By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff 

Legislation containing a SEMA-drafted amendment to totally exempt from the license tax all vehicles and parts cars stored on private property for the purpose of restoration or repair was approved by the Virginia State Legislature and will now be sent to the governor for his signature and enactment into law. The license tax is applied to vehicles that do not display current license plates. Under the bill, vehicles stored within a structure would also remain exempt from the tax. 

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff 

Legislation containing a SEMA-drafted amendment to totally exempt from the license tax all vehicles and parts cars stored on private property for the purpose of restoration or repair was approved by the Virginia State Legislature and will now be sent to the governor for his signature and enactment into law. The license tax is applied to vehicles that do not display current license plates. Under the bill, vehicles stored within a structure would also remain exempt from the tax. 

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

By SEMA Staff

The deadline for members to submit their SEMA Hall of Fame nominations is Friday, March 22, 2013. The SEMA Hall of Fame Award honors outstanding persons in the automotive specialty-equipment industry whose creativity, dignity, integrity, industriousness and accomplishments on a national basis have enhanced the stature of and significantly contributed to the industry’s growth.

A rule of thumb to qualify could be the following question: “If this person had never existed, how would SEMA and the industry be different?”

Please take a moment to review the Hall of Fame website and SEMA Hall of Fame criteria and listings of past inductees. In order to assist the Hall of Fame Committee in making their selection, please provide a brief statement, including accomplishments and comments as to why, based on the award criteria, the individual is deserving of this honor. Your completed nomination form is confidential and vital to helping the Hall of Fame Committee make their selection for the 2013 SEMA Hall of Fame.

Please submit your 2013 SEMA Hall of Fame form by Friday, March 22, 2013.

By SEMA Staff

The deadline for members to submit their SEMA Hall of Fame nominations is Friday, March 22, 2013. The SEMA Hall of Fame Award honors outstanding persons in the automotive specialty-equipment industry whose creativity, dignity, integrity, industriousness and accomplishments on a national basis have enhanced the stature of and significantly contributed to the industry’s growth.

A rule of thumb to qualify could be the following question: “If this person had never existed, how would SEMA and the industry be different?”

Please take a moment to review the Hall of Fame website and SEMA Hall of Fame criteria and listings of past inductees. In order to assist the Hall of Fame Committee in making their selection, please provide a brief statement, including accomplishments and comments as to why, based on the award criteria, the individual is deserving of this honor. Your completed nomination form is confidential and vital to helping the Hall of Fame Committee make their selection for the 2013 SEMA Hall of Fame.

Please submit your 2013 SEMA Hall of Fame form by Friday, March 22, 2013.

SEMA News—February 2013

INTERNET
By Joe Dysart

Windows 8

Microsoft’s Big Bet

	Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has characterized Windows 8 as a complete “re-imagining” of the operating system.

Sporting a radical redesign that’s expected to charm some and disappoint others, Microsoft’s new Windows 8 operating system (OS) faces a tough slog, including a slow adoption rate, analysts said recently.

“The challenges of a new user interface, a complex set of processor choices and a long ramp to a compelling set of app offerings in the Microsoft Store will translate to a slower-than-usual Windows upgrade cycle,” said Frank E. Gillett, an analyst with research and advisory firm Forrester.

Gillett is the lead author of a new Forrester report entitled “Windows: The Next Five Years”. The study predicts a grim forecast for Windows 8 next year, concluding that Microsoft could re-stabilize long-term market acceptance of its Windows product line with the right moves.

Microsoft is betting big on the new OS, which is driven by touch-screen controls for the first time. The change makes Windows much easier to use on smartphones and tablets. But the new interface comes across as clunky and inefficient on traditional desktops, according to many early adopters.

“This common design language is being used across all of Microsoft’s products and services, including Xbox and Bing,” Gillett said. “Users will switch to ‘desktop mode’ to run existing Windows desktop apps and to access some systems settings and features. This dual OS personality will likely confuse many users, at least at first.”

Gillett said that even though Forrester is encouraging enterprises to look at Windows 8 in all use cases, the new Windows 8 UX Start screen is prompting concerns about the need for extensive employee training.

