News Briefs
Silver To Leave I-CAR
Jeff Silver, executive vice president of the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR), recently resigned to start his own collision repair business after 11 years with the organization. Silver plans to open a CARSTAR collision repair franchise northwest of Chicago in Mundelein, Ill. "With the current and anticipated changes in the industry, I can see no better time to enter this business than the present," said Silver, who will work with an I-CAR search committee to find and screen candidates for the position. Silver will work with I-CAR for six months to ensure a smooth transition. Jeff has guided I-CAR during a significant period in its growth and development, and he has been an asset to the organization and the collision repair industry," said William H. Mayer, I-CAR chairman. "We have been fortunate to have him as our chief staff executive and wish him the best in his future endeavors."ASE Stops Plans For CompuServe Online Forum
Based on accessibility problems for users, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has canceled its plans to offer its own forum on CompuServe. ASE is seeking other means of electronic communication to implement a technicians forum in the future.AutoZone To Acquire ALLDATA
ALLDATA Corporation announced Feb. 8 that AutoZone has reached a definitive agreement to acquire ALLDATA for AutoZone common stock valued at $56.75 million. ALLDATA, a provider of repair information that recently announced the 15,000th customer of its diagnostic and repair information data base, will continue to be based in Elk Grove, Calif. AutoZone will keep ALLDATA as a wholly owned subsidiary, though ALLDATA will operate as a stand-alone company. Rod Georgiu, founder of ALLDATA, will remain as its president and his existing management team will continue in place. The transaction is subject to ALLDATA shareholder approval and regulatory approvals. "Having the resources of a financially strong, innovative, fast-moving company like AutoZone behind us means we can strengthen our product for our existing customer base and expand our market share," Georgiu said. J.R. Hyde III, chairman of AutoZone, said, "ALLDATA is a strong strategic fit with AutoZone. Our acquisition of this industry leader will allow us to greatly enhance the diagnostic information we can provide to our do-it-yourself (DIY) customers through our electronic parts catalogs in our stores."Acme And Sherwin-Williams Combine Forces
Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes plans to centralize the Acme and Sherwin-Williams brands under the Sherwin-Williams name. The move will bring together all resources of the two brands, combining development, marketing, distribution and customer service capabilities.ASAMI Approves Shop Management Course
DuPont's S.M.A.R.T. Money course has been approved by the Automotive Service Association Management Institute (ASAMI) for 16 credits toward the institute's Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation. The eight-hour course teaches financial tools, skills and profit strategies for body shop owners and managers.Imports Nearly Double Service Market Share
Import cars and light trucks almost doubled their share of light vehicle service market product volume since 1985, according to James Lang, president of Lang Marketing Resources, Inc., a Wyckoff, N.J., consulting and analysis firm.Import vehicles accounted for 16 percent of products installed by mechanics during 1985, climbing to 22.4 percent in 1990, said Lang. Import cars and light trucks accounted for a 30.8 percent share of 1995 service market product volume.
Lang reports that the dollar volume of the import vehicle service market increased even faster, reflecting rapid growth of the overall service market for cars and light trucks. In 1985, imports accounted for $5.3 billion in aftermarket product volume at user-level price, climbing to $9 billion in 1990. Import cars and light trucks represented an estimated $15.4 billion in 1995, nearly three times the amount of products installed by mechanics in 1985.
"Although domestic share of light vehicle service market product volume has diminished, product volume for domestic vehicles has increased, the result of general service market growth for cars and light trucks in the United States," said Lang.
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AutoInc. Magazine ®, Vol. XLIV No. 3, March 1996