CARQUEST’s Pete Kornafel Talks About His New Book on Inventory Management
Pete Kornafel, vice chairman of CARQUEST, recently wrote and published “Inventory Management and Purchasing — Tales and Techniques from the Automotive Aftermarket,” a practical guide to inventory management for wholesale distributors and stores that supply “hard goods.” Kornafel took some time last week to speak with aftermarketNews.com about the inspiration for his new book.
Sell-Out Inventory Management Seminar Shows Industry’s Interest in Topic
The University of the Aftermarket’s Inventory Management Seminar, held March 8-9, drew a sell-out crowd, revealing the topic’s high interest to the industry. The event was hosted by the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), the aftermarket segment association of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA). The seminar gave participants a better understanding of the fundamentals of inventory control management and the purchasing process. Major areas of focus were distribution center inventory management, store inventory management and supply chain inventory management.
Dana’s John Washbish to Discuss Technology and Training at GAAS
John Washbish, president of Customer Relationship Management for the Dana Automotive Aftermarket Group, will discuss “Technology and Training in Today’s Aftermarket” on Tuesday, May 18, at the ninth annual Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS). GAAS 2004 will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 18-19, at the Hyatt Regency, Chicago.
AMN Perspectives by Thomas Group: Experience at Work
In our last article we talked about inventory management as a trade-off. In most organizations there are conflicting inputs from various departments that affect inventory decisions: finance wants low inventory levels to minimize working capital costs; sales and marketing wants high inventory levels to ensure excellent customer service; production wants long-term planning with low flexibility to create high production efficiencies. Logistics wants to minimize transportation, handling and inventory holding costs.
Diedrich Scholarship Applications Due
Incoming students planning to attend Northwood University in Midland, Mich., have until March 1 to apply for the Harvey Diedrich “Advantage” Scholarship. The award of $500 will go to a deserving student, majoring in either Marketing/Management or Automotive Aftermarket Management. Applications can be submitted online at www.northwood.edu. Diedrich was a longtime contributor to the aftermarket who passed away suddenly in June 2003. The scholarship was established by Diedrich’s friends and colleagues for his innovative marketing programs for Monroe shocks and Walker mufflers. He was principal architect of the highly successful “Walker Advantage” program.
Industry Standards for Aftermarket Data to Be Held March 15-16
The Industry Standards for Aftermarket Data seminar will be held at the Hilton Austin Airport, Austin, Texas on March 15-16, 2004. It will be hosted by Activant Solutions (formerly CCITriad).