“Having finally migrated to Windows 7 in significant numbers and released their death grip on Windows XP, many enterprise IT shops are content to stand pat,” he explained.

	Microsoft’s first sale of its Surface tablet.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer sees things differently.

“We have re-imagined Windows, and the result is a stunning lineup of new PCs,” he said. “Windows 8 brings together the best of the PC and the tablet. It’s perfect for work and play, and it is alive with your world. Every one of our customers will find a PC that they will absolutely love.”

Not surprisingly, Microsoft is putting significant marketing muscle behind the new rollout—including the release of its own, Microsoft-manufactured tablet for Windows 8, the Surface.

“We decided to do Surface because it’s the ultimate expression of a Windows PC for us,” said Steven Sinofsky, president of MS Windows Division. “It’s an extension of Windows. It’s a stage for Windows.”

Microsoft partners are also releasing their own studies, which indicate that user interest is more enthusiastic than others have found. For example, PC Helps—a Microsoft gold-certified partner—said that 25% of employers with 500 or more employees anticipated migrating to Windows 8, according to its Windows Pulse Survey. And 17% of those employers said that they expected to start migrating to Windows 8 as soon as the OS was available.

Besides facing initial resistance from desktop users, Windows 8 is also in desperate need of cool. Currently, it’s all too fashionable for consumers to bash anything new from Microsoft, while they genuflect at the altar of all things Apple.

For example, an Associated Press/GfK poll conducted just prior to the release of Windows 8 found that 52% of 1,200 people surveyed were not even aware that Microsoft was releasing a new operating system. Moreover, 61% of those who were aware of Windows 8 expressed little or no interest in the software. And only 35% of those in the know thought that Windows 8 would be an improvement over previous versions.

That’s a far cry from new releases of Apple iPhones and iPads, which are regularly accompanied by news stories of hordes of diehard Apple fans camping out for days to snatch the latest version of their digital nirvana. And there are other market factors outside Microsoft’s control conspiring to make Windows 8 a tough sell.

“PCs are going through a severe slump,” said Jay Chou, senior analyst at IDC, a market research firm. “The industry had already weathered a rough second quarter, and the third quarter was even worse. While ultrabook prices have come down a little, there are still some significant challenges that will greet Windows 8 in the coming quarter.”

In addition, stubborn economic times are a continued drag on the market.

“Businesses slowed their refresh cycle as they remained concerned about the broad economic outlook amid a busy political season,” said David Daoud, a research director at IDC.

	Microsoft’s Surface was designed as a “stage” for Windows 8, according to Steven Sinofsky, president of MS Windows Division.

While that’s sobering news for Microsoft, others celebrated the challenging outlook for Windows 8. They saw the anticipated resistance to the new OS as a resounding confirmation that Microsoft’s often stultifying monopoly over the personal computing market—which lasted for decades—has finally been crushed.

Essentially, personal computing has evolved from a desktop-only affair into a decidedly on-the-go market, they said. Microsoft now faces two formidable competitors—Apple and Google—which also have smarts and very deep pockets.

“Until smartphones arrived, Microsoft ruled the PC industry roost,” Forrester’s Gillett said. “Now smartphone and tablet sales—where Microsoft has little share—vastly outnumber [desktop] sales.”

Indeed, in the new reality of personal computing via smartphones and tablets in addition to desktops, Microsoft’s share of the personal computing market has shrunk from 95% penetration on all devices to just 30%, Gillett said.

“From 2008–2012, global smartphone sales exploded from about 140 million to more than 660 million, and tablets emerged to similarly explosive growth,” Gillett said. “And we’re only part way through the shift. The PC’s share of total personal devices will continue to decline in coming years—even as PC unit sales gradually grow.”

Through it all, Microsoft’s attempts to become a player in the smartphone market have been rebuffed.

“So far, Windows Phone has captured only a small share of the largest personal device market, some of it with the now obsolete Windows Mobile OS,” Gillett said. Ergo, Microsoft’s big bet on a touch-centric Windows.

“Early adopters will jump at Windows tablets,” Gillett said. “Beyond that, individuals will be slow to adopt. Windows will ramp in 2014 and gain almost a 30% share of tablets by 2016 but will miss out on phones.”

Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan.
For more information: 646-233-4089; joe@joedysart.com;
visit www.joedysart.com

SEMA News—February 2013

INTERNET
By Joe Dysart

Windows 8

Microsoft’s Big Bet

	Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has characterized Windows 8 as a complete “re-imagining” of the operating system.

Sporting a radical redesign that’s expected to charm some and disappoint others, Microsoft’s new Windows 8 operating system (OS) faces a tough slog, including a slow adoption rate, analysts said recently.

“The challenges of a new user interface, a complex set of processor choices and a long ramp to a compelling set of app offerings in the Microsoft Store will translate to a slower-than-usual Windows upgrade cycle,” said Frank E. Gillett, an analyst with research and advisory firm Forrester.

Gillett is the lead author of a new Forrester report entitled “Windows: The Next Five Years”. The study predicts a grim forecast for Windows 8 next year, concluding that Microsoft could re-stabilize long-term market acceptance of its Windows product line with the right moves.

Microsoft is betting big on the new OS, which is driven by touch-screen controls for the first time. The change makes Windows much easier to use on smartphones and tablets. But the new interface comes across as clunky and inefficient on traditional desktops, according to many early adopters.

“This common design language is being used across all of Microsoft’s products and services, including Xbox and Bing,” Gillett said. “Users will switch to ‘desktop mode’ to run existing Windows desktop apps and to access some systems settings and features. This dual OS personality will likely confuse many users, at least at first.”

Gillett said that even though Forrester is encouraging enterprises to look at Windows 8 in all use cases, the new Windows 8 UX Start screen is prompting concerns about the need for extensive employee training.

“Having finally migrated to Windows 7 in significant numbers and released their death grip on Windows XP, many enterprise IT shops are content to stand pat,” he explained.

	Microsoft’s first sale of its Surface tablet.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer sees things differently.

“We have re-imagined Windows, and the result is a stunning lineup of new PCs,” he said. “Windows 8 brings together the best of the PC and the tablet. It’s perfect for work and play, and it is alive with your world. Every one of our customers will find a PC that they will absolutely love.”

Not surprisingly, Microsoft is putting significant marketing muscle behind the new rollout—including the release of its own, Microsoft-manufactured tablet for Windows 8, the Surface.

“We decided to do Surface because it’s the ultimate expression of a Windows PC for us,” said Steven Sinofsky, president of MS Windows Division. “It’s an extension of Windows. It’s a stage for Windows.”

Microsoft partners are also releasing their own studies, which indicate that user interest is more enthusiastic than others have found. For example, PC Helps—a Microsoft gold-certified partner—said that 25% of employers with 500 or more employees anticipated migrating to Windows 8, according to its Windows Pulse Survey. And 17% of those employers said that they expected to start migrating to Windows 8 as soon as the OS was available.

Besides facing initial resistance from desktop users, Windows 8 is also in desperate need of cool. Currently, it’s all too fashionable for consumers to bash anything new from Microsoft, while they genuflect at the altar of all things Apple.

For example, an Associated Press/GfK poll conducted just prior to the release of Windows 8 found that 52% of 1,200 people surveyed were not even aware that Microsoft was releasing a new operating system. Moreover, 61% of those who were aware of Windows 8 expressed little or no interest in the software. And only 35% of those in the know thought that Windows 8 would be an improvement over previous versions.

That’s a far cry from new releases of Apple iPhones and iPads, which are regularly accompanied by news stories of hordes of diehard Apple fans camping out for days to snatch the latest version of their digital nirvana. And there are other market factors outside Microsoft’s control conspiring to make Windows 8 a tough sell.

“PCs are going through a severe slump,” said Jay Chou, senior analyst at IDC, a market research firm. “The industry had already weathered a rough second quarter, and the third quarter was even worse. While ultrabook prices have come down a little, there are still some significant challenges that will greet Windows 8 in the coming quarter.”

In addition, stubborn economic times are a continued drag on the market.

“Businesses slowed their refresh cycle as they remained concerned about the broad economic outlook amid a busy political season,” said David Daoud, a research director at IDC.

