Ford project-vehicle requests require two components: an e-mail project summary (due February 21, 2012) and a detailed written proposal (due March 1, 2012).

Ford Motor Co. has announced its Ford and Lincoln project-vehicle program for 2012. The automaker requests that project-vehicle proposals be submitted in two parts, and that all proposals meet the Ford Aftermarket Project Vehicle Program Criteria outlined below.

For more information, contact Sherry Kollien or Mike Nicopolis at semainfo@ford.com.

2012 Ford and Lincoln Project Vehicle Program

Proposal Submission Deadline: March 1, 2012
Award Recipient Notification Date: May 2, 2012

Submit your project-vehicle request in two parts.

Part 1

E-mail one-page project summary: Must be received by February 21, 2012.

Include bullet points for:

• Vehicle/theme
• Vehicle modifications
• New product development
• Promotional plan
• Vehicle display location at the 2012 SEMA Show

Part 2

Mail detailed project proposal: Must be received by March 1, 2012.

• Include details supporting the one-page Project Summary on company letterhead, a color rendering, and past project-vehicle examples.
• Information on Ford vehicles is available at: www.ford.com
• Information on Lincoln vehicles is available at: www.lincoln.com

FORD AFTERMARKET PROJECT VEHICLE PROGRAM CRITERIA

Aftermarket companies requesting vehicles should be:

• Manufacturers or designers/restylers dedicated to supporting new product development
• Financially capable and willing to spend promotional dollars
• Actively promoting the vehicle with their product(s) through an established marketing plan
• Current SEMA member

Aftermarket companies receiving project vehicles must:

• Feature the vehicle in a booth at the 2012 Las Vegas SEMA Show
• Register and keep the vehicle in their company name during the entire contract period
• Purchase and maintain $3M in General Liability Insurance and $1M in Vehicle Insurance
• Commit to feature the vehicle with the Ford/Lincoln logos intact and visible
• Order a California-certified vehicle if they intend to register or use the vehicle primarily in California or any other state that has adopted California emissions standards. Failure to do so may be subject to a state fine.
• Make vehicles available to Ford or its dealers for display, at the owner's discretion
• Submit written quarterly status reports for a period of 18 months, as specified in the contract, stating:

1. Product development
2. Modifications to the vehicle
3. Events (including dates, location and type of event)
4. Media exposure (originals or color copies)
5. Company advertising featuring vehicle
6. Additional exposure
7. A copy of current vehicle registration
8. E-mail, disc or fax reports will not be accepted

Please submit Ford and Lincoln proposals to:

Ford Motor Company
21175 Oakwood Blvd., PDCDC MD579
Dearborn, MI 48124
Attn: Sherry Kollien & Mike Nicopolis
semainfo@ford.com

Following are dates and locations for several upcoming SEMA-sponsored shows, webinars and activities. Click on an item for more details.

SEMA and Honda will conduct a measuring session for the new 2012 Honda CR-V on January 25, 2012. The session will take place at Honda's facilities in Torrance, California. SEMA manufacturing members can get a personal preview of Honda's popular CUV by signing up for the session online.

SEMA and Honda will conduct a measuring session for the new 2012 Honda CR-V on January 25, 2012. The session will take place at Honda's facilities in Torrance, California. SEMA manufacturing members can get a personal preview of Honda's popular CUV by signing up for the session online.

 

	If you would like to be part of the 2012 SEMA Show Education Program by being a session presenter or panelist, complete the online speaker form at www.SEMAShow.com/speakers.

Planning for the 2012 SEMA Show education program is well under way. This year's schedule will once again feature several "tracks," including Business Management, Customer Service and Sales, Marketing, Industry Trends, Online Marketing and more.



Are you interested in being a session presenter or panelist? We'd love to hear from you. Please complete our online speaker form (www.SEMAShow.com/speakers) by Friday, January 20.



To increase the likelihood of having your recommendation used, please be sure to include three or four bullet points on the topic, who the target audience will be and why the subject is of importance. Also, note that all sessions will be one hour in length. 

These sessions are designed for general business topics (i.e. marketing, customer service, sales, etc.) and do not include product-specific topics. Exhibitors will have the opportunity to sign up for a separate program—Exhibitor Product Training sessions—in June.



Please submit suggestions on or before Friday, January 20, using the online speaker submission form at www.SEMAShow.com/speakers or contact Jamie Eriksen at JamieE@sema.org.

 

	If you would like to be part of the 2012 SEMA Show Education Program by being a session presenter or panelist, complete the online speaker form at www.SEMAShow.com/speakers.

Planning for the 2012 SEMA Show education program is well under way. This year's schedule will once again feature several "tracks," including Business Management, Customer Service and Sales, Marketing, Industry Trends, Online Marketing and more.



Are you interested in being a session presenter or panelist? We'd love to hear from you. Please complete our online speaker form (www.SEMAShow.com/speakers) by Friday, January 20.



To increase the likelihood of having your recommendation used, please be sure to include three or four bullet points on the topic, who the target audience will be and why the subject is of importance. Also, note that all sessions will be one hour in length. 

These sessions are designed for general business topics (i.e. marketing, customer service, sales, etc.) and do not include product-specific topics. Exhibitors will have the opportunity to sign up for a separate program—Exhibitor Product Training sessions—in June.



