By Amy Antenora, Editor
As one of the most mature industries contributing to the North American economy, the automotive 
aftermarket has learned how to weather many storms, and 2007 was a stormy year. It would be impossible to find an aftermarket company that was not in some way impacted by the numerous challenges currently facing businesses, particularly the spike in raw materials costs that have impacted nearly every facet of American life today.
Still, despite hurdles such as increasing health care costs, record high oil prices and supply chain complexity, the aftermarket as a whole remains resilient. The results of this year’s Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) Top 100 Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers List show that despite all this turbulence, the aftermarket continues to grow at a steady pace.
You can see evidence of the aftermarket’s resilience within the results of this year’s list. The tire/rubber and petrochemical companies continue to dominate, and Bridgestone Corp. this year takes the lead with a reported $14.8 billion in North American aftermarket sales, up nearly $6 billion from last year’s results. This is an increase overall in North American Aftermarket earnings for the list, topping last year’s No. 1, Goodyear, which had an estimated $10.1 billion in North American aftermarket sales on the 2007 list.
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.
The 2008 AASA Top 100 Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers List is available online in both a printable PDF format, as well as through a searchable online database that can be viewed here. It is available to all AASA members by contacting [email protected].
The list will be given to all attendees at the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS), which begins Tuesday, May 20, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, Chicago. It also will be distributed with the June issue of Counterman magazine, which reaches more than 50,000 automotive aftermarket parts distribution professionals every month.
For more information, contact Amy Antenora 330-670-1234 x220 or [email protected].
