Sub-standard aftermarket parts are never good for vehicles. Usually, these materials would cost less , but those so-called money saved could mean the life of the driver and passengers. So car owners should never patronize those bogus auto parts in the hopes of enhancing automobile performance in a cheaper price.

Counterfeit parts can be deadly. About $12 billion fake aftermarket parts, which are vastly manufactured outside the United States, come from the commercial truck industry according to the Motor and Equipment Manufacturer’s Association (MEMA). Aside from the fact that fake aftermarket parts can likely trigger road accidents and take away lives, thousands if not millions of money is being taken away from legitimate manufacturers.

Aftermarket parts manufacturers like Arvin Meritor, Bendix, Haldex, amongst others, have utilized their resources in order to fight off selling of these fake parts.

“Arvin Meritor’s commercial vehicle aftermarket business commits considerable dollars and time to fight parts counterfeiters, mostly in full concert with MEMA- HDMA’s pro-active stance to stem or stop counterfeit parts,” said an Arvin Meritor spokesperson.

This alarming problem has really raised concerns from legitimate manufacturers, thus educating the fleets and parts suppliers has become necessary. Aside from educating fleets and suppliers, the customers also need to know what are the hazards of these counterfeited aftermarket parts.

“We intend to continue our fight against knock – off parts,” Bendrix brand manager Andy Cifranic said. “Our products were created to efficiently stop 80,000 lb. vehicles. We don’t take that responsibility lightly, nor highway safety in general, lightly.”

Customer satisfaction is one of the important factors that has to be considered in about every business. An aftermarket parts company, Motor Coach Industries (MCI) knows this, thus it decided to avail Smart Software Inc.’s SmartForecasts Enterprise.

MCI’s inventory management in its aftermarket service parts operation is expected to improve with the SmartForecasts Enterprise. With more than 2,000 employees, the company will utilize the SmartForecasts’ patented intermittent demand forecasting and planning capabilities. With this helpful software, forecasting and inventory for MCI’s 12 North American facilities will be made easier. Not only that, SmartForecasts will also be able to systematize vendor managed inventory business, increasing parts availability and providing better customer service.

In the United States and Canada, aftermarket company MCI has headquartered wherein the company’s products are designed, manufactured, and sold. MCI’ products include motor coaches, bus replacement parts, amongst others. Aside from the products, this aftermarket parts company also offers repair services to its customers.

It was really hard and manual work for the company when it comes to forecasting before it decided to make use of SmartForecasts’ services. Imagine that MCI used to forecast everything manually at each of its service centers. A lot of time and effort were used for this, so availing of the said software was the only way to go. Forecasting and planning procedures and began an evaluation of demand planning, forecasting and inventory optimization software systems. Furthermore, the Massachusetts-based MCI chose SmartForecasts because it is capable of giving accurate results right off the bat.

“An important part of our evaluation compared stocking level estimates provided by the different vendors. SmartForecasts’ stocking level estimates were the most accurate and resulted in not only lower projected inventory costs but also a higher projected service level,” said Stan Dzierzega, inventory planning manager and project leader at MCI. “In addition to improving our service levels and reducing costs, we expect SmartForecasts will help us to reduce our demand planning workload. Manual planning takes too much time, and with SmartForecasts, we look forward to shortening the process, forecasting more items, and getting better forecast results and inventory recommendations.”

One of the leading online aftermarket parts provider, U.S. Auto Parts, Inc. is set to present at the RBC Capital Markets North American Technology Conference at California’s Four Seasons Hotel on from August 7 to 9.

The online aftermarket parts provider’s Chairman of the Board Robert Majteles and Chief Financial Officer Michael McClane are the people tasked to do the reporting on the company’s financial statement from the second quarter sales. The California-based U.S. Auto Parts, which made its debut in the booming aftermarket industry in 1995, will have its investor presentation on the second day of the conference at 11 am (Pacific Time). Moreover, the aftermarket parts company remained true to form with regard to its main medium of transaction – the Internet. For those who will not be able to watch the live broadcast, the presentation will be made available and will be archived in the Investor Relations section of the company’s official website at http://www.usautoparts.net.

The U.S. Auto Parts Inc., which has its warehouse in Carson City, has about 500 or more websites that sells auto parts. Engine parts, body parts, performance parts, and accessories for specific vehicle makes, models, and years are made to be easily accessible to car owners and enthusiasts in the websites. All the products are reasonably priced and can be accessed through the company’s flagship websites at http://www.partstrain.com and http://www.autopartswarehouse.com. 

A US-based supplier of recycled and aftermarket auto parts, LKQ Corporation has found its way in merging with Keystone Automotive Industries, Inc. as part of its expansion strategies.