	Microsoft’s Surface was designed as a “stage” for Windows 8, according to Steven Sinofsky, president of MS Windows Division.

While that’s sobering news for Microsoft, others celebrated the challenging outlook for Windows 8. They saw the anticipated resistance to the new OS as a resounding confirmation that Microsoft’s often stultifying monopoly over the personal computing market—which lasted for decades—has finally been crushed.

Essentially, personal computing has evolved from a desktop-only affair into a decidedly on-the-go market, they said. Microsoft now faces two formidable competitors—Apple and Google—which also have smarts and very deep pockets.

“Until smartphones arrived, Microsoft ruled the PC industry roost,” Forrester’s Gillett said. “Now smartphone and tablet sales—where Microsoft has little share—vastly outnumber [desktop] sales.”

Indeed, in the new reality of personal computing via smartphones and tablets in addition to desktops, Microsoft’s share of the personal computing market has shrunk from 95% penetration on all devices to just 30%, Gillett said.

“From 2008–2012, global smartphone sales exploded from about 140 million to more than 660 million, and tablets emerged to similarly explosive growth,” Gillett said. “And we’re only part way through the shift. The PC’s share of total personal devices will continue to decline in coming years—even as PC unit sales gradually grow.”

Through it all, Microsoft’s attempts to become a player in the smartphone market have been rebuffed.

“So far, Windows Phone has captured only a small share of the largest personal device market, some of it with the now obsolete Windows Mobile OS,” Gillett said. Ergo, Microsoft’s big bet on a touch-centric Windows.

“Early adopters will jump at Windows tablets,” Gillett said. “Beyond that, individuals will be slow to adopt. Windows will ramp in 2014 and gain almost a 30% share of tablets by 2016 but will miss out on phones.”

Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan.
For more information: 646-233-4089; joe@joedysart.com;
visit www.joedysart.com

SEMA News—February 2013

INTERNET
By Joe Dysart

Windows 8

Microsoft’s Big Bet

	Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has characterized Windows 8 as a complete “re-imagining” of the operating system.

Sporting a radical redesign that’s expected to charm some and disappoint others, Microsoft’s new Windows 8 operating system (OS) faces a tough slog, including a slow adoption rate, analysts said recently.

“The challenges of a new user interface, a complex set of processor choices and a long ramp to a compelling set of app offerings in the Microsoft Store will translate to a slower-than-usual Windows upgrade cycle,” said Frank E. Gillett, an analyst with research and advisory firm Forrester.

Gillett is the lead author of a new Forrester report entitled “Windows: The Next Five Years”. The study predicts a grim forecast for Windows 8 next year, concluding that Microsoft could re-stabilize long-term market acceptance of its Windows product line with the right moves.

Microsoft is betting big on the new OS, which is driven by touch-screen controls for the first time. The change makes Windows much easier to use on smartphones and tablets. But the new interface comes across as clunky and inefficient on traditional desktops, according to many early adopters.

“This common design language is being used across all of Microsoft’s products and services, including Xbox and Bing,” Gillett said. “Users will switch to ‘desktop mode’ to run existing Windows desktop apps and to access some systems settings and features. This dual OS personality will likely confuse many users, at least at first.”

Gillett said that even though Forrester is encouraging enterprises to look at Windows 8 in all use cases, the new Windows 8 UX Start screen is prompting concerns about the need for extensive employee training.

“Having finally migrated to Windows 7 in significant numbers and released their death grip on Windows XP, many enterprise IT shops are content to stand pat,” he explained.

	Microsoft’s first sale of its Surface tablet.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer sees things differently.

“We have re-imagined Windows, and the result is a stunning lineup of new PCs,” he said. “Windows 8 brings together the best of the PC and the tablet. It’s perfect for work and play, and it is alive with your world. Every one of our customers will find a PC that they will absolutely love.”

Not surprisingly, Microsoft is putting significant marketing muscle behind the new rollout—including the release of its own, Microsoft-manufactured tablet for Windows 8, the Surface.

“We decided to do Surface because it’s the ultimate expression of a Windows PC for us,” said Steven Sinofsky, president of MS Windows Division. “It’s an extension of Windows. It’s a stage for Windows.”

