Magazine for the professional tire industry
Issue link: https://mtd.epubxp.com/i/244093
feature AAPEX represents $477 billion Spending is likely to increase, says NPD Group By Bob Bissler W hat can repair shops expect consumers to spend on automotive products and services in 2014? Tat was a topic addressed at the 2014 Afermarket Outlook presentation at the Automotive Afermarket Products Exposition (AAPEX) in Las Vegas Nov. 5-7, 2013. David Portalatin, executive director of analysis at the NPD Group Inc., said auto product spending was down because consumers drove 100 billion fewer miles in 2013 than in 2007. What can the afermarket expect in 2014? Portalatin said consumers will remain in "cutback mode," but will spend on necessities — and auto maintenance and repair are seen as necessary. Spending is likely to increase in 2014, he added. Tat's good news for the $477 billion global motor vehicle afermarket AAPEX represents. Atendance numbers for the event also turned out to be good news: 2,411 exhibitors and 5,257 booths; 59,193 buyers; and 139,587 atendees total for SEMA and AAPEX (separate numbers are not available). AAPEX is jointly sponsored by the Automotive Afermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) and the Automotive Afermarket Industry Association (AAIA). Tis spring, AAIA will be renamed the Auto Care Association, or ACA. changer that protects wheels and a more ergonomic machine to use," said Roberto Rossi, Bosch sales director, Workshop Technical Equipment. "Tis tire changer is the culmination of their work, addressing key user concerns — safety, speed and comfort — and delivering a superior product." In addition to increased rigidity and a more ergonomic design, the TCE4435 THP automatic tire changer has a 24-inch internal and 22-inch external turntable capacity with a locking jaw cross system and a "perfectly balanced" opposed cylinder system. Te two-speed turntable provides faster tire removal and mounting, and the Motoinverter provides optimum torque in every condition. Te tubeless infating system is 25% faster than the benchmark competition, the company says, and the four-position bead breaker is 40% faster than previous versions. Bosch also introduced OTC's next-generation scan tool, the Encore, the frst Android-based scan tool for the North American market, capitalizing on the operating system's speed, ease of use and functionality. "Like your smartphone, you can browse the Web, Google and do all the things you can do on an Android platform, which has permited us to develop a tool that boots up faster and allows technicians to move through testing more quickly," said Patrick Pierce, director of Global Product Development, Bosch Automotive Service Solutions, a business unit of the Bosch Automotive Afermarket division of Robert Bosch LLC. Behind Encore's 7-inch touch screen, which recognizes common device commands such as swipe and pinch, is a custom user interface with a boot time of less than 30 seconds or less. In addition to a new operating system, Encore has full scan functionality, including OEM domestic, Asian and European bidirectional controls and enhanced data. "Te purchaser of this product will be a combination of shop owners who are looking to equip their shops with new diagnostic tools, and it can also meet the budgets of serious technicians doing diagnostics every day," said Pierce. Epicor Estimator generates results Bosch says the TCE4435 THP Tire Changer, demonstrated here by Bosch product specialist Jim Prendergast, has the most rigid structure in North America. Bosch unveils tire changer, OTC Encore Robert Bosch LLC unveiled the TCE4435 THP Tire Changer featuring a rigid structure and a four-year parts and labor warranty. Te new automatic tire changer has been completely redesigned to eliminate rim damage and ofers the most rigid assembly available in North America, noted Bosch. "Our engineering teams set out to develop a faster tire 52 Epicor Sofware Corp. showcased the Epicor Integrated Service Estimator (ISE) solution for the automotive afermarket and announced it set a recent record of 375,000 completed estimates over a one-month period. Te Web-based solution reduces the time needed to generate comprehensive, accurate parts and labor estimates. Epicor ISE now features a "Supplier+" tab that ofers oneclick access to non-application parts, tools, accessories and related products. Available through more than 20 leading shop management systems, Epicor ISE helps tire, transmission, oiland-lube and other auto service specialists increase their share of the general repair and preventive maintenance categories. Epicor ISE also allows users to electronically check parts MTD January 2014