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Auto Parts Warehouses Keep Parts to Supply 30,000 Different Vehicle Models

6 April 1999

Auto Parts Warehouses Keep Parts to Supply 30,000 Different Vehicle Models

    RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., April 6 -- Auto parts
distributors' warehouses must stock hundreds of thousands of parts to supply
the more than 30,000 different vehicles on U.S. roads, according to the
Automotive Industry Status Report produced by the Motor & Equipment
Manufacturers Association (MEMA).
    The warehouses -- the first step in the automotive aftermarket
distribution channel after parts are manufactured -- ship the parts to their
wholesalers or retail store outlets to be used by professional installers or
do-it-yourselfers (DIY) who maintain and repair their own vehicles.
    Founded in 1904, MEMA exclusively represents and serves more than 700 U.S.
manufacturers of motor vehicle components, tools and equipment, automotive
chemicals, and related products used in the production, repair, and
maintenance of all classes of motor vehicles.  MEMA is headquartered in
Research Triangle Park, N.C., and has offices in Washington, D.C.; Detroit,
Mich.; Yokohama, Japan; Brussels, Belgium; Mexico City, Mexico; and Sao Paulo,
Brazil.  More information is available from the MEMA website, http://www.mema.org.