The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of Massachusetts (AASP/MA) will be tackling the parts procurement issue head-on with a panel of national industry representatives in its upcoming statewide meeting, September 12, in Marlborough.
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The evening will kick off with a dinner, followed by a collision industry training presentation at 6:45pm by Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. (facilitated by Wholesale Development Manager Jerry Raskind and Toyota Collision Consultant Rick Leos).
A panel of industry experts commissioned by AASP/MA will be providing an update on the parts procurement issue, including the latest developments with State Farm’s controversial PartsTrader program as well as the industry’s reaction to parts bidding – both here and overseas.
AASP/MA President Rick Starbard will be joined on the panel with Raskind and Leo, as well as Aaron Schulenburg (executive director, Society of Collision Repair Specialists [SCRS]), Tony Lombardozzi (president, Coalition for Collision Repair Excellence [CCRE]), Gary Danko (Connecticut wholesale parts representative, Balise Auto Group).
“The insurance industry has attempted to present parts bidding programs – most notably, PartsTrader – as so-called ‘win-win’ situations for all parties involved,” Starbard says. “In looking at these programs in-depth, we fail to see any ‘win’ for anyone but the insurance industry. In a state like Massachusetts, where our only real profit margin is derived from parts markup, programs like the one State Farm is attempting to introduce could have devastating effects. We’ve set up this panel to not only educate members on the parts bidding issue in general, but also to give a wake-up call to those who think it can’t happen in Massachusetts.
