Manufacturers to Discuss Changing Industry at Heavy Duty Dialogue, Aftermarket Week
By Jonathan S. Reiskin, Associate News Editor
This story appears in the Jan. 4 print edition of Transport Topics.
Manufacturers and distributors of truck parts and systems are scheduled to discuss the changes coming to the industry during the next decade as they gather in Las Vegas Jan. 18-21 for a pair of heavy-duty events.
The Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association will hold its annual one-day Heavy Duty Dialogue Jan. 18 to look at “The Next Decade in the Commercial Vehicle Industry.”
The Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week ’10 trade show follows and includes workshops focusing on “Achieving Success in a Changing Environment.”
Dennis Slagle, CEO of Volvo AB’s North American truck operations, is the major executive participating in Heavy Duty Dialogue this year. He will join two industry analysts in providing a 10-year view of trucking.
Robert Bohn, chairman and CEO of specialized heavy vehicle maker Oshkosh Corp. will speak on a related topic.
“We could have given out boxes of Kleenex and talked about the last two or three years, but our focus is on the future,” said HDMA President Tim Kraus. “We want to show the bigger picture of how the commercial vehicle industry fits within the global economy.”
Consultant Jürgen Reers will offer a strategic assessment of the industry through 2020, with assistance from Transport Topics Editorial Director Howard Abramson.
HDMA said its Dialogue usually brings together 300 to 350 senior executives from the industry.
HDAW workshops are typically aimed at parts distributors and maintenance shops.
Consultant Stuart MacKay will offer an assessment of the industry at both events. Aftermarket Week also shows new products and services, and allows manufacturers and distributors to meet in roughly 1,700 one-on-one sessions.
Three major truckload executives will offer their views to the manufacturers as part of a new panel presentation: Jerry Moyes, chairman and CEO of Swift Transportation Co.; Patrick Quinn, co-chairman and president of U.S. Xpress Enterprises; and Jim O’Neal, founder of O&S Trucking. The executives will focus on global freight transportation.
Other presenting analysts include Eric Starks, president of FTR Associates; Bill Strauss, senior economist for the Federal Reserve’s Chicago bank; stock analyst Eli Lustgarten of Longbow Research; Derek Kaufman, CEO of C3 Networks; Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association President Bob McKenna; and foreign policy expert Thomas Barnett.
Aftermarket Week is owned by HDMA, the Heavy Duty Distribution Association and the Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network. Ten additional groups representing specialized manufacturers and distribution networks join to sponsor and organize HDAW, an annual event first held in 2006.
