Imaging Standards to support best practices

The requirement for visual product data that supports all cataloging and e-commerce operations is increasing. The AAIA Imaging Standards Workgroup published the Aftermarket Imaging Best Practices to offer guidance for suppliers and their channel partners. They created this guide to offer a single best practice for capture, management and distribution of product images. Check out the AAIA for more information.

ACES-Update 10/05/2005 AAIA Adds More Than 440, 2006 Vehicles to the VCDB

AAIA Adds More Than 440, 2006 Vehicles to the VCDB AAIA has released the September 30, 2005 version of the ACES standard. In this release, AAIA adds more than 440 new model year vehicles to the Vehicle Configuration database (VCDB) and Make Model (MM) table. 2006 model year additions include 110 Ford models, 88 Chevrolet models and 76 GMC models. Nissan, Jeep and Mercedes-Benz models were also added.

The September 30, 2005 version of the Parts Categorization database (PCDB) is also available for download. This release adds 26 new part terminologies. The PCDB was developed to support electronic catalog data standard and supersedes the Parts Definition (PD) table. The next release of the ACES standard is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 28, 2005. Regular updates to ACES are published at the end of every month. ACES 2006 Pre-release Documentation

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Right to Repair Act Gains 10 More Supporters

Congressional support for the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act (H.R. 2048) has reached 61 co-sponsors, it was announced today by Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). The proposed legislation gained 10 new co-sponsors in recent weeks.

“We want to thank the most recent 10 co-sponsors for supporting this vital piece of legislation that benefits every consumer who owns a vehicle as well as every small business owner in the automotive aftermarket,” Schmatz said. “The growing support of the Right to Repair Act shows that Congress is taking this piece of legislation very seriously and wants their constituents to have the right to choose where to have their vehicles serviced and repaired.”

The Right to Repair Act, which was introduced by Reps. Joe Barton, R-Texas, Edolphus Towns and Darrel Issa would require the car companies to make the same service information and tools capabilities available to independents that they provide their franchised dealer networks. Architects of the Right to Repair Act added new language this year to clarify that car company trade secrets are protected unless that information is provided to the franchised new car dealer. The new language also clarifies the responsibilities of the Federal Trade Commission in enforcing the bill’s requirements. Check out the AAIA for more information.