SEMA News—March 2013

CHRIS KERSTING

Considering:

New Tools for the SEMA Toolbox

As the new year gains steam, SEMA leadership and the Board of Directors have been considering new goals and offerings to help our members succeed. As always, we are looking at investments that would do the most good for SEMA members and the performance aftermarket in general. One focus this year is to deliver new and improved tools and services to help members quickly and efficiently develop new products.

It happens that the building adjacent to our Diamond Bar headquarters is now fully available for potential association expansion. The building has been home to some SEMA programs that are already popular with our members—programs such as vehicle Measuring Sessions—and could serve to house expansion of services such as the well-used Tech Transfer program and our Rapid Prototyping Service.

These programs have been highly rated by members, so we know they work, but currently there are limitations as to what we can supply. The idea is to create a SEMA product development center (working title: “The SEMA Garage”) to expand and enhance our offerings and give SEMA members a hands-on facility for multiple services and benefits:

• Expand the current, single-day vehicle Measuring Sessions to include more models, more brands and provide access to hard-to-find models—including vehicles available only in overseas markets. We’d secure these vehicles for a period of weeks or months, allowing members longer-duration access for product development purposes.
• Supply state-of-the-art measuring tools on the premises and supply the expertise and training to operate them.
• Secure the capability to scan vehicle dimensions, parts and interfaces to build our computer-aided-design data library available through SEMA’s Tech Transfer program.
• Staff and provide a dyno lab that would be available to SEMA members at a reasonable cost. The lab could be available for performance product development and testing and could also provide guidance and testing to secure Air Resources Board Executive Orders for emissions compliance.

Because the building was purpose-built as a vehicle technology center, SEMA is in a unique position to provide a product development center without having to start at ground zero. And the center could provide a range of other services and opportunities—such as a training center and a photo studio to assist with new-product launches and media events.

The SEMA Board and the staff are currently gathering input and information to shape the ideas for the product development center. Part of this due diligence will take the form of a poll of the membership to get an idea of how companies could best benefit from an association-owned facility and what kinds of equipment and opportunities would best fit their needs.

Some of you may have already been contacted for feedback or received our member poll on this subject. We hope you will take a moment to consider the possibilities and respond with your thoughts. Because the concept is anchored by expansion of programs and services that are already used and valued by SEMA members, we know the initiative stands a good chance to succeed and deliver on SEMA’s mission.

As always, we can do a better job if you share your ideas. We hope to hear from you about the SEMA product development center.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO

SEMA News—March 2013

CHRIS KERSTING

Considering:

New Tools for the SEMA Toolbox

As the new year gains steam, SEMA leadership and the Board of Directors have been considering new goals and offerings to help our members succeed. As always, we are looking at investments that would do the most good for SEMA members and the performance aftermarket in general. One focus this year is to deliver new and improved tools and services to help members quickly and efficiently develop new products.

It happens that the building adjacent to our Diamond Bar headquarters is now fully available for potential association expansion. The building has been home to some SEMA programs that are already popular with our members—programs such as vehicle Measuring Sessions—and could serve to house expansion of services such as the well-used Tech Transfer program and our Rapid Prototyping Service.

These programs have been highly rated by members, so we know they work, but currently there are limitations as to what we can supply. The idea is to create a SEMA product development center (working title: “The SEMA Garage”) to expand and enhance our offerings and give SEMA members a hands-on facility for multiple services and benefits:

• Expand the current, single-day vehicle Measuring Sessions to include more models, more brands and provide access to hard-to-find models—including vehicles available only in overseas markets. We’d secure these vehicles for a period of weeks or months, allowing members longer-duration access for product development purposes.
• Supply state-of-the-art measuring tools on the premises and supply the expertise and training to operate them.
• Secure the capability to scan vehicle dimensions, parts and interfaces to build our computer-aided-design data library available through SEMA’s Tech Transfer program.
• Staff and provide a dyno lab that would be available to SEMA members at a reasonable cost. The lab could be available for performance product development and testing and could also provide guidance and testing to secure Air Resources Board Executive Orders for emissions compliance.

