counterman, june 2014

Brake Job Mathematics ● Enter Guess The Car, Page 8 ● Working Without Paper

June 2014

Program Groups

• How They Get TheRight Mix Of Parts

• Where They’re Expanding Globally

• What The Future Holds

The Program GroupsBy Mark Phillips

We talk to the leaders of program group distribution about their global plans, getting the right mix of parts on the shelf and the future of the groups. ..............64Tech FeaturesBy Larry Carley

Brake noise? Don’t be so quick to blame the pads. ..................................................46Communicate with your customers about engine part availability. ..........................48Offer your customers a premium oil filter upgrade. ..................................................50Shocks aren’t replaced as often as they should be. . ......................................................52Mechanic ConnectionBy Gary Goms

Brake sales mathematics. ....................................54The science of drive shaft repair. ....................56

COUNTERMAN (ISSN 0739-3695) (June 2014 Volume 32, Number 6): Copyright 2014 Babcox Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved: Published monthly by Babcox, 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333 U.S.A.Phone (330) 670-1234, Fax (330) 670-0874. Periodical postage paid at Akron, OH 44333 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to COUNTERMAN, 3550 Embassy Parkway,Akron, OH 44333-8318. A limited number of complimentary subscriptions are available to individuals who meet the qualification requirements. Call (330) 670-1234, Ext. 275, to speak to a subscription services rep-resentative or FAX us at (330) 670-5335. Paid Subscriptions are available for non-qualified subscribers at the following rates: U.S.: $69. Samples and back issues - Domestic - $10, International/via air mail - $15.Canada: $89 for one year, $149 for two years. Canadian rates include GST. Ohio residents add 5.75% sales tax. Other foreign rates/via air mail: $129 for one year. Payable in advance in U.S. funds. Mail pay-ment to COUNTERMAN, P.O. Box 75692, Cleveland, OH 44101-4755. Visa, MasterCard or American Express accepted.

Editor’s Ink By Mark Phillips..........................................................................4Write down those great ideas.

From The Publisher By S. Scott Shriber.............................................94Where is everybody going?

Counter-tech By Mandy Aguilar.............................................................96Apps can make for paperless note-taking.

By The Numbers By Tom Dayton ..................................................100“Papa Alpha Romeo Tango Sierra” (PARTS).

features

56

54

64

columns

1 June 2014 | Counterman

JuneVolume 32, No. 6

INSIDE

departmentsAftermarket News...........................................................................................6Aftermarket News presents news, views and analysis of currenttrends and events in aftermarket distribution

NASCAR Performance ...........................................................................42This monthly special section takes you behind the scenes of thisfast-growing sport.

MarketPlace .....................................................................................44,45Every month, MarketPlace showcases the newest automotive prod-uct and service innovations your customers are asking about

Classifieds........................................................................................................98

ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVESHome Office:3550 Embassy ParkwayAkron, OH 44333-8318330-670-1234FAX 330-670-0874

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E D I T O R I A LMark Phillips, Editor330-670-1234, Ext. [email protected]

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Larry Carley, Technical [email protected]

C O N T R I B U T I N G E D I T O R SMandy Aguilar, ColumnistGary Goms, Commercial AccountsGerald Wheelus, ColumnistJerry King, CartoonistThomas Dayton, Columnist

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C O R P O R A T EBill Babcox, PresidentGreg Cira, Vice President, Chief FinancialOfficerJeff Stankard, Vice PresidentBeth Scheetz, Controller

Edward S. Babcox (1885-1970)Founder

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Founded 1983. Copyright 2014Babcox Media, Inc., All Rights Reserved

COUNTERMAN (ISSN-0739-3695) ispublished monthly by Babcox Media, 3550Embassy Pkwy., Akron, OH 44333. Periodicalpostage paid at Akron, OH and additionalmailing offices.

Member, BPA International

41

Front row, from left: John Bartlett, APH; John Oster, Tall Sales; Jim Kruger,N.A. Williams; Crystal Nutt, WACOSA; Mark Hoffman, East Penn; SteveAnderson, Dayco; and Corey Bartlett, APH. Back row: Jared Lamont, NorthCentral Truck Accessories; Pat Ryan, North Pro Reps; Steve Howard,WACOSA; Jay Knopick, Action Sales; and Dave Berge, Dayco.

Would you pay in advance to eatat a restaurant, hold a printedpaper ticket and wait in line tobe seated to eat your food?

While this has been the procedure at fastfood restaurants since almost fast food wasinvented, this is relatively new in the worldof fine dining. I recently read about arestaurant in a major city that charges $150per person in advance. Guests can print outtheir own tickets at home then wait in lineat the restaurant. Everything is paid for inadvance. So why the disparities betweenhow fast food has been run and what somefine dining restaurants are moving to?

Fine dining has a problem: No-shows. No-shows mean a table that is waiting

for a party to arrive sits empty as other peo-ple who would be willing to take it areturned away. Restaurants have tried foryears to take a credit card as proof peoplewill show up.

Some places ding your card $25 or morefor not showing. But people willing to

pay $300 a couple sometimes makemultiple reservations, then take ading or two on the credit cardwhen they finally decide wherethey want to go at the last minute.The $25 is just a slice of what the

restaurant could have gottenout of a bill, so some

restaurants are go-ing big, for the

whole enchila-da, so to speak,and chargingeverything upfront.

You maythink, “Ha!I’d nevergo there.”

That

EDITOR’S INKBy Mark Phillips

The A-Ha! Momentmay be true. But at the restaurants I’ve readabout, the lines are around the corner anddown the street. They’re not only creatingbuzz, but expectations and desire on thepart of would-be diners. Plus, the no-showshave essentially been reduced to zilch. Af-ter you pay your $150 in advance, now youHAVE to go, right? Think of the $150charge not so much as a punishment ifsomeone doesn’t go but as a method toweed out the people who aren’t truly com-mitted to go to that restaurant.

I have to hand it to these restaurateurs— they’ve identified a problem, where some-times 25 percent of their reservations don’tshow up, and attacked that problem head-on.

Ah, yes! Auto parts, right? Well, I’ll tellyou what I’m not going to do. I’m not goingto use the rest of this column to discusspoint-by-point issues that affect auto partsdistribution and list innovative ways to ad-dress them. But consider how some restau-rants took a well-worn process — makingreservation, sitting down, ordering food,eating, paying for food — and turned itcompletely on its ear and solved a naggingproblem that ate into their profits all at thesame time.

I bet there are plenty of you out therewho have seen problems every day andthought, in a moment of reflection, howyou might fix it or improve things. Thenyou probably got right back to work andforgot all about it.

The next time a da Vinci-type momentstrikes — that a-ha! moment of clarity inwhich you see the light and think up a trulyinnovative solution to the problem you’refacing — write it down! Stop what you’redoing and jot down a note, put it in yourpocket and don’t throw your pants in thewash without first removing that note.

That note may just contain the singlegreatest contribution to the future of ourbusiness. CM

■ ■ ■

For more information: www.counterman.comTwitter: @CountermanMag

The next time ada Vinci-typemoment strikes,that a-ha!moment ofclarity in whichyou see the lightand think up atruly innovativesolution to theproblem you’refacing — writeit down!


SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Federal-Mogul Holdings Corp. has an-nounced the next step in itsongoing strategy to drive the glob-al growth of its premium productsand leading brands. The compa-ny’s Vehicle Components divisionhas been renamed Federal-MogulMotorparts.

Federal-MogulMotorparts is aleading providerof premiumbrands, includingMOOG, Fel-Pro,Champion, Wag-ner, ANCO andFerodo to theglobal aftermar-ket. Federal-MogulMotorparts alsoprovides high-quality vehiclebraking, chassisand wiper components to globaloriginal equipment manufacturers.

“For more than a century, wehave remained focused on provid-ing the highest-quality compo-nents across each of the productcategories and regions we serve.Vehicle manufacturers recognizethis, as our friction products arefound on seven of the top 10 vehi-cle models in Europe, and thebest-selling vehicle in NorthAmerica,” said Daniel Ninivaggi,CEO of Federal-Mogul Motor-

parts, and co-CEO of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corp.

“Our aftermarket products are de-signed and engineered around theprinciple that vehicle safety andproduct performance matter most.Federal-Mogul’s premium brandsare synonymous with quality, which

will continue to bethe way we differ-entiate our prod-ucts from othersavailable in themarket. Notwith-standing recenttrends in some af-termarket cate-gories, ourunrelenting focusgoing forward willbe to support ourpremium productsand clearly com-municate their ad-vantages to our

channel partners, professional serv-ice technicians and consumers,”Ninivaggi said.

Federal-Mogul Motorparts man-ufactures vehicle braking, chassis,sealing and other service compo-nents, and also benefits from theengine expertise of the Federal-Mogul Powertrain division.

The new Federal-Mogul Motor-parts name and logo will be rolledout globally effective immediately,leading into new marketing cam-paigns for its product brands.

AFTERMARKET NEWS

Federal-Mogul Vehicle Components DivisionIs Now Federal-Mogul Motorparts

“Our unrelenting focus goingforward will be to supportour premium products andclearly communicate theiradvantages to our channel

partners, professionalservice technicians and

consumers.” — Daniel Ninivaggi, CEO

of Federal-Mogul Motorparts, and co-CEO of Federal-Mogul

Holdings Corp.


STAUNTON, Va. – Brighton AutoService of Brighton, Mich., hasbeen selected as the 2014 Federat-ed Shop of the Year. The Federat-ed Shop of the Year programrecognizes a top shop with ademonstrated track record of ex-cellence in such areas as customerservice, quality repairs, knowl-

AFTERMARKET NEWS

What vehicle does this picturerepresent? If you think youknow the answer, go towww.counterman.com andclick “Guess the Car” on thenav bar. Submit your answerand contact information. Awinner will be randomlyselected by the Countermanstaff from all correct answers.The deadline to enter is July 1.The winner’s name will appearin the next issue. Stay tuned!

Toyota Supra

Congrats to Chaz Wilkin, Anderson, Ind.

Last Month’s Correct Answer:This Month’s Puzzle

Guess the Car / Win $100!

#77

#76

edgeable staff and community involvement.

Winning shop owners Bobby LeeKenney Jr. and Eric Muir wereguests of Federated at the FederatedNational Meeting in Phoenix, Ariz.,and received special recognitionduring the May 1 awards banquet.Federated member Motown Auto-

motive nominated Brighton AutoService for the honor and was on-hand to present the prestigiousaward. Brighton Auto Service hasbeen providing top quality repairsand customer service since 1986.Known for the motto “We fix almostanything on almost any vehicle,” thesuccessful repair business has eightbays and the capacity to double-stack vehicles for a total of 10 servicestations. While its six ASE-certifiedtechnicians specialize in both importand domestic vehicle repairs, theshop is recognized as the import ex-pert in the Brighton area.

“The shops nominated for theFederated Shop of the Year awardwere all very impressive, makingthe decision a very difficult one, butBrighton Auto Service rose to thetop,” said Phil Moore, senior vicepresident for Federated.

Federated Announces Shop Of The Year:

Brighton Auto ServiceLeft to right: Federated Shop of the Year,Brighton Auto Service: Tom Summers,Les Jankowski, Chris Donovan, MarkBoon, Alan Abdella, Eric Muir, BillWasylyk, Bobby Lee Keeney Jr.

Subscribe to the Counterman eNewsletter, the industry'sfreshest twice-weekly, 100 percent free, mobile-device-friendlyeNewsletter. Developed specifically for the auto partsdistribution channel, the Counterman eNewsletter deliverstimely news, new products, promotions and other specialfeatures needed to gain an edge in the marketplace. Subscribeat Counterman.com to receive the Counterman eNewsletter twotimes per week — every Tuesday and Thursday — in your inbox!

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The Network Extends PartsPlus Brand Into Puerto Rico

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Automotive DistributionNetwork is expanding the Parts Plus brand into PuertoRico, according to Mike Lambert, president of the Net-work. UniPiezas, a group of jobbers on the island, willbe flying the Parts Plus banner starting immediately.

“Puerto Rico is a vibrant, three-step jobber marketthat places an emphasis on brand quality and value,”Lambert said. “As the first group of jobbers to fly theParts Plus banner in Puerto Rico, UniPiezas is eager toutilize the brand to strengthen customer loyaltythrough a more professional image.”

The Network will provide the new Parts Plus jobberson the island with marketing and product programs aswell as private-label lines like filters, chemicals and bat-teries to help UniPiezas increase its profitability andmarket share. “The Network looks forward to workingclosely with our new partners in Puerto Rico in thecoming months to help shape a Parts Plus program spe-cific to this unique market,” Lambert added.


AFTERMARKET NEWS

The Network Signs ThirdParts Plus Member

GERMANTOWN, Tenn. – The Automotive Distribu-tion Network continues to expand its Parts Plus Mexi-co footprint with the signing of OASA (Oxigeno yAcetileno S.A. de C.V.) into membership, according toMike Lambert, president of the Network.

“The Parts Plus program tailored for markets inMexico continues to be a growing success with thestrong addition of OASA, our third Parts Plus Mexicomember,” Lambert said. “A family owned operationserving traditional three-step jobbers as well as con-ducting significant retail business with the public,OASA is a large industrial supply and tool-and-equip-ment company, with their larger stores carrying autoparts. OASA adds more volume and greater namerecognition as the Network continues to establish theParts Plus Mexico brand.”

With headquarters in Mexicali, on the east side ofBaja, Calif., OASA has 21 locations, including stores inEnsenada, Tecate, Rosarita, San Quintin, San Felilpe,Puerto Penasco and Hermosillo. OASA is a second-generation company owned and operated by fourbrothers: Alfonso, Alejandro, Jose Manuel and ErnestoGarcia.“At a time of growing competition in the mar-ketplace, partnering with Parts Plus Mexico will en-able our company to add additional lines and carrymore auto parts inventory at all locations as we ex-pand this category,” said Ernesto, president of OASA.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – AutoZone hasreported net sales of $2.3 billion forits third quarter (12 weeks) endedMay 10, 2014, an increase of 6.2percent from the third quarter offiscal 2013 (12 weeks). Domesticsame store sales, or sales for storesopen at least one year, increased 4percent for the quarter.

Net income for the quarter in-creased $19.6 million, or 7.4 per-cent, over the same period last yearto $285.2 million, while dilutedearningsper shareincreased16.4 percent to $8.46 per share from$7.27 per share in the year-agoquarter.

For the quarter, gross profit, as apercentage of sales, was 52 percent(versus 51.8 percent for last year’squarter). AutoZone said the im-provement in gross margin was at-tributable to higher merchandisemargins and lower shrink expense,partially offset by higher supplychain costs associated with currentyear inventory initiatives (25 bps).Operating expenses, as a percent-age of sales, were 31.5 percent (ver-sus 31.1 percent last year). Theincrease in operating expenses, as apercentage of sales, was primarilydue to higher store payroll (14 bps)and annualizing the benefit record-ed last year for the net gain on dis-posal of certain assets (18 bps).

Under its share repurchase pro-gram, AutoZone repurchased 795thousand shares of its commonstock for $420 million during the

third quarter, at an average priceof $529 per share. Year to date, thecompany has repurchased 1.877million shares of its commonstock for $912 million, at an aver-age price of $486 per share. At theend of the third quarter, the com-pany had $307 million remainingunder its current share repurchaseauthorization.

“We are pleased to report our31st consecutive quarter of dou-ble-digit earnings per share

growth,”said BillRhodes,

chairman, president and CEO.“AutoZoners across the companyare dedicated to providing superi-or service to our customers andthat dedication is evidenced inour consistently strong perform-ance. For the third quarter, over-all our sales performance wasgenerally consistent with the sec-ond quarter. While failure relatedcategories were particularlystrong in the second quarter, asexpected, the deferrable mainte-nance categories rebounded in thethird quarter and we expect thattrend to continue through thesummer. Our inventory availabili-ty test initiatives continue to showpromise although we still havesignificant testing to complete be-fore we determine our long-termapproach. As we have routinelystated, we will remain committedto our disciplined approach togrowing operating earnings andutilizing our capital effectively.”


AFTERMARKET NEWS

AutoZone Third Quarter Same StoreSales Increase 4 Percent

BuyAutoParts.com, an online auto parts retailer based in SanDiego, will now be distributing Stigan Auto Parts. Stiganmanufactures high-quality aftermarket turbochargers, bothstandard replacements as well as high-performance upgrades.The addition of Stigan will expand BuyAutoParts.com'soffering of quality name-brand turbochargers.

*Excludes sales tax. See web site for complete details.

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Federated Selects KYB AsCo-Man Vendor Of The YearNGK also recognized for order fill.STAUNTON, Va. – Federated Auto Parts has namedKYB Americas Corp. as its Outstanding Co-ManVendor of the Year. In addition, NGK was recog-nized as the Federated Co-Man Vendor of the Year –Order Fill. “The Federated Co-Man program has been increas-ingly successful because of the good work of oursuppliers. They work very closely with our mem-bers and understand the importance of the opera-tion to the entire Federated organization,” saidRusty Bishop, CEO of Federated Auto Parts. “KYBhas demonstrated exceptional performance, doingtheir part day in and day out to make sure our Co-Man operation runs smoothly and efficiently.”

