledge and confidence, the average consumer can save between $500 and $1,000 a year on car maintenance and repair, simply by doing the work themselves. The Virginia-based auto parts chain recently launched “We’re Ready with Answers,” a program to show vehicle owners how easy it is to become a “do-it-yourselfer.”
Visteon Appoints New Director of Product Development for Asia Pacific
Following news earlier this week of the company’s continued expansion in the Asia Pacific region, Visteon has named Daniel Linder to the position of director of product development, Asia Pacific. Based in Shanghai, China, Linder will guide Visteon’s technical capabilities to support new business opportunities in the region, and will facilitate coordination with Visteon’s network of global engineering centers.
DST Asks: Parts Distributors — Do Your Customers Order Parts Online?
Help Wanted – Parts Counterman, Requirements: Must be willing to work 365 days per year, 24 hours per day. Understands and has committed to memory a world-class multi-line parts catalog. Always knows correct pricing of each item. Processes parts orders in nanoseconds. Never puts customers on hold. Works for electricity – no salary or extra benefits. Any bets on how many responses you’ll get to that classified ad? Selling auto parts would be a lot easier and less costly if you could make those kinds of hires. Actually, it turns out that such resources are available today, just not human resources, the kind we would advertise for in the local paper. Instead, we might call them “cyber-employees” – a new species that forms the backbone of e-business and works in the world of browser-based technology on the Internet.
iATN to Hold Technical Training Sessions at Annual Convention
The International Automotive Technicians’ Network (iATN) 2004 Convention will feature three technical sessions, two management classes, an interactive TechNight Live: West Coast Diagnostic Challenge, a special luncheon presentation on OBD-II Technology and a keynote dinner presentation on “The State of the Industry.” The convention will take place Sept. 24-26, at the Coast Anaheim Hotel, in Anaheim, Calif.
HDMA Names New Executive Director
MEMA has hired heavy-duty industry veteran Timothy Kraus to serve as a vice president of MEMA and executive director of the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA), MEMA’s heavy duty market segment association. Kraus will replace Jim Conner, who is retiring later this year after 23 years with MEMA and HDMA.
Goodyear Selects Boston-Based Arnold Worldwide for Ad Creative
Goodyear Tire & Rubber has handed over responsibility for the creative and image advertising and marketing for its Goodyear and Dunlop brands to Boston-based Arnold Worldwide. The agency network has four full-service offices throughout the U.S., including its Boston headquarters, New York City, Washington D.C. and St. Louis.
Automotive Cooling Products Acquires Quad Cities Distributing and Discount Radiator Warehouse
Automotive Cooling Products (ACP), specialty distributor of heating and cooling products for the automotive, light truck, heavy duty truck, agricultural and industrial industries, has acquired both Rock Island, Ill.-based Quad Cities Distributing and Discount Radiator Warehouse in Overland Park, Kan. These current acquisitions are part of ACP’s goals for growth and leadership within the automotive, light truck, heavy duty truck, agricultural and industrial industries.
AAPEX Online Registration Now Open
Online registration for the 2004 Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) – scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 2, through Friday, Nov. 5 – is now available online at www.aapexshow.com. Online registration is only $10 — a $40 savings from on-site registration fees.
IBM: China’s Auto Suppliers Could Face Bumpy Road
China is the world’s fastest growing automotive market, but a new study suggests the auto suppliers fueling that expansion may be growing too fast. In fact, says the report, there could be over capacity and a resulting shakeout in the supplier market within five years.
Ninth Annual GAAS Kicked Off in Chicago
While the theme of this year’s Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) — Leaner, Faster, Better — may connote the automated efficiency of a well-run machine, the true focus of the day’s numerous presentations was on the talented pool of people who make up that machine and how to make better use of them. “The core of any great business is the people,” said GAAS founder and chairman Mort Schwartz, who welcomed approximately 400 aftermarket executives to the event.