By Stu MacKay, MacKay & Company
First, some administrative details. Thanks to CVSN for a well-crafted and clearly expressed position paper on their perspective of and objectives for the role of their organization and its members in the future heavy-duty aftermarket.
And to Lyle Bass, for an equally well thought out personal perspective on the many advantages offered by, and opportunities available to, aggressive and focused heavy-duty distributors. Lyle, I would only add that truck dealers are no more excited about having to sell at national fleet prices than are independent distributors. But we will probably only see more of this in the future.
Now, back to the current business at hand.
What in the world is the 289/327 market – and what the hell does it have to do with the heavy-duty aftermarket? Nothing – and everything! Perhaps an explanation is in order.
In the 1960s, when the independent heavy-duty aftermarket truly came into its own, it represented the first clear delineation between the automotive (light-duty) and the heavy-duty aftermarket. These were the founding days of CFS, ASIA Heavy Duty and similar groups. Not that the truck parts business was illegitimate prior to the ‘60s – but the market was clearly overshadowed by the car parts business. By the mid-60s, the aftermarket supporting the operating truck universe was starting to get big enough for validation and recognition.
The heavy-duty aftermarket was much more straightforward