“Order fill is very important to our membershipand essential to the overall success of the FederatedCo-Man warehouse operation,” said Bishop. “NGKis a valued supplier partner and we congratulatethem for leading the way in this vital category.”

AFTERMARKET NEWS Over the Counter By Jerry King

Uni-Select Unveils New Banner StrategyFor Canadian ShopsBOUCHERVILLE, Quebec – Uni-Select Inc. has unveiled its newbanner strategy for Canadian repairshops. According to Uni-Select, thisnew strategy lets shops choose thebanner under which they want tooperate (Auto-Select, Uni-Pro or Se-lectAutoXpert (SAX)) and supportstheir growth with a flexible and di-verse lineup of services specificallyadapted to each shop’s particularneeds. Joining one of these pro-grams provides shops with morevisibility, the support of a networkin promoting their services andhelps increase customer loyalty.

The Uni-Pro program is a build-your-own program that offers anoptional brand image and an À lacarte menu of options, with manywarranties for the shops and theircustomers. Technicians can alsotake advantage of training pro-grams, diagnostic tools and busi-ness management coaching.

Not All FuelAdditives areCreated Equal

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See how Gumout puts science to work in every bottle to helpmaximize engine performance.

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Tech Tip Courtesy of Gumout

GERMANTOWN, Tenn. – The Au-tomotive Distribution Networkcontinues to extend its Auto Pridefootprint across the country withthe signing of Portland Transmis-sion Warehouse.

According to Mike Lambert,president of the Network, PortlandTransmission Warehouse is an im-portant addition to the group asthe Network further expands onthe West Coast.

What started as a repair shop in1938 has evolved into a successfulwarehouse distribution companyspecializing in drivetrain compo-nents, said Ross Bradshaw, presi-dent of Portland TransmissionWarehouse. “My grandfather start-ed the business in 1938. In the ‘50s,his became one of the first shops intown to service automatic trans-missions. Today, from our singlelocation in Portland, we serve cus-tomers in Oregon, Washington andparts of Alaska, Idaho and Mon-tana. Through the Network andAuto Pride, we’re planning to ex-pand and add some new lines tobetter serve our customer base.”

The election of Portland Trans-mission Warehouse into Networkmembership reflects Auto Pride’sstrategy of signing distributors thathave great potential for growth,added Cora Roark, director of AutoPride.

“Portland Transmission is a per-fect fit for the Network’s AutoPride division, where the niche dis-tributor is just as valuable as thefull-line warehouse. Auto Pridewill help provide everything thecompany needs to grow, includingcompetitive buying programs, in-novative IT initiatives, an extensiveequipment catalog, and access tothe Network Products co-op ware-house,” she said.


AFTERMARKET NEWS

The Network Signs Portland Transmission

Warehouse As New Auto Pride Member

DENSO has acquired

of EASE Simulation Inc., to help accelerate research anddevelopment of its vehiclediagnostic and telematicsbusiness in North America.DENSO International America Inc.completed the transition ofownership of the Pennsylvania-based vehicle diagnostics andtelematics company on June 4.

BOUCHERVILLE, Quebec – Spec-tra Premium Industries Inc. an-nounced it has entered into abinding purchase agreement for allassets of Richporter TechnologyLtd. The acquisition is set to closearound May 16.

“Spectra Premium welcomes theRichporter Technology group andlooks forward to incorporating itsglobal manufacturing network ofhigh-quality engine managementproducts to our already extensiveproduct lineup,” said JacquesMombleau, president and CEO ofSpectra Premium. “We will contin-ue to pursue the aftermarket entre-preneurial spirit and productdevelopment strategy of Rich-

porter Technology that was led byits CEO, Mr. Patrick Richardson.”

“A key component of our growthstrategy is to expand our businessmodel into complete vehicle repairsolutions. Coupling the existingfuel and cooling system categorieswith these new engine manage-ment products allows us to growsales opportunities for our partnersin the global automotive market,”stated Jason Best, vice president af-termarket sales and marketing,Spectra Premium.

“We are pleased to announce thatleading our engine managementteam as vice president operationswill be Martin Brazeau of RichporterTechnology, who will be headquar-

tered in the new offices of SpectraPremium located in Taiwan.”

Founded by Keith and PatrickRichardson along with LawrenceHung, Richporter Technology wasfounded in 2001 based in Montreal,Quebec, Canada, with distributionhandled from Champlain, N.Y.,and manufacturing presence inKaohsiung, Taiwan. Richporter de-velops, manufactures and distrib-utes engine management andignition products for the automo-tive aftermarket industry. Today,the company offers a full line ofmass air flow sensors (MAFS),coils, distributors, synchronizersand cam and crank sensors, withmore new products coming soon.


AFTERMARKET NEWS

Spectra Premium IndustriesTo PurchaseAssets Of Richporter Technology Ltd.

Johnson Controlsis growing its presence in China by

opening a newautomotive battery

manufacturing plantthat will produce 6million automotive

batteries per year in the

world's largest new vehicle

market, where 22 million new

vehicles are produced annually.

The global multi-industrial

company's new 133,000-square-

meter facility in Chongqing City

reflects an investment of$154 million. Located in

Fuling District of Chongqing, in

Western China, the new plant will

bring state-of-the-art technology

and services to customers.

AUSTIN, Texas – Epicor SoftwareCorp. has been selected as BusinessTechnology Partner of the Year byAftermarket Auto Parts Alliance(the Alliance), one of the world’slargest auto parts distribution andmarketing organizations. Theaward recognizes the role Epicorplayed throughout 2013, helpingextend the competitive benefits ofthe Alliance Technology Suite.

Epicor has been a key technolo-gy provider to the Alliance formore than a decade. The compa-nies recently signed a multi-yearagreement covering product data,business intelligence and connec-tivity solutions. Several Allianceshareholders also rely on a varietyof Epicor business management so-

lutions, including Epicor Eagle andEpicor Vision.

“The Alliance continues to in-novate and lead the aftermarketwith highly advanced businesstechnologies for our sharehold-ers, and Epicor has played a vitalrole in helping us expand thecompetitive benefits of these so-lutions,” said Alliance Chief In-formation Officer Dale Hopkins.“Their expertise within the auto-motive aftermarket, and a talent-ed team, have helped us achieveour business goals.”

Epicor and the Alliance havecollaborated in the developmentof a wide range of innovativebusiness intelligence capabilities,including the award-winning Al-

liance Data Warehouse, compre-hensive inventory planning andmodeling tools, and vertical cate-gory management initiatives. TheAlliance is a longtime user of theindustry-leading Epicor replace-ment parts database and otherproduct intelligence solutions.

“The Alliance team has a deepunderstanding and appreciationfor the ever-increasing role of tech-nology in today’s aftermarket in-dustry,” said Scott Thompson, vicepresident, automotive, retail distri-bution solutions for Epicor. “Weare proud to have earned theirtrust as we collaborate in develop-ing new business intelligence solu-tions for use in every Allianceshareholder business.”


AFTERMARKET NEWS

Epicor Selected As Business Technology Partner OfThe Year By Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance

GERMANTOWN, Tenn. – NewYork-based Big City Automotivecontinues its expansion into NewJersey with the acquisition of AllParts Distributors, d.b.a. Associat-ed Auto Parts, a fellow AutomotiveDistribution Network member lo-cated in Linden, N.J.

The announcement was made byKenny Maurer, president and CEOof Big City.

“The acquisition of AssociatedAuto Parts is a tremendous oppor-tunity for Big City to make ourpresence known in New Jersey ona much larger scale after buyingour first store in the state last year,”said Maurer, who also serves as theNetwork’s chairman. “The 52,000-square-foot main warehouse in

Linden and three additional satel-lite locations in Edison, NorthPlainfield and Berkeley Heightswill help Big City expand through-out northern New Jersey.”

The sale came about throughMaurer’s working relationshipover the years with Ron Brody, out-going president of All Parts Dis-tributors and a founding memberand former chairman of the Net-work’s Auto Pride brand.

“I was the negotiator for theNetwork when Auto Pridemerged with the group, so I’veknown Ron and of his companyfor a long time,” Maurer said.“For more than four decades, As-sociated has been a great opera-tion with great people.”

counterman.com 25

AFTERMARKET NEWS

New York’s Big City Acquires Fellow

Network Member All Parts Distributors

PLACENTIA, Calif. — RedlineDetection, a leading provider ofOEM-approved automotive diag-nostic leak detection equipmentand developer of one of theworld’s best-selling diagnosticleak detectors, the Smoke Pro, hasformed an exclusive master dis-tributorship agreement with Inte-grated Supply Network (ISN)Canada to meet the growing de-mand for Redline products in theCanadian market.

“At Redline, we are committedto providing world-class serviceand products to customers aroundthe world,” said Alex Parker, exec-utive vice president of Redline Detection.

Redline Forms

Partnership With ISN

Canada

BALTIMORE, Md. – The After-market Auto Parts Alliance con-vened its Summer Meeting at theBaltimore Marriott Waterfronthotel earlier this month before a

record number of attendees.More than 200 distributor mem-ber personnel representing all 54 group shareholders joinedwith nearly 250 supplier channel

partners, making it the largestsuch event in the organization’shistory.

“Our summer meeting is anoutstanding event that enablesour shareholders to roll up theirsleeves and tackle some of the se-rious issues facing us as agroup,” said John R. Washbish,president and CEO of the Al-liance. “It gives us the opportuni-ty to bring our heads togetherand push ourcollaborativeendeavors for-ward, as well ascelebrate someof our accom-plishments.”

Key amongthose accom-plishments be-ing celebratedwas the remark-able achieve-ment of theAlliance and itsshareholderswinning thecoveted R. L. Polk Inventory Effi-ciency Award for the fourth con-secutive year. Personnel fromshareholder members Automo-tive Parts Headquarters, Per-formance Warehouse andAuto-Wares joined with head-quarters staff representing thepast four winners of the award.

The Alliance meeting also fea-tured presentations on productand category management, infor-mation technology and e-com-merce and branding andmarketing. The event culminatedwith a vendor expo and a chow-der cook-off where supplierchannel partners interacted withshareholders while enjoyingsome of the finest local seafoodfrom the Chesapeake Bay.


AFTERMARKET NEWS

Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance Holds Summer Meeting In Baltimore

John Washbish,President and CEO

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – AutoZone recognized DormanProducts Inc. as its Vendor of the Year during the com-pany’s annual AutoZone Vendor Summit held recent-ly in Memphis, Tenn.Each year, AutoZoneholds the Vendor Sum-mit hosting more than500 vendors for celebra-tion, training and recog-nition activities.

“Dorman exemplifiesan industry-leadingvendor. The entire Dorman organization is dedicat-ed to innovation, collaboration and speed to mar-ket,” said Bill Rhodes, chairman, president and CEOof AutoZone.

AutoZone also recognized a special group of suppli-ers with the company’s Extra Miler Award.

“The Extra Miler Award recognizes those supplierswho have set a high standard for consistently working to-

gether with AutoZone to grow the business and strength-en customer loyalty,” said Mark Finestone, senior vicepresident of merchandising and store development. Extra

Miler winners were:Budge Industries LLC,Johnson Controls, NeotekCorp. Inc., OSRAM SYL-VANIA, Prestone Prod-ucts Corp., QualisAutomotive, Shell Lubri-cants and Wells VehicleElectronics.

Additionally, WITTDTJR (What It Takes To Do TheJob Right) Awards were given to suppliers as recogni-tion for taking the initiative to make sure AutoZonersand customers have what it takes to complete the job.WITTDTJR award winners included: Bearing Tech-nologies, Dayco, Hitachi Automotive Systems Americ-as Inc., MOTHERS, Motorcar Parts of America andPremier Accessory Group.

AutoZone Names Dorman Vendor Of The Year


AFTERMARKET NEWS

“Dorman exemplifies an industry-leading vendor.The entire Dorman organization is dedicated toinnovation, collaboration and speed to market.”

— Bill Rhodes, chairman, president and CEO of AutoZone.

Bob Leone Of ADVICSAppointed To CAWAManufacturers Advisory Council

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – CAWAChair Ron Aparicio of MOTULUSA has appointed Bob Leone ofADVICS to the association’s Manu-facturers Advisory Council(MAC).

“In adding Bob Leone to ourMAC, we are adding a true leaderin the auto care industry. I haveknown Bob for many years, and hebrings a well-respected ‘real world’viewpoint to our group,” saidAparicio. “Bob’s valued input fromhis experiences in the aftermarket,and representing a prestigiousOEM supplier such as ADVICSwill greatly benefit the association.We look forward to his contribu-tions to the Manufacturers Adviso-ry Council and his role withinCAWA.”

CONCORD, N.H. – Sanel AutoParts Co. has been honored by Ben-dix Commercial Vehicle Systems asan Exemplary Distributor, withPlatinum ranking. Bendix execu-tives stated that Sanel delivered ex-ceptional performance for fleetcustomers across North America.

The Platinum ranking reflectsthe top 10 percent of distributors inthe company’s independent after-market distributor network.

Bendix distributorship perform-ance program utilizes objectiveperformance measures as opposedto work volume alone. As a result,all Bendix distributors, regardlessof size, have an equal opportunity

to earn rewards and recognition.“Bendix relies on strong partner-

ships with our distributors to meetthe needs of today’s heavy-duty af-termarket. Because of these part-nerships, customers can count onhaving the right part in the right

place at the right time, so they cankeep their vehicles on the road andin the safest condition,” said TomOtter, Bendix vice president, salesand marketing. “We are proud tohave distributor partners whostrive daily to provide the heavy-duty aftermarket with the highestlevels of safety, performance, valueand post-sales support.”

“We are truly honored by thisrecognition,” said David Segal,president of Sanel Auto Parts, Co.“Our commitment to excellence forour customers is paramount.”

Sanel Auto Parts has been a family-owned business for the past95 years.

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AFTERMARKET NEWS

Affinia Group Completes SaleOf Global Chassis GroupGASTONIA, N.C. – Affinia GroupInc. announced it has closed thesale of its global chassis business toan affiliate of Federal-Mogul Corp.The gross consideration was $150million.

“The divestiture of our GlobalChassis group gives us a greateropportunity to focus on our GlobalFiltration and Affinia South Ameri-ca segments, both of which providestrong growth opportunities in themarkets they serve,” said KeithWilson, president and CEO forAffinia Group Inc. “We extend ourappreciation to the individualswithin the Chassis team whohelped lead and grow this businessgroup over the years and wishthem continued success.”

The chassis business is com-prised of more than 350 people infive locations, including operationsin Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;Ramsey, New Jersey; McHenry, Illi-nois; Fort Wayne, Indiana and Mis-sissauga, Ontario, Canada.

Sanel Auto Parts Recognized AsExemplary Distributor By Bendix

“We are proud to havedistributor partners who strivedaily to provide the heavy-dutyaftermarket with the highestlevels of safety, performance,value and post-sales support.”

—Tom Otter, Bendix vice president,sales and marketing

Federated Presents Co-ManMember Of The Year And Car Care Excellence AwardsAt National Meeting

STAUNTON, Va. – Three Federated members werehonored during the annual Federated Auto Parts na-tional meeting held April 30 through May 3 inPhoenix, Ariz.

Indianapolis-based TBA & Oil Warehouse wasnamed Federated Co-Man Member of the Year. Accept-ing the award were Charlie Crouse and Ryan Wrege.The Federated Co-Man Member of the Year is present-ed annually to the participating member that hasshown outstanding dedication and support of themember-owned Federated Co-Man warehouse opera-tion and its programs.

This year, Federated added a new honor to its awardceremony. The inaugural Federated Car Care Excel-lence Award was presented to two members, Cold AirDistributors of Florida and Parts Distributing Milwau-kee, and recognizes Federated members who have ex-celled at implementing the Federated Car Careprogram.

“On behalf of the entire Federated organization, wethank these three members for their exceptional com-mitment to the success of Federated and its programs,”said Rusty Bishop, CEO of Federated Auto Parts.


AFTERMARKET NEWS

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Continental Commercial Vehi-cles & Aftermarket, one of the industry’s leading man-ufacturers of complete OE Tire Pressure MonitoringSystems (TPMS), OE-engineered TPMS replacementparts and the maker of the VDO REDI-Sensor Multi-Application TPMS Sensor, has just released a glossaryof industry terms that was recently developed forTPMS service. The new 10-page glossary includes def-initions and descriptions for more than 93 industry-wide TPMS service related and parts terms.

According to Continental Product Manager SteveLandis, the new glossary was developed to help bothparts suppliers and professional technicians bettercommunicate and understand the complexities ofTPMS service and the wide variety of industry termi-nologies used in this rapidly expanding automotiveservice category. The new glossary is available free onthe VDO REDI-Sensor website at redi-sensor.com/glossary.php and can be downloadedfor easy reference as a PDF.

Continental Releases GlossaryOf Industry TPMS Terms

Federated Membership NamesStandard Motor ProductsOutstanding Vendor Of The YearSTAUNTON, Va. – It was a “three-peat” for StandardMotor Products (SMP) as the company was selected asOutstanding Vendor of the Year by the Federated AutoParts membership for the third consecutive year.

