2016 SEMA Middle East Trip

SEMA INTERNATIONAL
2016
SEMA
Middle
East:
Tazweed Style
By Linda Spencer
n “CSE really displayed the passion for motorsports and customizing in the Middle East,
and the buyers who attended the show had great interest in our products,” said Lake
Speed Jr., (left), general manager of Driven Racing Oil LLC. “I think that this is going to be
a fast-growing marketplace for SEMA-member companies.”
N
early 40 SEMA-member companies traveled together to
the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of the fifth SEMA
Middle East business development program. The companies
included manufacturers of engine performance, suspension,
interior and exterior products and those whose products are
used for racing, street performance and off-roading as well as for classic
cars, restoration and hot rods. The group was in the Middle East to learning about the local specialty-equipment market firsthand, tazweed style
(Arabic for customization).
As with other SEMA overseas buisness munications. To that end, the program
development programs in China, Russia also included one-on-one meetings with
and Australia, the recent Abu Dhabi-based pre-vetted buyers, intended to lead to new
program was designed to provide partici- business.
pants with an understanding of the vehicle
“Participation was excellent this year
customization market, including which and gave the attendees a great opportunity
vehicles are the most popular to modify as to share their passion with top-tier cuswell as informaiton about the local racing tom, racing and performance businesses
and off-road scenes.
in the Middle East,” said Wade Kawasaki,
“These international trips are designed CEO of Coker Tire and chair-elect of the
to create new opportunities for SEMA SEMA Board of Directors. “It was another
members,” explained Peter MacGillivray, successful event, not only for creating new
SEMA vice president for events and com- opportunities but also to gain the knowl-
150
June 2016 SEMA News
edge to create export-ready products for
key markets.”
The delegation was comprised of both
companies already doing some business in
the area and those exploring the market
with SEMA for the first time. Sean Crawford, director of marketing and business
development for JE Pistons, observed that
the trip is beneficial for those new to the
market as well as for those looking to grow
their exisitng business.
“If you are a manufacturer and have no
distribution in the area, these trips are a
no-brainer,” he said. “SEMA sets you up
with prescreened buyers and gives you
the opportunity to talk business. If you
already have distribution in place, that’s
even better. The program gives you the
opportunity to go talk to your customers
and see what really drives their businesses.”
The trip included four packed days
that featured exhibiting at the Custom
Show Emirates, visiting specialty-equipment installers, retailers and wholesalers,
networking with buyers at more informal
gatherings such as barbeques and karting,
and participating in briefings by U.S. government officials in the area.
SEMA also sponsored an international
measuring session as part of the program.
The session featured six vehicles popularly
customized in the region but not sold in
the U.S., including Y61 and Y62 Nissan
Patrols, older and current versions of Land
Cruisers, and two versions of the popular
overseas Ford Ranger. Delegation members were able to measure the vehicles both
to design new products as well as to see if
current products would fit one or more of
the vehicles.
SEMA Garage staff members were also
on hand at the sessions to create highquality CAD designs that will be made
available to SEMA members through the
Tech Transfer program administered by
the SEMA Garage.
The SEMA Middle East program and
other business development programs are
made possible through a partnership with
the Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) of the U.S. Department
of Commerce.
“We were able to speak with U.S. government officials from the embassies across
the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
and the U.S. Department of Commerce
to gain key insights about their regions,”
said Jack Tese, head of business development for Kooks Custom Headers Inc. “In
adition to the financial support provided
through the MDCP award, SEMA and
the SEMA-member participants greatly
valued the insight and technical support
provided by the U.S. government. “The
information was crucial to gaining a better
understanding of doing business in each
particular region as well as the requirements of exporting that can often be very
complicated. It’s a much easier process to
understand when you have one-on-one
time with an expert who not only know
the region’s complexities but also is familiar with the most prominent buyers and
legal regulations.”
Liz Couch, a U.S. Department of Commerce official and the MDCP award’s
team leader, traveled to the Middle East
with SEMA.