Microsoft partners are also releasing their own studies, which indicate that user interest is more enthusiastic than others have found. For example, PC Helps—a Microsoft gold-certified partner—said that 25% of employers with 500 or more employees anticipated migrating to Windows 8, according to its Windows Pulse Survey. And 17% of those employers said that they expected to start migrating to Windows 8 as soon as the OS was available.

Besides facing initial resistance from desktop users, Windows 8 is also in desperate need of cool. Currently, it’s all too fashionable for consumers to bash anything new from Microsoft, while they genuflect at the altar of all things Apple.

For example, an Associated Press/GfK poll conducted just prior to the release of Windows 8 found that 52% of 1,200 people surveyed were not even aware that Microsoft was releasing a new operating system. Moreover, 61% of those who were aware of Windows 8 expressed little or no interest in the software. And only 35% of those in the know thought that Windows 8 would be an improvement over previous versions.

That’s a far cry from new releases of Apple iPhones and iPads, which are regularly accompanied by news stories of hordes of diehard Apple fans camping out for days to snatch the latest version of their digital nirvana. And there are other market factors outside Microsoft’s control conspiring to make Windows 8 a tough sell.

“PCs are going through a severe slump,” said Jay Chou, senior analyst at IDC, a market research firm. “The industry had already weathered a rough second quarter, and the third quarter was even worse. While ultrabook prices have come down a little, there are still some significant challenges that will greet Windows 8 in the coming quarter.”

In addition, stubborn economic times are a continued drag on the market.

“Businesses slowed their refresh cycle as they remained concerned about the broad economic outlook amid a busy political season,” said David Daoud, a research director at IDC.

	Microsoft’s Surface was designed as a “stage” for Windows 8, according to Steven Sinofsky, president of MS Windows Division.

While that’s sobering news for Microsoft, others celebrated the challenging outlook for Windows 8. They saw the anticipated resistance to the new OS as a resounding confirmation that Microsoft’s often stultifying monopoly over the personal computing market—which lasted for decades—has finally been crushed.

Essentially, personal computing has evolved from a desktop-only affair into a decidedly on-the-go market, they said. Microsoft now faces two formidable competitors—Apple and Google—which also have smarts and very deep pockets.

“Until smartphones arrived, Microsoft ruled the PC industry roost,” Forrester’s Gillett said. “Now smartphone and tablet sales—where Microsoft has little share—vastly outnumber [desktop] sales.”

Indeed, in the new reality of personal computing via smartphones and tablets in addition to desktops, Microsoft’s share of the personal computing market has shrunk from 95% penetration on all devices to just 30%, Gillett said.

“From 2008–2012, global smartphone sales exploded from about 140 million to more than 660 million, and tablets emerged to similarly explosive growth,” Gillett said. “And we’re only part way through the shift. The PC’s share of total personal devices will continue to decline in coming years—even as PC unit sales gradually grow.”

Through it all, Microsoft’s attempts to become a player in the smartphone market have been rebuffed.

“So far, Windows Phone has captured only a small share of the largest personal device market, some of it with the now obsolete Windows Mobile OS,” Gillett said. Ergo, Microsoft’s big bet on a touch-centric Windows.

“Early adopters will jump at Windows tablets,” Gillett said. “Beyond that, individuals will be slow to adopt. Windows will ramp in 2014 and gain almost a 30% share of tablets by 2016 but will miss out on phones.”

Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan.
For more information: 646-233-4089; joe@joedysart.com;
visit www.joedysart.com

	SEMA members are eligible for an array of discounts on UPS services, including a product that protects in-transit UPS shipments with coverage for loss, damage or delay.

Edited By SEMA Staff

SEMA-member manufacturers and suppliers have financial needs that are seemingly as complex as a modern assembly plant. That’s why UPS and SEMA have partnered to offer special pricing or discounts to members on many of the most popular shipping and value-added services UPS provides.

UPS Capital, a UPS company, is focused on providing financial and insurance services to businesses that want to improve cash flow, protect goods and help speed the conversion of payments to cash.