The Federated vendor award was presented to SMPby Rusty Bishop, CEO of Federated Auto Parts, duringthe group’s national meeting and annual awards din-ner in Phoenix, Ariz. Accepting the award on behalf ofSMP were Bill Collins, Leon De Long, Joe Donaggio,Phil Hutchens, Eric Sills and Ken Wendling.

“It is a great accomplishment to be chosen as theFederated Outstanding Vendor of the Year and it’seven more impressive to be honored with this topaward three years in a row,” said Bishop. “SMP re-ceived the most votes from Federated members againthis year and we want to extend our sincere gratitudefor their continued commitment to excellence.”

In addition to the Outstanding Vendor of the Yearaward, Federated presented its Outstanding SupplierSupport Awards to those suppliers deemed exception-al in five key categories:

● Order Fill Vendor of the Year – Hastings● Education and Training Vendor of the Year – East

Penn● Marketing Vendor of the Year – Dorman● Sales Representation Vendor of the Year – Feder-

al-Mogul● Electronic Cataloging Vendor of the Year –

CARDONE“These five categories are particularly important to

our membership and essential to the overall success ofFederated,” continued Bishop. “We salute these val-ued supplier partners for leading the way in each ofthese vital categories.”

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AFTERMARKET NEWS

Left to right: The SMP team with Federated CEO Rusty Bishop:Leon De Long, Phil Hutchens, Ken Wendling, Bishop, Eric Sills,Joe Donaggio and Bill Collins.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – O’Reilly Au-tomotive has announced recordrevenues and earnings for its firstquarter ended March 31, 2014.

Sales for the first quarter endedMarch 31, 2014, increased $143million, or 9 percent, to $1.73 bil-lion from $1.59 billion for the sameperiod one year ago. Gross profitfor the first quarter increased to$878 million (or 50.8 percent ofsales) from $799 million (or 50.4percent of sales) for the same peri-od one year ago, representing anincrease of 10 percent.

Net income for the first quarterended March 31, 2014, increased$20 million, or 13 percent, to $174million (or 10.1 percent of sales)

from $154 million (or 9.7 percent ofsales) for the same period one yearago. Diluted earnings per commonshare for the first quarter increased18 percent to $1.61 on 108 millionshares versus $1.36 for the sameperiod one year ago on 113 millionshares.

Commenting on the company’sfirst quarter results, President andCEO Greg Henslee stated, “We areproud to report a very strong andprofitable start to 2014, highlight-ed by a 6.3 percent increase incomparable store sales and an 18percent increase in diluted earn-ings per share to $1.61, whichmarks our 21st consecutive quarterof 15 percent or greater diluted

earnings per share growth. Ourcomparable store sales results forthe first quarter exceeded our ex-pectations, and the top end of ourguidance range, driven by TeamO’Reilly’s relentless focus on de-livering the highest level of cus-tomer service in the industry. Onceagain, our record-breaking per-formance is the direct result of thehard work and commitment of ourdedicated team members, and Iwould like to thank each of you forthe vital role you play in our ongo-ing success.”

Henslee continued, “During thefirst quarter, we opened 50 net,new stores across 23 states withmany of those stores opening inFlorida where our newest distribu-tion center in Lakeland began pro-viding daily inventoryreplenishments to our stores inthose markets in early January.”


AFTERMARKET NEWS

O’Reilly Automotive Reports First Quarter 2014 Results

BBB IndustriesReceives SalesExcellence AwardFrom NAPAMOBILE, Ala. – At the most recentNAPA Vendor Summit held in At-lanta, Ga., BBB Industries wasawarded the Sales ExcellenceAward. Citing BBB’s product val-ue, superior sales service level, cre-ative promotional and salessupport activities and cooperativeefforts with the NAPA field salesorganization, BBB was recognizedfor going the extra mile to make2013 an exceptional year forNAPA-branded products.

Accepting the award for BBBwas Matt Knott, account managerfor NAPA. Also in attendancefrom BBB headquarters were DonBigler, Trey Smart and Joe Felicel-li. “We are extremely proud ofMatt and the entire team that sup-ports our presence at NAPA,”said Bigler, executive chairman.“We consider NAPA to be a truepartner and even in our fairlyshort time as a supplier, we thinkof NAPA as an extension of ourbusiness. We are proud to be ableto work with the NAPA team andwill always do our best to earntheir continued trust.”

Currently, BBB supplies theNAPA organization throughoutNorth America with rotating elec-trical and power steering prod-ucts. BBB Industries has beensupplying rotating electrical prod-ucts to NAPA since 2008 and pow-er steering racks, pumps andgears since 2011.


AFTERMARKET NEWS


AFTERMARKET NEWS

SOUTH JORDAN, Utah – OptiCat LLC reports that itsprograms used by data suppliers and receivers to sup-ply and access supplier catalog data have received im-portant enhancements that will provide increasedflexibility and value. These enhancements are provid-ed at no cost to data receivers, according to OptiCat.

“These new OptiCat programs add significant valueto both suppliers and data receivers such that prod-ucts will reach the market faster with fewer catalog er-rors related to data translation problems,” saidCharley Johnson, OptiCat CEO. “More profitable op-erations will result for suppliers and receivers.”

Enhancements include:OptiCat can now receive supplier product attribute

data in flat file form via its OnBoard program and ex-port it in PIES format to data receivers via its OnDe-mand program. This will assist non-PIES compliantsuppliers and their data receivers to communicatemore effectively.

Data receivers using OptiCat’s OnDemand programwill be able to specify custom PIES data output for-mats, in XML or flat file structures, based on the PIESdata standard. According to OptiCat, this capabilityintegrates with the OnBoard data import capabilitydescribed above. Therefore, if the data receiver’s sys-tems require specific portions of the PIES data that areresident in the OptiCat data repository, these can becustom-specified by the receivers or by suppliers act-ing on the receiver’s behalf.

OptiCat has added the new “OnMail” option ofdata delivery for suppliers and receivers that use a se-cure email delivery program. Many data receivers pre-fer to receive supplier data from the OptiCat datarepository via the OnDemand FTP delivery programafter they have been automatically informed by Opti-Cat that supplier data is available. However, some re-ceivers prefer to get the data immediately upon itsrelease by the supplier via email.

OptiCat Launches New Offerings For AutomotiveAftermarket Data Suppliers and Data Receivers

Uni-Select Reports Solid EarningsGrowth In The First QuarterBOUCHERVILLE, Quebec – Uni-Select Inc. has report-ed its results for the first quarter ended March 31,2014. The company said EBITDA and net earnings im-proved sharply compared to the same period last yearnotwithstanding a slight decrease in overall sales. Thecorporation generated 1.7 percent organic growth.

“I am pleased to report strong consistent profitabili-ty growth since the implementation of our Action Planlast summer,” said Richard Roy, president and CEO ofUni-Select. “During the quarter, our team efficiently

executed opera-tional improve-ments, which, inturn, generated

positive sales despite unfavorable weather conditionsthat prevailed across many U.S. regions. Its unparal-leled commitment accounts for our success. It translat-ed into positive outcomes for our customers, suppliersand shareholders.”

“In the coming months, we will continue to focuson organic sales growth while seeking profitabilityand efficiency gains through the implementation ofthe final stages of our Action Plan. We shall follow ouroperational plan, which should lead to reduced inven-tory and lower operating costs and reduced debt. Weintend to remain the partner of choice for independentwholesalers and to continue to strengthen our leader-ship position in the automotive aftermarket productdistribution,” added Roy.

Uni-Select recorded a decrease in sales of 2.1 percentto $413 million in the first quarter of 2014, resultingfrom projected store closures under the Action Plan, aweak Canadian dollar and temporary closures causedby severe winter conditions in many U.S. regions. Inthe first quarter, organic sales grew by 1.7 percent.Sales of the U.S. operations reached $311 million, up 1percent organically. Canadian operations delivered$102 million in sales in the same period, organicallyup 3.8 percent. The overall positive organic growthcomes from the success of the various sales initiativesand the recruitment of new customers, supported byimproved service levels stemming from now fully im-plemented ERP system.

The corporation’s adjusted EBITDA margin in-creased by 22 percent to reach 5 percent compared to4.1 percent last year. This solid increase is mainly at-tributable to savings realized under the Action Plan,including the closure of non-profitable distribution lo-cations and headcount reductions. Organic growthand tighter expense controls also contributed to the in-crease.

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AFTERMARKET NEWS


AFTERMARKET NEWS

Prolong Super Lubricants SponsorsAllen Berg Racing Schools

POMONA, Calif. – For thrill seekers to serious stu-dents of auto racing, Allen Berg Racing Schools(ABRS) offer the experienced instructors and profes-sional curriculum that can make up-and-coming rac-ers great. As a leader in car care products, lubricantsand protectants, Prolong Super Lubricants is nowsponsoring ABRS, helping students achieve their goalsby providing its full additive product line for engines,transmissions and fuel systems, as well as its SPL100Super Penetrating Lubricant Spray, Waterless Wash &Shine and Super Protectant for all vehicles available tostudents.

"We understand the wear and tear engines gothrough and Prolong's Anti-Friction Metal Treatment(AFMT) technology can help engines run cooler andmore efficiently, enhancing the students' education asthey learn to operate ABRS's high-tech racecars," saidJon Apogée, general manager, domestic sales, market-ing and motorsports, Prolong Super Lubricants. "Our

cleaning and protecting products can also help thestudents streamline the high level of maintenance theexteriors of these vehicles require."

AFMT technology protects against high tempera-ture oxidation, wear and viscosity breakdown duringsevere use. AFMT bonds to metal surfaces, diminish-ing the effects of metal-to-metal friction and redirect-ing the engine's fuel-combustion energy straight to thehorsepower necessary for optimum performance andfuel economy.

Berg, a former Formula One Grand Prix driver, de-veloped the school's programs to provide studentswith an authentic racing experience at two racing ven-ues, offering six Formula Car racing programs andtwo driver safety courses that teach students safetyand accident avoidance techniques.

ABRS operates programs at various locationsthroughout California and Arizona. To learn more,visit www.allenbergracingschools.com.

MONTREAL, Quebec – John DelVasto, president of Vast-Auto, andDavid Vaughan, vice president ofEastern Automotive Warehousing,announced they haveformed a strategicpartnership throughthe acquisition of thebusiness operationsof Eastern Automo-tive Warehousing.The newly formedentity, Vast-Auto Dis-tribution Atlantic,will be responsiblefor all distribution ac-tivities in the Atlantic Provinces.The company owned stores willcontinue to operate under AutoMachinery.

“This transaction supports ourgrowth strategy and strengthensour position in Eastern Canada,”said Del Vasto. “Atlantic Canada isa very important market for us andwe are committed to offering partsstores access to a quality productassortment and provide valueadded services to fulfill the needsof the customer base.”

The two companies stated thatin addition to the synergy and in-creased efficiency made possible

by grouping their activities, thequality and flexibility of the com-bined marketing programs will al-low them to better serve their

existing customersand develop the fullpotential of the mar-ket in an optimalway. “The expandedoperational and sup-ply chain infrastruc-ture enables us tobetter service theneeds of our cus-tomers in AtlanticCanada and acceler-

ate our growth plans,” saidVaughan. “At the end of the day,we are proud of our family’s 100-year tradition in the industry andfeel that partnering with Vast-Auto will make us stronger. It is anew and very exciting era forEastern Automotive Warehousingand Auto Machinery.”

The transaction will expand Vast-Auto’s footprint of Auto Value asso-ciate and corporate part stores andits network of professional repairshops in Eastern Canada. DavidVaughan will continue to administerthe business as vice president andgeneral manager.

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AFTERMARKET NEWS

Snap-on Acquires Pro-Cut International

KENOSHA, Wis. – Snap-on Inc. has acquired substantially all of the as-sets of Pro-Cut International Inc. for approximately $42 million in cash.

Pro-Cut, with 2013 sales of approximately $24 million, designs, manu-factures and distributes on-car brake lathes, related equipment and acces-sories used in brake servicing by automotive repair facilities.

“We believe Pro-Cut will be an important addition to our Repair Sys-tems & Information Group and will help us move further along our co-herent growth runway of expanding with repair shop owners andmanagers. We look forward to welcoming Pro-Cut associates to the Snap-on family,” said Nick Pinchuk, Snap-on chairman and CEO.

“Pro-Cut’s advanced brake servicing product line enhances and in-creases Snap-on’s offering of productivity solutions for vehicle repair fa-cilities, including independent shops, national service chains and OEMdealerships,” Pinchuk added.

Vast-Auto Distribution, EasternAutomotive Warehousing Join Forces

“This transactionsupports our growth

strategy andstrengthens our

position in EasternCanada.”

— John Del Vasto, president of Vast-Auto


AFTERMARKET NEWS

Improved lubricants have allowedservice intervals to extend formany vehicles with automatic

transmissions, utilizing “lifetimefluids.” In the past, service recom-mendations for automatic transmis-sions were based on time/mileagetied to requirements of new vehiclewarranties (2-3 years or 30,000miles). Lifetime fluid recommenda-tions are now 5-10 years or the lifeof the vehicle (100,000 miles) un-less the vehicle is subjected to “severe duty.”

The question that often comes up next: When is it ap-propriate to perform a fluid service? Taken directly fromOEM owners’ manuals, “severe duty” has historicallybeen defined as:

• Operation of vehicle when ambient temperature isabove 100° F or below 0° F.

• Carrying heavy loads or multiple passengers on adaily basis.

• High-speed highway or interstate driving for extend-ed periods of time.

• Driving in hilly or mountainous areas. • Stop-and-go driving.

Tech Tip Courtesy of Lubegard

Perform Transmission Fluid Service By ‘Severe Duty’ Change IntervalBy definition, drivers are en-

gaged in severe-duty vehicle oper-ation most of the time. Theseverity and non-stop cold weath-er of this recent winter is a perfectexample of severe-duty condi-tions that really stress and deteri-orate all of the lubricants in avehicle. The standard recommendation is to cut the rec-ommended change interval(30,000 - 100,000 miles) in half

and perform service based on severe duty (15,000 -50,000 miles).

Most drivers are looking to minimize the cost of own-ership and still meet the warranty requirements. Mostwarranties clearly state that failure to perform routinemaintenance will void the warranty. When we service ve-hicles, we owe it to our customers to qualify their drivinghabits. We need to show them if they operate their vehi-cle in a manner that may require a more frequent servicecycle. When we provide the customer with the adviceand service they need to maintain their vehicle and OEwarranty based on real world considerations, we instilltrust, confidence and loyalty.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Hahn Auto-motive Warehouse held its annualnational sales conference March 14-15 in Rochester, N.Y. As the compa-ny continues to grow, so does thesize of this event, which hosted 248people. Headquartered in Rochester,Hahn has physical locations in 10states and services 19 states from In-diana to South Carolina.

The balance of the first day wasspent attending a vendor boothshow. The 100,000 square feet ofspace was lit up with auto parts,supplies, accessories, tools andequipment. Staffed by the best rep-resentatives in the business, eachbooth offered a wealth of knowl-

edge and information for the par-ticipants to take back to their salesareas and use right away.

Day two started off with an ex-citing and humorous presentationby Garrison Wynn. Wynn startedhis career as a stand-up comedianand then set his focus on corporatetraining. His message of customerservice combined with his presen-tation style made an indelible im-pression on the entire crowd.

The afternoon brought presenta-tions from four key vendor channelpartners – Dorman Products, Ten-neco, Federal-Mogul and StandardMotor Products. This was an op-portunity for in-depth information

to be shared with the group as theyprepare for the rush of spring busi-ness. Dorman had some fun withthe group and hosted a live gameof Jeopardy on the stage withprizes for the participants.

During the evening awards ban-quet, 60 different members of theHahn team won awards for theirsales and profitability efforts in theprevious year. Vendor ChannelPartners also were recognized fortheir hard work and achievement,with top honors going to Tennecothis year.

To complete the event, the MikeFuterman Memorial Award is giv-en to a worthy recipient who repre-sents the standards, ethics andbeliefs of the company founder.This year’s recipient was BarryWilliams from the Nu-Way AutoParts division.

Hahn Automotive Warehouse Hosts 2014 National Sales Conference

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AFTERMARKET NEWS

JUPITER, Fla. – Multi Parts Sup-ply (MPS) used the occasion of the2014 Global Aftermarket Automo-tive Symposium (GAAS) to an-nounce the new MPSSPARK Initiative. De-veloped by the MPSsenior managementteam, the SPARK Ini-tiative’s purpose is toignite deeper interest in the autocare industry among the next gen-eration of technical and executiveprofessionals. The SPARK Initia-tive’s inaugural event will takeplace at the 2014 Automotive After-market Products Expo (AAPEX)Show, Nov. 4-6, at the Sands Expoin Las Vegas. For the SPARK Initia-

tive 2014, MPS is selecting sixGAAS scholarship winners, pro-viding each an all-expenses-paidtrip to the 2014 AAPEX Expo.

SPARK selecteeswill be treated to anactivity-packed,three-day industryimmersion.

SPARK Initiative 2014 selecteeswill benefit from a dynamic one-of-a-kind introduction to the industry,that includes specifically designedand developed programming atthe show, meet-and-greet encoun-ters with key industry leadershipand in-show outings orchestratedby MPS.

