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Sema UK Office Announced at Las Vegas Show Brian Taylor
"SEMA has appointed someone currently in the UK racing business to set up an office in the UK early in 2001. The new staff member will join SEMA in the USA around March/April 2000, initially spending eight months in America absorbing the culture and the benefits SEMA has to offer. He will then be tasked to open the UK office". SEMA members will also be exhibiting at the UK Racing Car Show in January 2000. The association will be hosting a pavilion of stands very much as they do at Auto Mechanica. If this proves successful they will extend this activity to ATS in 2001 when the new SEMA UK office should be open. This is compatible with moves to turn ATS into a national show. Linda Spencer, Director of International and Government Relations for SEMA based at the Washington DC office reported, "The initial reaction to a SEMA Pavilion at the Racing Car Show has been very positive and we expect many USA companies to be exhibiting." And the growth of SEMA as a major global trade body was re-enforced by Jacques Nasser announcing that Ford is to share information with SEMA manufacturer members rather than leave them relying on reverse engineering. DaimlerChrysler indicated they would be doing likewise and GM is expected to follow suit. The Truck CAP and Accessory Association also announced that it is to become a division of SEMA. The addition of TCAA’s 800 members to the 3600 companies in SEMA membership clearly means SEMA is really motoring. And with a $21 billion USA SEMA member aftermarket to feed off it should be no surprise that they are so active. They have the funds to support growth. Other American trade association news is the merging of the Automotive Parts and Accessories Association with the Automotive Service Industry Association. The new name for the combined group is the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association. Consolidation of trade association power is continuing. Brits Involvement at Las Vegas ‘99
Once again, a lot of first time visitors were impressed with the excitement created at the show. There is no secret as to why this is the case. It is because so many exhibitors also have exciting vehicles on their stands. Vehicles showing what their products can do for consumers and often competition cars they sponsor. It’s a bit like the Racing Car Show, ATS, Brityrex and a Custom Car show all rolled in to one. And the vehicle assembler performance arms are really involved, as are their parts subsidiaries like Visteon, Delphi, Denso and so on. It’s not just the independent aftermarket. This year around 20% of the visitors were from outside the USA. AP&A’s principle contributor Brian Taylor was the key international speaker at the SEMA seminar covering export opportunities. He was joined by a panel of major UK aftermarket luminaries including, David Callery, Tim Dean, Bob Sockl, Ian Wagstaff and Dennis Stanley of SEMA member company Express Parts Inc (an associate company of the Woolfe Race Group, which is based in Bedford). Other UK players were in the audience such as Martin Denny of CAAR and Mike Clarke of Motorworld. The Woolfe Race Group and Express Parts Inc held an open house in the Las Vegas Hilton for the UK aftermarket to meet USA suppliers. Those enjoying the hospitality included Bob Sockl, Tim Dean, Paddy Hopkirk, and Wolfgang Benz in a super blue and yellow Hella shirt that you must watch out for at forth-coming UK shows. Wolfgang - the style Icon. Linda Spencer from SEMA’s Washington office joined the fray, along with SEMA Hall of Fame personality Dennis Holding and many more.
Innovation and Simplicity As usual there were plenty of new and innovative products to get enthusiastic about. In a short report like this it is only possible to give a flavour of the volume of new opportunities. Start Me Up from MotorUp America Inc is the world’s first palm sized emergency jump starter that jumps batteries from within the car and without cables – recharging via the cigar lighter within 5 minutes. It uses Polaroid technology and is a one-time-use item. It retains its charge for three years. At around £20 it represents an ideal emergency kit item for the growing number of lady drivers, being clean to use and requiring no outside help from strangers. Supported by TV advertising Start Me Up is looking for a UK distributor. Spare Tank is the world’s first and only patented non-flammable petrol derivative. So carrying a spare can of fuel in the boot for emergency use no longer has safety implications. It has a flash point higher than 105 degrees centigrade (petrol comes in at around 40-50 degrees), and has an octane rating similar to premium petrol. It is lead free. It does not work on diesels. Spare Tank is looking for a UK distributor. Hella was displaying a neat 12-volt powered tyre inflation pump that will shortly be available with a tyre sealant. It is already being tested by two vehicle manufacturers who have an eye on it replacing the spare tyre completely - giving them great weight savings and consequently more environmental gains. It has the potential to slash the tyre market by 20% and give reduced call-out costs to rescue companies. Rosen showed some very futuristic flat drop-down screens for in-car TV and video games. This is going to be really big business during the next few years. Rosen is currently an o.e. and aftermarket supplier in the USA. But at the moment the screen format limits its sales activities to countries using similar systems. The year 2000 will see formats available for use in the UK. Luster Care produce Luster Lace and Luster Pad metal polish. Initially launched as a product for cleaning motorcycle wheels, the increasingly complex designs of alloy car wheels is resulting in car owners becoming a new and fast growing target market. The impregnated Luster Lace is particularly useful. The company already has a UK distributor for the motorcycle market but is