As an added benefit, SEMA members are eligible for discounts on Flexible Parcel Insurance, a product that protects in-transit UPS shipments with coverage for loss, damage or delay, including time-sensitive and hard-to-value items normally ineligible for standard carrier-liability programs. SEMA members can also save money with UPS Capital Cargo Finance, which lets members use in-transit inventory as collateral to obtain working capital for their business. Companies no longer have to wait weeks or months to convert inventory into the cash needed to run and grow the business.

To take advantage of the special offers available for SEMA members, and learn more about how UPS Capital can help your business improve cash flow, accelerate and protect payments and protect your goods, call 877-820-2003 and mention that your company is a SEMA member.

To get started now and take advantage of all that UPS offers SEMA members, visit www.SEMA.org/UPS and login with your SEMA member credentials. Then click the “Sign Up and Save Today” button to access the UPS program enrollment website.

SEMA News—February 2013

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY
By Jon Wyly

The Product Data (R)evolution

I often like to refer to the development cycle of the Internet in terms of “dog years.” That is, for every year that traditional business processes mature, it feels like the Internet has advanced seven. For the uninitiated, it’s a crazy, unpredictable ride that seems to push forward at a rate fast enough to make us feel like we’ll never catch up, no matter how attentive we are.

For the specialty parts business, this phenomenon really started gaining traction about 15 years ago, and we quickly learned that the dog would bite you if you weren’t careful. Those of us who experienced firsthand the Internet boom and bust of the late ’90s have a unique perspective of its effects today. However, it seems that most of the movers and shakers who came crashing into our world at that time with promises of huge sales volume and unprecedented growth were in fact interlopers—outsiders who saw our marketplace as prime for the taking—and many have moved on.

Well, I’m one of those lucky industry folks old enough to have participated in that interesting time while spending my whole career in the specialty automotive business. As a warehouse distributor (WD), it was intoxicating to talk to people who were so darned excited about huge growth potential for our business, brought to reality through the wonders of the Internet. Venture capitalists were throwing money at entrepreneurs large and small, and a new culture club was developing right before our eyes. Being a WD is not typically associated with the leading edge of technology, but rather functioning as the workhorse of the business. This was especially true in the late ’90s when all this excitement was in full swing.

So here we were traveling to California to call on these promising innovators who were going to show us how it was done. And we saw it all. From multistory high-rise office buildings to an overhead garage door in a business park, these techie people were building websites, creating breathtaking sales forecasts and setting the stage for order fulfillment that would make your mouth water.

The future is arriving at a faster pace than ever before, and it’s in the form of information-hungry consumers, powerful machine-to-machine interaction and business tools that require rich, complete data to do their job.

After an initial tour that often included the recreation room, a private cafeteria and other fun stuff that unrestricted venture capital money buys, a meet-and-greet would ensue and we would start talking business. We would show our product lines, talk about shipping times, pour over inventory levels so we could ensure that we wouldn’t run out of everything due to the high demand they were going to create. Fun stuff until the final request came: “I guess all we need now is your product data.”

“Product data?” we said. “We don’t have any product data.”

You could hear a pin drop. In one simple sentence, we threw a whole new expense line into their profit-and-loss statement that in many cases would be their undoing.

“Surely you must have something,” they cried. But, sadly, we didn’t. “Well, the replacement parts guys have some data,” they said. All we could do was hang our heads and introduce them to the reality that the specialty parts market was just a tad behind the replacement parts segment. So, as you can imagine, everyone who was involved in the fray was suddenly very interested in product data and what it would take to “get some of that.”

This wake-up call marked the beginning of our journey to understand, develop, standardize and create the data that would eventually power not only the Internet powerhouses of today but also the efficient systems that power business from manufacturing to distribution to retail. In 1997, the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) developed its first make-model tables and vehicle configuration database, and the Product Information Exchange Standard (PIES) followed shortly thereafter. In many cases, those with the wherewithal to attack their data needs head-on at that time continue to enjoy a lead today, and the specialty-parts market has made up some ground.

