TIA Announces 2004 Tire Industry Hall of Fame Inductees
The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has announced the names of those who will be inducted into the Tire Industry Hall of Fame for 2004. John Lampe, retired chairman, CEO and president of Bridgestone Americas, and Mario Marangoni, chairman, CEO and president of the Marangoni Group were chosen by a selection committee for their achievements and leadership that have helped shaped the tire industry.
IAPA Selects Wrenchead to Provide Next Generation Point of Sale Solution to its Members
E-business solutions provider Wrenchead, Inc., announced that leading program distribution group Independent Auto Parts of America (IAPA), has selected Wrenchead to provide its members with Wrenchead’s next generation point of sale solution. The new point of sale solution builds on IAPA’s current success with Wrenchead’s E-Commerce solution, NexPart, said Mike Kamal, executive director of IAPA.
AAPEX to Welcome Service Professionals on Nov. 4
Thursday, Nov. 4 has officially been designated as “Service Professionals Day” at the 2004 Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX). Service professionals — the automotive service technicians and parts personnel who are the heart of the aftermarket — will be recognized at the show. Show organizers will welcome the service professionals at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. in front of Hall C at the entrance to the exhibits.
AASA Names New Member Services Manager
Theresa Spera has joined the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) as its new member services manager. Spera comes to AASA from The Exceleration Group in Cary, N.C., a business consulting and market analysis organization, where she served as manager of marketing and client services.
Learn How to Inspire Sales and Management Staff at University Forum
This year at University Forum, popular motorsports anchor Rick Benjamin and Tom Easton, AAP, a senior partner with Essential Action Design Group, will use lessons from racing to show you how to inspire managers and sales people to do their best. The University of the Aftermarket’s annual University Forum can help you stay competitive, and keep pace with our ever-changing market. The event takes place on Sunday, Oct. 31 prior to the kickoff of AAPEX 2004. This afternoon session is designed for those industry professionals who feel that their skills and talents are being stretched too thin. Easton will add his training philosophy that “learning should be fun” to Benjamin’s belief that there are parallels between news teams and race teams. The two will discuss how to stretch goals “collaboratively.”
Manufacturers Discuss How to Face Foreign Competition
About 10 years ago, Lombard, Ill.-based Olson International Ltd. had four manufacturing plants making components for seat belts, airbags and other parts for the automotive industry. Besides Lombard, plants were at their peak in Chicago, Texas and Mexico with as many as 1,000 workers at one time. But that time has passed.
SAE to Celebrate 100 Year Anniversary with Salute to 100 Years of Mobility Engineering
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) will commemorate a century of mobility engineering as the centerpiece of its 100th anniversary celebration next year. As the world’s largest and most well known organization serving mobility professionals, SAE has played a significant role in spearheading and actively supporting the mobility industry’s development. From humble beginnings serving a few engineers in 1905, SAE has grown from an association for automobile manufacturers to now represent aerospace, off-highway machinery and motorsports engineers as well.
Pac Man Fever
I grew up during the Golden Age of video games. Games like Pac Man, Space Invaders, Galaga and Donkey Kong were pretty much all I thought about as a kid. Well, kudos to the gaming industry. In the span of 20 years, the gaming industry has managed to move the needle 100 percent, doubling the price people are willing to pay to play, even on games for which I happily paid 25 cents back in ’81. Come to think of it, just about everything nowadays is more expensive. That’s just how the world works.
Price Drives Options When Consumers Face Engine Problems, According to AAIA
A new report from the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) shows that when faced with major engine problems, price was the most frequently cited factor for consumers when deciding whether to install a new, used or remanufactured engine into their vehicles.
Charting Your Supply Chain DNA — The DNA Building Blocks
What is the genetic structure of a successful supply chain? This week we want to dig a little deeper into the major elements that make a supply chain competitive.