looking now for a company to take the product to car owners. Rostra Precision Controls launched an obstacle sensing system that senses obstacles to the rear of a vehicle during reversing. The microwave picks up on objects between 18 inches and 12 feet from the vehicles. Drivers are alerted by LED display and an audible siren. Other interesting products included a stoplight for affixing to the back of motorcycle crash helmets, activated by a radio signal transmitted when the brakes are supplied. A neat battery operated valve stem cap for pushbikes that illuminates red at night for safer cycling in the dark. A door edge clip complete with safety light which automatically illuminates red when the door is open, warning other road users about the extra width of the car. And there were wheels, wheels and more wheels. The opportunities go on and on. Those interested can get more details by contacting the Woolfe Race Group Las Vegas Show Information Desk on Tel 01234 220713. Indeed, they offer a follow-up service to any show visitor who needs to chase up details on products they saw during their visit to Las Vegas. A Total Experience In truth, a visit to AAIW is more of a total experience than Frankfurt, Paris or any other automotive gathering. It has to be said that it is a weird place. In any one week there are more showbusiness stars appearing at the hotels than most other cities see in a month. When I was there, amongst others you could see The Platters, The Coasters, The Drifters, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Tom Jones, The Who, The Dixie Cups, David Bowie, The Pet Shop Boys, and Sam Butera. On top of this there were other American entertainers that are little known in the UK but great stars in the USA. Plus there are the shows and the lounges with hundreds of great bands playing every night. And the word hotel does not describe the accommodation. Think about a small quaint village like Clovelly, Robin Hood Bay or Rye. Then imagine it completely enclosed and air conditioned, with a fake sky that electronically changes with the time of day and season. And an hourly free show featuring the fishing fleet coming into harbour in a storm chased by Moby Dick will pack the crowds in. Furthermore, visualise the complete area underneath the village as a huge cellar filled with fruit machines and gaming tables along with bars, restaurants and shopping malls, plus Blackpool illuminations. Around all this imagine a multi-tower hotel with 5000 luxury rooms. Then multiply all this by many different themed hotels and you have a taste of Las Vegas. It’s like being on a different planet. Automotive Styling After wandering through the exhibits at AAIW you have to conclude that automotive styling and recreational activities associated with motoring is something the Americans do better than anyone else. Most of the European and Japanese style products actually emanate from American West Coast companies. The USA has become the trade and retail supplier of automotive style to the world, and no aftermarket experience is complete without a visit to this show. And the American branding and associated culture can add value to very basic products – making them more profitable and more desirable. OK, some of the stand staff’s enthusiasm for exporting is, shall we say, limited. But, if you had a market of over 200 million cars to address so might yours be. So you need to make it easy for them to do business with you. Don’t get pissed off with their attitude. In many ways, leaving it to specialist companies like the Woolfe Race Group to get things going is the best way forward. They have been doing it for over 30 years and they know the frustrations and pitfalls. Likewise, those agents currently importing products from the USA will know the ropes. The final thing I noticed this year is just how deep is the Internet culture. If you haven’t got a dot com, a dot org or a dotsomething you are no one. Arguably they have gone for over-kill in its use. But it is something the UK industry has to come to terms with. E-commerce will certainly play an important trade role, and e-retailing is already proving to be a very useful information source for prospective purchasers. Let’s hope we can recognise its value as a communication medium rather than a fashion statement. This is Brian Taylor. You all have a good day now. (12/99) |
The
eight annual AAIW trade show held in Las Vegas during the first week
in November 1999 broke many records and marked the beginning of a
new international era for one of the main organisations involved –
SEMA (Speciality Equipment Marketing Association). SEMA already has
an office in Brussels jointly funded with MEMA, but in an exclusive
interview with Brian Taylor, SEMA Chairman of the Board Ms Charlie
Van Cleve said,
Back
to the Las Vegas Show. More than 80,000 visitors attended this year
and with over 4000 exhibitors – many with two or more stands
because the show is basically split between the speciality parts,
hard parts and tyre sectors – AAIW is the largest aftermarket
trade only exhibition. In total you are looking at around 20,000 exhibits
covering over 1 million square feet of exhibition space. 
But
another important first for the Brits at AAIW was the appearance of
a Ford Focus drag race vehicle powered by a turbo-charged four cylinder
Ford BD engine, used in rally cars. This car was commissioned by Ford
of America for the American launch of the Focus, and they turned to
UK drag race vehicle builders Hauser Racing to get it together. It
has already become the quickest and fastest car in the growing class
of import compact drag cars. 7.6 seconds for the standing start quarter
mile with a terminal speed of 172 miles an hour is pretty awesome
and the Americans are taking a good look. Who would have thought that
the UK could become suppliers of drag racing cars to the USA? Rule
Britannia. Pictured with the car, from left to right, are driver Wayne
Saunders and Geoff Hauser and Jon Webster from Hauser Racing.