[email protected]Congratulations, You Made It
When I left Orlando, Fla., last year after Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week, I think like many attendees I wasn’t in a very upbeat mood. I didn’t get a lot of positive takeaways from the economic and industry experts, and skies still looked cloudy with no silver linings, despite being in the Sunshine State.
I know the industry moves in cycles and having worked in trucking for about 15 years, this is not the first downturn I have fretted and ulcerated myself through. But I think most of us agree it was certainly a deep and prolonged slump. And unlike the previous industry downturns I’ve witnessed, this one was complemented by general economic crises and recession.
And while industry downturns usually do not wreak havoc with aftermarket performance to the same degree, this one cut pretty deep.
I’m speaking of the bad economic times in the past tense, I know. I’m aware it’s not over yet, but I’m being optimistic, and I have been since I recently left Las Vegas and Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week 2010.
Not that there was any command for the clouds to part and the sun to shine coming forth from the podium. The economic analysis and forecasts weren’t grim, but they certainly weren’t giddy either. The consensus seems to be the worst is over and if you’ve survived this far, you’ve made it.
I think more than anything that was the sense I got from attendees, both distributors and suppliers alike. There was a general feel, though battle-weary, that we have lived to fight another day. If attendance is any indication of economic health, then the show’s 1,500-plus roster is a positive sign.
Forget surviving, let’s talk thriving.
As was recently pointed out to me by a former Truck Parts & Service Distributor of the Year, it’s time to move past the discussions and mentality of survival. If you’re still here, you survived. Now it’s time to talk to about thriving.
At HDAW I had the pleasure of moderating an educational session called “Right Here, Right Now” about the aftermarket revenue opportunities stemming from the Environmental Protection Agency’s emissions regulations over the past few years. These are big opportunities with hundreds of millions of dollars going into the aftermarket channel through emissions-related parts and service sales. Carving out a little slice of that pie certainly would usher in and expedite the new time to thrive.
That session forms the nucleus of this month’s cover story, “Green Skies Ahead.” Supporting the emissions-related equipment – such as diesel particulate filters (DPFs), urea filters, diesel oxidation catalysts, etc. – is a market that is in its infancy, and it is ripe for any aftermarket company to mine, particularly DPF cleaning. It has a relatively low cost to participate – the basic equipment starts at about $20,000 – and technicians can learn to do it in just a few hours.
While we often hear how advanced truck technologies and system sophistication is leaving all but the most well-funded and elite players behind, here’s an example of new truck technologies that are leaving the door open for most everyone.
While the sky is still not yet blue and sunny, at least the clouds have a greener lining. n