“SEMA’s Middle East event offers a
wonderful opportunity for U.S. specialtyparts companies to meet potential buyers,
learn more about vehicle customization
trends in these growth markets and gain
n Each company was provided with a turnkey booth at the Custom Show Emirates
(CSE). SEMA pre-vetted trade buyers who
traveled to the event from 10 countries in
the region. Sales for Atech Motorsports was
represented by Jon Stupar (third from left)
and David Canfield (second from right).
n “I am sure every company that participated was very satisfied with the event as a
whole,” said Erika Garcia (left), sales manager for BOLT Locks by STRATTEC. “Linda
Spencer and the SEMA international team
did an outstanding job. We participated
in 2015 and again in 2016. Even though at
first we were a little skeptical at the potential our BOLT products would have in the
GCC countries, primarily because our target
market is for pickups and SUVs. We were
pleasantly surprised to see many of these
vehicles on the streets in 2015, including
Jeeps, Toyota HiLuxes and Land Cruisers. The Nissan SUV Patrol is also super
popular, as are American pickups, including
Chevy, GMC and Ford. We are now working
with two distributors in the area and two
retailers/installers. I definitely recommend
this event to other companies that are planning for growing internationally.”
n Baja Designs was represented by Chris
Johnson (left), mechanical engineer, and
Trent Kirby (middle), operations manager.
n “I was able to visit our two existing
customers’ shops in Dubai and make solid
progress on opening another very qualified prospect to better cover the GCC
[Gulf Cooperation Council],” said Jim Chick
(right), director of sales and marketing for
Bestop Inc, referring to the six countries
in the GCC—Bahrain, Kuwait Oman, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia, as well as the United Arab
Emirates. “In addition, I spent time with our
Saudi prospect and built on the relationship
started at last year’s SEMA Show. Finally,
getting to spend time in an informal atmosphere with peer companies, Department of
Commerce staff and SEMA staff was a plus
on this trip.”
Companies Exhibiting at the Custom Show Emirates and the
SEMA Middle East Business Development Conference
aFe Power - advanced FLOW engineering
Atech Motorsports
Baja Designs Inc.
Bestop Inc.
BOLT Locks by STRATTEC
Borla Performance Industries Inc.
COMP Performance Group
Dee Zee Inc.
Driven Racing Oil LLC
Dynocom Industries Inc.
Edelbrock LLC
Extreme Dimensions Inc.
Fidanza Performance
Flex-a-lite
Hellwig Products
JE Pistons/Innovate Motorsports/Wiseco/
Pro-X
Keystone Automotive Operations Inc.
Kooks Custom Headers Inc.
Magnuson Superchargers
McLeod Racing LLC
Motor State Distributing
Mustang Dynamometer
Nitro Gear & Axle
One Crowd Investment
ORACLE Lighting
Pittman Outdoors
Putco
Roadwire
Seibon Carbon
SLP (Street Legal Performance)
SuperATV
Waldoch Crafts Inc.
Warrior Products
WELD Racing LLC
n “The SEMA Middle East business development trip was excellent, as always,”
said Josh Abbott (right), international sales
manager for Borla Performance Industries.
“It’s fascinating to witness this traditional
and long-established culture fully embrace
the personalization of its vehicles. This market rose in front of our eyes, and there is no
collection of brands more sought-after by
these local enthusiasts than those made by
SEMA members. Establishing an effective
international business strategy is a daunting task for small- and mid-sized businesses
with limited resources, but SEMA has given
its members a firm foundation to build on in
this region and continues to provide great
support to us manufacturers. We are looking forward to many more of these types
of trips.”
www.semanews.com 151
n INTERNATIONAL
access to the relevant information needed
to develop, produce and ultimately export
customized parts for vehicles not sold in
the United States,” Couch said. “In addition, the program’s networking events are
an opportunity to build relationships with
targeted buyers from the region as well
as with fellow SEMA members. My colleagues from the U.S. Embassies in the
UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and I are
pleased to participate in this program and
support SEMA’s and its members’ efforts
to increase U.S. exports to this region.”
SEMA News spoke with delegation members concerning their observations about
the market and its potential for their companies and SEMA members in general. The
group left the UAE with overwhelming
optimism, and all of them said that they
planned to actively pursue business in the
region within the next 12 months. Following are some of their comments about what
drives their enthusiasm for the region.
Vehicles on the Road
n Chris Douglas (second right), vice president of marketing for COMP Performance
Group, and Kevin Feeney (far right), the
company’s vice president of engineering
and product development, attended the
Middle East program. “From the moment
I stepped off the airplane in Abu Dhabi,
everyone I came into contact with was
extremely friendly and seemed genuinely
glad for us to be there,” Douglas said. “Prior
to the trip, I had the perception that there
would be a communication or culture barrier, but it simply didn’t exist. It’s a growing
market, and there is a ton of opportunity,
whether you are on the accessory side or
the engine performance side like COMP
Performance. You need to come and build
the relationships. There is a lot of potential
here. There is a young demographic, which
bodes very well for the future.”
“We were pleasantly surprised at the diversity of automobiles, including classic and
collectible cars, hot rods, musclecars, trucks,
Jeeps, passenger cars and even motorcycles.”
—Dave Edmondson, senior vice
president of Roadwire Inc.