APH Chili Cook-Off Raises $62,000

For Adults With DisabilitiesEight chili dishes were entered and $62,000 was raised for WACOSA, anonprofit day program for adults with disabilities in central Minnesota.

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — During the final stop of the 84th Annual AutoValue Product Expo Tour, Automotive Parts Headquarters Inc. (APH), in

partnership with almost 50 manufacturers’ rep-resentatives, hosted its fourth annual chili cook-off. Eight chili dishes were entered and $62,000was raised for WACOSA, a nonprofit day pro-gram for adults with disabilities in central Min-nesota.

“APH, Auto Value and the Bartlett family arestrong believers and supporters of WACOSA,”commented Russ Redman, sales representativefor William Shimp Sales and chili cook-offchampion. “Adults with disabilities are oftenthe hardest hit when county, state and federalfunding cuts need to be made. For that reason,we are extremely proud to help the APH team,in any way we can, raise money and awarenessfor this important program.” Russ Redman,

chili cook-off champion.WACOSA connects local businesses with a workforce of more than 500

adults with mental or physical disabilities. Through training and coach-ing, WACOSA workers provide reliable and affordable business solutionsthrough in-center work opportunities or community employment.

Multi Parts Supply Announces SPARK Initiative

Russ Redman, chili cook-off champion

Track Talk

For Joe Slingerland, rear tirechanger on the No. 88 HendrickMotorsports team, the first quar-ter of the 2014 race season isbookended with specialmoments.

“It’s hard to put into words,”claimed Slingerland about theseason-opening Daytona 500win. “It was my first Daytona500 win and to get it with anEarnhardt made it extra special.It was an awesome night.”

Equally as important an

event for Slingerland occurredMemorial Day weekend whenNASCAR kicked off its annualNASCAR: An American Saluteprogram to honor active andretired service members andmilitary families through July4th.

The military tributes, forSlingerland, are cherished

because of his family.“My dad was in the military,”

he said. “My older brother (Jeff)was in the service and myyounger brother (Jason) is stillin the military. He did threetours in Afghanistan as a BlackHawk helicopter pilot.”

Slingerland and his youngerbrother enjoy exchanging talesabout their trades.

“It’s pretty cool. I talk aboutmy brother all the time beingthe Black Hawk pilot. And, he

talks about me with all his mili-tary buddies.”

And while there is a signifi-cant difference between activemilitary duty and the role of aNASCAR rear tire changer, thereare some parallels in the jobs.

“There is a lot of teamworkfor both,” said Slingerland. “Mybrother used to be the crew chief

on the Black Hawkbefore he became apilot. He workedwith the pilot whohad to entrust thathe was fixing the hel-icopter right beforeeach mission.”

“So, there are a lotof things we do onthe race car that cor-relate to what hedoes from the team-work perspective.”

With competitionin today’s NASCARSprint Cup Series rac-ing so tight, the battleon pit road is criticalto racing up front andwinning races.

Teamwork isessential, and Slingerlandbelieves the key to the No. 88 pitcrew’s success is years in themaking.

“This is my 13th season,”said the 35-year-old native ofInverness, Fla. “And for most ofour guys, it’s their fourth or fifthseason.”

Today’s pit stops are so fastthat pit crews have to gel prettyquickly.

“To have the 88 team togeth-er for these years and not havemany changes is really impor-tant. We all know what eachother’s next move is going to be,so it’s seamless on the pit stops.”

Slingerland and the No. 88over-the-wall crew’s perform-ance so far this season is notgoing unrecognized. The teamwas recently voted among crewchiefs as the first quarter winnersof the Mechanix WearMostValuable Pit Crew Award com-

petition.“It’s an honor to be voted on

by all your peers as the best pitcrew on pit road,” saidSlingerland. “The gloves we usehave come a long way to give usmore protection from the heatof the tires during a race.”

In celebration of NASCAR:An American Salute, gloveprovider Mechanix Wear hasoutfitted the No. 88 crew andother teams with a brand newcamouflage-pattern glove linecalled MultiCam, which main-tains the dexterity and ultimatehand protection today’s pitcrews have become accustomedto.

Fittingly for Slingerland, henow has a new pair of military-inspired gloves to tell his broth-er about.

By Steve Post

Military Tributes, Pit Road AccoladesSignificant for Joe Slingerland of Hendrick Motorsports

The No. 88 Team captured the first quarter Mechanix Wear Most

Valuable Pit Crew Award due in no small measure to proper train-

ing, technique and uniform selection.

Joe Slingerland. Rear Tire Changer and

proud brother.

Follow NASCAR Performance on Twitter and Facebookwww.twitter.com/NASCARauto ■ www.facebook.com/NASCARPerformance

BARRE, Vt. – Bond Auto Parts has presentedawards to several of its vendors at the annualBond Auto Parts Manager’s Retreat held May16-18 in Stowe, Vt.

Every 18 months, Bond hosts all of its man-agers and key sales people for this event,which delivers competitive advantages to itsteam by aligning training, customer service,vendor interaction and team-building activi-ties to help them better succeed in their localmarkets. Each year, Bond Auto recognizes itssuppliers for their accomplishments in supportof the Bond Auto Parts mission. Bond AutoParts works very closely with many vendorson a daily basis to help provide the best inven-tory for its store locations.

The company recognized top vendors with thefollowing awards:

● Parts Master Vendor – Alliance Parts Ware-house

For providing overall support including, butnot limited to, product quality packaging,manpower, shipping performance, customerservice, marketing support and training.

● Retail Vendor – East PennFor providing overall support to help Bond

Auto Parts attain a greater retail market share.● Paint, Body & Equipment – PPG

IndustriesFor providing support at all levels, to help

Bond Paint & Body reach its overall goals.● Customer Service – LTD Parts/Vision-OEFor providing outstanding support at all

levels to help Bond Auto reach its goals. Theseinclude, but are not limited to, warranty is-sues, technical support and overall responsetime.

● Training Support – Standard Motor Products

For providing outstanding training supportand opportunities to help make the Bond AutoParts team more knowledgeable.

● Outstanding Technology Support – Dor-man Products

For supplying technology to increase BondAuto Parts sales and profits, enhance efficien-cy and reduce costs and provide differentia-tion and a competitive advantage in themarketplace.

● Logistics Vendor – Spectra Premium IndustriesFor providing quality of shipment, electronic

documentation, two-way communication andmeeting delivery expectations.

● Marketing Support – Gates Corp.For providing outstanding pull-through market-

ing programs/promotions and financial assistanceto help Bond Auto Parts attain a greater marketshare.

● Manpower Support – Tenneco Inc. & WIX Filtration Products

For providing outstanding field support at alllevels, including dealer sales calls, with personnelwho are knowledgeable about their products andprograms.

● Vendor of the Year Award – Federal MogulMost valued vendor partner that helps Bond

Auto Parts achieve its overall business goals.

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AFTERMARKET NEWS

Bond Auto Parts Awards Top Vendors At Annual Manager’s Retreat


TechSmart Spring 2014Line Expansion

Standard Motor Products(SMP) has announced itslatest TechSmart line expan-sion for 2014. TechSmart hasadded 28 new premiumparts to its growing line ofengine control products andsolution-based parts. High-lighting this release are ex-pansions to some ofTechSmart’s most popularcategories: keyless entrytransmitters (key fobs), elec-tronic throttle bodies, park

assist sensors, headlight wiring har-nesses and more. These new prod-

ucts cover more than 9 millionadditional vehicles-in-operation (VIO)

for domestic and import applications through modelyear 2013.

Standard Motor Products Releases More Than500 New Parts for Intermotor Import Line

Standard Motor Products (SMP) has announced theaddition of 503 new part numbers to its Intermotorline of genuine import parts. The Intermotor lineexpansion features more than 220 new switches, in-cluding multi-function, combination, windshieldwiper, steering wheel audio control, fog lamp,cruise control and more, covering more than 46million additional vehicles-in-operation (VIO). In-termotor also has added more than 180 sensors, includ-ing more than 100 ABS speed sensors, covering anadditional 23 million VIO. Also added was significantcoverage for clone-able TPMS sensors, brake master cylin-der fluid level sensors, turbocharger boost, transmission in-put and output sensor, vehicle speed and more. Additional keycategory expansion includes ignition starter switches, ignitionlock cylinders, fuel pressure regulators, PCV valves and relays.

Arnott Releases New Air SuspensionCompressor For Bentley Continental GT,Flying Spur

Arnott Inc. has released a new, heavy-duty air sus-pension compressor for the 2003-2012 Bentley Conti-nental GT, and the 2006-2012 Bentley Flying Spur(OE part number 3D0616005K). Arnott’s air com-pressor for the Bentley is new —not remanufactured — andmade by WABCO, the OE manu-facturer. The powerful, reliablecompressor ships completewith new air fittings, athermal sensor, and in-take hose assembly. TheBentley compressor iscompletely assembled,tested and includes an easy-to-follow installationmanual with detailed instructions on reusing theBentley mounting bracket. Arnott’s Bentley air com-pressor, part number P-2740 retails for $1,093.75.Arnott backs each new Bentley compressor with anunlimited mileage two-year warranty.

MARKETPLACE ›

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ContiTech Introduces Wear ResistantMultiple V-ribbed Belt for Quiet Operation

It puts an end to problems typically associated withcold starts, dampness and pulley misalignment. The CONTI UNIPOWER TOUGH GRIP multiple V-ribbed belt with textile surface developed by theContiTech Power Transmission Group greatly mini-mizes noise buildup when accessories like the airconditioning system, power steering pump or gen-erators are in operation. The belt’s special feature isthat the pulley side consists of a fabric reinforce-ment, and is highly resistant to wear. The quiet drive belt features high wear resistancethat is required for starter-generator applications.“The CONTI UNIPOWER TOUGH GRIP alsosolves problems in other components,” said RalfBerger, of ContiTech’s Power Transmission Group.“This multiple V-ribbed belt shows itself to be ex-tremely sturdy when having to operate with mis-aligned components in the drive system.”

New Products From CARDONE

At CARDONE, we’re determined to have the right parts in stock when you need them. To accomplish this, we’re constantly adding new parts to our catalog of more than 46,000SKUs. This month, we’re pleased to announce the release of 24 A1 CARDONE remannumbers and 25 CARDONE Select new part numbers. This release features some excitingnew exclusive SKU’s. Below are just a few highlights:

Brake Caliper18-B5474 – left18-B5475 – right2013 Ford Fusion/Mercury MKZOver 180,000 VIO

ECM78-1120F2005 Ford F150CARDONE Exclusive!Over 89,000 VIO

Water Pump58-72811-13 Ford Mustang/F150 5.0LOver 185,000 VIO

MARKETPLACE ›


By Larry Carley, technical editorTECH FEATURE

Brake Noise? Don’t Be SoQuick To Blame The Pads

Brake pads often get a badrap for causing such prob-lems as noise and pedalpulsations. Worn brake

pads obviously need to be replacedwhen the friction linings are worndown to minimum thickness (typi-cally 1/8 inch or less), but wornpads are seldom the primary causeof brake noise or pedal pulsations.

Brake noise occurs when there isundampened movement or playbetween the pads and calipers.Movement allows vibration, whichcauses squeals and rattles. Brakenoise can also occur if the pads arenot held securely in the calipers, orthe noise shims or anti-rattle clipsfor the pads are missing, severelycorroded or installed incorrectly.

Brake pad mounting hardwareshould always be inspected and re-placed as needed when the padsare changed. Many replacementpads come with preinstalled shimsor internally molded shims todampen vibrations and noise. Ap-plying high-temperature brake

grease or anoise suppres-sion compoundto the backs ofthe pads alsocan help damp-en noise. Noisealso can beminimized byspraying the ro-tors with anaerosol break-incompound thatcontrols noisewhile a new setof pads arebreaking in.

The type of friction material inthe pads can also affect noise. Ce-ramic friction materials are usuallysofter and quieter than semi-metal-lic friction materials, and the latestgeneration of low-copper/ceramicpads are probably the quietest ever.The design of the pads can alsodampen or amplify noise. Higher-grade brake pads typically haveslots and chamfers to help dampennoise. Chamfering the edges of thepads concentrates the surface load more or relocates it slightly to dampen noise-producing vibrations.

Some premium pads also havespecial surface coatings such as ti-tanium dioxide, copper, graphite,etc. to help break-in the linings anddampen noise during the first fewhundred miles of operation.

Many premium pads are “pre-burnished” to eliminate many ofthe problems that can occur if thepads are not broken in properly.When brake linings are manufac-tured, the resins that bind the in-

gredients together may not be fullycured. When the linings are in-stalled on a vehicle, the heat pro-duced by normal braking bakes thelinings and cooks out the residualchemicals from the resins to im-prove the friction characteristics ofthe lining. But if the vehicle ownerstomps on the brakes too hard dur-ing this initial break-in period andoverheats the brakes, it can “glaze”the linings, which will cause noiseand performance problems. So toeliminate the break-in period,many pads are now fully heat-cure(burnished) at the factory.

Premium-grade pads also usebetter materials than economygrade pads, so they usually runquieter, last longer and provide su-perior braking performance. Pre-mium pads cost a more thanstandard or economy pads. Butwhen you consider the cost of thepads as a part of a complete brakejob (pads, rotors, calipers, labor,etc.), the extra cost is insignificant— and for professional customers,the extra cost is well worth it be-cause it means fewer comebacks.

Brake pedal vibrations are usual-ly caused by variations in rotorthickness, not the type of frictionmaterial in the pads or movementbetween the pads and calipers. Un-even rotor wear can be caused byrotor runout, variations in the har-ness of the iron in the rotors, or byhard spots that develop in the ro-tors as a result of high braking tem-peratures. Replacing the padswon’t cure a pedal pulsation prob-lem because the real problem is therotors, not the pads. The rotorsneed to be replaced. CM



Engine Parts Last LongerThan Ever Before

Are engine parts such ascrankshafts, bearings,pistons, rings, cams,lifters, pushrods, valves

and other valvetrain componentscalled “hard parts” because theyare hard to sell? No, they are calledhard parts because they are thehard metal components inside anengine. However, they tend to beslower-moving parts because thereis less demand for engine parts and engine kits. Engines arelasting longer than everthese days and those that arebeing replaced are oftenreplaced with a new orremanufactured crate enginerather than being overhauled.

Many engine hard partsare not kept in stock but areordered from a warehouse ordistributor as needed. So it’simportant to let your cus-tomers know that some partsmay not be available for im-mediate delivery.

Engine hard parts often requirea higher level of product knowl-edge to accurately identify thecorrect part for a particular appli-cation. Many internal engineparts can vary from one modelyear to the next, or even fromone model application to anotherdepending on the powertrain op-tions. Consequently, you oftenneed the VIN number as well asthe year/make/model/enginesize to figure out which parts arethe correct ones for a given en-gine application.

One thing to keep in mind aboutengine parts is that a customerwho is buying such parts often

needs a LOT of parts, not just a setof pistons or bearings or whateverfor his engine. If the lower end hasworn parts, chances are the enginewill need a reground crankshaftwith matching rod and main bear-ings, a new oil pump, timing chainset, oil filter, oil, coolant and gas-kets. If a customer is working onthe top end of an engine, he mightneed valves, valve springs, valveguide seals, pushrods, maybe a net

set of lifters and a cam, and gaskets(valve cover, intake and exhaustmanifold, and head gaskets, plushead bolts).

Replacing the rings and bear-ings also is a more complicated jobthan just replacing the old partswith new ones. At the very least,the cylinders will have to bedeglazed with a hand hone to pro-vide the proper surface to break-inthe new rings. If the cylinders areworn, they will have to be boredand honed to oversize, and thestock pistons and rings will haveto be replaced with the correctoversize parts. Figuring out whichset of pistons an engine requirescan be challenging because of all

the different ring sizes and com-pression ratios.

An engine kit can take a lot ofthe guesswork out of correctlymatching parts while providingyour customer with most if not allof the most commonly replacedparts in one box — including manyof the smaller items that otherwisemight have been overlooked.

Valve springs are an often over-looked engine part that should be

replaced when overhauling ahigh mileage engine. Valvesprings weaken with accumu-lated mileage and should bereplaced whether or not anew camshaft, lifters and/orpushrods are being installedin an engine. Weak valvesprings can allow the valvesto float or bounce at highrpm, causing the engine tomisfire or worse.

Exhaust valves are anotheritem that usually need to be

replaced in high-mileage engines.Exhaust valves run hundreds ofdegrees hotter than intake valves,and consequently suffer the mostwear. If a valve gets too hot, it may“burn” and lose its ability to sealthe combustion chamber causing acompression leak, misfire and lossof power.

One very important item thatshould be included with every en-gine parts sale is a tube of engineassembly lube. Protecting wearsurfaces such as cam lobes, liftersand crankshaft journals and bear-ings with a layer of moly-basedlube is critical for the initial break-in when an engine is fired up forthe first time. CM

TECH TIPS

Check the condition of the fuel. Somecontaminants are visible; problems such asthe wrong fuel type (e.g., ethanol) are not.

If pressure is low and amperage is above

specification, check:

1) Fuel filter2) Fuel line restrictions3) Possible defective fuel pump

If pressure is low and amperage is below

specification, check:

1) High circuit resistance, voltage side 2) High circuit resistance, ground side 3) Possible defective fuel pump

The pressure relief valve must havepressure less than 750 KPA. Delphi units aretested at 18.8 percent lower in pressure andmeet all OE specifications.