Because the building was purpose-built as a vehicle technology center, SEMA is in a unique position to provide a product development center without having to start at ground zero. And the center could provide a range of other services and opportunities—such as a training center and a photo studio to assist with new-product launches and media events.

The SEMA Board and the staff are currently gathering input and information to shape the ideas for the product development center. Part of this due diligence will take the form of a poll of the membership to get an idea of how companies could best benefit from an association-owned facility and what kinds of equipment and opportunities would best fit their needs.

Some of you may have already been contacted for feedback or received our member poll on this subject. We hope you will take a moment to consider the possibilities and respond with your thoughts. Because the concept is anchored by expansion of programs and services that are already used and valued by SEMA members, we know the initiative stands a good chance to succeed and deliver on SEMA’s mission.

As always, we can do a better job if you share your ideas. We hope to hear from you about the SEMA product development center.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO

SEMA News—March 2013

CHRIS KERSTING

Considering:

New Tools for the SEMA Toolbox

As the new year gains steam, SEMA leadership and the Board of Directors have been considering new goals and offerings to help our members succeed. As always, we are looking at investments that would do the most good for SEMA members and the performance aftermarket in general. One focus this year is to deliver new and improved tools and services to help members quickly and efficiently develop new products.

It happens that the building adjacent to our Diamond Bar headquarters is now fully available for potential association expansion. The building has been home to some SEMA programs that are already popular with our members—programs such as vehicle Measuring Sessions—and could serve to house expansion of services such as the well-used Tech Transfer program and our Rapid Prototyping Service.

These programs have been highly rated by members, so we know they work, but currently there are limitations as to what we can supply. The idea is to create a SEMA product development center (working title: “The SEMA Garage”) to expand and enhance our offerings and give SEMA members a hands-on facility for multiple services and benefits:

• Expand the current, single-day vehicle Measuring Sessions to include more models, more brands and provide access to hard-to-find models—including vehicles available only in overseas markets. We’d secure these vehicles for a period of weeks or months, allowing members longer-duration access for product development purposes.
• Supply state-of-the-art measuring tools on the premises and supply the expertise and training to operate them.
• Secure the capability to scan vehicle dimensions, parts and interfaces to build our computer-aided-design data library available through SEMA’s Tech Transfer program.
• Staff and provide a dyno lab that would be available to SEMA members at a reasonable cost. The lab could be available for performance product development and testing and could also provide guidance and testing to secure Air Resources Board Executive Orders for emissions compliance.

Because the building was purpose-built as a vehicle technology center, SEMA is in a unique position to provide a product development center without having to start at ground zero. And the center could provide a range of other services and opportunities—such as a training center and a photo studio to assist with new-product launches and media events.

The SEMA Board and the staff are currently gathering input and information to shape the ideas for the product development center. Part of this due diligence will take the form of a poll of the membership to get an idea of how companies could best benefit from an association-owned facility and what kinds of equipment and opportunities would best fit their needs.

Some of you may have already been contacted for feedback or received our member poll on this subject. We hope you will take a moment to consider the possibilities and respond with your thoughts. Because the concept is anchored by expansion of programs and services that are already used and valued by SEMA members, we know the initiative stands a good chance to succeed and deliver on SEMA’s mission.

As always, we can do a better job if you share your ideas. We hope to hear from you about the SEMA product development center.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO

SEMA News—March 2013

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY
By Jon Wyly

It’s Alive!

Check Out the SEMA Data Co-op for the First Time…Again!

Imagine a world where you could manage all of your product data in one place, at one time, with the latest state-of-the-art tools. Imagine never again having to use valuable internal resources to create multiple product data files for your customers. Imagine providing better product data delivery than you ever have before, with less effort, lower cost and in the exact format each of your customers require. Imagine the data for your new-product launches being available in near real time, with virtually no delays in delivery to the marketplace. That, my friends, is what the SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) is all about.

