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Australian Specialty Market
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SEMA News recently talked with Stuart Charity, executive director of the nearly 30-year-old Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), and Ben Bartlett, the AAAA’s national membership manager, about the Australian specialty-equipment market amid increasingly positive news that Australia is well on its way to an economic recovery. There are indications that the automotive industry there has begun to rebound, and the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries reported growing vehicle sales—with particularly strong SUV sales—and overall sales for the year are expected to reach up to 900,000 in 2009. Spurred by tax rebates for business purchases of vehicles and increased purchasing as growing confidence by consumers increases, the sales gap will be much less than feared just several months ago, although the total isn’t expected to reach the record-setting 1.05 million achieved in 2007.
Hiring Right: Best Practices
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This series of SEMA News stories is based on the idea of using reliable and repeatable methods to ensure business success. In coming issues, we will delve into a range of topics aimed at developing Best Practices through knowledge, motivation and skills.
Roy Littlefield - Tire Industry Association Executive Vice President
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Roy Littlefield, executive vice president of the Tire Industry Association (TIA), gives lectures to students as part of his “hobby”—a job as an adjunct professor of politics and American history at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. But he isn’t interested in lecturing SEMA about the decline in tire manufacturers’ participation in the annual SEMA Show. He’d rather talk about how to lure the manufacturers back.
“The bottom line is communication,” said Littlefield. “The big companies want to feel like it is their show.”
The Upside of the Downturn
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As the automotive industry continues to adapt to changes in the economy and consumer spending habits, SEMA-member companies are faced with the decision to either race ahead with the new course of the specialty-equipment market or to fall behind with the old status quo. In SEMA’s recent webinar—“The Major Determinants of U.S. Automotive Demand: Factors Driving the U.S. Automotive Market”—moderator John Waraniak, SEMA vice president of vehicle technology, urges members to focus on the upside of the industry’s current downturn.
Tires, Wheels & Equipment New Products
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There were 290 tire exhibitors at the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas last November, and tire buyers accounted for 9.4% of the total buyers who attended. In fact, their ranks made up the second-largest buyer group at the Show. This issue of SEMA News focuses on tire and wheel business. From the new products article that showcases some of the best technology and innovation the segment has to offer to the trends story where tire and wheel industry experts weigh in on the trends and challenges that face the segment, this issue is filled with information about the marketplace and the companies that have built it.
Trends on a Roll: Tire & Wheel Market
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No single element can change the look of a car or truck like a set of tires and wheels. Thin or thick sidewalls, tall or small, chrome or painted, steel or aluminum—the combinations are endless, and each can thoroughly alter the appearance and the functionality of the vehicle. At last November’s SEMA Show in Las Vegas, a group of enthusiasts who were taking part in a marketing study confirmed the popularity of tire and wheel modifications. A whopping 84.6% of them said that they had bought tires or wheels for their vehicles, and for many—regardless of the type of vehicle they owned—tires and wheels were the first accessory they bought.
Wayne Croswell -Tire Industry Association President
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When his software company asked him to become vice president of operations for a newly acquired tire industry company, tires had “no appeal for me whatsoever,” said Wayne Croswell. That was 32 years ago. Now, Croswell is president of ASA Tire Systems and the new president of the Tire Industry Association (TIA).
“I fell in love with the industry and the people, and it got into my blood,” he said.
Working Together for the Best Possible Return on Investment
About this product:
There were 290 tire exhibitors at the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas last November, and tire buyers accounted for 9.4% of the total buyers who attended. In fact, their ranks made up the second-largest buyer group at the Show. This issue of SEMA News focuses on tire and wheel business. From the new products article that showcases some of the best technology and innovation the segment has to offer to the trends story where tire and wheel industry experts weigh in on the trends and challenges that face the segment, this issue is filled with information about the marketplace and the companies that have built it.
