BFNAT Introduces Three New Truck Tires
This week, at BIZCON 8, Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire’s (BFNAT) annual dealer conference in Chicago, Ill., the tiremaker unveiled three new truck tires. The new radial tires – the R287 steer, M726 EL drive and R195F free-rolling trailer – offer long-haul and long regional haul fleets longer tire life and lower cost per mile, according to the company.
SKF/Chicago Rawhide Launches Redesigned Web Site
SKF/Chicago Rawhide has redesigned and relaunched its Web site — www.vsm.skf.com . The newly redesigned site combines interactive elements with a user-friendly, navigable layout to service the automotive and heavy duty aftermarkets, according to the company. SKF/CR designed the Web site to include interactive cataloging and product information. The company said it also worked to address the requests and needs of its distributor partners during the redesign.
DST Asks: Do You Sell from Inventory Locations that are Not Your Own or Are You Making Plans To?
The old maxim “You can’t sell from an empty shelf” has become outdated. Why? Because technology can ensure that shelves are never bare, at least from the customer’s standpoint, with the advent of the Virtual Inventory Network (VIN) — a term coined by DST to encompass B2B, B2C, and Peer-to-Peer e-commerce. A VIN, also sometimes referred to as a Virtual Sales Network, can provide leverage and cohesiveness of shared inventory across multiple trading partners both up and down and across the supply chain.
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.
Pilot Travel Centers to Sell Goodyear Truck Tires
Goodyear Tire & Rubber is the second tiremaker this week to announce a new supply agreement with Pilot Travel Centers LLC, one of the largest truck stop networks in North America. Pilot Travel Centers will stock and sell Goodyear truck tires at its travel centers.
DST Asks: Can Your Business Measure Return on Customer Investment?
Although most businesses have the means for measuring their Return On Investment, DST has coined the term Return on Customer Investment as a more accurate method of determining profitability of the customer base. Many firms believe that their largest customers, or the ones they have been supplying for the longest time, are the most profitable ones, but access to pertinent data can contradict those assumptions.
Axles, Wheels on Crown Vics Investigated
Ford Motor Co.’s Crown Victoria sedans, the subject of lawsuits over fatal fires and a recall of some 2003 models for potential wheel cracks, face a U.S. inquiry after police departments said axles broke or wheels fell off. The investigation covers 287,819 police and civilian 2003 models of the Crown Victoria and the similar Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on its Web site. Two police fleets reported that axles broke or wheels fell off on a total of four cars, without accidents or injuries, the agency said.