VIPAR Heavy Duty’s Product Advisory Councils Continue to Enhance Supplier Programs, Strengthen Network
CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. – (Trailer Technician) – VIPAR Heavy Duty’s Product Advisory Councils recently marked their five-year anniversaries performing business as usual – quarterly meetings discussing, charting and planning the network’s success in the consistently dynamic and complex heavy-duty aftermarket.
VIPAR Heavy Duty maintains three Product Advisory Councils – one for each North American country – to refine and develop new supplier programs and optimize communication within its network of parts distributors and manufacturers. Each Product Advisory Council is comprised of VIPAR Heavy Duty stockholders selected by location, size and market type. The quarterly touchpoints are held with the company’s program management team.
“The Product Advisory Councils are instrumental in guiding our global strategy. They help us monitor and plan for conditions by keeping ears close to the ground with insights from distributors on their local regions,” said Larry Griffin, vice president of program management for VIPAR Heavy Duty. “There are market nuances that can be very specific to a region or territory, as well as larger challenges and opportunities that can impact all of North America. Regardless of scale, the Product Advisory Councils keep us ahead of the curve for emerging trends and conditions.”
For instance, Griffin said, topics can include product demand, supplier program performance and expansion, supply chains, logistics, cross-border trade and currency exchange rates.
“While it can be a wide range of subjects, the mission – as it has been for five years – is really about helping each other bring the greatest value to our distributors and their end-user customers,” Griffin said.
The next Product Advisory Council meetings will be held during the company’s annual IMPACT Conference, scheduled for Oct. 15-20 in Marco Island, Fla.
About The VIPAR Heavy Duty Family of Companies
VIPAR Heavy Duty is North America’s leading network of independent aftermarket truck parts distributors. VIPAR Heavy Duty distributors serve the needs of their customers from more than 700 locations across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico. VIPAR Heavy Duty distributors are specialists who understand the demands of their local, regional, and national customers for quality parts and exceptional service. VIPAR Heavy Duty also operates two wholly owned subsidiaries, Global Parts Network, LLC and Power Heavy Duty LLC, as part of the VIPAR Heavy Duty Family of Companies. VIPAR Heavy Duty is a proud member of NEXUS North America and NEXUS Automotive International, a worldwide group of parts distributors committed to bringing a global approach to the automotive and commercial vehicle aftermarket industries. For more information, visit www.vipar.com.