From left, Erik St. Pierre of PartsTech, Brian Servatius of RevolutionParts and David Seewack of Find-it Parts speak at the MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers Aftermarket Technology Conference 2023 at the GPC global headquarters in Atlanta
Automotive aftermarket suppliers heard all about the challenges and opportunities being brought on by a swath of emerging technologies recently.
Members of MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers gathered in Atlanta last week to hear about technology impacting the aftermarket as well as what can help their businesses grow.
GPC — the parent company of NAPA and UAP — hosted the event at its global headquarters where artificial intelligence was the hot topic for many presenters.
But before the event got officially underway, attendees networked at Punchbowl Social in the heart of Battery Park, where Truist Park houses the Atlanta Braves baseball team, who were playing the second game of their National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Day 1 of the conference started with the Business Technology Council (BTC) Fall Meeting where suppliers discussed issues surrounding their business, as well as other industry issues.
Then, it was the MEMA Aftermarket Startup Challenge, which was won by Legacy EV, an electric vehicle educator and parts distributor.
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Then it was on to the sessions with Tilak Kasturi, founder and CEO of Predii, David Brondstetter, CEO of SureCritic and Scott Brown, industry ambassador from Diagnostic Network, discussing ChatGPT and AI’s impact on talent.
No, AI won’t replace people, Brown assured, but it can help in many roles throughout the aftermarket. For example, it can help technicians vet info and guide them through vehicle diagnosis. Furthermore, the technology could extend the careers of older techs.
“They can turn into the triage specialist in the shop,” Brown said, where they take the AI report and prepare a “repair path” for the techs to work on the vehicle.
Barry Neal and Neury Freitas from Roland Berger talked about the future of repair shops and the technology they’ll be adopting.
They noted that while some are preparing for these changes, shops are facing challenges like lack of space and investment constraints.
Dave Miller, vice president of global product line management at Gates Corporation, talked about how his company has adapted to serving EV repair needs. The independent aftermarket is seeing more EVs, especially as more options are released and prices fall.
Ben Ellencweig, senior partner at McKinsey, advised that AI should be treated as a co-pilot and a tool that can help your team, rather than taking it over.
The day wrapped up with the BTC announcing PDM Automotive as the 2023 winner of the Technology Innovation Award. Johannes Crepon, PDM’s CEO and co-founder, accepted the award.
The second day featured separate streams based on attendee interest. One focused on business technology, which featured a panel discussion on e-commerce and growth opportunities for the aftermarket, using AI responsibly and blockchain applications for the industry.
Another looked at aftermarket technology, which included a look at over-the-air advances, diagnosis second life opportunities with batteries and an examination of static versus dynamic ADAS calibrations.
The third stream looked at commercial vehicle technology, including details about a new committee, trends shaping heavy truck diagnosis and the electrification of commercial vehicles.
Susan Starnes, vice president of emerging markets at GPC, then hosted a town hall to discuss industry trends and what her company is doing to support the sector as it goes through change.
The event wrapped up with a banquet. As the event hadn’t been held in person due to the pandemic and a hurricane last year pushing it to be virtual, the always fun Toonie game made its return. Terry O’Reilly and Jeff Marshall from Ottawa-based Pricedex each flipped the iconic Canadian coin as attendees guessed how the coins would land with the last person standing winning a prize.
The game raised more than US$1,400 through attendee contributions and a matching donation from MEMA in support of the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation (AACF).
Stay tuned to Auto Service World as we’ll recap important messages from the event over coming months.
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