As you read this, the SDC has officially launched its state-of-the-art Product Information Management System (PIMS) and is actively transmitting data files from hundreds of participating suppliers to hundreds of anxious receivers—seamlessly, quickly and precisely. As an association-owned and -operated project, the SDC is your solution to successfully managing product data and owning the results 100%. Member driven, member centric and member serving, the SDC will soon be the largest product data repository in the specialty-equipment parts market, providing a singular, centralized source for makers and sellers of parts and accessories to come together and exchange those all-important digital assets.

Yes, the hard work is done, and now the fun starts. Spread the word! Call in your markers! What we need now is to make sure that every product brand in the SEMA marketplace is stored and maintained in the SDC system.

Suppliers: Tell your customers they can now go to one place to get your latest, most up-to-date product data.

Receivers: Join us today in a receiver study that will allow us to configure data exports to your exact requirements. No more manhandling whatever data you can get your hands on! And if you don’t see all the brands you need, tell your suppliers that you need their data brought into the SEMA Data Co-op. We guarantee that you will be thrilled with the experience and pleasantly surprised at the money you will save and the control you will gain in your product-data management efforts!

		To learn more about how you can take control of your product data and manage it at the lowest possible cost, contact Jim Graven, director of membership at the SEMA Data Co-op, via e-mail or phone at 888-958-6698 x4.

And, if that’s not enough to motivate you to join us right now, let me tell you about the expertise we bring to bear with this project. At our core, we are all about educating, training and guiding SDC participants to use our extensive tools and experience to take control and ownership of their data management. Backing up this commitment is our highly qualified live Help Desk and unparalleled industry expertise in data management and industry data standards provided by DATAgility, the leading experts in the field.

Ed Heon, the founder of DATAgility, is affectionately known throughout the industry as the “Father of PIES” (Product Information Exchange Standard) for his original concept and early implementation of this very important standard, and he is hands-on in guiding the education and onboarding of SDC participants. In addition, our own vice president of eCommerce and IT, Bob Castle, has years of hands-on experience in managing large, complex data repositories. He is a past chairman of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) Standards and Solutions Committee and remains a very active industry volunteer today. His continuing work with AAIA on product attributes standards will add yet another important refinement to the data management process in the coming months.

So there you have it. The best tools, bar none. Total data ownership by the supplier. Unlimited exports to receivers in a format designed to fit their systems. And unparalleled expertise at your disposal. The SEMA Data Co-op is in business, and we are here to help you succeed!

SEMA News—March 2013

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY
By Jon Wyly

It’s Alive!

Check Out the SEMA Data Co-op for the First Time…Again!

Imagine a world where you could manage all of your product data in one place, at one time, with the latest state-of-the-art tools. Imagine never again having to use valuable internal resources to create multiple product data files for your customers. Imagine providing better product data delivery than you ever have before, with less effort, lower cost and in the exact format each of your customers require. Imagine the data for your new-product launches being available in near real time, with virtually no delays in delivery to the marketplace. That, my friends, is what the SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) is all about.

As you read this, the SDC has officially launched its state-of-the-art Product Information Management System (PIMS) and is actively transmitting data files from hundreds of participating suppliers to hundreds of anxious receivers—seamlessly, quickly and precisely. As an association-owned and -operated project, the SDC is your solution to successfully managing product data and owning the results 100%. Member driven, member centric and member serving, the SDC will soon be the largest product data repository in the specialty-equipment parts market, providing a singular, centralized source for makers and sellers of parts and accessories to come together and exchange those all-important digital assets.

Yes, the hard work is done, and now the fun starts. Spread the word! Call in your markers! What we need now is to make sure that every product brand in the SEMA marketplace is stored and maintained in the SDC system.

Suppliers: Tell your customers they can now go to one place to get your latest, most up-to-date product data.

Receivers: Join us today in a receiver study that will allow us to configure data exports to your exact requirements. No more manhandling whatever data you can get your hands on! And if you don’t see all the brands you need, tell your suppliers that you need their data brought into the SEMA Data Co-op. We guarantee that you will be thrilled with the experience and pleasantly surprised at the money you will save and the control you will gain in your product-data management efforts!

		To learn more about how you can take control of your product data and manage it at the lowest possible cost, contact Jim Graven, director of membership at the SEMA Data Co-op, via e-mail or phone at 888-958-6698 x4.

