HEAVY Duty Aftermarket Dialogue (HDAD) was held in Las Vegas at The Mirage, but it was clear from the sessions that the industry is anything but a mirage.
In his presentation, “The Fundamental Drivers of the Industry," Bob Dieli, the president and founder of RDLB Inc, said he thinks the trucking industry is in very good shape—at least based on Truckable Economic Activity (TEA).
He said TEA totalled $10.4 trillion in the third quarter of last year and was divided like this: consumption 43%, investment 26%, exports 14%, imports 10%, and government 7%.
He said TEA has been making steady progress from 2009-2014 and is tracking almost identically to the longest expansion period (1991-2001).
“It might be time to stop saying bad things about this expansion,” he said.
David Seewack broke down the eCommerce industry, saying $304.1 billion was transacted online in 2014, including $31.6 billion in automotive and parts. That number is projected to increase steadily every year, reaching $491.5 billion (and $51.6 billion in auto and parts) in 2018.
HDAD featured a full day of high-impact content presented by world-class experts and industry leaders, providing attendees with an in-depth look at the present and future market conditions in the heavy-duty aftermarket industry. It was an initiative of Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA), the heavy-duty division of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), in partnership with MacKay & Company, and was held January 26 preceding the opening of Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week ‘15.
The conference included breakfast, two breaks, and a luncheon, planned to facilitate networking with industry peers, as well as conference books containing presentation materials.
Patterned after Heavy Duty Dialogue (HDD), 80% of the audience was VP to CEO-level executives from supplier companies. ♦