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The Technology Standards Committee of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) has announced the general release of the Internet Parts Ordering (IPO) standard, version 2.0. IPO is an industry standard for the messages and information flow required to locate and order automotive product online.

Citing the advantages of open standards in connecting closed business systems, AAIA says IPO has the potential to transform the aftermarket supply chain. IPO makes use of Web service technologies to enable business partners to connect their disparate computer systems through accepted industry standards. This means value and benefits can be realized more quickly without the need to perform complex, time-consuming, error-prone, point-to-point integration. Open standards, such as IPO, avoid the disruption of legacy integration and deliver results at a much lower cost.

Automotive News has reported that a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge wants two rejected Chrysler dealers to see sealed company e-mails personally critical of them -- documents their lawyers say will support a claim that the stores were closed for reasons other than performance.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Arthur Gonzalez in New York said April 22 that his “initial reaction” was to unseal the e-mails for possible use in arbitration by former Chrysler dealers Jim Tarbox of North Kingstown, R.I., and Mark Calisi of Riverhead, N.Y., a transcript of the hearing shows.

The 2009 e-mails by Chrysler managers criticized the dealers for being litigious, according to copies that have surfaced in the public domain.

The Chrysler e-mails about Tarbox and Calisi open the door on a decision-making process that some dealers maintain was marred by personal pique. What's not yet clear is whether the e-mails will have any influence beyond the arbitrations of those two dealers.

Automotive News has reported that Chrysler Group has won the first arbitration case over an Ohio dealership that was seeking reinstatement without legal representation.

The arbitrator affirmed Chrysler's Genesis plan to put all four brands in one dealership, said Tom James, general manager of the former Joe Kidd Dodge in Cincinnati.

“The covered manufacturer will have the Cincinnati marketplace arranged in a way that more closely coincides with its current plan to implement Genesis,” the arbitrator wrote in a six-page decision, James said in an interview.

Joe Kidd Dodge's franchise was terminated as part of Chrysler's bankruptcy proceeding last year. Chrysler awarded the franchise to a nearby dealership that now has all four Chrysler brands.

The decision was eagerly awaited by dealers, their lawyers, Chrysler and GM because it is the first of 678 arbitration rulings due to be handed down by the end of July.

James, 51, said he was told by the American Arbitration Association that he was prohibited from releasing a copy of the decision.

Chrysler also declined to provide it.

We are going to switch it up this month and go back to the old school way of fixing things on a `57 Thunderbird. A friend from New York shipped me out his Thunderbird, and there’s a good story behind it. His Dad had it in the family for awhile and took it for its last drive before turning it over to his son. We know what happened from there. It got in a car accident and took a heavy hit to the front. My buddy knows my work and was prepared to ship me the car from New York, so I told him ‘no problem, I could fix it.’

Now it would probably be faster and easier to go to a wrecker and buy a front clip to repair this Thunderbird. But with my experience buying parts for older cars, I always seem to come across problems with those parts when I buy them. They’re also expensive.

Here I decided we are going to repair as much as possible and see what’s available in new parts, which are easily reproduced from jigs made to reproduce the original parts. The nose panel was available; a couple of the fiberglass pieces were available, but that would take away from its original feel. Then I happened to get a call from a buddy in New Zealand, Willie Newman, a friend who is probably one of the best metal finishers on the planet. Not a lot of guys I know here are doing much metal finishing, but in New Zealand it’s a valued trade. They will fix or fabricate what they don’t have or can’t get easily, and they get very good at it.

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I-CAR, The Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, has announced that it will return to NACE in 2010. I-CAR has participated as an exhibitor and demonstrated solid commitment as an educational leader with the I-CAR Technology Showcase presentations since 2006.

“I-CAR is extremely pleased to be returning to NACE and have the chance to meet face-to-face with NACE attendees,” said Bill Stage, I-CAR Director of Marketing and Distribution. “NACE is an excellent opportunity for I-CAR to reach those key individuals in the collision repair inter-industry with the latest information about technology and the most up-to-date training.”

by Larry Williams

This is Part 2 of last month’s article directed to dealership parts managers directly managing employees handling both mechanical and collision parts, however, the same principles apply to parts management in a body shop.  ­ To read Part 1, see Autobody News, April 2010 edition or look online at www.autobodynews.com.
Larry Williams is a former parts manager and consultant who has received national awards during his 40 years of  creating profitable departments. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Making the most profit out of your inventory is easy, and once set up properly, needs minimum maintenance. Making the best profit out of your personnel is the hard part. This is why I spend most of my effort on my people.