And, if that’s not enough to motivate you to join us right now, let me tell you about the expertise we bring to bear with this project. At our core, we are all about educating, training and guiding SDC participants to use our extensive tools and experience to take control and ownership of their data management. Backing up this commitment is our highly qualified live Help Desk and unparalleled industry expertise in data management and industry data standards provided by DATAgility, the leading experts in the field.

Ed Heon, the founder of DATAgility, is affectionately known throughout the industry as the “Father of PIES” (Product Information Exchange Standard) for his original concept and early implementation of this very important standard, and he is hands-on in guiding the education and onboarding of SDC participants. In addition, our own vice president of eCommerce and IT, Bob Castle, has years of hands-on experience in managing large, complex data repositories. He is a past chairman of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) Standards and Solutions Committee and remains a very active industry volunteer today. His continuing work with AAIA on product attributes standards will add yet another important refinement to the data management process in the coming months.

So there you have it. The best tools, bar none. Total data ownership by the supplier. Unlimited exports to receivers in a format designed to fit their systems. And unparalleled expertise at your disposal. The SEMA Data Co-op is in business, and we are here to help you succeed!

SEMA News—March 2013

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY
By Jon Wyly

It’s Alive!

Check Out the SEMA Data Co-op for the First Time…Again!

Imagine a world where you could manage all of your product data in one place, at one time, with the latest state-of-the-art tools. Imagine never again having to use valuable internal resources to create multiple product data files for your customers. Imagine providing better product data delivery than you ever have before, with less effort, lower cost and in the exact format each of your customers require. Imagine the data for your new-product launches being available in near real time, with virtually no delays in delivery to the marketplace. That, my friends, is what the SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) is all about.

As you read this, the SDC has officially launched its state-of-the-art Product Information Management System (PIMS) and is actively transmitting data files from hundreds of participating suppliers to hundreds of anxious receivers—seamlessly, quickly and precisely. As an association-owned and -operated project, the SDC is your solution to successfully managing product data and owning the results 100%. Member driven, member centric and member serving, the SDC will soon be the largest product data repository in the specialty-equipment parts market, providing a singular, centralized source for makers and sellers of parts and accessories to come together and exchange those all-important digital assets.

Yes, the hard work is done, and now the fun starts. Spread the word! Call in your markers! What we need now is to make sure that every product brand in the SEMA marketplace is stored and maintained in the SDC system.

Suppliers: Tell your customers they can now go to one place to get your latest, most up-to-date product data.

Receivers: Join us today in a receiver study that will allow us to configure data exports to your exact requirements. No more manhandling whatever data you can get your hands on! And if you don’t see all the brands you need, tell your suppliers that you need their data brought into the SEMA Data Co-op. We guarantee that you will be thrilled with the experience and pleasantly surprised at the money you will save and the control you will gain in your product-data management efforts!

		To learn more about how you can take control of your product data and manage it at the lowest possible cost, contact Jim Graven, director of membership at the SEMA Data Co-op, via e-mail or phone at 888-958-6698 x4.

And, if that’s not enough to motivate you to join us right now, let me tell you about the expertise we bring to bear with this project. At our core, we are all about educating, training and guiding SDC participants to use our extensive tools and experience to take control and ownership of their data management. Backing up this commitment is our highly qualified live Help Desk and unparalleled industry expertise in data management and industry data standards provided by DATAgility, the leading experts in the field.

Ed Heon, the founder of DATAgility, is affectionately known throughout the industry as the “Father of PIES” (Product Information Exchange Standard) for his original concept and early implementation of this very important standard, and he is hands-on in guiding the education and onboarding of SDC participants. In addition, our own vice president of eCommerce and IT, Bob Castle, has years of hands-on experience in managing large, complex data repositories. He is a past chairman of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) Standards and Solutions Committee and remains a very active industry volunteer today. His continuing work with AAIA on product attributes standards will add yet another important refinement to the data management process in the coming months.

