U.S. Specialty-Equipment Companies Visit an Emerging Market

Twenty-two SEMA-member companies recently traveled to China for the 2013 SEMA China Business Development Conference. The program included a briefing by U.S. government officials, a visit to specialty-equipment shops, an evening at the Great Hall of the People (which serves as the seat of the Chinese parliament) and exhibiting at the China International Auto Parts Expo (CIAPE).

About two-thirds of the delegation had participated in previous SEMA overseas business-development programs to China and/or the Middle East, while this was the first time participating in an overseas SEMA event for a third of the companies and the first time exploring this market of 1.3 billion people.

Current studies suggest that up to 90% of shopping now begins with an Internet search, whether the product is ultimately purchased online or through a brick-and-mortar retail store. And mobile is overhauling other search devices, with tablets alone projected to account for 65% of all sales made on mobile devices. That’s a rapid change from only a short time ago.

“It’s like dog years, where one year is actually seven years worth of change,” said Bob Moore, partner in the automotive aftermarket consulting company J&B Service in Kansas City, Missouri. “For example, I was looking at a presentation we did in 2010...

A Look to the Future With SEMA Council Leaders

SEMA News annually turns to the leaders of the association’s councils and networks for the December issue to seek their views about how the industry is shaping up for the coming year. The chairs or chairs-elect of each group provide responses based on what their organizations and their companies are seeing within their marketplaces. Their responses provide helpful insights for businesses in every segment of the marketplace.

Builder’s Challenge Features Increasingly Complex Pinewood Hot Rods Designed for Charity

Ten of the nation’s best custom-car and hot-rod builders created miniature pinewood hot rods that lit up the track this past summer at the fourth-annual Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) Pinewood Builder’s Challenge during SEMA’s Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser, which was held July 26 at the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel & Conference Center in Pomona, California. Just before the banquet started, the hot rods raced against each other to benefit two children’s charities. The cars were autographed by the builders and displayed in HRIA booth at the 2013 SEMA Show.

Elected by the trade association’s membership at large, the SEMA Board of Directors is composed of industry leaders representing the wide spectrum of businesses found within the specialty-equipment aftermarket.

“Board members volunteer considerable time, talent and effort to bettering the industry for all, from manufacturers to distributors, and from sales to service suppliers,” said SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting.

“We appreciate the dedication and insight that our Board of Directors brings to setting priorities for SEMA and addressing issues that promote industry growth.”

It’s All Wrapped Up in Protection, Branding, Economics and the Environment

A package for an automotive product serves multiple purposes, the most important of which is protection. Whether a package contains highly durable grade-8 fasteners or a fragile electronic tuning device, its main mission is to get the product to the end user in pristine condition. But a package can also serve sales functions, provide branding and inform consumers about an entire product line.

“Our products can be expensive,” said Joe Dussol, marketing director for Powerteq, which is the parent company of Superchips and Edge Products. “Depending on the product, some people might spend $600–$1,000, and we want the customer to feel like he’s holding something worth that kind of money when he picks up our package. That’s why our packaging might be a little bit more costly than doing a cardboard box with some print on it, but we really want it to stand out.”

Once again, it’s “Showtime.” It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone, and we are once again on our way to Las Vegas. What’s not hard to believe is the excitement, passion and anticipation that is already building around this year’s Show.

This year, for most of us, 2013 has been a fairly lack-luster business year but all of us are working toward 2014 being that stellar year we all so greatly deserve. A great 2014 all begins with the 2013 SEMA Show—the Greatest Automotive Show on Earth!

The dapper man in the bow tie is Harvey Crane. He’s talking about his camshafts and valvetrain components to dealers in the Crane Engineering Company booth at the very first SEMA Show (though it wasn’t called that at the time).

In January 1967, some 100 aftermarket companies set up booths in the concrete aisles of Dodger Stadium’s Club Level for what was then called just “the trade show.” Crane, one of SEMA’s earliest members, brought his wares from his company’s headquarters in Hallandale, Florida, and demonstrated them using a “hand-operated engine simulator,” according to a story in Petersen Publishing Company’s Hot Rod Industry News.

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Breaking news from SEMA members, including Hotchkis Sport Suspension, RealTruck.com, MSD Performance, Design Engineering Inc., and more.