Install the float arm onto the level sensor ofthe fuel module, where applicable. Failure toinstall the float arm will cause the fuel levelsensor to operate incorrectly and create acustomer complaint. Where applicable,detailed instructions on how to properlyinstall the float arm onto the level sensor areincluded in the fuel module service kit.

Examine the fuel tank and fuel modulebucket for contamination. If contamination isfound, the fuel tank should be drained andcleaned before installing the new part. Alsolook for rust inside the tank or bucket of the

Fuel Handling Tech Tips from Delphi

fuel module, which indicates water in the fueldelivery system.

Backed by a lifetime warranty, Delphi testsits fuel pumps to be durable up to 150,000miles and in more than 20 percent ethanol sothey deliver 100 percent satisfaction.

Learn more at http://delphifuel.com



Offer A Premium Oil Filter

Oil filters keep the oil cleanby trapping dirt, weardebris and other solidcontaminants (such as

soot in the case of diesel oil filters).The life of the filter depends on itsfiltering efficiency and dirt-holdingcapacity. Filtering efficiency actu-ally increases over time because themore debris the media traps, themore efficient it becomes at trap-ping additional debris. The down-side is that eventually the mediabecomes saturated with debris andplugs up. The restriction causes thefilter’s bypass valve to open, pre-venting a catastrophic loss of oilpressure that would ruin theengine. Oil continues to flow past

the filter, but it is unfiltered oil thatcarries contaminants. If the filter isnot replaced, the concentration ofcontaminants in the oil willcontinue to increase, acceleratingengine wear.

Believe it or not, smaller particlescause more engine bearing wearthan larger particles. Most wear iscaused by particles in the 5 to 20micron size range because that’sthe minimum oil film clearance be-tween many bearings and theirjournals.

A standard oil filter that containsa pleated cellulose filter media ismost efficient at trapping particlesthat are 25 to 30 microns and largerin size. It might trap 98 percent of

particles that are 25 microns andlarger, but allow many of the small-er particles pass right through. It’sfiltering capacity of particles 10 mi-crons and smaller might only be 40percent or less.

A filter that uses a combinationmedia made of cellulose with glassmicrofibers or other synthetic fiberscreates a finer mesh that is more ef-ficient at trapping smaller particles.Such a filter might trap up to 99percent of particles down to 10 mi-crons, and 95 percent of particlesdown to 5 microns.

High-efficiency filters are a spe-cial class of oil filters that use evenfiner filtering media or a centrifugal(spinning) design to separate the

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smallest wear particles (as small as1 to 5 microns) from the oil. Thistype of filter is used primarily onlarge trucks and fleet vehicles to ex-tend oil service intervals.

The smaller the particles trappedby the filter media, the more the fil-ter restricts oil flow. Consequently,most of these high-efficiency filtersare either two-stage filters (combi-nation fullflow/bypass in one can)or are mounted in a separate by-pass circuit. Most of the oil flowsthrough the primary fullflow filterwhile 5 to 10 percent is routedthrough the higher efficiency by-pass filter. The high-efficiency by-pass filter is slower to accomplishits work, but over time producesmuch cleaner oil that allows the oilto go much further between oil

changes (up to two to three timesfurther) depending on the type ofoil used (full synthetics and syn-thetic blends can go further thanconventional oils).

The extended service intervals of5,000 miles to 7,500 miles (or high-er) that most automakers now rec-ommend for “normal” service onpassenger cars and light trucks arebased on two things: using a high-quality motor oil and a high quali-ty oil filter. Premium oil filtersusually have higher efficiency rat-ings for particles in the 5 to 20 mi-cron size range, and up to two tothree times more dirt holding ca-pacity than a standard economy oilfilter.

Most of today’s 5W-20 and 5W-30 motor oils are actually synthetic

blends that combine higher-qualitysynthetic oils with the conventionalbase stock oil. The use of higherquality base stocks is necessary tomeet the more demanding per-formance requirements of today’sengines. Because of this, most oilscan outlast a standard oil filter —which means oil change intervalsare really based on the life of the fil-ter rather than the life of the oil.

Upgrading to a premium-qualityoil filter assures the filter will last aslong as the oil and won’t plug be-fore the next oil change. This is es-pecially important with oil changeintervals of 7,500 miles or longer,and with vehicles that use a servicereminder light or oil quality sensorto indicate when the next oilchange is needed. CM



Shocks Not ReplacedAs Often As Needed

Shocks are not replaced asoften as they should bebecause wear is not easy tomeasure. It’s not like a

brake pad or brake rotor where thethickness can be measured to deter-mine if the part is worn out. It’smore subjective with shocks. Thegradual loss in ride control overtime often passes unnoticed and isconsidered more of a ride comfortissue than a safety issue by manymotorists. Yet tests have shown thatweak shocks reduce handling stabil-ity, braking distances and overalldriving safety.

Another obstacle that hinders thesale of replacement shocks is thehigh cost of some of today’s sophis-ticated electronic dampers (the mag-netic type as well as the adjustablevariety). Some of these units cancost hundreds of dollars, and mayonly be available from a new cardealer. On some vehicles, electronicshocks can be replaced with less ex-pensive conventional shocks, or inthe case of original equipment airshocks, converted to standardshocks if the original dampers or aircompressor have called it quits.These conversion kits are very pop-ular for older luxury cars such asBuicks, Cadillacs and Lincolns withaging air ride suspensions that havegone flat.

Maintaining good ride controlacross a broad range of driving con-ditions is important because notonly does it improve ride qualitybut also handling stability and driv-ing safety. By dampening the move-ments of the suspension, shocks andstruts keep the tires in contact withthe road surface. This prevents thetires from bouncing and skipping

with every bump and dip in theroad. Tires that do not stay in con-tact with the road can’t providegood traction, steering stability orbraking friction. Too much tirebounce may even trigger the ABSsystem unnecessarily when braking.

The issue of vehicle stability is es-pecially critical with SUVs becauseof their higher center of gravity.When making sudden steering ma-neuvers or turning sharply, the bodyexperiences a lot more roll than atypical passenger car. Althoughmost newer SUVs are nowequipped with stability control, ifthe shocks can’t keep the body un-der control, it may increase the po-tential for a rollover.

Another reason for replacingshocks (even brand new ones) is toupgrade handling performance.Most shocks and struts today arepressurized with nitrogen gas tominimize foaming and shock fade.This also provides a firmer, morestable ride. In a twin-tube shock,100 to 150 psi is typically usedthough some performance twin-tube shocks may contain as much as 250 psi inside.

With monotube shocks and struts,a floating piston separates the gasfrom the oil. Because of the largersurface area, a much higher gascharge is normally used: typically360 to 400 psi.

Replacing the original equip-ment shocks or struts with high-performance aftermarketshocks/struts can improve hand-ing agility. Adjustable dampers areeven better because they allow thevehicle owner to dial in the desiredfirmness they want for changingdriving conditions. CM


By Gary Goms, commercial accounts editorMECHANIC CONNECTION

Brake SalesMathematics

In today’s highly competitiveundercar markets, the mathe-matics of providing good valuewith an acceptable profit mar-

gin on routine brake service hasleft many of your independentdealer accounts struggling.

The problem for most servicedealers is that equipment, train-ing and information costs are ris-ing by the day. For this reason,routine brake service is a high-in-come producer for most dealershops because it requires the

least equipment, training and in-formation resources to perform.

The Basic Labor Charge

It might surprise you, but replac-ing the whole disk brake assemblytakes only slightly more time thanjust replacing pads. To illustrate,the brake caliper usually must beremoved before the brake pads canbe replaced. After the caliper is re-moved, the brake technician checksfor worn brake rotors, calipers andbrake hydraulic hoses. While the

pads and rotors canbe replaced in anhour on many vehi-cles, an extra 30 min-utes to an hour isrequired for bleedingthe brake systemwhen a hose orcaliper is replaced.Even at that, the ma-

jor variable in the brake repair is inthe cost of the additional parts.

Pad Math Numbers

To keep it simple, we’ll confineour discussion of pad math num-bers to the generic single-piston,floating caliper design. At theprofessional level, the most im-portant part of brake repair ispreventing comeback complaintslike brake noise, vibration, pedalresponse, and wheel dusting. Thesimplest brake repair is the “padslap,” which consists of removingand replacing the caliper to re-place the brake pads. Rememberthat, at the professional level, thepremium pad will vastly reducethe number of noise, pedal re-sponse, and dusting complaints.Mathematically, let’s say that atypical economy pad replacement

This typical hat-type discbrake assembly includesthe hose located at the12:00 o’clock positionand the caliper at the3:00 o’clock position.Hat-type rotors are oftenmore easily replacedthan resurfaced.

Continued on page 58


By Gary Goms, commercial accounts editorMECHANIC CONNECTION

The Science Of Drive Shaft Repair

As with all automotivetechnology, the art andscience of drive shaftrepair is rapidly chang-

ing. During the early years of theautomobile, automotive engineerswere confronted with the problemof transmitting power from a fixedposition at the transmission to therear axle, which is travelingthrough a vertical plane.

They solved this problem onmany early vehicles by using a“torque tube” drive shaft, whichconsists of a single universal jointmounted at the transmission and atorque tube solidly bolted to therear axle. While the torque tubedrive is a model of simplicity, itdoesn’t fare well at high speeds

due to the vibration and harmonicsproblems caused by using a singleuniversal joint. So, during the1950s when higher vehicle speedsbecame the rule, the torque-tubedrive train was phased out in favorof the current Hotchkiss design,which uses an “open” drive shaftthat uses a universal joint mountedat either end to connect the trans-mission to the rear drive axle.

Basic Technology

When operating at an angle, thedrive shaft begins to experience anacceleration/deceleration cycle in-herent in the typical cross-type uni-versal joint. Engineers canceledthat acceleration/deceleration cy-cle of the front universal or

“u-joint” by mounting a second u-joint at the drive axle end. To effec-tively cancel vibration, the rearu-joint must be aligned to the sameclock position as the front u-joint.In addition, the total run-out or off-center of the drive shaft shouldn’texceed 10 one-thousandths of aninch (.010-inch). Generally, whenthe drive shaft run-out exceeds.010-inch the shaft will begin toproduce a noticeable vibration atapproximately 50 miles per hour orat approximately 2,000 drive shaftrevolutions per minute.

Market Changes

Because modern engines, tires andsuspension systems are designed

The “Do Not Replace Without Rebalancing” drive shaft label inthis photo will dictate replacement rather than repair.


with labor retails at $120. Thepremium pad with labor retails at$190. The customer pays $70more for better performance andyour dealer makes an additional$30 profit, not to mention dealingwith far fewer brake comebackcomplaints.

Brake Rotor Math

Brake math is pretty simple onhat-type rotors because, in manycases, the labor times for measuring,cleaning and resurfacing the rotorsis very close to their replacementcost. In addition, the new rotor willlast much longer and produce fewercomebacks than a resurfaced rotor.

So, as an add-on sale, it’s more cost-effective for your dealer to replace,rather than resurface, hat-type ro-tors. Mathematically, the customermight pay $95 retail for a pair ofnew rotors while your dealer makesa very quick and trouble-free $37profit on the sale.

Brake Caliper Math

Brake caliper replacement re-quires bleeding the brake hy-draulic system, which adds at leastanother 30 to 60 minutes of labor tothe brake service operation. Never-theless, if the vehicle owner com-plains of brake pulling ordragging, it’s time to consider re-placing the calipers. And, while thebrake hydraulics are open, it’s agood time to replace the brakehoses if they are hardened orweather-checked. Since the brakehoses can usually be installed at noextra labor charge, the customerpays only for the hoses. But, for thecalipers, a typical mathematical ex-ample would be an extra $170 re-tail for a pair of calipers and anadditional $70 profit for your deal-er account.

From The Service Bay

Clearly, your professional techni-cian might lose some price-pointcustomers who insist on the lowestprice at the expense of safety andperformance. But we must also re-member that we’re repairingbrakes on vehicles with an originalpurchase in the $30,000 to $50,000range. Keep in mind also that,when discussing retail prices, mostdealer shops sell parts at a 30 to 40percent profit margin to help payfor acquisition/warranty costs andprovide additional profit on theservice. On the other hand, sellinga complete brake service will in-crease profitability and drasticallyreduce brake performance come-backs, both of which will result in amuch better-looking bottom linefor you and your independentdealer shop. CM


MECHANIC CONNECTION

Brake Math continued from 54

to operate very smoothly and qui-etly, drive shaft vibrations have be-come more objectionable than everin rear-wheel and all-wheel drivevehicles. In years past, an averagetechnician or talented amateur me-chanic could successfully replaceuniversal joints mounted in a con-ventional steel drive shaft. In somecases, the drive shaft yoke mightbecome distorted during theprocess, which increased driveshaft vibration. But, in the vehiclesof the day, that slight amount of vi-bration wasn’t generally noticed.

Beginning with imported vehi-cles, drive shaft design began tobecome more compact and moretherefore more difficult to service.While the universal joints couldbe replaced in many of thesedrive shafts, their installation re-quired special drive shaft equip-ment to eliminate run-out and tore-balance the drive shaft if re-quired. In addition, replacing u-joints without damaging the driveshaft yokes and tube in the popu-lar aluminum drive shafts re-quires more tooling and expertise.In short, the new-generation driveshafts have become more time-consuming to service and aremore prone to producing expen-sive comeback complaints.

From The Service Bay

It’s important to understand the re-lationship between time and mon-ey when servicing your wholesaleor dealer accounts.

Time in a modern production shopis valued in tenths of an hour. Givena modern two-piece drive shaftequipped with a center support bear-ing, is it more profitable to replace orrepair? Considering corrosion dam-age and other variables, repair timescan easily consume an hour or more.In contrast, replacing a Hotchkisstype of drive shaft with remanufac-tured or new generally requiresabout 30 minutes. Remanufacturedor new provides a predictable profit

and far less likelihood of a vibrationor noise complaint.

In addition, the supplier’s war-ranty reduces the dealer’s riskand liability if a vibration or noisecomplaint arises. For that reason,it’s becoming easier and moreprofitable for repair shops to re-place than repair. Because it’s a

bottom-line issue for both techni-cian and supplier, it’s becomingmore important for you, as theparts professional, to inform yourwholesale or dealer account ofyour available drive shaft replace-ment options for remedying thatannoying drive shaft vibration ornoise complaint. CM

counterman.com 59

MECHANIC CONNECTION

Driveshafts continued from 56


By Mary DellaValle

With a sharp focus onsupporting itscustomers throughspecialized training,

WORLDPAC held its thirdSupplier & Training EXPO, May15-18 at the Marriott World Centerin Orlando, Fla. Fulfilling thetheme, “Leading Through Educa-tion,” more than 500 hours of train-ing were conducted over thethree-day event.

Business owners and techni-cians numbering 1,400 traveledfrom near and far — from 45states, Canada and even PuertoRico — to partake in the world-class training for which WORLDPAC is known. Thatnumber is up from 1,000 atten-dees at its second event in 2012. Acustomized lineup of 120 instruc-tor-led technical training sessionsand business management classeswere offered, also significantly upfrom 75 classes in 2012.

With technology accelerating atevery turn, so too has the need foradvanced technical training sobusiness owners can meet the serv-ice and repair challenges on an in-creasingly sophisticated vehiclefleet. That’s why many WORLDPAC customers closedtheir businesses on Friday to at-tend the event, realizing the valueof being a part of something biggerthat will pay dividends in shopproductivity and profitability. Two-thirds of the owners and techswere first-time attendees, and the

overall sentiment was “how couldthey afford not to be there.”

“Many business owners said‘how fantastic it is that WORLDPAC would do this forus,” said Mario Recchia, WORLDPAC’s senior vice presi-dent – marketing, who added, “Webelieve in education, but if theydon’t come, the event won’t hap-pen. They’re making an investmentin their time.

“Focusing on the customer is anoverused phrase, but it’s really evi-dent here from the top down…allof our senior management is here,”continued Recchia.

WORLDPAC customizes topicsthat are most suited to its cus-tomers’ needs, aimed at helpingthem better diagnose and servicelate-model vehicles, more ofwhich they are adding to theirbroadening service portfolio. The classes are conducted bysome of the industry’s most re-spected instructors, some travel-ing from Germany and the U.K.,and includes many from theWORLDPAC Training Institute(WTI) and its supplier communi-ty, as well as OEM suppliers likeZF, Denso, Bosch and Delphi.

The vehicle-specific training, in-cluding classes on hybrids, is com-plemented by businessmanagement courses, which are of-ten the first to sell out. “Trainingand hiring are our customers’ twomost pressing challenges,” ex-plained Recchia, “so our business-

related classes are very popular.”WORLDPAC is also first-to-marketwith training on newer models,like Fiat, the group says.

Beyond the wealth of knowl-edge acquired from the wide ar-ray of training classes, ownersand techs benefit from time spentnetworking and sharing best prac-tices with their peers from allacross North America. “The busi-ness owners’ world is five to 10miles from their place of busi-ness,” explained Recchia. “Here,you can build relationships withowners from 45 states, PuertoRico and Canada.”