So there you have it. The best tools, bar none. Total data ownership by the supplier. Unlimited exports to receivers in a format designed to fit their systems. And unparalleled expertise at your disposal. The SEMA Data Co-op is in business, and we are here to help you succeed!

SEMA News—March 2013

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY
By Jon Wyly

It’s Alive!

Check Out the SEMA Data Co-op for the First Time…Again!

Imagine a world where you could manage all of your product data in one place, at one time, with the latest state-of-the-art tools. Imagine never again having to use valuable internal resources to create multiple product data files for your customers. Imagine providing better product data delivery than you ever have before, with less effort, lower cost and in the exact format each of your customers require. Imagine the data for your new-product launches being available in near real time, with virtually no delays in delivery to the marketplace. That, my friends, is what the SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) is all about.

As you read this, the SDC has officially launched its state-of-the-art Product Information Management System (PIMS) and is actively transmitting data files from hundreds of participating suppliers to hundreds of anxious receivers—seamlessly, quickly and precisely. As an association-owned and -operated project, the SDC is your solution to successfully managing product data and owning the results 100%. Member driven, member centric and member serving, the SDC will soon be the largest product data repository in the specialty-equipment parts market, providing a singular, centralized source for makers and sellers of parts and accessories to come together and exchange those all-important digital assets.

Yes, the hard work is done, and now the fun starts. Spread the word! Call in your markers! What we need now is to make sure that every product brand in the SEMA marketplace is stored and maintained in the SDC system.

Suppliers: Tell your customers they can now go to one place to get your latest, most up-to-date product data.

Receivers: Join us today in a receiver study that will allow us to configure data exports to your exact requirements. No more manhandling whatever data you can get your hands on! And if you don’t see all the brands you need, tell your suppliers that you need their data brought into the SEMA Data Co-op. We guarantee that you will be thrilled with the experience and pleasantly surprised at the money you will save and the control you will gain in your product-data management efforts!

		To learn more about how you can take control of your product data and manage it at the lowest possible cost, contact Jim Graven, director of membership at the SEMA Data Co-op, via e-mail or phone at 888-958-6698 x4.

And, if that’s not enough to motivate you to join us right now, let me tell you about the expertise we bring to bear with this project. At our core, we are all about educating, training and guiding SDC participants to use our extensive tools and experience to take control and ownership of their data management. Backing up this commitment is our highly qualified live Help Desk and unparalleled industry expertise in data management and industry data standards provided by DATAgility, the leading experts in the field.

Ed Heon, the founder of DATAgility, is affectionately known throughout the industry as the “Father of PIES” (Product Information Exchange Standard) for his original concept and early implementation of this very important standard, and he is hands-on in guiding the education and onboarding of SDC participants. In addition, our own vice president of eCommerce and IT, Bob Castle, has years of hands-on experience in managing large, complex data repositories. He is a past chairman of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) Standards and Solutions Committee and remains a very active industry volunteer today. His continuing work with AAIA on product attributes standards will add yet another important refinement to the data management process in the coming months.

So there you have it. The best tools, bar none. Total data ownership by the supplier. Unlimited exports to receivers in a format designed to fit their systems. And unparalleled expertise at your disposal. The SEMA Data Co-op is in business, and we are here to help you succeed!

SEMA News—March 2013

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY
By Jon Wyly

It’s Alive!

Check Out the SEMA Data Co-op for the First Time…Again!

Imagine a world where you could manage all of your product data in one place, at one time, with the latest state-of-the-art tools. Imagine never again having to use valuable internal resources to create multiple product data files for your customers. Imagine providing better product data delivery than you ever have before, with less effort, lower cost and in the exact format each of your customers require. Imagine the data for your new-product launches being available in near real time, with virtually no delays in delivery to the marketplace. That, my friends, is what the SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) is all about.

As you read this, the SDC has officially launched its state-of-the-art Product Information Management System (PIMS) and is actively transmitting data files from hundreds of participating suppliers to hundreds of anxious receivers—seamlessly, quickly and precisely. As an association-owned and -operated project, the SDC is your solution to successfully managing product data and owning the results 100%. Member driven, member centric and member serving, the SDC will soon be the largest product data repository in the specialty-equipment parts market, providing a singular, centralized source for makers and sellers of parts and accessories to come together and exchange those all-important digital assets.

