The Council of Fleet Specialists and the Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Assn. have announced a joint educational effort that is a first in the heavy duty parts business.

The two associations are offering a number of educational seminars for rebuilders of heavy duty truck parts and equipment, for both on- and off-road vehicles.
The seminars are to be held in conjunction with the International BIG R Show, scheduled Oct. 29-Nov.1 at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Seminar topics include:
Lean Remanufacturing: Lean remanufacturing is a technique originally developed in the automotive industry that concentrates on shortening the time between the customer’s order and shipment. You will learn the fundamentals of this process—from visual controls to set-up & batch-size reductions. The course is a mixture of classroom and live simulation. Instructor: John Fargher, Jr., Ph.D., Director, Missouri Enterprise Business Assistance Center.
Tax Secrets of the Wealthy: Irv Blackman is a lawyer and author of the new book, Tax Secrets of the Wealthy. Blackman specializes in the areas of estate planning, business succession and asset protection.
Unlocking the Commercial Vehicle Market: Moderator Bruce Plaxton, BGP Marketing Solutions will chair the opening session panel featuring industry leaders who will discuss the role remanufactured components are playing and will continue to play in the commercial vehicle marketplace. The nation's fleet operators are under more pressure to manage their resources more efficiently. Panelists will address the changing requirements for remanufactured components and how the remanufacturer must respond to grow their business in the years ahead. Attendees will hear from:
-- Tom Clevinger, general marketing manager for Paccar Parts
-- Lew Flowers of the U.S. Postal Service, where he is currently manager of the Oklahoma region maintenance and a former general chairman of The Maintenance Council (TMC)
-- Russell Musgrave, managing director of maintenance of FedEx for the eastern half of the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Each panelist will bring a perspective of the marketplace for this opening session discussion. Points of discussion will include the differing requirements for commercial vehicles vs. the automotive market; end user expectations; durability and reliability of new versus reman components; and core management.
To eBay or Not to eBay: David Struck of Weller Auto/Truck Parts in Grand Rapids, Mich., will talk about how he has utilized eBay to buy and sell a variety of auto and truck parts. We all know the impact that eBay has had in the marketplace and we are finding that many people in the auto and truck aftermarket are locating serious buyers and sellers through eBay.
The Effect of Mechatronics and Electronics on the Future of Your Remanufacturing Business: Fernand Weiland of FJW Consulting, Cologne (Germany), will moderate this workshop and explain how the advent of electronics will affect products that are currently only mechanical or electrical in nature. The technological change will be such that remanufacturers will have to face this challenge if they wish to stay in the reman business.
Future of Heavy Truck Technology: Bill Wade, executive director of the Council of Fleet Specialists will present an overview of major technology trends that are drastically changing the heavy-duty parts and service business.
Warranty Return Analysis – Straight to the Bottom Line: Warranty returns represent a financial burden to a remanufacturing organization. Many businesses look at warranty costs as unavoidable due to the reuse of components, replacement component reliability and the demands of their customer base. These factors represent a major challenge, but one that can be met when armed with a strategy and the appropriate analysis tools.
"Reman products are increasing in importance for CFS distributors, so this cooperation is a natural" said Frank Szabo, CFS chairman. "I don’t think that any of our members who are heavily invested (or are thinking about increasing their reman presence) can afford to miss an opportunity like this."
Mike Hill, chairman of APRA’s Heavy Duty Remanufacturing Group, said, "This is a good thing to have CFS distributors attending our International BIG R Show and participating in some of our program events that are focused on the heavy duty marketplace. We welcome their presence."
For complete details on registering for these events, visit www.cfshq.com or www.BIGRShow.com. Or call (703) 968-2772, ext. 105 to receive a convention brochure.