And that they did, especiallyduring the heavily trafficked Sup-plier EXPO, held Friday and Satur-day evening, featuring more than100 international suppliers (upfrom 80 in 2012).

Realizing that training is pivotalto their success, owners and techni-cians welcome educational venuesof this caliber with open arms.WORLDPAC says it is committedto over-delivering on the trainingand education front.

All of this fits within the realm ofWORLDPAC’s value-propositionthat focuses on delivering the“Right Part at the Right Time,” anease of doing business spirit, listen-ing to its customers, having a vest-ed interest in their success, payingattention to the details and neverresting on its laurels. Bottom linefor WORLDPAC: It’s all about thecustomer. CM

EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW

WORLDPAC Hosts ThirdSupplier And Training EXPO


By Mark Phillips

Akebono was one of the first manu-facturers to introduce 2021-compli-ant low-copper brake products onthe market. Aside from the environ-mental benefits that the federal leg-islation seeks to achieve, what arethe performance or other benefitsthat Akebono is seeing with thesenew formulations?

The primary benefits we haveobserved since 2005 when we firstlaunched our low-copper technolo-gy formulations ahead of the restof the market is delighted cus-tomers. Prior to launching, Ake-bono painstakingly validated ourtechnology to ensure we continuedto deliver on our value propositionto our customers: this meant con-tinuing to definitively solve fornoise, vibration and harshness(NVH), solve for disc thicknessvariation (DTV) and of course,keeping customers’ wheels clean.

In early 2013, Akebono announcedan $82 million expansion of itsClarksville, Tenn., location. Couldyou bring us up to speed on thatproject?

Akebono continues to enjoy asignificant partnership with all ofour OEM customers. This invest-ment represents Akebono’s com-mitment to continuously supportthe growth of our valued cus-tomers’ brands through all of ourbrake system technology expertisein not only friction but also in ro-tors, drums, hub assemblies and, ofcourse, calipers. Due to our OEMcustomers embracing our ad-vanced brake system design tech-nology, this investment will create

the needed capacity to supporttheir demand for our products wellinto the next decade. Akebono isproud to manufacture both ourOEM and aftermarket brake prod-ucts in the USA. Since 1985, Ake-bono continues to expand ourinvestment in the USA and em-ploys a significant skilled Ameri-can workforce. Today, Akebonoemploys over 3,600 associates inthe USA and this number willgrow over the coming years.

Akebono was recently honored byHonda with the company’s Excellence in Quality award for sup-plying advanced brake and frictionmaterial products. Explain Ake-bono’s approach to manufacturingthat resulted in this award.

With more than 85 years of brakedesign expertise, Akebono brakesare the most application-specificformulations in the market. The ul-tra-premium ceramic brake padsare OE-engineered to enhance themodel-specific performance de-manded by each vehicle. Akebonoaftermarket brake pads are 100 per-

cent made in the USA, which al-lows us to have proprietary controlover quality.

How does the aftermarket side ofAkebono benefit from the company’sinvolvement in OE?

Akebono is the largest brake sys-tem and brake component supplierin North America to the OEMs by asignificant margin. Akebono’sleading market share position pro-vides us with technological knowl-edge and insight that ourAftermarket division is able toleverage to deliver the perfect, ap-plication-specific braking solutionto our customers.

What other trends is Akebono see-ing in the brake category, in terms ofbeing first to market with coverage,new formulations, etc.?

Once again, since we enjoy oneof the strongest relationships andlargest market shares with ourOEM partners, Akebono worksharmoniously with the OEMs onfuture vehicle designs and is there-fore providing advanced insightand knowledge regarding thesenew vehicle configurations andtheir specific braking requirements.This allows Akebono to intenselyfocus our robust R&D resources toanticipate, innovate and designnew technologies that fulfill notonly the creative vision of ourOEM customers, but to also contin-ue to delight our customers withsafe, best-in-class innovative brak-ing solutions. This process enablesAkebono to continue to be the de-finitive “Brake Experts” exclusive-ly capable of delivering “TheEssence of Braking.” CM

EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW

Executive Interview with Ken Selinger, Aftermarket Director of Sales and Marketing, Akebono Brake Corp.

Ken Selinger


We talk to the leaders of program group

distribution about their global plans,

getting the right mix of parts on the shelf

and the future of the groups.

By Mark Phillips

The Program Groups

John Washbish..................65President, CEOAftermarket Auto Parts Alliance

Roy Kent............................72Chief Strategy Officer and President, New Business DevelopmentFederated Auto Parts

Mike Lambert....................76PresidentAutomotive Distribution Network

Gary N. Martin ..................80President, CEOAutomotive Parts Associates

Ron Pierce .........................84General ManagerAIM/Uni-Select

The Program Groups

counterman.com 65

The Automotive Aftermarket IndustryAssociation recently rebranded itselfthe Auto Care Association, favoringthe phrase “auto care” over “aftermar-ket.” Will you and your group adoptthis new language? What are yourthoughts on moving away from theterm “aftermarket?”The Alliance fully supports the move byour trade association to better and moreclearly communicatewith those who may beconfused by or holdconflicting views ofwhat the term “after-market” means. Thischange is most critical inthe association’s effortsto communicate withlawmakers on CapitolHill. Our legislators intheir verve to serve often craft legislationthat contains unintended consequences forsmall business. If our association represen-tatives can get to those critical issues ratherthan waste even a minute of the time, theyhave with lawmakers explaining what theaftermarket is, the change is clearly theright thing to do. Certainly, when it comesto consumers, bringing our associationname in sync with our vehicle owner out-reach “Be Car Care Aware” creates usefulsynergies in our communications.

That said, the term aftermarket as “tradejargon” is firmly rooted in our collectivebusiness culture. It is the business we arein and have so called it for more than acentury. As an industry we must be carefulnot to become ensnared in the all too com-mon practice of the day, politically correctspeech. “Auto care” is an important andapt description for what we do. However,it is not a synonym for “aftermarket.” We

PROGRAM GROUPS

The Alliance’s John Washbish: Offering A ‘Trifecta’

have many shareholders who are engagedin businesses that are not “car care”-relat-ed, such as performance parts and acces-sories, heavy-duty, stationary engines,pumps and generators and many more ac-tivities that are clearly aftermarket busi-nesses and not car care businesses. In thosespecific trade instances, the aftermarketname will remain relevant and in place.

It is very similar to the way we refer to“jobbers” when talkingamong those in thetrade, yet refer to thesame entities as “partsstores” when talking tothose outside our indus-try. We need to use asimilar filter as we tran-sition and introduce theterm “car care” into ourvocabulary describing

our industry. Apply it where it makes senseand not try to force it where it does not.

The Alliance will support and practicethe use of the jargon “car care industry”where it makes strategic sense and fits. If,over time, it becomes the prevailing waypeople choose to describe the industry inthe way that “remanufactured” came to re-place “rebuilt” years ago, so be it. In themeantime, we will remain the AftermarketAuto Parts Alliance.

The aftermarket truly has become aglobally-reaching industry. How much apart of your group will be representedby stores or warehouses outside theUnited States?The Alliance itself has long been a multi-national group. Today, 33 percent of our 52North American shareholders are in Mexi-co (11) and Canada (six). What has madeus a truly global group and is now facilitat-

John Washbish

President, CEOAftermarket AutoParts Alliance

The Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance 2706 Treble Creek Ste. 100

San Antonio, TX 78258Phone: 210-492-4868

Fax: 210-492-4890


ing global expansion is our jointmembership venture with TemotInternational in Europe. Together,we are the most globally connectedand focused program group in theinternational marketplace today.

With 44 members in 40 countries,AAPA and Temot will sell nearlyUS $8 billion worth of parts in2014. We have hundreds of distri-bution centers selling over $8 bil-lion annually to servicinghundreds of thousands of techni-cians on four continents. This pow-erful base fosters global groupgrowth in two ways: First, it is astrong attraction for new membersin new countries; Second, it pro-vides resources for start-ups if andwhere that’s the right approach.We currently are in discussionswith potential shareholder mem-bers in both Central and SouthAmerica.

The North American aftermarketis mature and nearly flat. The realgrowth opportunities for us are inforeign markets and you will seeour global presence expanding inthe years ahead.

How can eCommerce be used asa strategic benefit to programgroups?Any business that is today notmaking robust use of technology asa point of competitive advantage issimply pretending to be a player.As with our global presence, theAlliance is leading the way ineCommerce enablement in the af-termarket.

The centerpiece of our eCom-merce initiative is MyPlaceFor-Parts, a wholly owned customerlookup and order entry technologythat enables the user to lookup anypart (application, supplies, acces-sories, tools, universal, etc), anyplace, 24x7 on any device. MyPlaceMobile continues to lead withfunctionality such as the fastest,most user-friendly VIN scan appfor Android and Apple smart-phone and tablet devices.

How does your group get theright mix of parts on the shelf?For the distributors of auto parts,there is no greater challenge thatkeeping up with parts prolifera-

tion. As OE makes,models, platformsand engines expandand grow, the SKUsto repair them grow,inventory expandsand turns decrease.It can sap the veryhealth of the busi-ness in reduced effi-ciency andprofitability and in-creased workingcapital.

The only effectivemethod of dealingwith today’s prolif-eration is the de-ployment ofprogressive technol-ogy to predict howto have the rightparts when and

where the customer needs them. The Alliance has established an

industry-leading track record inthis area as evidenced by the groupand its members winning the cov-eted Polk Inventory EfficiencyAward five of the nine times it hasbeen given and for the past fourconsecutive years.

We provide our members withthe most comprehensive technolo-gy tools available in the automo-tive aftermarket for inventory andsupply chain management. That’swhy Alliance members have mademonumental strides in improvingfill rates and inventory turns allwhile lowering capital require-ments.

Our Alliance Technology Suite(ATS), which consists of the Al-liance Data Warehouse, our ownInventory Optimization Tool, ourSupplies, Accessories and Toolscatalog and MyPlaceForParts, en-ables our members to monitor andmanage their inventories fromback to front in their own opera-tions like no one else can. The re-sults and accolades speak for

PROGRAM GROUPS // Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance


themselves. Improved turns, in-creased sales, improved use of cap-ital and four consecutive Polkawards.

What particular attributes aboutyour group give you a leg upover the competition?The three questions you asked pre-viously effectively sum up the sub-stantive advantages that theAlliance enjoys over other programgroups; 1) our global affiliations, 2)our eCommerce enablement and 3)our inventory and supply chaintechnology superiority.

This “trifecta” is something noother group can boast. No othergroup can talk about membershipaffiliations in 43 countries aroundthe globe. All but a few can saythey have their own eCommercesolution that is integrated with themajor shop management systems.And in the area of inventory andsupply chain management, no onecan say that they have won thePolk Inventory Efficiency Awardfor four consecutive years running.

Beyond the three areas you men-tioned, I think it is worth notingour procurement and brand devel-opment/management expertise.Having come from the supplierside, I have observed that mostgroups approach product procure-ment as a “buying” function. Thatis, the process of line selection is re-duced to who can get me the low-est price. While gaining costefficiencies is important to the Al-liance, our product procurementprocess is far more comprehensive.

A few years back, we evolvedour buying practices to bring morecategory management and brandmanagement into the process. Thishas enabled us to better align ourcustomer’s product needs and ex-pectations with our stocking re-quirements. In some cases, thathas resulted in consolidating mul-tiple grades of products with a

single supplier. In other cases, wehave introduced multiple brandsinto a single category of products.In still others, we have launchedour own exclusive national brandof product. However, in everycase, the decisions we made basedon what customers want andneed, not just on what makes ourshareholders the most margin.And in the end, when you keepcustomers happy, they reward youwith their business.

In addition, the Alliance is agroup of kindred independentbusinesses in both size and focus.Our membership is comprised ofthe blue chip distributors fromaround North America. Check anyroster showing the top independ-ent distributors and you will seethat the Alliance dominates thatlist. Even our smaller distributorsare powerhouses in their individ-ual markets. Other groups seem togrant membership to drive head-count and take any comers or anysize or shape. At the Alliance, webelieve that membership should bereserved for those businesses withthe vision and acumen to dominatein their marketplaces

Do program groups look differ-ent today than they did, say 10years ago? If so, how? How willthey look in 10 years?As a veteran of nearly 50 years inthe business (remember I startedwhen I was still in the womb) Ihave witnessed the birth, evolu-tion and maturation of programgroups in the aftermarket. As I re-flect on your question, I am struckby how similar the business is towhat it was years ago and at thesame time it is so very different.Let me explain.

Groups are similar in that theywere formed to enable relativelysmaller independent businesses togain access to efficiencies and capa-bilities that were beyond their

reach individually. This made itpossible for them to compete withlarger more vertically controlledbusinesses. That is essentially un-changed.

What has changed is what busi-ness efficiencies and capabilitiesthe individual members are look-ing for. Ten years ago, groups werefocused on purchasing and pro-grams; how they could buy betterfrom suppliers and sell more tocustomers through marketing andpromotions.

Today, I think there has been ashift. As I said earlier, the Alliancehas moved from a traditional pur-chasing orientation toward a cate-gory management/brandmanagement approach to productprocurement. That is a trend thatwill continue with us and increas-ingly with others.

The most significant changeshowever have been in the area oftechnology. During my short five-year tenure here at the Alliance, thesize of the IT department has in-creased by 466 percent. It has be-come the largest department in ourheadquarters operation. Why? Be-cause today any business that isnot making robust use of technolo-gy is not positioned well for thelong haul. The Alliance will contin-ue to invest in the competitive ad-vantages that can only be realizedthrough a pioneering approach totechnology enablement in every as-pect of our business.

In terms of what is ahead, I be-lieve it is clear that the naturalbusiness forces of consolidation,merger and acquisition will con-tinue to impact the market. Goingforward technology enablementwill be a major driver toward amarketplace with fewer but big-ger groups. Following that logiccould lead to speculation that in10 years there may perhaps beonly one “independent programgroup.” CM

PROGRAM GROUPS // Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance

Asso

ciat

ion

Pres

iden

t an

d/or

CEO

Priv

ate

Bran

d

AIM

Parts Master

Professionals’ Choice Auto Parts

Parts Plus,Auto Pride,Auto Saver,Auto Star,Trust

CARQUEST

EnginePro/EngineProPerformance

Federated

NAPA

PRONTO

TruStar

Auto Extra

AIM

Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance

APA —Automotive Parts Associates Inc.

Automotive Distribution Network —Parts Plus, IAPA,

Auto Pride

CARQUEST Auto Parts

Engine Pro/Engine Parts Group

Federated Auto Parts

HDA Truck Pride

NAPA

National PRONTOAssociation

TruStar

Uni-Select

Ron PiercePhone: 770-386-4750www.theaimautomotivegroup.com

Jon Owensjowens@alliance1.com210-861-1008www.AutoValue.comwww.BumpertoBumper.com

Gary [email protected]

Bob [email protected]

Shipman Northcutt919-573-3785www.CARQUEST.comwww.CARQUEST.ca

Don [email protected]

Rusty [email protected]

Tina [email protected]

www.NAPAonline.com

Murray [email protected]

Steve [email protected]

Brent Windom Phone: 770-701-5000 www.uniselectusa.com

AIM Group1155 Roberts Blvd., Suite 175Kennesaw, GA 30144Phone: 770-386-4750Fax: 770-386-48332706 Treble CreekSan Antonio, TX 78258Phone: 210-492-4868Fax: 210-492-4890

10551 Lackman Rd. Lenexa, KS 66219Phone: 913-310-9250Fax: 913-310-9255

3085 Fountainside Dr., Ste. 210Germantown, TN 38138 Phone: 901-682-9090Fax: 901-682-9098

2635 East Millbrook Rd.Raleigh, NC 27604Phone: 919-573-2500Fax: 919-573-2501

4891 Independence St. Ste. 155Wheat Ridge, CO 80033Phone: 303-424-3200Fax: 303-424-4999

508 Greenville Ave.Staunton, VA 24401Phone: 540-885-8460Fax: 540-885-7612

608 Lambert Pointe DriveBuilding CHazelwood, MO 63042Toll Free: 800-432-2033Fax: 314-291-10182999 Circle 75 Pkwy.Atlanta, GA 30339Phone: 770-956-2200Fax: 770-956-2201

204 N. Dooley, Ste. 300Grapevine, TX 76051Phone: 817-430-9449Fax: 817-430-9559

2404 S. Grand Blvd. Ste. 200Pearland, TX 77581Phone: 281-485-9908Fax: 281-485-4101

3550 Busbee Parkway Ravine 3, Ste. 400 Kennesaw, GA 30144 Phone: 770-701-5000 Fax: 770-701-5001

Ron Pierce

John R. Washbish

Gary Martin

Mike Lambert

Ron Cannon

Don Weber

Larry Pavey

Don Reimondo

Dan Askey

Bill Maggs

Steve Upton

Richard G. Roy

Group Name Address,Phone & Fax Contact Information

PROGRAM GROUP

Dedi

cate

d Fa

ctor

y Re

p.

