2020 is setting the stage for a monumental decade in the manufacturing industry. In the U.S. specifically, 76 percent of voters are interested in how presidential candidates will support and grow manufacturing — putting OEMs in the spotlight to make the months and years ahead their most productive yet.

From new technology innovations to trade wars, 2019 was an exciting, albeit hectic, year for the manufacturing industry. Plus, expanded adoption of the Internet of Things and Machine Learning, coupled with an ever-evolving customer landscape and the independent aftermarket, is leading many OEMs to explore Product-as-a-Service business models, where customers purchase a desired result or output of a product rather than the product itself.

As the manufacturing landscape continues to evolve into the next decade, the four key trends below can help OEMs fuel success:

1. The majority of OEMs’ businesses will be centered on delivering products-as-a-service by the end of the decade. According to IDC, 40 percent of manufacturers have some sort of IoT project underway.[1] However, most OEMs’ deployed products are disconnected, or not IoT enabled. We predict that by 2030, sensor-equipped, IoT-connected products will be the norm, providing OEMs the data and insights they need to make maximizing product uptime and delivering products-as-a-service a reality.
2. Flexible consumption models fuel products-as-a-service. Manufacturers can no longer employ a ‘one size fits all’ approach. As consumers flock to usership over ownership, customers will expect the same business models in their place of work. Several industrial manufacturers like BAE, Caterpillar, GE, ABB and more have launched subscription models, and we can expect many more to follow suit in 2020. OEMs will have to adopt new technologies, infrastructure and business processes to meet these new demands.
3. Technology will accelerate the shift to delivering products-as-a-service. Leading manufacturers have already recognized that accelerating the transformation to delivering products-as-a-service can only be accomplished if the core of their current service operations – service parts inventory and price management – are fully optimized. Flexible, scalable technology will be a key accelerator and enabler to selling products-as-a-service. Additionally, subscribers expect their equipment to be up and running at all times – putting previously unseen demands on manufacturers’ service organizations. Sophisticated service business transformation technologies, coupled with increasing data-transfer bandwidths (5G), IoT, artificial intelligence and Machine Learning, are paving the way for OEMs to facilitate predictive and prescriptive maintenance, optimize productivity and maximize product uptime more efficiently than ever before.

1. Governments and customers will push for manufacturing to be more environmentally sustainable. The way we create value in business today is very linear: we use natural resources to build a product, sell that product into market and dispose of it at the end of its lifecycle. The circular economy, however, aims to reduce waste and the continual use of natural resources. Adidas, for example, has the Futurecraft Loop shoe where consumers return the shoe to Adidas once they have worn them out and the shoes are repurposed for future Loops. It’s inevitable that this same model will make its way to the manufacturing sector, as governments, consumers and Wall Street will all expect to more sustainable business practices in place.

2020 is set to be a huge year for manufacturing on both a micro and macro level. From the rise of “as-a-Service” business models to the increased focus on sustainability, manufacturers are poised for a watershed year. And with the right infrastructure and resources in place, OEMs cannot only “roll” with these changes, but ultimately turn them into strategic advantages.

[1] IDC, 2019 Product and Service Innovation Survey, Doc # US44334119, Aug. 2019

Early into 2017, the auto market presented its latest advancements, including concept vehicles and self-driving cars. But despite these innovations in the auto industry, the average car buyer still doesn’t know what the term “connected car” really means. New data from Klashwerks’ 2017 State of Driving Survey shows more than 93 percent of drivers who have heard of self-driving cars think the idea is far-fetched, perplexing or even scary. With this in mind, shouldn’t drivers be given a safer, less expensive and more attainable alternative?

Enter aftermarket technology.

Since consumers have so openly welcomed the adoption of smart products to connect their homes, drivers should consider aftermarket technology as an alternative to splurging on more expensive options when buying a car.

Realistically, 2017 won’t be the year we see major developments in the connected car market. But when we do, the first to come will likely occur in the aftermarket space so drivers can expand beyond the smart homes to bring connectivity to their cars.

Here are three reasons why aftermarket will be an area to watch in the future:

The market is ripe

Now is a prime time for the car aftermarket to take off. Why? People are holding on to their cars for much longer as manufacturers continue to improve the quality — building cars to last longer and making them safer (and more enjoyable) to drive. Additionally, interest rates are now growing which makes any new car acquisition more expensive, not to mention the auto industry could be on the cusp of a protectionist trade war that will likely result in more expensive cars for Americans.

