Newsmaker Q&A: Keith Pretty

Jan. 1, 2020
Keith Pretty, Northwood University President and CEO, spoke to Aftermarket Business World about his takeaways from the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mich.
Keith Pretty, Northwood University President and CEO, attended the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mich., this month. Running from Jan. 14-27, the show offers a preview into what issues and trends are ahead for the aftermarket. Pretty spoke to Aftermarket Business World about his impressions and takeaways from the show.

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What were your thoughts on the show atmosphere?

“There is a lot of enthusiasm, which is great to see for Michigan, the Midwest and in automotive-producing areas. The show is beginning to take on a lot more life and vitality, similar to how it was 4-5 years ago. It recently was “cars on carpet” and not much more. Now, there are more product introductions, elaborate displays, glitz and glamour. Almost all the corporate CEOs of the automotive manufacturers were there to introduce products. It is again becoming what it has been historically — the leading international show to start the calendar year and a place where companies really bring a lot of their newest and best ideas.

What new types of innovation were introduced?

There were tons of innovation, far more than I’ve seen in the last couple of years. Every manufacturer is now exhibiting some type of hybrid vehicle or a vehicle with an alternative source of power. Everyone is talking about how many miles per gallon can be achieved with this new vehicle or that to meet fuel economy standards. All these vehicles have an impact on the aftermarket — maybe not immediately, but in the future.

For example, Jeep put out a new clean diesel vehicle, which may have been spurred from their new partnership with Fiat. Diesel, and the other alternatives for gasoline and combustion engines, are high on the list for manufacturers and are going to become mainstream for the aftermarket in a couple of years. Many manufacturers have hybrid models they expect to be better-selling vehicles. The service side of those hybrid vehicles is going to be a critical component of success in the aftermarket.

Anything unexpected that you came across at the show?

Much to my surprise, there were many tire suppliers on the main floor. Michelin was at one end, and Bridgestone at the other. Tires are making that much of a difference in terms of quality and their ability to generate a smooth ride and a few extra miles per gallon. I see tire sales having an impact for the aftermarket.

What from the show will have the biggest impact on the aftermarket?

At a show like this, everything is new and innovative, and any of these things that hit the market successfully are going to lead to new opportunities. The thing that stands out is how international the show has become. There are manufacturers across the globe - from China, Europe and Asia. The expanding need to be able to service and supply aftermarket parts for a variety of manufacturers is critical, which points to international-ness of the aftermarket itself. So many suppliers are now manufacturing and distributing. All over the globe, quality is important, but new markets are growing, such as in China and India, with expanding aftermarket opportunities everywhere.

Will show trends have any impact on curriculum at Northwood University?

Updating curriculum is always top of mind, and something we continuously do. We have a very large and prestigious group of aftermarket executives who help us to regularly change our curriculum to meet the needs of the industry. Globalization is one of those areas, along with different areas of logistics. We added a whole new area of curriculum in supply chain and operations management that is directly applicable to the aftermarket. That has changed pretty radically in the last few years as the suppliers have become global.

We meet regularly with both the new car manufacturers and the aftermarket producers and have an advisory board for each to help change and upgrade our curriculum.

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