“Most of the modified vehicles seen on
the roads of Abu Dhabi and Dubai were
American vehicles—specifically Jeep Wranglers, late-model GM trucks and late-model
American musclecars.”
—Justin Hartenstein, president of
Oracle Lighting
“We participated in 2015 and again in
2016, even though at first we were a little
skeptical at the potential our BOLT products
would have in the GCC countries, primarily because our target market is for pickups
and SUVs. We were pleasantly surprised to
see many of these vehicles on the streets in
2015, including Jeeps, Toyota HiLuxes and
Land Cruisers. The Nissan SUV Patron is
super popular, as are American pickup trucks,
including those from Chevy, GMC and Ford.
We are now working with two distributors
in the area as well as two retailers/installers.”
—Erika Garcia, sales manager
for BOLT Locks
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June 2016 SEMA News
n Representatives from aFe Power–
Advanced Flow Engineering included (from
far left) Dave Simpson, vice president of
sales, Kevin Floody, director of international sales, and Nick Niakan, president and
CEO. “There are so many opportunities to
be gained, as long as you look and listen
to what is needed in the market,” Floody
said. “The level of knowledge continues
to expand, and many people are looking
for the best and also the latest technology
available. Seeing this live and in person
makes all the difference in the world in
terms of truly knowing what is important
versus perceiving what is important.”
n Dynocom Industries COO Allison Blackstein (third from right) and Vice President of
Sales South America Andy Lamus (far left)
talked with buyers in their booth.
n Dee Zee Inc. representatives included
Salih Hamid (far left), export sales manager, and Troy Wirtz (second left), director
of aftermarket sales. “Driving down the
highway in the AE feels very much like
the United States,” Wirtz said. “You see
a great deal of the same vehicles we see
in the states. This gives me confidence
about the market potential. The country is
very welcoming to tourism, and the people
appreciate our attendance. I feel very safe
in the UAE and would recommend a visit
to anyone.”
n Magnuson Superchargers Project Manager Owen Peterson (right), chatted with
trade buyers interested in engine performance products.
n Steve Whipple (far right), vice president
of sales for Edelbrock LLC, and Troy Hooker
(second left), the company’s sales manager,
spoke with buyers. “The only way to understand this region is to go there yourself,”
Whipple said. “Talk to business owners,
talk to consumers and make your own opinions. We can’t successfully run our manufacturing business and plan our company’s
future based on hearsay and opinions from
others. What you learn on these SEMA trips
would not be learned by travelling around
in a rental car. SEMA does an excellent job
of acclimating you to these business climates during the event. I welcome any one
to call me and learn more.” Added Hooker,
“The buyers we met at the show were very
happy to speak with a representative from
the factory in the United States. Most buyers want to buy direct and are happy with
any insight you can give them to source
your line of products.”
n INTERNATIONAL
“Driving down the highway in the UAE
feels very much like the U.S. You see a
great deal of the same vehicles we see in the
states. That gives me confidence about the
market potential.”
—Troy Wirtz, director of aftermarket
sales for Dee Zee Inc.
“I knew that the Land Cruiser 200 Series
was popular in UAE, but I didn’t realize that
every third car on the road was a white 200
Series Land Cruiser. As expected, Toyota and
Nissan dominated, but I was surprised to see
many GM and Jeep vehicles as well.
—Carl Montoya, primary for
Nitro Gear & Axle
“There are applications that are unique
to this market, but we also found that our
existing products can be sold in this market.”
—Sean Crawford, director of
marketing and business development
for JE Pistons
“Visiting the shops firsthand, I could see
that they do like to customize vehicles just
like we do in the U.S. I could see by the
vehicles on the road that the market is full
of opportunities.
—Scott Majors, director of sales
aftermarket for Putco Inc.
“We saw a variety of vehicles on the road,
including American makes and models. It
appears that this trend is growing within the
Middle East.”
—Troy Hooker, sales manager
for Edelbrock
Extent of Customization
“There was a lot of tasteful customization
and lots of over-the-top huge turbos on Nissan
Patrols and Land Cruisers. Rev limiters were
popping all day and night in the drifting
section. This market craves performance and
is not afraid to burn some fuel. The market
potential is huge. There are lots of performance and off-road enthusiasts with plenty
of money to spend.”