Car manufacturers beginning to realize this are looking at their existing customers for new business beyond just selling them new cars. The strategy seems to be to offer some kind of connected service for older car owners to enjoy some of the features they would only find in new cars. It’s clear that aftermarket tech is becoming increasingly important for car owners to make their cars more enjoyable and relevant, without having to incur the high cost of buying a new vehicle.

Consumers need a rich and more complete product experience

The majority of aftermarket solutions currently available to consumers are often expensive and only offer a single-feature benefit. What consumers really need are products that provide a rich and end-to-end experience with multiple, integrated features at a reasonable cost that allows them to enjoy their cars much longer than they would otherwise. This is where the opportunity for aftermarket tech can show the most promise, compared to other options on the market.

You’ll always be connected

As aftermarket tech continues to emerge in the connected car space, makers of these products are  quickly learning the struggle most smart home makers faced — It’s not easy to market the idea of connecting your car, let alone making all these products communicate with one another.

One of the main future features of aftermarket tech is the cellular connection. With it, these products will have the ability to draw from thousands of online sources in real time, allowing them to receive the right information at the right time and on demand. If there’s one thing the 2017 State of Driving Survey taught us, it’s that 32% of drivers are multitasking on the roads anyways. So why not eliminate the need to take your hands of the wheel by making your car do all the work for you? After all, that’s what the IoT is all about — ensuring products are always connected via a cellular network.

As the connected car space advances to parallel the smart home, consumers should increasingly consider the benefits of adopting aftermarket technologies first before buying a very expensive new car that will sit most of the time in their driveway. New developments in the aftermarket space will help make vehicle upgrades affordable and accessible while bringing the connected car to your driveway (or garage) sooner than you expect.

For many auto repair shop owners, the garage is already stocked with the tools needed to get cars back on the road in no time. But while cars are getting their regular check ups and new parts, what about the business itself?

Beyond the ratchets, multimeters, and car jacks, mechanics need to consider the technology that will help run their business for them, as they focus on the cars themselves. These days, business owners can automate everything from building their online reputation  to managing customer feedback and re-engaging existing customers – all while providing a great customer experience.

So what are the top things every shop owner needs to drive success? Here are the 3 a shop can’t live without..

Online Reputation Management

A majority of existing and new customers go online to look up the vendors they need – looking at reviews from previous customers. An online presence is the bare minimum needed these days to be noticed, but auto shop owners can take it one step further and make their shop stand out from the pack with glowing reviews. Whether it’s on the shop’s own website or on popular review sites like Yelp, Google, Facebook or RepairPal, positive reviews from satisfied customers go a long way to bringing that next customer in the door.

Customer Feedback

You may think you know what your customers think about your service, but do you really? Believe it or not, many customers are not comfortable sharing honest feedback with staff or business owners in person. Even if your customers smile and nod when asked if they had a good experience, there often is more to the story than customers will share at the point of purchase.

A customer feedback system can engage your customers after they leave the shop via text message or email to ask about their experience, and quickly generate detailed insights that helps your shop understand where you are excelling, while also pointing out the areas of service that your customers believe could use improvement.

Customer Engagement

How do you turn new customers into loyal customers? Target them with the right email promotions, service recommendations, or reminders at just the right time. According to Salesforce’s 2016 State of Marketing Report, “49 percent of marketers claim email is directly linked to their business’ primary revenue source”.. But first, you need to capture your customer’s email – which can be easily done by setting up online appointment request forms and training your staff to ask for customer email addresses at the point of purchase.

Once you start building your customer database, marketing automation makes it possible to automatically send the right communications to the right customers to help fill your bays and grow your shop’s revenues.

As you set up and run your shop day-to-day, invest in the technology that will help you drive success. This way, you can spend more doing what you love — helping your customers get back on the road..

When we go to fill our gas tanks, most of us never think twice about the quality of gasoline we’re putting in our car. We’re guilty of looking for the nearest gas station, or if we’re in close proximity to a few, we’ll choose the one with the least expensive price per gallon. However, what we’re saving at the pump may actually be costing us on a much larger scale later on down the road, as the lower quality of gas harms our engines and costs money for expensive repairs.

