News Briefs
Big 3 Planning Integrated Supplier Exchange
DaimlerChrysler, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. have jointly announced that they are planning to combine their efforts to form a business-to-business integrated supplier exchange through a single global portal. This venture will create the world's largest virtual marketplace.
The new enterprise will offer open participation to all auto manufacturers around the world, and their respective market of suppliers, partners and dealers. Eventually, this marketplace could be expanded to encompass other industries.
GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler plan to have equal ownership in the new venture, which would operate as a separate business independent of the three automakers.
Hellman & Friedman Acquiring Mitchell Int'l
Mitchell International, a supplier of information products and software for the insurance, glass replacement and collision repair industries, is being acquired by Hellman & Friedman, LLC, a San Francisco-based private equity firm. The sale will be made by The Thomson Corporation, which had owned Mitchell since 1986.
AutoTrader.com Allies with CarParts.com
AutoTrader.com, a used car marketplace, has announced an alliance with CarParts.com, an Internet retailer of automotive parts and accessories, to offer consumers a virtual car parts and accessories store.
The partnership will allow AutoTrader.com consumers to link to the CarParts.com Web site through a Car Care section of the AutoTrader.com site to select and purchase from more than 1.5 million automotive accessories, performance and replacement parts.
ASE Introduces 4th Parts Specialist Test
The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has announced introduction of the fourth test in the certification series for parts specialists.
Developed at the request of the GM Parts Advisory Council, the General Motors Parts Consultant Test (P4), will be offered for the first time May 2 during the spring 2000 test administration. Although it is too late to register for the spring test, it will be offered again in the fall, Nov. 9, 14 and 16. The deadline for registering for the fall test is Sept. 29.
The new test is designed to measure parts specialists' knowledge of the skills related to parts department operation in GM dealerships. Although developed as an OEM-specific ASE certification, it is open to all parts specialists.
Handheld Service Writing Device Introduced
As computers become smaller, faster and more affordable, look for innovations that will help you in your business. One such application of this new technology is a handheld service writing device, ServiceMan, that was introduced at the National Automobile Dealers Association show in January.
The device's developer is Manhattan Projects, LLC (www.manhattanprojects.net), a software development company focused on innovative customer relationship management (CRM) solutions for the automotive retailing industry.
ServiceMan joins RepairTalk, an interactive voice-response server for managing repair orders, in Manhattan Projects' CRM-suite of applications.
"Two of today's most precious commodities are time and money," said Mike Sage, president and CEO of Manhattan Projects. "ServiceMan helps recoup time and money by providing service writers with a tool that quickly and easily accesses customer information from a dealership's DMS while simultaneously querying the manufacturer's database for warranty information, service campaigns and recalls on the vehicle."
AAIA Group to Develop Industry Standards
A Shop Integration Task Force has been formed by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) to develop open industry standards for the interconnectivity of computer-based equipment in automotive repair shops.
The task force, created by AAIA's Electric Commerce Committee, intends to create a single worldwide standard to enable repair technicians to access vehicle, parts and service information more efficiently through computer equipment that shares information from multiple sources.
Experts Say Family Firms Face Challenges
Experts see growing life expectancy in the United States as a potential threat to the future of family-owned and family-operated businesses.
Writing in a recent issue of Family Business magazine, Joe Goodman, an attorney in Nashville who advises family firms, notes that aging owners often hang onto control of significant assets until death, after which those assets often pass to spouses who may themselves be aging and infirm. Moreover, asks Goodman, "Is it logical or healthy for 'children' to have to wait until they are 60 or more before they receive power, money or control of the business?"
Goodman's comments are included in a number of forecasts of the challenges that family-owned companies will face in the next century. While seeing challenges ahead for this type of firm, all experts agree that the family business will continue to prosper in the new century.
AutoInc. Magazine ® Vol.XLVIII, April 2000 E-mail: asainfo@asashop.org, Web Site: http://www.asashop.org Copyright © 2000 Automotive Service Association (ASA). All rights reserved.