Merging has been seen as a good strategy to expand the business and will also result to better market presence for the LKQ Corporation. The aftermarket parts supplier has only signed a definitive merger agreement in order to acquire Keystone, which is an aftermarket collision replacement parts provider.

The agreement, however, is still going through the process of approval from the shareholders and other important customary conditions. Although the merging is still under negotiation, Keystone’s Board of Directors has unanimously recommended Keystone shareholders approve the merges, thus LKQ-Keystone is expected to close in towards the end of the year. With the two of the giants in the booming aftermarket parts industry, the transaction has been also expected to generate an encompassing alternative replacement parts business. These two companies have a combined earnings of approximately $1.5 billion and also a North American network of more than 260 branches in the US and Canada.

“LKQ and Keystone are a great strategic fit and this acquisition is a natural progression of our strategy to expand our presence in the distribution of automotive replacement parts, an industry that we estimate to be over $188 billion in size,” said Joe Holsten, president and CEO of LKQ.

In Canada alone, Keystone Automotive Industries has about 11 service locations and uniting with LKQ will make it even a more comprehensive aftermarket parts supplier.

“In addition to providing tremendous value to our shareholders, this transaction delivers a true combination of complementary strengths. Keystone’s aftermarket product offerings are a perfect fit with LKQ’s leading presence in the recycled parts business. The Keystone-LKQ merger presents unique opportunities to provide a comprehensive program of aftermarket, remanufactured and recycled parts to our customers, and we look forward to realizing these opportunities,” said Keystone president and CEO Rick Keister.

Lastly the merger is seen to improve availability of aftermarket parts in the repair process.

One of the big businesses in the aftermarket parts industry, the Indiana-based Wabash National Corporation is set to conduct a conference call to review and discuss its second quarter results before the month ends.

The aftermarket company will be releasing its second quarter results on the 30th, which is a day before the conference call, after the close of financial markets. The Wabash National Corporation will be making use of the powerful media tool, which is the Internet, in order to have the conference call available via a live audio webcast. The live streaming will be available in the aftermarket company’s official website at www.wabashnational.com. A record of the meeting will also be archived and will be made available three hours after the conclusion to those who will not be able to take hold of the live broadcast. The recorded meeting, however, will only be available in the company’s website until September 25, 2007.

Wabash National Corporation, which is headquartered in Lafayette, is said to be one of the leading manufacturers of semi trailers in the US. Since the company’s debut in 1985, it has been known as a retailer for new and used trailers and aftermarket parts throughout the US and Canada.

The auto parts industry is no longer just a booming industry, because it is already an established one after analysts and experts reveal that it will reach the $1 Trillion Mark by 2010 if steady growth continues.

New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. made the fearless forecast for the future of the auto parts industry, which is basically comprised of auto parts and accessories. Amongst the biggest markets of this industry, the United States remains on top accounting for 30% of the world-wide demand. Coming in at the bridesmaid spot is Europe with US$180 billion in 2006, while the Asia-Pacific region is fast becoming another aftermarket parts market registering a compound annual growth rate of about 9% over the next five years.

A comprehensive report and analysis called “Auto Parts and Accessories: A Global Strategic Business Report” has been already released by the Global Industry Analysts, Inc. The report will zero in on the trends, growth, drivers, issues, businesses opportunities, and the challenges attached with the auto parts industry. Not only that, the report will also include strategic industries such as mergers and acquisitions and alliances, amongst others.

Included in the industry is the original equipment manufacturer or known as the OEM. An OEM directly supplies automobile manufacturers for line-fit while the aftermarket involves parts supplied to the replacement needs of customers. Principal demand driver for the OE market is the number of new vehicles manufactured that is hugely governed by the prevailing economic condition of the market.

Numerous add-ons and accessories are also made available by the auto parts industry. Installing additional electronic features into automobiles of owners and enthusiasts is fast becoming a trend. Growing at the industry’s fastest compounded annual rate, the electronic parts and accessories market is poised to generate revenues of US$240 billion in 2010. Mechanical auto parts market, the largest in the overall auto parts and accessories market, is projected to reach US$111 billion by 2010.

OEM parts and accessories suppliers have started to focus on growing markets of Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.

The California-based U.S. Auto Parts Inc., which is the leading online provider for aftermarket auto parts, will be releasing its quarterly financial report on August 2.

The aftermarket parts company is not veering away from the Internet as the financial reports gathered from the January to June 30 will be available online. Aside from the statistical data of the second quarter sales of U.S. Auto Parts Inc., a conference call will also be held and will also be broadcasted live over the Internet. The live conference can be accessed through the U.S. Autoparts Inc. official website http://www.usautoparts.net under the Investor Relations section. Analysts and investors will be present during the conference that will be conducted by President and Chief Executive Officer Mehran Nia, Chief Operating Officer Howard Tong, and Chief Financial Officer Michael McClane.