Yes, the hard work is done, and now the fun starts. Spread the word! Call in your markers! What we need now is to make sure that every product brand in the SEMA marketplace is stored and maintained in the SDC system.

Suppliers: Tell your customers they can now go to one place to get your latest, most up-to-date product data.

Receivers: Join us today in a receiver study that will allow us to configure data exports to your exact requirements. No more manhandling whatever data you can get your hands on! And if you don’t see all the brands you need, tell your suppliers that you need their data brought into the SEMA Data Co-op. We guarantee that you will be thrilled with the experience and pleasantly surprised at the money you will save and the control you will gain in your product-data management efforts!

		To learn more about how you can take control of your product data and manage it at the lowest possible cost, contact Jim Graven, director of membership at the SEMA Data Co-op, via e-mail or phone at 888-958-6698 x4.

And, if that’s not enough to motivate you to join us right now, let me tell you about the expertise we bring to bear with this project. At our core, we are all about educating, training and guiding SDC participants to use our extensive tools and experience to take control and ownership of their data management. Backing up this commitment is our highly qualified live Help Desk and unparalleled industry expertise in data management and industry data standards provided by DATAgility, the leading experts in the field.

Ed Heon, the founder of DATAgility, is affectionately known throughout the industry as the “Father of PIES” (Product Information Exchange Standard) for his original concept and early implementation of this very important standard, and he is hands-on in guiding the education and onboarding of SDC participants. In addition, our own vice president of eCommerce and IT, Bob Castle, has years of hands-on experience in managing large, complex data repositories. He is a past chairman of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) Standards and Solutions Committee and remains a very active industry volunteer today. His continuing work with AAIA on product attributes standards will add yet another important refinement to the data management process in the coming months.

So there you have it. The best tools, bar none. Total data ownership by the supplier. Unlimited exports to receivers in a format designed to fit their systems. And unparalleled expertise at your disposal. The SEMA Data Co-op is in business, and we are here to help you succeed!

SEMA News—March 2013

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY
By Jon Wyly

It’s Alive!

Check Out the SEMA Data Co-op for the First Time…Again!

Imagine a world where you could manage all of your product data in one place, at one time, with the latest state-of-the-art tools. Imagine never again having to use valuable internal resources to create multiple product data files for your customers. Imagine providing better product data delivery than you ever have before, with less effort, lower cost and in the exact format each of your customers require. Imagine the data for your new-product launches being available in near real time, with virtually no delays in delivery to the marketplace. That, my friends, is what the SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) is all about.

As you read this, the SDC has officially launched its state-of-the-art Product Information Management System (PIMS) and is actively transmitting data files from hundreds of participating suppliers to hundreds of anxious receivers—seamlessly, quickly and precisely. As an association-owned and -operated project, the SDC is your solution to successfully managing product data and owning the results 100%. Member driven, member centric and member serving, the SDC will soon be the largest product data repository in the specialty-equipment parts market, providing a singular, centralized source for makers and sellers of parts and accessories to come together and exchange those all-important digital assets.

Yes, the hard work is done, and now the fun starts. Spread the word! Call in your markers! What we need now is to make sure that every product brand in the SEMA marketplace is stored and maintained in the SDC system.

Suppliers: Tell your customers they can now go to one place to get your latest, most up-to-date product data.

Receivers: Join us today in a receiver study that will allow us to configure data exports to your exact requirements. No more manhandling whatever data you can get your hands on! And if you don’t see all the brands you need, tell your suppliers that you need their data brought into the SEMA Data Co-op. We guarantee that you will be thrilled with the experience and pleasantly surprised at the money you will save and the control you will gain in your product-data management efforts!

		To learn more about how you can take control of your product data and manage it at the lowest possible cost, contact Jim Graven, director of membership at the SEMA Data Co-op, via e-mail or phone at 888-958-6698 x4.