Back in the 1980s, the increased use of fuel injection systems was starting to create another problem. It was found that the gasoline in use was causing harmful engine deposits, leading to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandating that all fuels in the U.S. have a minimum level of detergent additives included. Recently though, it’s been discovered that this minimum detergent package is not enough to get the job done.

Certain gasoline manufacturers went even further than the EPA by creating this TOP TIER standard, requiring a higher level of detergent than set by law. In early July, AAA released a study that found gasolines with the minimum additives cause 19 times more engine deposits than those with added detergent after just 4,000 miles of simulated driving, proving that not all gasoline is created equal. Higher quality fuel costs on average about three cents more a gallon than a lesser gasoline, but switching to a TOP TIER fuel after using lower quality fuel can reduce or remove deposits that have already formed.

As part of their research, AAA also surveyed drivers to find out their beliefs and purchase habits in regards to fuel. Key findings include:

• Many drivers (2/3) believe that fuel quality does vary by brand
• But about half (47%) of U.S. drivers do not regularly buy gasoline that contains an enhanced detergent additive
• Americans are six times more likely to choose a gas station based on the price of gasoline than the quality of fuel.

Based on these findings, the consequences of using lower quality gasoline is a concern that needs to be brought to many motorists’ attention. It may be a little more expensive and less convenient to fill your tank with higher quality fuel, but it’s evident that these slight drawbacks are greatly outweighed by the benefits. Not only does using fuel with added detergent benefit your engine by reducing engine deposits, but it can also improve fuel mileage and performance. It will also result in your car having lower emissions and having a smoother idle.

Since higher quality gasoline is more expensive, you’ll want to make sure you’re getting the most out of it. Here are some adjustments you can make to improve fuel mileage:

• Check and set tire pressures – according to the Department of Energy, every one psi (pounds per square inch) drop in the pressure of the tires will lower gas mileage by .4%. Tires can lose about 2 psi per month.
• Make sure alignment is correct – improper alignment leads to tire dragging and wear, which will decrease MPG.
• Don’t idle your engine unnecessarily – it burns unnecessary fuel, and restarting your car only takes about 10 seconds of fuel!
• Avoid heavy acceleration and braking – this can lower gas mileage by 33% at highway speeds and by 5% at around town speeds.
• Try to drive at constant speeds – use cruise control when possible to maintain a moderate speed (~50mph) and decrease aerodynamic drag.

If you commit to making the switch to high quality fuel and making these small changes to your car/driving style, you’ll ensure that your car is healthy and efficient.

Whether you drive a compact car, small crossover, medium SUV, or a full-size pickup truck, there is a good reason to install a trailer hitch on your vehicle, even if you’re not pulling a trailer. In this article, we will discuss the advantages of a rear-mounted receiver hitch for carrying cargo or sporting equipment.

A “receiver hitch” is one which has a square-shaped opening in its center, to receive either the trailer ball & mount, or any number of available accessories. A typical such hitch looks like this:

The hitch industry has exploded in recent years, with the tow hitch manufacturers cranking out plenty of offerings. The good news for you is that there is a greater chance than ever of finding a trailer hitch designed specifically for your year, make, and model vehicle. And let’s bust this myth that the trailer hitch must be welded to the car. False! Not only do these custom units bolt into place, most of them do not require drilling. They cleverly use openings in the existing frame or unibody for strategically placed hardware. We have done a few of these installs ourselves. A buddy is helpful (but not necessary) to lift the hitch into place. But most can be bolted into place within an hour.

As you begin the shopping process, you may need to make some decisions among the choices you find. If you are NOT planning to ever pull a trailer, the “load rating” of the receiver hitch is of little or no concern. You may find, however, that you have a choice between the two most common receiver sizes: 1 ¼”, or 2”. The dimension refers to the measure of one side of the square, and these are industry standards. If both sizes are available, we recommend the 2”, as there will be more accessories to choose from. If you have a compact or subcompact, the 1 ¼” may be the only choice. Do not fret! An adapter will allow use of 2” accessories in the smaller opening.