Inst

alle

r M

anag

emen

tSo

ftw

are

Inst

alle

rM

arke

ting

Prog

ram

Stor

eM

anag

emen

tSo

ftw

are

Natio

nal

Adve

rtis

ing/

Mar

ketin

g Su

ppor

t

Natio

nal

War

rant

y

No. o

f WD

Mem

bers

No. o

f WD

Loca

tions

No. o

f Sto

res

Serv

iced

Com

bine

d Sa

les

(at R

etai

l)

Cred

it Ca

rd

Mem

ber

Insu

ranc

e/Be

nefit

s

Natio

nal

Acco

unts

Part

s Co

nsol

idat

ion

Prog

ram

CertifiedService Centers

Professionals’Choice TechCenters

Parts Plus CarCare Center, AutoService Experts

TECH-NETProfessionalAuto Service

n/a

FederatedCar Care

Nat. Fleet Pgms.,Truck ServiceExperts (Morethan 400 U.S.,Canada locations)

NAPA AutoCare Center

PRONTO SmartChoice

TruTech CarCare Centers

Auto ServicePlus , SAX

Jobber, WD,Technician

Technician,Jobber, WD,Hands-on and Digital(Alliance University)


Jobber, WD, Technician,Business

Jobber, Technician,

Yes

Jobber, WD, Technician

WD, Technician -Technical Training &Business/Shop ManagementTraining, Regulatory

Jobber,Technician


Yes

Jobber, WD,Technician, AlfredState UniversityPartnership

Yes

No

Network Connect

CARQUESTExploris

n/a

Yes

n/a

NAPA TAMSNAPA TRACSMitchellOnDemand

Yes

WHICTSMISG/TruNet

Trade Advertising,Signage

Scholarships, TurnkeyCRM Support, Store andShop Marketing Support,National POP Program,Sweepstakes Programs

Incentive Trips,Merchandise, SpeedwaySweepstakes,Scratch & WinGames

TV & Radio, Trade,Print Advertising,Direct Mail, SocialMedia, NHRASponsorship

Co-Op Advertising,National & LocalTV, Radio & PrintAdsNational Ads,Marketing Pgrms.,Sponsorship ofAuto Racing Sanctioning Assoc.

National & LocalTV, Radio & PrintAds, Motorsports

Signage, Wearables,Trade Ads, VehicleGraphics, Forms,Merchandise

Print, TV, RadioSponsorships MarketingPrograms

Nat’l Parts & LaborWarranty, Rdsde.Assist. Prgrm., ASERemb., Direct Mail,PromotionsPOP, ASE, Line Cards,Promotions, Direct Mail,Advertising, Signage,Incentives,Wearables,Internet Marketing

TV & Radio, Trade and Print Ads, Direct Mail,Merchandising,Signage, Wearables,Vehicle Graphics

150

53

105

100+

n/a

9

66

167

1

91

75

n/a

300

136

210

300+

35

29

155

700

62

209

150+

40

n/a

2,000+

2000+

2,500+

2,600+

15,000

4,500

6,000

1,500+

n/a

2,500

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

$1.8 billion

n/a

APW (Alliance PartsWarehouse)

n/a

n/a

CARQUESTGlobal Sourcing

n/a

FederatedCo-ManWarehouse

NAPA Balkamp

Pronto

TruStarDistributionCenter

n/a

Trai

ning

Pr

ogra

ms

OVERVIEW 2O14

24-mo./

24K

miles


The Automotive Aftermarket IndustryAssociation recently rebranded itselfthe Auto Care Association, favoringthe phrase “auto care” over “aftermar-ket.” Will you and your group adoptthis new language? What are yourthoughts on moving away from theterm “aftermarket?”

We have always feltthat the term “aftermar-ket” is an industry termthat is not well under-stood by consumers. Weuse terms such as “CarCare Centers” for ourshop partners and al-ways try to communicatein a manner that willmaximize understandingand effectiveness. We ful-ly support the new asso-ciation name and feel that it will definitelyadd to the understanding of what our in-dustry is all about. Promoting “auto care” isa natural for our members and we willwork to support not only the new name butalso the concept of taking care of vehicles.There is no doubt that this is a solid up-grade and one the entire industry should beexcited about supporting.

The aftermarket truly has become aglobally reaching industry. How much ofyour group will be represented by storesor warehouses outside the UnitedStates? While we do have members outside theU.S. and serve some global markets, it hasnot been a priority focus. Federated existsfor the benefit of our membership andwhile we continue to look at global mar-kets, we have not found sufficient advan-

PROGRAM GROUPS

Collaboration Is Key At Federated, Says Roy Kent

tages for our current members to pursuethis in a major fashion. If our members orsupplier partners see a benefit in increasingthe focus outside North America, we willrespond to their direction and increase theeffort on their behalf.

How can eCommercebe used as a strategicbenefit to programgroups? Wow, in so many ways!eCommerce providesour members with manybenefits such as an effi-cient means of commu-nicating with customers,suppliers and each oth-er. It provides informa-tion that streamlinescustomer relationships

in a variety of areas. It allows our cus-tomers to improve vehicle maintenanceand repair procedures and helps simplifythe communication of information, such ascatalog data, interchanges and specifica-tions. Also, eCommerce provides data toenhance inventory planning, analyze salestrends and identify additional sales and di-rect marketing opportunities to move ex-cess inventory. In short, eCommerce allowsgroups like Federated to support all con-stituents, efficiently and effectively com-municating and transacting businessthrough collaboration.

What particular attributes about yourgroup give you a leg up over the compe-tition? We believe the strength of our group is inthe collaborative sharing of ideas, insights

Roy Kent

Chief Strategy Officer and President, New Business DevelopmentFederated AutoParts

Federated Auto Parts 508 Greenville Ave.Staunton, VA 24401

Phone: 540-885-8460Fax: 540-885-7612



The Automotive Aftermarket IndustryAssociation recently rebranded itselfthe Auto Care Association, favoringthe phrase “autocare” over “aftermar-ket.” Will you andyour group adoptthis new language?What are yourthoughts on movingaway from the term“aftermarket?” I believe the term“auto care” is a betterdescription of our in-dustry for the outsideworld. The term after-market, to non-auto-motive people, createsmore questions than itanswers. We will cer-tainly use it when dis-cussing and describingour industry to others.For all of us who havegrown up in the “after-market,” it is a singleword that simply de-scribes our segment ofthe industry. I am surewe will continue to useit internally.

The aftermarket truly has become aglobally reaching industry. How much ofyour group will represented by stores orwarehouses outside the United States? We have just signed up our first 12 PartsPlus stores in Puerto Rico. We also haveadded three new members in Mexico andwe have members in Canada. This at leastmakes us a northern hemisphere company

PROGRAM GROUPS

The Network Offers ‘A Pathway’To Help Distributors Grow, Mike Lambert Says

and not just a continental U.S.-based firm.Some of our members also sell into Centraland South America so we have expanded

our reach. The global as-pect of our companydeals more with the sup-pliers we use fromaround the world.

How can eCommercebe used as a strategicbenefit to programgroups?Providing eCommercesites to members is agreat opportunity to addvalue to our memberdistributors. There aremany costs that can beshared making thingspossible that individualcompanies could neverdo on their own. Likeour recently released Li-cense plate lookup fea-ture on WebShop, andthe mobile site with VinScan technology. This iswhy our group has em-braced eCommerce, pro-viding a central serviceto our members for adecade now.

What particular attributes about yourgroup give you a leg up over the compe-tition?The Network recognized that all autoparts distributors are not the same butmost have some very common needs. Wehave a place for almost any distributioncompany under the Network umbrella.

Mike Lambert

President,Automotive Distribution Network

Automotive Distribution Network

3085 Fountainside Dr. Ste. 210 Germantown, TN 38138www.NetworkHQ.orgPhone: 901-682-9090

Fax: 901-682-9098


We have numerous services thatwe can cost-effectively provide to all of our members. We pro-vide a pathway to help themgrow.

How does your group get theright mix of parts on the shelf?We provide our members with themost robust demand forecastingtool in the Industry. Network Intel-ligence leverages historical failurerates by part type, vehicles in oper-ation at the zip code level updated

quarterly, and local sales informa-tion. Product managers who knowtheir customers and the local mar-ket remain essential and give ourmembers an advantage over thechain stores. Network Intelligenceprovides these product managersthe information and tools theyneed to succeed at what they do.

Do program groups look differ-ent today than they did, say 10years ago? If so, how? How willthey look in 10 years?

Yes, they do for many reasons.First the makeup of many WDshas shifted from predominatelythree-step to more two-step. This is a natural result of a declining independent jobberbase. Technology has really re-shaped what we do and how we do it. The IT staff of most program groups is the largestsegment of the company. In 10 years, there will be fewer distributors as consolidation continues. CM

PROGRAM GROUPS // Automotive Distribution Network


The Automotive Aftermarket IndustryAssociation recently rebranded itselfthe Auto Care Association, favoringthe phrase “auto care” over “aftermar-ket.” Will you and your group adoptthis new language? What are yourthoughts on moving away from theterm “aftermarket?”The actual answer remains to be seen, andthat’s primarily becauseof how the our market-place reacts to changesmore than anything else.While I understand thereasoning and thoughtprocess behind thechange, our industry isslow to adopt changes ofthis kind. The effort andprocess of “rebranding”will take time. It will beeasier to effect this change in the halls ofCongress, because they do not have the in-stitutional memory around the term “after-market.” So it comes down to managingthe concept of internal and external mar-keting of this rebranding within our ownindustry walls. I do not see a ground swellof activity going on inside the aftermarketto abandon the historic terminology, butAutomotive Parts Associates (APA Group)will support the initiative as we see theneed and momentum growing.

The aftermarket truly has become aglobally reaching industry. How much ofyour group will be represented by storesor warehouses outside the UnitedStates?Approximately 10 percent of APA’s busi-ness is represented by interests outside ofthe United States.

How can eCommerce be used as a

PROGRAM GROUPS

APA — A Diversity Of Business Models

strategic benefit to program groups?eCommerce is a clear strategic advantageto those groups and entities that make itpart of their business environment. It is nosecret that eCommerce transactions arehere to stay and are growing by leaps andbounds. The barriers to entry for eCom-merce trade are miniscule, thus makingthis method of transacting business rela-

tively easy regardless ofentity size. There aremultiple benefits forusers on both sides ofthe spectrum in theeCommerce transactionwhen considering thecustomer and the mer-chant. Business transac-tions are no longerbound by the traditionalgeographic constraints

we have been used to dealing with. It ismuch simpler to broaden the scope ofgoods and services offered by this mediumthan the traditional method. Transactioncosts go down when a well-constructed siteand business plan are engaged in becauseof the automation of the process from be-ginning to end.

What particular attributes about yourgroup give you a leg up over the compe-tition?The diversity of business models withinAPA is a clear differentiator for our group.We have large mega-distributors that par-ticipate in the traditional three- and two-step market, and then we have thespecialty market players that cater to thesurging import specialty parts market-place. The overall market place continuesto constrict at all channels, and being over-ly invested or involved in one discipline ormarket strategy puts anyone at a disadvan-

Gary N. Martin

President & CEO,Automotive PartsAssociates

Automotive PartsAssociation

10551 Lackman RoadLenexa, KS 66219

Phone: 913-310-9250Fax: 913-310-9255


tage today. APA is well-known forits appeal to all markets and busi-ness models and we are not fearfulof engaging all segments of themarket by welcoming those vari-ous business models into our fold.

How does your group get theright mix of parts on the shelf?APA has one of the best, if not thebest, business intelligence systemsin the market today. Our member-ship is increasingly taking advan-tage of the tools we have madeavailable to the membershipthrough this system to understandwhat parts are being sold out thedoor and hung on the car in realtime. This information, which isjust a portion of what’s available to

members, provides the tools tomake clear decisions about what tostock across all product lines. Atthe end of the day, we all mustknow what to put on the shelvesand when to do that. Data Solu-tions is our business intelligencetool and it simply works for ourmembership by providing a clearadvantage over competition.

Do program groups look differ-ent today than they did, say 10years ago? If so, how? How willthey look in 10 years?Groups absolutely look differenttoday than in previous years. Theadvent of evolving informationtechnology streams places allgroups in the realm of a height-

ened competitive environment.The challenge of integrating thesetechnologies into the businessplaces of group members or share-holders, traditionally called “inde-pendents,” is at the forefront ofwhat drives the growth and effec-tiveness of groups. This will con-tinue to evolve at a rapid pace andthere will be little time or space forthose who do not keep up withthat pace. Consolidation within theranks of group entities will likelycontinue to some degree, but with-out a doubt, the driver behind suc-cess will be those groups thatadopt the technology that providesthe cutting-edge business intelli-gence for group members to stayahead of the competition. CM

PROGRAM GROUPS // Automotive Parts Association


The Automotive Aftermarket IndustryAssociation recently rebranded itselfthe Auto Care Association, favoringthe phrase “auto care” over “aftermar-ket.” Will you and your group adoptthis new language? What are yourthoughts on moving away from theterm “aftermarket?”I believe it is time to re-brand. So many aspectsof our business and theworld have changedsince the term “aftermar-ket” was first used. Yes,we will adopt and em-brace the change. It is vi-tal we speak as one voiceas an industry and ulti-mately to the end-user.

The aftermarket trulyhas become a globally-reaching industry. How much of yourgroup will represented by stores orwarehouses outside the United States? We always strive to reach out globally tobring in new members to our group. Atpresent, it is a top priority to increase thissegment of membership. There are somany avenues to reach out with the ever-increasing level of available technology.Our vendor partners have global reach andour group has benefited from workingwith them. Let’s just say with Uni-Selectowning the group that at least 20 percent to30 percent of our group is represented out-side the United States.

How can eCommerce be used as astrategic benefit to program groups? I no longer see it as a benefit, but a totaltool in maintaining our membership and

PROGRAM GROUPS

AIM Makes the Right Tools Available, Says Ron Pierce

securing new members. Said another way,we use it for websites, e-cataloging andelectronic data exchange. Business-to-busi-ness for buying and selling. Our group alsouses it in conjunction with “snail mail”through updates, newsletters, promotions,etc. with our members. And, today the se-

curity of business trans-actions is a must, as wereceive and transmitfunds from our office toall business partners.eCommerce is a way oflife today, and muchmore than a benefit forour business.

What particular attrib-utes about your groupgive you a leg up overthe competition? We offer a number of

different ways to buy through our group.A member can buy direct from our ven-dor partners through our approved lines.We also offer a Co-Man option as a con-venience that highlights ease of orderingand competitive pricing. And, with ourrelationship through Uni-Select our mem-bers have quick access to Uni-Select’s na-tional network of warehouses or they canenjoy the many benefits of EDS (En-hanced Drop Ship.) A great number ofmembers buy through our group in a va-riety of ways and this has truly giventhem a leg up in this competitive businessenvironment.

How does your group get the right mixof parts on the shelf? Obviously, this is an on-going issue inour industry. We work with our vendor

Ron Pierce

General Manager,AIM/Uni-Select

AIM1155 Roberts Blvd., Suite 175

Kennesaw, GA 30144Phone: 770-386-4750

Fax: 770-386-4833


partners and assist our membersto maintain a ready line of com-munication with all the avenueslisted above concerning eCom-merce. Inventory that doesn’t sellor turns slowly hurts everyone.Communicating and making in-ventory available through thegroup that another member canuse is a service that has met withsome success in our group. Giv-ing our members every toolavailable to make the correctbuying decisions and proper in-

ventory is always a top priorityof our office.

Do program groups look differ-ent today than they did, say 10years ago? If so, how? How willthey look in 10 years? The short answer is, yes, theylook and are different than 10years ago. What hasn’t changedover the last 10 years in our busi-ness? The very competitive na-ture and changing businessenvironment with a shrinking

member base to draw from hasits challenges. The concept ofmergers in program groups was-n’t around 10 years ago. Consoli-dations on the manufacturer sideare happening more rapidly thana decade ago, also. Looking for-ward, we see all of the abovepicking up pace. Program groupswill be larger in size and scope.To thrive and survive the strongmust continue to evolve with theproper mix of members, vendorsand programs. CM

PROGRAM GROUPS // AIM


The Automotive Aftermarket IndustryAssociation recently rebranded itselfthe Auto Care Association, favoringthe phrase “auto care” over “aftermar-ket.” Will you and your group adoptthis new language? What are yourthoughts on moving away from theterm “aftermarket?”We will adopt and support the rebrandingeffort. This is a long-termprocess and the soonerwe start incorporating“auto care” as our indus-try and consumer focuswe will be able to spendmore time talking aboutthe business and issues ...versus what is the “after-market” in many conver-sations. Will the word“aftermarket” be re-moved from the industryforever? Time will tell.The other great aspect ofthe rebranding is that itnot only helps explainwhat our industry isabout, but removes a neg-ative connotation of whatthe word “aftermarket”may mean to people outside of our business.

The aftermarket truly has become aglobally reaching industry. How much ofof your group will represented by storesor warehouses outside the UnitedStates?We currently have eight members in Mexi-co, three members in Canada and one inPuerto Rico. We continue to look for dis-tributors in these countries that fit ourmembership profile where we can add val-ue to their companies as well as our ven-dor partners. It’s hard to give a specific

PROGRAM GROUPS

Pronto Promises ‘Laser-Like’ Focus, Says Maggs

percentage goal – we believe our growth inall of North America will continue.

