North American Wheel Aftermarket: Riding Out the Storm

PALO ALTO, Calif.--Feb. 2, 20043, 2004--The days of the Reliant K car and functional transportation are long gone. Vehicles, like cell phones, personal stereos and sunglasses, have become personal accessory items. With creativity virtually unrestrained, proliferation of wheel styles and brands continues unchecked.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (www.transportation.frost.com), "North American Wheels Aftermarket," reveals this industry's revenues totaled $793.2 million in 2003 and are projected to reach $1 billion by 2009.

Historically, wheels were manufactured and distributed by a handful of North American-based companies. These companies controlled the product, the brands and the distribution channels. Radical changes in the business practices of South and Southeast Asian countries, coupled with low-cost labor and instantaneous communication via the Internet, provided alternative lower cost product. With the importance of the major barrier to entry reduced significantly, the number of market participants and brands has grown ten-fold.

Brand image and awareness of most of these companies have fallen to an all-time low, making price the major competitive factor. A few tumultuous years and intense competition for market share has gleaned many insufficiently funded companies from the ranks. With so much of the product coming from the same factories, differentiation must be at the design and brand level. Beyond the top-five market participants, brand equity has diminished severely.

"Unless companies build significant brand equity among end users, price growth, and consequently, total potential revenue are likely to be restrained," says Frost & Sullivan senior industry analyst, Mary-Beth Kellenberger.

Distributors and suppliers will also have to focus on skillful management of inventory to keep pace with constantly changing wheel styles, as vehicle owners now view wheels as style accessories that can be frequently changed.

Given that new wheel styles are released almost annually, inventory management in the distribution channel becomes critical, especially for those that depend on offshore manufacturers with long lead times.

"Continuous product development and changing preferences challenge an organization's ability to manage inventories effectively," says Kellenberger. "Companies need to increase inventory turnover in order to be profitable."

The large market participants face intense price competition. Many aftermarket wheel manufacturers are also original equipment manufacturers and economies of scale dictate that aftermarket wheels hold to the same standards, which have cost implications.

No defined standards actually exist for North American aftermarket wheels, and aftermarket only participants have gleaned costly standard-related steps from the manufacturing process. Visually, wheel quality is extremely difficult for the average consumer to evaluate. Manufacturers tied to OE standards are attempting to build recognition of the standards as a means of quality differentiation.

"Until such standards are widely recognized and valued, the North American wheel aftermarket is likely to continue its struggle against the increasing flood of poor-quality, low-priced products," observes Kellenberger.

"If SEMA is successful in getting companies to adopt its standards, then this challenge will become less intense by the end of the forecast period," concludes Kellenberger.

If you are interested in a virtual brochure, which provides manufacturers, end-users and other industry participants an overview of the analysis of this market, send an e-mail to Nuha Kadri, industrial media relations executive, at nkadri@frost.com with the following information: your full name, company name, title, telephone number, e-mail and title of the brochure you are interested in receiving. Upon receipt of your information, an overview will be sent to you via e-mail.

"North American Wheels Aftermarket," part of the Transportation subscription, provides valuable insights into the customer-oriented techniques and processes used by leading manufacturers. It also discusses the major strategies adopted by manufacturers, retailers and distributors to boost brand image and thereby drive sales. Summaries and interviews are available to the press.

Frost & Sullivan, an international growth consultancy, has been supporting clients' expansion for more than four decades. Our market expertise covers a broad spectrum of industries, while our portfolio of advisory competencies includes custom strategic consulting, market intelligence and management training. Our mission is to forge partnerships with our clients' management teams to deliver market insights and to create value and drive growth through innovative approaches. Frost & Sullivan's network of consultants, industry experts, corporate trainers and support staff spans the globe with offices in every major country.

"North American Wheels Aftermarket"

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Keywords: wheel aftermarket, original equipment wheels, Specialty Equipment Market Association, inventory management, distribution channel, market.