And, if that’s not enough to motivate you to join us right now, let me tell you about the expertise we bring to bear with this project. At our core, we are all about educating, training and guiding SDC participants to use our extensive tools and experience to take control and ownership of their data management. Backing up this commitment is our highly qualified live Help Desk and unparalleled industry expertise in data management and industry data standards provided by DATAgility, the leading experts in the field.

Ed Heon, the founder of DATAgility, is affectionately known throughout the industry as the “Father of PIES” (Product Information Exchange Standard) for his original concept and early implementation of this very important standard, and he is hands-on in guiding the education and onboarding of SDC participants. In addition, our own vice president of eCommerce and IT, Bob Castle, has years of hands-on experience in managing large, complex data repositories. He is a past chairman of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) Standards and Solutions Committee and remains a very active industry volunteer today. His continuing work with AAIA on product attributes standards will add yet another important refinement to the data management process in the coming months.

So there you have it. The best tools, bar none. Total data ownership by the supplier. Unlimited exports to receivers in a format designed to fit their systems. And unparalleled expertise at your disposal. The SEMA Data Co-op is in business, and we are here to help you succeed!

SEMA News—March 2013

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY
By Jon Wyly

It’s Alive!

Check Out the SEMA Data Co-op for the First Time…Again!

Imagine a world where you could manage all of your product data in one place, at one time, with the latest state-of-the-art tools. Imagine never again having to use valuable internal resources to create multiple product data files for your customers. Imagine providing better product data delivery than you ever have before, with less effort, lower cost and in the exact format each of your customers require. Imagine the data for your new-product launches being available in near real time, with virtually no delays in delivery to the marketplace. That, my friends, is what the SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) is all about.

As you read this, the SDC has officially launched its state-of-the-art Product Information Management System (PIMS) and is actively transmitting data files from hundreds of participating suppliers to hundreds of anxious receivers—seamlessly, quickly and precisely. As an association-owned and -operated project, the SDC is your solution to successfully managing product data and owning the results 100%. Member driven, member centric and member serving, the SDC will soon be the largest product data repository in the specialty-equipment parts market, providing a singular, centralized source for makers and sellers of parts and accessories to come together and exchange those all-important digital assets.

Yes, the hard work is done, and now the fun starts. Spread the word! Call in your markers! What we need now is to make sure that every product brand in the SEMA marketplace is stored and maintained in the SDC system.

Suppliers: Tell your customers they can now go to one place to get your latest, most up-to-date product data.

Receivers: Join us today in a receiver study that will allow us to configure data exports to your exact requirements. No more manhandling whatever data you can get your hands on! And if you don’t see all the brands you need, tell your suppliers that you need their data brought into the SEMA Data Co-op. We guarantee that you will be thrilled with the experience and pleasantly surprised at the money you will save and the control you will gain in your product-data management efforts!

		To learn more about how you can take control of your product data and manage it at the lowest possible cost, contact Jim Graven, director of membership at the SEMA Data Co-op, via e-mail or phone at 888-958-6698 x4.

And, if that’s not enough to motivate you to join us right now, let me tell you about the expertise we bring to bear with this project. At our core, we are all about educating, training and guiding SDC participants to use our extensive tools and experience to take control and ownership of their data management. Backing up this commitment is our highly qualified live Help Desk and unparalleled industry expertise in data management and industry data standards provided by DATAgility, the leading experts in the field.

Ed Heon, the founder of DATAgility, is affectionately known throughout the industry as the “Father of PIES” (Product Information Exchange Standard) for his original concept and early implementation of this very important standard, and he is hands-on in guiding the education and onboarding of SDC participants. In addition, our own vice president of eCommerce and IT, Bob Castle, has years of hands-on experience in managing large, complex data repositories. He is a past chairman of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) Standards and Solutions Committee and remains a very active industry volunteer today. His continuing work with AAIA on product attributes standards will add yet another important refinement to the data management process in the coming months.

So there you have it. The best tools, bar none. Total data ownership by the supplier. Unlimited exports to receivers in a format designed to fit their systems. And unparalleled expertise at your disposal. The SEMA Data Co-op is in business, and we are here to help you succeed!