Please submit suggestions on or before Friday, January 20, using the online speaker submission form at www.SEMAShow.com/speakers or contact Jamie Eriksen at JamieE@sema.org.

Additive manufacturing is quickly becoming more commonly used in specialized technology applications where limited quantities of durable precision components are needed. Imagine “printing” a limited number of products or designing product without manufacturing limitations—all while reducing waste and cost.

3-D design and additive manufacturing will change the aftermarket industry in a number of ways. For one, it can eliminate the costly and time-consuming process of tool making by producing fully assembled parts directly from 3-D CAD models. Creating hybrid tooling can duplicate production quality for limited production runs. Additive technologies also give designers the freedom to create with fewer limitations than they had when using traditional manufacturing processes. 3-D design changes can be employed with complete flexibility, no wasted inventory and no wait time for costly tool changes.

Bringing all of the best additive manufacturing technologies together allows the industry to provide customers with exactly what their project requires, whichever additive manufacturing method fits best. 

Today, when a customer comes to you looking for a replacement taillight that is no longer being manufactured, you can either 3-D scan that part to save time or have a designer take hand measurements and design it in 3-D software. On top of that, if you want any design changes made to that part, 3-D design engineers can make those changes and print out the newly designed part in a few days.

Join the SEMA Education Institute (SEI) and presenter David Gurrola, president of GROWit, to explore design and engineering technology that can dramatically impact your company. This informative webinar will be held Thursday, January 12, at 10:00 a.m. (PST).

Participate live, or download the webinar when it's convenient. And remember: SEI webinars are free to SEMA members and only $29 for non-members.

SEMA members: Register online.

Non-members: Register online.

Additive manufacturing is quickly becoming more commonly used in specialized technology applications where limited quantities of durable precision components are needed. Imagine “printing” a limited number of products or designing product without manufacturing limitations—all while reducing waste and cost.

3-D design and additive manufacturing will change the aftermarket industry in a number of ways. For one, it can eliminate the costly and time-consuming process of tool making by producing fully assembled parts directly from 3-D CAD models. Creating hybrid tooling can duplicate production quality for limited production runs. Additive technologies also give designers the freedom to create with fewer limitations than they had when using traditional manufacturing processes. 3-D design changes can be employed with complete flexibility, no wasted inventory and no wait time for costly tool changes.

Bringing all of the best additive manufacturing technologies together allows the industry to provide customers with exactly what their project requires, whichever additive manufacturing method fits best. 

Today, when a customer comes to you looking for a replacement taillight that is no longer being manufactured, you can either 3-D scan that part to save time or have a designer take hand measurements and design it in 3-D software. On top of that, if you want any design changes made to that part, 3-D design engineers can make those changes and print out the newly designed part in a few days.

Join the SEMA Education Institute (SEI) and presenter David Gurrola, president of GROWit, to explore design and engineering technology that can dramatically impact your company. This informative webinar will be held Thursday, January 12, at 10:00 a.m. (PST).

Participate live, or download the webinar when it's convenient. And remember: SEI webinars are free to SEMA members and only $29 for non-members.

SEMA members: Register online.

Non-members: Register online.

Prior to the new year, the SEMA Board of Directors approved a motion to decrease the size of the Board. The bylaw revision initiative reflects their consensus that a smaller Board would improve the quality of discussion and reduce cost. 



Voting on the motion commenced in September. We are sending this communication now to advise that the voting period is about to expire. Those who have not cast their votes have only a few more days to do so before voting closes 11:59 p.m. (CST) on Tuesday, January 10.

Only the designated SEMA “primary contact” may register a vote. 

If you are the SEMA primary contact for your company and have not voted, please record your vote now using your member number and password to vote online.

If voting instructions have not been received by your company’s primary contact, please advise that person to e-mail support@directvote.net in order to receive materials necessary to log your company’s vote. 

If you do not know who the SEMA primary contact is for your company, e-mail Arlene Wood at arlenew@sema.org or call 909-978-6689. 



For a more complete review of the arguments for and against the proposal, SEMA members are invited and encouraged to visit www.sema.org/voteNOW/faq.



Your company’s vote is important. The Board-approved changes are needed to make the Board more productive for the SEMA membership. We thank you for supplying your company’s input on this important matter.

Prior to the new year, the SEMA Board of Directors approved a motion to decrease the size of the Board. The bylaw revision initiative reflects their consensus that a smaller Board would improve the quality of discussion and reduce cost. 



Voting on the motion commenced in September. We are sending this communication now to advise that the voting period is about to expire. Those who have not cast their votes have only a few more days to do so before voting closes 11:59 p.m. (CST) on Tuesday, January 10.

Only the designated SEMA “primary contact” may register a vote. 

If you are the SEMA primary contact for your company and have not voted, please record your vote now using your member number and password to vote online.

If voting instructions have not been received by your company’s primary contact, please advise that person to e-mail support@directvote.net in order to receive materials necessary to log your company’s vote. 

If you do not know who the SEMA primary contact is for your company, e-mail Arlene Wood at arlenew@sema.org or call 909-978-6689. 



For a more complete review of the arguments for and against the proposal, SEMA members are invited and encouraged to visit www.sema.org/voteNOW/faq.



Your company’s vote is important. The Board-approved changes are needed to make the Board more productive for the SEMA membership. We thank you for supplying your company’s input on this important matter.