BETHESDA, Md. – The best examples of automotive cataloging were recognized April 9-12 at the 38th National Catalog Managers Association (NCMA) conference in St. Petersburg, Fla. Nearly 300 aftermarket professionals from manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers and a variety of print, electronic and information service providers gathered to advance their skills and knowledge of automotive cataloging.
“For a group that lives the ‘content is king’ mantra every business day, the three-and-a-half-day conference was a world-class gathering of folks who categorically know bits and bytes in and out,” writes Kathleen Schmatz, president/CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), in her blog, “On The Road With Kathleen.” “No matter what session you attended, it was ACES-this and PIES-that. There was training, education, professional development, networking and a well-attended trade show.”
CARDONE Industries was recognized as the best example of printed catalogs for its NAPA Remanufactured and NewMaster Cylinders Catalog. DENSO Sales of California took home the Gold for its Web catalog at www.densoaftermarket.com. International Brake Industries collected top honors for its innovative CD-ROM catalog.
“A highlight of the annual conference is the opportunity to recognize the best examples of cataloging in a variety of media,” said NCMA president Mark Richardson, Exide Technologies. “We judged more catalog entries than in many years and enjoy celebrating the hard work that goes into these essential publications.”
Attendees participated in a golf outing and a vendor trade show.
Scott Luckett, vice president, Technology Standards, AAIA, and Duane Meadows of DENSO led a training session titled, “Basic Standards Adoption Track,” where those new to ACES and PIES learned about best practices of industry data standards. Babcox Media Group Publisher Scott Shriber led a panel discussion of cataloging end-users to learn what is most important to them in catalog and product content.
Other training session topics included migrating from AAIA legacy or proprietary standards to ACES; an advanced class for those who are familiar with ACES and PIES but still have questions and want to master advanced ACES and PIES topics; and an ebusiness panel discussion on marketing and selling automotive products online.
Bob Egan, vice president, Customer Relations, Global Aftermarket, Federal-Mogul Corp., shared his thoughts on the role of content in driving a global aftermarket supplier and confronting the challenges and opportunities associated with industry standards, industry data pools and content management in a global environment.
The major event sponsors of the 38th annual NCMA Knowledge Exchange conference were POLK, Activant Solutions, Pricedex Software and Solenium Group. The National Catalog Managers Association also acknowledges the generous support of our other sponsors: Edgenet; MOTOR Information Systems; Show Me The Parts division of Vertical Development; Illumaware; NPD Group; WHI Solutions and Fry Communications.
2011 President’s Award for CATALOG EXCELLENCE
The NCMA President’s Award for Catalog Excellence is judged by a panel of peers for the best examples of cataloging in print, CD-ROM and web catalogs.
This year’s award winners were:
Paper
Gold
CARDONE Industries
NAPA Remanufactured & Master Cylinders
Paper
Silver
Remy Power Products
New & Remanufactured Alternators and Starters Application Guide
Paper
Bronze
Wells Manufacturing
Airtex Engine Management, Relays/Flasher Guide
CD ROM
Gold
International Brake Industries
Caliper Rebuilder Catalog – 2010
CD ROM
Silver
Standard Motor Products
Standard Electronic Illustrated Parts Guide
CD ROM
Bronze
Mighty Distributing System of America
Mighty Interactive Catalog (MICPlus)
Web
Gold
Denso Sales California
www.densoaftermarket.com
Web
Silver
Affinia Under Vehicle Group
www.raybestoschassis.com
Web
Bronze
K&N Engineering Inc.
www.knfilters.com
2011 President’s Award for Electronic Data Excellence
Electronic Data Excellence Awards are presented by the leading aftermarket data receivers to the suppliers who consistently provide the highest-quality electronic applications data.
This year’s winners were:
Best in Class
Presented by: Activant Solutions
To: Dorman Products, Inc.
Most Improved
Presented by: Activant Solutions
To: Honeywell Consumer Products Group
Best in Class
Presented by: Advance Auto Parts
To: Dayco Products, Inc.
Most Improved
Presented by: Advance Auto Parts
To: Stant USA Corp.
Best in Class
Presented by: AutoZone
To: ASC Industries, Inc.
Most Improved
Presented by: AutoZone
To: Dorman Products, Inc.
Best in Class
Presented by: CARQUEST
To: Deka/East Penn
Most Improved
Presented by: CARQUEST
To: NEAPCO, LLC
Best in Class
Presented by: Genuine Parts Co./NAPA
To: Rayloc
Most Improved
Presented by: Genuine Parts Co./NAPA
To: Affinia Brake & Chassis
Best in Class
Presented by: O’Reilly Auto Parts
To: K&N Engineering, Inc.
Most Improved
Presented by: O’Reilly Auto Parts
To: Magnaflow Performance Exhaust
Best in Class
Presented by: WHI Solutions
To: Gates Corp.
Most Improved
Presented by: WHI Solutions
To: NewTek Automotive Inc.