Providing aftermarket parts since 1995, U.S. Auto Parts Inc. has specifically been selling body parts, engine parts, performance parts and accessories through the company’s hundreds of websites. Over 550,000 competitively priced products are available. Moreover, auto parts for different vehicle makes, models, and years are also available. These products are accessible at the company’s websites: http://www.partstrain.com and http://www.autopartswarehouse.com.

In order to meet emission standards and other regulations set by government agencies and other environment regulators, aftermarket parts dependents like car owners and enthusiasts are now geared toward buying fuel injection systems rather than carburetors.

With this sudden shift of demand, the World Automotive Fuel Injectors market has been foreseen to reach the 54.2 million units in three years. This compound annual growth rate of 40.5% is based upon the analysis period from 2001 until 2010.

The rising demand for fuel injections systems might be because of the efficiency this aftermarket part gives to engines. This aftermarket part has the ability of enhancing fuel economy and ignition control, which reduces fuel expenses. Aside from that, utilizing the fuel injection system will make the vehicle more environment-friendly. With optimized engine performance, emissions of noxious gases will decrease. This helpful aftermarket part also comes in multi-point fuel injection and electronic control devices.

Fuel injectors are also gaining bigger demands now and could get even bigger in years to come because automobile manufacturers have decided to utilize the fuel injection system in all of their future vehicles. Another seen reason for the sudden increase for the said system’s device is the initiative of automakers to look after operational problems that are common with fuel injectors. Some of the problems that can be encountered are varnishing of inlet valves, congestion of catalyst exhausts, and undue bore wear.

The aftermarket parts market has steady demands in North America, Japan, and Western Europe. Original Equipment Manufacturer, however, has followers in the so-called less industrialized countries like Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan).

Internet is now one of the best ways to go for business transactions. Offroad.com, which is said to be the leading consumer web site for the after market parts off-road industry, has recently tapped the services of Digital Performance Inc.

A marketplace shopping guide by the California-based Digital Performance Inc. will be added in the web pages of Offroad.com. Various aftermarket parts for both cars and trucks will now be organized in a sort of shopping guide by the specific year, make, and model they fit. Links will also be available to retailers who sell these off-road aftermarket parts.

“In other words, the shopping guide will help our site users find the parts and accessories to enhance their off- and on-road experiences. And we are looking forward to offering this tool, because we know our users want to find what they want quickly, in one place, and be off on their next adventure,” said Catherine Long, Publisher of Offroad.com.

With this new internet research find, access to aftermarket parts can be made with ease by millions of car and truck owners.

“This is the first time the Internet has achieved its potential in serving car and truck enthusiasts,” says Thomas Moore, President of Digital Performance. “Conventional search and shopping engines just don’t deliver consistent information to the buyers of performance aftermarket parts. Our Marketplace Shopping Guide delivers only manufacturer-sourced data and provides users a high comfort level of quickly finding what works on their vehicle.”

The aftermarket parts industry has been given a better way of selling goods to car owners and enthusiasts via the nationwide database that will be provided by Activant Solutions.

Various aftermarket parts transactions via the world wide web will be easier for both the customers and the aftermarket autoparts businesses after Activant Solutions has introduced a regional catalog transactions needed for the said industry. Activant Solutions, which also provides management solutions to hardlines and lumber and wholesale distribution, has developed an intelligent market solution of creating an online database of numerous replacement parts and other data needed that will be readily available to potential customers in the United States. The web-based management solutions provider for the automotive replacement parts industry said that a better access to this industry’s product would mean better sales opportunities. A nationwide database of daily catalog lookup and products transactions by part number and vehicle make will be available on the internet. Not only that, Activant Solutions has also included 50 or more customized reports or templates which were designed to help buyers improve inventory efficiency and sales performance at each of replacement parts businesses store locations.

“This important new solution allows aftermarket distributors and store owners to gain a clear view of their regional markets based on actual parts consumption,” said Thomas V. Aliotti, vice president and general manager of the Activant automotive business.

Subscribers of the 35-year-old solutions provider will automatically become members of the national panel. This formed panel will consolidate and analyze the database and other data gathered on a daily basis. In doing this, each will have a better grasp of the product demands of the aftermarket parts industry.

“With the Vista for Distributors solution, you are no longer making stocking decisions based solely on broad assumptions from local vehicle registrations,” added Aliotti. “Now you can customize your stock assortments by store location based on demonstrated customer demand via the parts replacements tracked by Activant.”