The hardest part of any profession is learning the language. The various terminologies used to communicate needs. Auto parts is one of the hardest, a language of multiple words for the same item. Controller, solenoid, actuator, module, ECU, etc. can all used to describe the same object. Only a few years ago Ford started a program to unify parts terminology. Now all departments, design, engineering, manufacturing, service and parts would all refer to a part by one name. Manufacturers have been in business almost a hundred years, and only now are addressing the problem. Same thing with new models…all kinds of information for sales and service, nothing for parts education. Everyone must learn on the job.

Click to download full article in PDF format. Article is printable but cannot be copied or modified.

by Larry Williams

This article is directed to dealership parts managers directly managing employees handling both mechanical and collision parts, however, the same principles apply to parts management in a body shop.  Read on to see how to improve your parts and people management.­
Larry Williams is a former parts manager and consultant who has received national awards and over 40 years of experience in creating profitable departments. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Fact: The typical [dealership] parts department has more investment and returns less profit than any other department. Every other department can be financed, leased, depreciated, or leveraged. Automotive parts require cash—paid in full, every month. Many parts departments are sinkholes, sucking resources from the dealer, tying up capital in un-saleable inventory, maintenance, and personnel. This needs to change.

Today’s parts department must be an asset to the dealership. Analyze your parts department’s profitability. Look at the ratio of net profit to inventory. A well-run parts department can generate annual net profit ratios of 50% or more, based on your inventory investment. Then show the dealer principal that your inventory is an investment, better than the bank when it comes to the rate of return. This should be your goal. Every inventory dollar working to produce more profit and every employee’s time managed to maximize their productivity.

Click to download full article in PDF format. Article is printable but cannot be copied or modified.

The Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA) is announcing that the John Mattos Memorial Tool Scholarship is now open for application submissions from currently enrolled students and recent graduates (within the past one year) who reside within Virginia, Maryland or Washington, DC. This $1,000 scholarship, as part of the longstanding Jerry Dalton Memorial Education Fund (JDMEF) within WMABA, was enacted in memory of the late John Mattos, Sr., of Mattos Pro Finishes.

Hertz Global Holdings has signed an agreement to buy Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group in a move officials said will help Hertz grow its global footprint and become the second largest vehicle-rental company in the U.S..

Hertz is paying approximately $1.2 billion in cash and stock to acquire Dollar Thrifty.

"Having Dollar Thrifty under the Hertz family of brands, products and services will allow us to expand our global presence, boost our market position and realize the financial benefits from substantial synergies from between the two companies," Hertz chairman and chief executive officer Mark Frissora said during a conference call Monday. 

Frissora said the company hasn't had any "officials discussions" with the Federal Trade Commission yet, but suggested that Hertz remains "very confident"  the transaction will gain approval. 

"We feel pretty good about our position there. We've certainly been advised by a great team of lawyers and so has Dollar Thrifty," he noted. "Based on that review, we feel highly confident the transaction will pass the muster. 

"I think it's fair to say we wouldn't have embarked on this transaction unless we had a high degree of confidence that it would be approved," Frissora continued.

In an official statement, Dollar Thrifty president and chief executive officer Scott Thompson talked about how the landscape of the rental market has changed over the last few years, and how joining Hertz will be beneficial.  

"Being associated with a larger company that has a broader base of revenues and access to greater technology will allow the Dollar and Thrifty brands to grow at a much more rapid pace than as a stand-alone company," Thompson noted.

"Enterprise's acquisition of Alamo and National a few years ago certainly changed the industry and our competitive position," he explained further. "Our relative size compared to the big three in the industry (Enterprise, Avis and Hertz) made an offer to join a larger company compelling."

I-CAR, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, will join the 2010 SEMA Show as an exhibitor from November 2–5, 2010, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The decision marks the first time the nonprofit training organization has appeared as an exhibitor at the Show, which has grown the paint, body and equipment area during the past two Shows.

In addition to participating as an exhibitor at the Show, I-CAR will also provide several hands-on technical demonstrations on the Show floor designed to provide attendees with information about some of the most current issues in vehicle technology and important considerations for collision repair.

Since 1979, I-CAR has developed and delivered technical training programs to professionals in all areas of the collision industry and is well-known not only for its classroom and online training, but also for its Welding Qualification Test.

“I-CAR is pleased to be part of the 2010 SEMA Show and reach out to this audience with information about collision repair," said John Edelen, I-CAR president and CEO. "With the rapid rate of change in vehicle technology and design, the need to stay current on repair processes is more important than ever. For us, the SEMA audience represents individuals who are keenly aware of emerging technology in the automotive industry, and I-CAR is committed to providing the most current collision repair training opportunities that will meet their needs.”

Visit the I-CAR website or www.SEMAShow.com for more information.