Today, most of these quality units are painted or powder-coated for long-lasting good looks, and are tucked behind the bumper to avoid bruising your shins every time you walk past the car. Once you’ve purchased and installed the hitch, the real fun begins, and that is researching the plethora of accessories you can buy.

From our experience, probably the most popular hitch-mounted accessory is the bike rack. Let’s face it: folks love bike-riding, and being able to drive your bike to a different riding location expands your choice of locales. But the act of carrying the bikes can be so cumbersome. Do you put it inside the wagon? On the roof? What if you have multiple bikes to carry? The hitch-mounted bike rack gives you the advantages of a low lift height, secure mounting, and 100% of your vehicle’s interior room. Some models carry 2 bikes; others can take up to 5, so be sure to check the details. The deluxe ones include arms that swing the bikes out of the way, allowing you to open your tailgate without unloading the bikes.

Winter sports more your thing? The skiers and snowboarders among you will be thrilled to know that you can purchase hitch-mounted carriers for these kinds of sports equipment. While the vehicle’s roof has been the more traditional carrying spot, your car may not accommodate a roof-mounted carrier, or you may be disinclined to reach up there all the time.

Perhaps you need to occasionally carry more stuff than will fit in the back of the truck, and who doesn’t have more stuff these days? Cargo carriers in the form of trays, baskets, even boxes, can be mounted into the receiver hitch. If you have a family, with every seat taken inside the vehicle, sometimes all you need is “that little bit more” room, and these carriers fit the bill perfectly. (We have personally seen many modern 3-row SUVs which offer miniscule cargo holds behind the 3^rd seat.) Like the sports equipment carriers, you gain the advantage of low lift-over compared to anything roof-mounted. These can easily be removed when not needed; some offer the option of a fold-up design which keeps them at-the-ready, but tucked out of the way when not being used.

Finally, in the “less is more” category, we have receiver-mounted hitch steps. While not “cargo carriers” per se, these inexpensive yet extremely handy little devices give you a boost right where you need it: up to your car’s roof, or into the pickup bed, even as a step to get you deep into the wayback of the SUV. Many of them have rubbertread for surefootedness, and are available in various finishes. Some offer the option of an additional light in them. OK, we’ll say it:
these are especially appreciated by those of us who are vertically challenged. We know some owners who keep theirs in place year-round as additional parking lot protection (and a recent trip into NYC bore witness to over half the SUVs having this rear step left in place at all times).

In conclusion: receiver hitches are affordable (many units are under $200), easy to install, and are not just for people who own a camper or a boat! For many, their primary use is to carry sports equipment or additional cargo. When used this way, the rear hitch offers you easy and convenient loading which doesn’t intrude on interior
space. We think that once you’ve experienced how versatile they are, you will be looking for additional cargo-carrying accessories for your hitch.

Buying a new or used vehicle can be a daunting task especially in a place like LA county, you surf websites, visit dealerships, exchange contact information, and get hounded by pushy sales tactics.  We’ve all either heard or have horror stories.  Shouldn’t buying a car be fun and exciting?  It is again with HaggleChamp.

Buying a new or used vehicle in LA The HaggleChamp way.

HaggleChamp is changing car sales by putting the power where it belongs again, with you the buyer.  We get our network of Los Angeles car dealerships to compete for your business.  Why chase after a vehicle deal when you can have it come to you and you get to avoid the pushy over bearing sales tactics used by some dealership?  Save your time, money, effort and get the best possible deal.  That’s saving like a champ.

How does HaggleChamp work?

Simply go to the HaggleChamp home page and tell us you are looking to buy.  You can say a specific vehicle make and model or something generic like, “I want a car no more than 10-years-old.” We gather other basic information like your budget range, if you have a trade in, and when you are planning to buy.  The whole process takes less than a minute. It is ideal for people who feel uncomfortable with

From there, we alert our network of car dealerships in LA about your request.  They respond and give you offers.  You can see the offers roll in on your “dashboard”. We’ll alert you as new vehicle offers come in.

Get the most out of HaggleChamp.

Also, make sure you look at vehicle mileage and years.  Higher miles and older vehicles tend to go for less money, but if you need something newer, then that might not work for you.

Options, the more options a vehicle has the higher the price tag, normally.  A car with power everything tends to have a higher price tag than a car with roll down windows.