The “Convergence of Business & Technology” may be an obvious phenomenon occurring throughout all supply chains, but a poignant discussion of its impact and how to ensure the convergence is an ally and not a foe is overdue in the aftermarket. This was the theme for the recent 2013 AASA Technology Council (ATC) Fall Conference, and it resounded loudly through several conference activities and sessions.
A record number of conference attendees demonstrated clearly that there is significant value in having marketing and technology professionals engage in discussions of new, trending technologies. There was much-needed collaboration between these two areas of discipline in a new environment in which almost all technologies impact or are driven by marketing, customer needs or overall business objectives.
The AASA Marketing Executives Council (MEC) held its annual fall meeting in conjunction with the Conference, which included joint meetings of marketing and technology professionals. ATC and MEC members addressed emerging/disruptive technologies and methods to take advantage of them. Discussions focused on who within a manufacturer is responsible for leading the internal conversations regarding future and emerging technologies and what processes are in place to develop strategies to take advantage of them. Participants agreed that addressing technologies with which manufacturers are not familiar or are not core to their businesses is challenging. They also discussed the need to stay abreast of non-core technologies because of the potential threats they present.
Members of both councils received an in-depth presentation on the results from the 2013 ATC It Spend & Trends Survey. Paul McCarthy, vice president for AASA, led the discussion of the results, which included an increased IT spend in the aftermarket, increased focus on mobile apps, and a projected increase in use of industry data standards and EDI over the next few years. ERP/CRM applications continue to garner the highest amount of attention and spend by IT executives.
Bill Hanvey, AASA vice president, and I engaged in a friendly point-counterpoint discussion on the relative importance of Marketing vs. Technology. We argued about Marketing’s increasing rogue acquisitions of mobile devices, mobile apps and other online software that cannot be supported by IT. We debated IT’s lack of understanding of customer requirements, slow response rates to new project requests and the tendency to keep tight controls over systems, networks and access. There was agreement on one thing, which was supported by results from several studies, there is a distinct disconnect between the business world and IT. Bill and I presented five specific solutions to bridging the chasm, one of which is to have Marketing and IT meet to discuss objectives and budgets prior to final approvals to eliminate gaps, overlaps and misunderstandings.
The ATC presented to MEC members the purpose and activities of its Standards Adoption Committee, which addresses industry e-commerce and data standards to help ensure adoption and use by the supplier community.
Bottom line: The ATC Fall Conference provided a unique forum for Marketing and IT to compare notes, think about “what ifs” and discuss industry issues from a different perspective. That is healthy for aftermarket manufacturers and healthy for the industry.
The ATC announced its 2014 event dates during the Fall Conference, which include the ATC Spring Meeting, March 27 in Charlotte; and the ATC Fall Conference, October 5-8 in Marco Island, Fla.
Chris Gardner is vice president, programs and member services, for the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA). He is the executive director of the AASA Technology Council (ATC), which provides leadership and a forum for technology leaders from supplier companies to exchange best practices, identify leading technology trends and address technology issues in the aftermarket.
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