Thursday, July 28, 2011

What is ADS in the diesel industry? I have been asked . . .

It's the "Association of Diesel Specialists" which includes the big manufacturers of OEM diesel parts such as Bosch, Stanadyne, Cummins, Garrett, BorgWarner, etc. You see many of their decals and logo on our diesel shops. They cover the maintenance part of our business, and even though they carry many of our performance parts they tend to shy away from us because of the smoke!

I know the director and have met with him here in Kansas City where they are headquartered. The efforts they put forth are much needed and they provide valuable services for their members. The Association bring many connections for those who seek parts and manufacturers for the diesel maintenance industry.

The Association and it's members have a strict policy against the black smoke performance industry, but can you blame them? They sell largely to the OEMs and dealers who have to abide by strict EPA standards which do not want to jeopardize their business with the big boys.

Totally different market than our usual guys but it's one I have encouraged many shops to consider when they slow down on the performance market - diesel maintenance for local municipalities.

It's more meat and potatoes diesel which is very interesting if you are a shop owner, it's more of a trade association instead of a show like SEMA. They hold informative seminars and the vendor room is void of trucks and displays but filled with parts and manufacturers.

Their National convention is next week in Las Vegas and runs for about 3-4 days. I encourage any diesel shop owner to attend once and see if it benefits them.

Don't let their fear of black smoke scare you I have been going for 4-5 years and they are always friendly. I see many of the diesel shops attending we do business with at our events. It's very informative and you might find a new supplier of parts while you are there.

One of these day they might accept our segment of the industry, we certainly accept the maintenance side as being important for our diesel shop owners.

Ref: ADS

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