How can eCommerce be used as astrategic benefit to program groups?We use eCommerce in many ways and itsdevelopment will continue to grow. Fromcataloging, ordering, invoicing, advance shipnotices, statements and payments. Our in-

dustry is utilizing tech-nology faster today thanever before and Prontomembers are embracingthese advantages.

What particular attrib-utes about your groupgive you a leg up overthe competition?Pronto has a laser-likefocus in several areas ofthe business and oper-ates very efficiently. Wedon’t try to be every-thing to everybody. Ourmain areas of focus are:products, marketingand technology. We de-velop programs thatcome from the member-

ship and board of directors. With a focuson listening to what the members wantand not telling them what they need, weachieve a lot of support. With 92 membersyou will not make everyone happy all thetime but I will let our record speak for it-self. I believe one of the areas that givesus an advantage is the way we managethe members’ money. We look for a re-turn-on-investment in all of our pro-grams. We pay members rebates on aweekly basis with accurate reporting. Themost important aspect of a group is infact the members themselves. Pronto

Bill Maggs

President andCEO,National Pronto Association

National Pronto Association

204 N. Dooley – Suite 300Grapevine, Texas 76051

(p) 817-430-9449(f) 817-430-9559(p) 800-477-6686

www.pronto-net.comwww.prontoautoservice.com

www.prontosmartchoiceadvantage.com

www.prontowarranty.com


Do program groups look differ-ent today than they did, say 10years ago? If so, how? How willthey look in 10 years?Sure they do...nothing standsstill. They are different in thenumbers, services and direction.In 10 years, while I can’t speakfor the other groups, I believeour planning and direction willkeep Pronto at the top of the list.We have a very active board ofdirectors and membership. Let’sface it, the distributor base willsee significant consolidation inthe next 10 years because one ofthe largest issues facing our in-

dustry is the lack of successionplanning. Every group will havemembers adding locations ... and probably losing some aswell. We work extremely hard at Pronto to exceed the needs ofour membership as the marketchanges. What keeps us on fo-cus? Pronto has a tremendouslyexperienced staff. Everyone onthe team knows and lives by thefact that “Pronto exists solely forthe benefit of its members,” andwe have operated successfullywith that mantra for many yearsand will continue to do so in thefuture. CM

PROGRAM GROUPS // National Pronto Association

members are like family – eachmembership meeting is like afamily reunion with members vis-iting about business issue andproblems – and what must beconsidered for the future successof their companies and the group.

How does your group get theright mix of parts on the shelf?Pronto members use many tech-nologies to manage their inventorymix. From our data warehouse in-formation, vendor inventory pro-grams and by utilizing the EpicorVista program. All of these areavailable through Pronto.

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Irecently got an email from a reader thatmade me think a little bit. “Do you haveany good ideas on how to keeptechnicians?”While the question was specifically

about techs, I get the same question aboutcounterpersons. Counterpeople are the faceof our business and vital to our success. Myanswers to the gentleman about the techsalso applies for counterpersons. So here aremy thoughts.

First, let’s get the No. 1 complaint off thetable: compensation. Remember, the mar-ket sets the rate. If you try to discount thatrate, you’ll lose people constantly. It’s im-portant to evaluate your market regularlyand have a competitive compensation plan.Don’t do what you hear people are doingthree states away or in a different market.Your business model needs to includewages and benefits that are competitive inyour area. Evaluate your employees’ skillsets and experience and pay them accord-ingly. If you don’t, you’ll never get pastthat first hurdle of retaining good talent.

The next issue is a little less clear. Sincemost of us out there are Baby Boomers, it’seven grayer. We were taught that we werelucky to have a job and should be gratefulfor a paycheck. That’s all changed. Today,

FROM THE PUBLISHERBy S. Scott Shriber

Where Is Everybody Going?it’s, “Is my store a good place to work?What type of environment is it?”

Start by looking at the counter. This isas good as it gets in most stores. If yousee things you don’t like, it’s only worsein other areas. Remember, you set the ex-ample in the store. If you let things slide,so will your employees. This sometimesleads to a not-so-good-looking environ-ment. Your employees spend at least one-third of their lives at work and want it tobe a desirable place to be.

What’s the demeanor of the store? Ifco-workers are not nice to each other,how will they be to customers? It’s hardto turn off a bad personality. Do peopleget along, and does it foster a team envi-ronment? If not, people get petty and riffswill be ongoing. Do the workers feel val-ued? Positive reinforcement and a thankyou go a long way.

Do your people have the training andequipment they need to do their job to thebest of their abilities? This is one area manyowners overlook because it takes an invest-ment to stay current. Remember, an updat-ed item of technology can many times payfor itself quickly in efficiency gains.

On the training subject, if a counterper-son is well-trained and confident, he orshe will be more efficient at serving thecustomer.

It really starts with us. People stay withorganizations they like. Of course, theyhave to have the right skill set for theirjob, but we need to ensure they have agood environment to do that work in. It’sa fact that some will go just becausethey’re nomadic individuals. You can’tstop this behavior. The others who aregood need to stay in our organizations.Be sure you’re paying attention and ask-ing the question, “Is this a good place towork?” Remember, people are our mostvaluable resource. CM

Don’t do whatyou hear peopleare doing threestates away orin a differentmarket. Yourbusiness modelneeds to includewages andbenefits that arecompetitive inyour area.


In this day and age of digital communi-cations, we still remain big consumers ofgood old paper. The U.S. per capita, perperson, per year consumption of paper

piles up to an unimaginable 520 pounds,according to the EPA. In our daily lives,paper is with us from the early bathroomrituals to late-night readings, and through-out the day we commit pen to paper towrite our notes and messages like modernday scribes. There is a drive to go paperlesseverywhere; however, I have been search-ing for a totally “paperless auto partscounter professional” for years to no avail.We all jot down countless notes with VIN,year/make/model info, part numbers andall the phones for every delivery food serv-ice within five miles of our stores. One ofthe most popular promo trinkets our cus-tomers ask for are our yearly desk calen-dars. Why, in this age of digital calendars,are these humongous, throwback papernotebooks so popular with our people?I’ve learned that they don’t really use themas calendars per se, but as permanentrecords of all of their notes throughout theyear; a 12-page, 2-inch by 3-inch notebookattached yearly to their desks.

I’m happy to say that in my paper addic-tion 12-step program I ditched the desktopcalendar several years ago. I do use a wallcalendar, but do not write any notes on it;as calendars go, I have gone completely pa-perless by using Google Calendar on mycomputers, phones and tablets. When incomes to long-form note taking, I have alsoshed paper aside and gone mostly digitalusing a number of apps on my iPad. Theone paper habit that still plagues my daysare those Post-it notes! I have a pop-upPost-It dispenser, and have reloaded new

COUNTER-TECHBy Mandy Aguilar

Mobile DocumentScanning Made Easy

packs of color sticky notes onto to it formore than two decades. I once read that3M scientists found the not-so-sticky adhe-sives used on Post-It notes by a mistake.They were actually looking for formula-tions that will create strong and durableadhesive bonds; their blunder turned intoone of the biggest consumer products ever.

The biggest problem with paper is that wediscard it quickly. Additionally, it is hard toindex; while the mnemonic power ofnotewriting is huge, if you actually forgetwhat you wrote, you need to locate the pa-per with the note to access that precious bitof information that failed to imprint on yourcerebral cortex. Several Post-It notes I’veused have the lifespan of a Mayfly and gointo the trash bin sometimes within hours ofreceiving a few lines of ink; the ones piledup stuck to my computer screen do me nogood when I can’t find the one I need.

The other drawback here is mobility;notes stuck to my computer are stuck backin the office while I’m out on the road try-ing to sell parts. One day while holding mysmartphone and searching for a forgottenPost-it, it dawned on me that I could justtake a picture of it and carry the info every-where I went. That day a new habit wasborn: take pictures of your notes and carrythem on your phone.

The app revolution on smartphones havetaken my habit to a new level. There aretwo apps that I now use on automatic pilotto manage my Post-It note habit: ScanBotand Evernote.

ScanBot (www.scanbot.io)

This is a recent addition to my app library,but I’m using it quite a bit. There are sever-

■ ■ ■

Visit Mandy’s blog: www.mandyaguilar.com

Mandy Aguilar is aregional vice president forJacksonville, Fla.-based

The Parts House.


The one paperhabit that stillplagues my daysare those Post-itnotes!

counterman.com 97

PROGRAM GROUPS // Federated Auto Partsline

and innovations. Federated mem-bers are selfless in their approachto helping the sum of the total beas strong as possible. This may bein sharing processes, ideas or expe-riences in the market. This can beareas where cost and inventory ef-ficiencies are leveraged. One exam-ple is our member-owned Co-Manwarehouse that receives tremen-dous support from all membersand a large number of suppliers.Another is eCommerce activities,including our in-house electroniccatalog and enhanced supply chainprogram that allow sharing of thehighest-quality information. Col-laboration also occurs with theFederated Car Care program

where members share ideas, ap-proaches and improvement initia-tives. Whatever the area, ourmembers are willing to work to-gether for the common good of all.Individual member success is con-tingent today on group collabora-tion and our members arededicated to this process.

How does your group get theright mix of parts on the shelf? We believe that inventory manage-ment is a combination of focus andexecution. Members need as muchinformation as possible on vehiclepopulation, replacement rates,proper pricing, brands, quality lev-els, national and regional sales anda host of other input. This informa-

tion is then applied to local mar-kets where individual expertise onarea demand and customer needsare added together with supplierinput and other distilled data setsso that inventory can be tailoredfor each market. It is definitely notan exact science, but there is moreinformation available today thanever before, providing insight andsupport for managing hundreds of thousands of items on a dailybasis.

Do program groups look differ-ent today than they did, say 10years ago? If so, how?First of all, there are fewer groupsand that is a significant change.Those that have survived havefound new ways to add value fortheir membership. Certainly thepast 10 years has provided an op-portunity to address new chal-lenges such as explodinginventory proliferation, new retailcompetitors, consolidation of cus-tomers, national accounts, eCom-merce and data needs. Otherissues include new efficiencymethods such as bar coding, di-rect import and working capitalchallenges. Tools have been devel-oped to help us address some ofthese challenges, and programssuch as our Co-Man warehouseand data sharing initiatives haveaccelerated in importance. Pro-gram groups are much more in-volved today with associationslike the Auto CareAssociation and AWDA. These or-ganizations work on our mem-bers’ behalf to address such issuesas evolving technology and theimpact of government policiesconcerning our industry. The bot-tom line is that program groupslike Federated exist today to helpmembers leverage their collectivestrength in many areas that werenot as significant 10 years ago. Ifwe do our job correctly, there willbe many new areas to explore 10years from now. CM

Continued from page 72

ADVERTISEHERE!

Tom Staab Classified Sales Mgr.

330-670.1234 ext. 224Fax 330.670.0874 • [email protected]

CLASSIFIED

counterman.com 99

al mobile scan apps out there; but,this one does a few tricks that havemade it my favorite. Using yourphone’s camera, the app creates ahigh-quality scan of any documentand saves it as a PDF file that youcan easily email to yourself or, bet-ter yet, synchronize it to severalcloud services like Dropbox, Ever-note or OneDrive. The resolution isamazing at 200-plus DPI whichguarantees the usability of thesaved file. The real magic of thisapp is that it takes the picture foryou! It detects the edges of the doc-ument so all you have to do is holdthe phone over the document to bescanned, follow the real-time edgeoutline guidance the apps providesand it will quickly take the picturefor you, ensuring you won’t movethe camera by having to press the

shutter with your finger. Further-more, it will automatically correctthe document’s perspective to pro-duce a straightened document be-fore it gets converted to a PDF file— no more skewed pics that cut offthe edges of the document. By theway, for a funny interpretation ofan askew webpage, simply searchthe word “askew” on Google anddrop me a line if it gets you alaugh!

Evernote ( www.evernote.com)

Saving a scanned document to aPDF is just half the job; the magicof mega note-saving app Evernotetakes this to the next level. Ever-note has become like the Swissarmy knife of digital notetaking,archiving, Web clipping and index-ing. I urge all of you to take a lookat this most useful app; the learn-ing curve is huge, but just like eat-

ing a whale, you do it a bite at atime. One of the most magicaltricks Evernote pulls is that it willindex all of your notes, includingwords on pictures and handwrit-ing. This is where the marriage ofScanBot and Evernote is giving mea bit of hope with my Post-It addic-tion. Any important Post-It nowgets scanned with ScanBot and au-tomatically synchronized to Ever-note. When I need to recall theinformation all I have to do is re-member some small detail of whatwas written on the note, and Ever-note’s mighty search will crawlthrough the index of all of mynotes to find it for me. It’s a middleof the road solution that leveragesthe interoperability of these twoapps by bridging my physical notetaking habit with my digitalarchives — now my Post-It noteswill live forever on the cloud! CM

COUNTER-TECH

Continued from page 96

Advertiser Page Advertiser Page AAPEX 12, 13, 74, 75Advics 47Airtex Corp. Cover, 19, 39Akebono Brake Corp. 63Amsoil Inc 15APA Management Group 81Apex Automobile Parts 3Apex Supply Chain 35Arnott Industries 52Auto Care Association Cover 3Automotive Distribution Network 77AutoZone 17AVI 95Bardahl Mfg. Corp. 22Brake Parts Inc. 55Central Automotive Products 32Contitech Antriebssysteme GmbH 33CRP Industries Inc. 30, 31Delphi Product & Service Solutions 49ExxonMobil Cover 4FEDERAL-MOGUL MOTORPARTS Cover 2FEDERAL-MOGUL MOTORPARTS/Champion 6, 7Federal Process Corp 16Federated Auto Parts 5, 73IHS 83

ITW Global Brands 18, 85Lisle Cor. 34MAHLE Clevite 92, 93Mann + Hummel 20Messe Frankfurt 14Modern Silicone Technologies Inc. 58, 59Motul USA Inc. 79National Pronto Association 23, 89Nucap Industries 28, 29, 94Packard Industries 43PayPal 61Permatex Inc. 21Schaeffler Group USA 37Solv-Tec 41Spectra Premium Industries 27Standard Motor Products 9, 53, 57Stellar Automotive (Lube Guard) 26, 40Tendeco Sales Inc. 25ThyssenKrupp Bilstein of America 36TYC/Genera Corp. 69UPS 10, 11US Motor Works 38WIX Filters 50, 51, 67Wizards Products/RJ Star Inc. 87


If the above headline makes sense to you,there’s a good chance you’re a parts spe-cialist who served in the military, ormaybe you have a HAM radio set. It’s

written using the NATO phonetic alphabet,and it spells out “PARTS.”

Every day, we speak to customers andsuppliers on the telephone, and very of-ten, we are trying to communicate partnumbers, paint codes or VINs. Manyfolks resort to using somewhat “color-ful” language to get this informationacross, which I prefer not to repeat inprint here. Some customers are alreadyfamiliar with the NATO alphabet, andwill use it on the phone when they callyou. One of my best friends and cus-tomers has been an amateur radio opera-tor for years, and got me in the habit ofusing this method. It cuts down on mis-understandings, and besides, talking likeTom Hanks in “Saving Private Ryan”gives you an excuse to say “NINER” in-stead of just plain old “nine.”

Here’s the NATO version of the phoneticalphabet, as used by the U.S. military andamateur radio operators:

A-Alpha B-Bravo C-CharlieD-Delta E-Echo F-FoxtrotG-Golf H-Hotel I-IndiaJ-Juliet K-Kilo L-LimaM-Mike N-November O-OscarP-Papa Q-Quebec R-RomeoS-Sierra T-Tango U-UniformV-Victor W-Whiskey X-X rayY-Yankee Z-Zulu

‘Papa Alpha RomeoTango Sierra’

Some people like to use names, and thisis also the preferred version of the pho-netic alphabet for many law enforcementagencies:

A-Adam B-Boy C-CharlieD-David E-Edward F-FrankG-George H-Henry I-IdaJ-John K-King L-LincolnM-Mary N-Nora O-OceanP-Paul Q-Queen R-RobertS-Sam T-Tom U-UnionV-Victor W-William X- X rayY-Young Z-ZebraThere are exceptions to every rule, and

since we are not actually radioing in topsecret bomber coordinates, we don’thave to use one particular set of wordsand are free to substitute our own whenappropriate. “Foxtrot” is one word thatcan sound like two, so some peopleshorten it to just “Fox.” (Besides, whodoes the foxtrot anymore?) Some of thecode words like Quebec (pronounced“Kee-beck”) and Queen aren’t used veryoften anyway, since there is no “Q” usedin the VIN sequence. I have had cus-tomers confuse “Sierra” (like GMC) with“Ciera” (like Oldsmobile), so now I use“Sam” more often than not.

Either of these phonetic alphabets will help you get your point across in a professional way, without offendingyour customers, or making any nearbysailors blush. Whichever one you choose, it can be an effective communi-cation tool. CM

Every day, wespeak tocustomers andsuppliers on thetelephone, andvery often weare trying tocommunicatepart numbers,paint codes orVINs.

Tom Dayton is operationsmanager for JS Auto Supplyin Jamestown, N.Y., andwas Counterman’s CounterProfessional of the Yearfor 2009.

BY THE NUMBERSBy Thomas Dayton

counterman, june 2014

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