Today’s marketplace will be much less forgiving, however, and it’s mind-boggling to think about what lies around the corner on the technology front. What we do know is that the importance and selling power of great product data has never been more significant to our future. If the dog-years analogy holds true and you haven’t yet embraced investing in your new “catalog,” then you are ripe to be overtaken.

The future is arriving at a faster pace than ever before, and it’s in the form of information-hungry consumers, powerful machine-to-machine interaction and business tools that require rich, complete data to do their job. Don’t make the mistake of treating your product data in any way other than the high-priority business asset that it is.

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

SEMA News—February 2013

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY
By Jon Wyly

The Product Data (R)evolution

I often like to refer to the development cycle of the Internet in terms of “dog years.” That is, for every year that traditional business processes mature, it feels like the Internet has advanced seven. For the uninitiated, it’s a crazy, unpredictable ride that seems to push forward at a rate fast enough to make us feel like we’ll never catch up, no matter how attentive we are.

For the specialty parts business, this phenomenon really started gaining traction about 15 years ago, and we quickly learned that the dog would bite you if you weren’t careful. Those of us who experienced firsthand the Internet boom and bust of the late ’90s have a unique perspective of its effects today. However, it seems that most of the movers and shakers who came crashing into our world at that time with promises of huge sales volume and unprecedented growth were in fact interlopers—outsiders who saw our marketplace as prime for the taking—and many have moved on.

Well, I’m one of those lucky industry folks old enough to have participated in that interesting time while spending my whole career in the specialty automotive business. As a warehouse distributor (WD), it was intoxicating to talk to people who were so darned excited about huge growth potential for our business, brought to reality through the wonders of the Internet. Venture capitalists were throwing money at entrepreneurs large and small, and a new culture club was developing right before our eyes. Being a WD is not typically associated with the leading edge of technology, but rather functioning as the workhorse of the business. This was especially true in the late ’90s when all this excitement was in full swing.

So here we were traveling to California to call on these promising innovators who were going to show us how it was done. And we saw it all. From multistory high-rise office buildings to an overhead garage door in a business park, these techie people were building websites, creating breathtaking sales forecasts and setting the stage for order fulfillment that would make your mouth water.

The future is arriving at a faster pace than ever before, and it’s in the form of information-hungry consumers, powerful machine-to-machine interaction and business tools that require rich, complete data to do their job.

After an initial tour that often included the recreation room, a private cafeteria and other fun stuff that unrestricted venture capital money buys, a meet-and-greet would ensue and we would start talking business. We would show our product lines, talk about shipping times, pour over inventory levels so we could ensure that we wouldn’t run out of everything due to the high demand they were going to create. Fun stuff until the final request came: “I guess all we need now is your product data.”

“Product data?” we said. “We don’t have any product data.”

You could hear a pin drop. In one simple sentence, we threw a whole new expense line into their profit-and-loss statement that in many cases would be their undoing.

“Surely you must have something,” they cried. But, sadly, we didn’t. “Well, the replacement parts guys have some data,” they said. All we could do was hang our heads and introduce them to the reality that the specialty parts market was just a tad behind the replacement parts segment. So, as you can imagine, everyone who was involved in the fray was suddenly very interested in product data and what it would take to “get some of that.”

This wake-up call marked the beginning of our journey to understand, develop, standardize and create the data that would eventually power not only the Internet powerhouses of today but also the efficient systems that power business from manufacturing to distribution to retail. In 1997, the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) developed its first make-model tables and vehicle configuration database, and the Product Information Exchange Standard (PIES) followed shortly thereafter. In many cases, those with the wherewithal to attack their data needs head-on at that time continue to enjoy a lead today, and the specialty-parts market has made up some ground.

Today’s marketplace will be much less forgiving, however, and it’s mind-boggling to think about what lies around the corner on the technology front. What we do know is that the importance and selling power of great product data has never been more significant to our future. If the dog-years analogy holds true and you haven’t yet embraced investing in your new “catalog,” then you are ripe to be overtaken.

The future is arriving at a faster pace than ever before, and it’s in the form of information-hungry consumers, powerful machine-to-machine interaction and business tools that require rich, complete data to do their job. Don’t make the mistake of treating your product data in any way other than the high-priority business asset that it is.

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