—Carl Montoya, primary for
Nitro Gear & Axle
“What has become more evident is how
much more popular car performance and
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June 2016 SEMA News
n Carlos Herrera (right), marketing manager
for Extreme Dimensions Inc., traveled with
SEMA for the first time this year. Half of the
SEMA delegation was returning to the market, with the remainder of the companies
exploring the region for the first time.
n “I would highly recommend that any
company currently doing international business or with plans to develop an international presence consider getting involved
in one or more of the SEMA international
trips,” said Jeff Jenkins (center), president
of Fidanza Performance. “The experience
is not only eye-opening, but it also brings
a much more intimate understanding of
the county and the people as well as doing
trade at an international level. There is a difference in doing business with partners in
other countries compared to working with
distribution partners in the states. The level
of trust, both ways, is very important, and
there is no better way of building that trust
than meeting personally with the people
who are going to be representing your
products in another land.”
n Flex-a-lite owners Lisa Chissus (second
from right) and Craig Chissus (far right)
participated in the SEMA Middle East trip
for the third time. The extreme heat in the
region helps drive demand for their enginecooling products.
n Attending the program from JE Pistons
were Sean Crawford (second from left),
director of marketing and business development; Mattiijs te Riele (third from left), sales
and marketing manager; and Jim Irwin
(second from right), custom sales manager.
“CSE was much larger than I anticipated,”
Crawford said. “I was surprised to see such
variety in the show cars, including classics,
lowriders, trucks, drag cars and more.”
n Rubia Stratz (left), global business
development for Keystone Automotive
Operations, talked to a buyer in the CSE
SEMA section.
n “The Middle East SEMA event was a
success for us,” said Melanie White (second from left), vice president of Hellwig
Products. “This was the second time we
attended the SEMA Middle East program.
We walked away with many leads for buyers and are currently in the process of following up with them.” Joining Hellwig on
the trip was Mark Hallmark (center), the
company’s international sales manager.
n “Walking the show the first two days
before the SEMA area opened was very
fruitful,” said Robert Scheid (second from
left), director of business development for
McLeod Racing. “I was able to meet with
many of the local car clubs and talk to car
owners at CSE.”
n INTERNATIONAL
modifications have become in not only the
UAE but also in the other GCC Countries.
—Kevin Floody director of international sales for aFe Power–Advanced
Flow Engineering
“[We saw] functional modifications on
many off-road vehicles that were purposebuilt for attacking sand dunes, as well as
track cars that appeared to be very capable
race cars.”
—Justin Hartenstein, president of
Oracle Lighting
n Lindy Dolezan (second from right), international sales supervisor for Motor State
Distributing, talked with a group of buyers
at the company’s booth.
n Mustang Dynamometer Sales Manager
Scott Sobie (third from right) answered
questions from buyers about the company’s
dynamometers.
n Scott McLean (left), sales support for
Nitro Gear & Axle, and Carl Montoya (second from right), primary for the company,
said that the region offers good potential
for automotive specialty products. “There
are lots of performance and off-road enthusiasts with plenty of money to spend,”
Montoya said. He noted that he is busy
following up with buyers through e-mail
and social-media connections. He’s also
arranging follow-up meetings at the SEMA
Show in November with buyers he met at
the SEMA Middle East event.
“The SEMA Middle-East business development trip was excellent, as always. It’s
fascinating to witness this traditional and
long-established culture so in love with the
personalization of its vehicles.
—Josh Abbott, international sales
manager for Borla International
Performance Industries
Buyer Interaction
“The buyers we met with in the UAE were
serious buyers and were mostly the decision
makers for their companies. I think there is
an assumption of an awkward interaction
due to cultural differences, but it was no different than meeting buyers in the U.S. All of
the buyers were very professional and polite.
Everyone we met with seemed to already
understand our product line. They had done
research, which made the entire process very
easy. The UAE region has a positive perspective for U.S.-made parts and vehicles. Many
of the residents in the UAE have disposable
income to put into vehicle builds and mods.”
—Justin Hartenstein, president of
Oracle Lighting
“There is no language barrier, as almost
all of the people I communicated with spoke
both Arabic and English. Meetings with both
existing and potential new customers were
very productive, and it was a great way to
strengthen relationships.”
—Troy Wirtz, director of aftermarket
sales for Dee Zee Inc.
“The UAE trip is really going to elevate our
business in that region. The buyers that we
met at the show were eager and willing to do
business. We generated a lot of good leads, and
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June 2016 SEMA News
n Justin Hartenstein (second from right), president of ORACLE Lighting, and Tiffanie
Hartenstein (far right), director of operations, said that the UAE region has a positive
perspective for U.S.-made parts and vehicles. “The white Nissan Patrol seems to be the
vehicle of choice for the majority of residents in the UAE, but few of them are modified,”
Hartenstein said. “Most of the modified vehicles seen on the roads of Abu Dhabi and Dubai
were American vehicles, specifically Jeep Wranglers, late-model GM trucks and late-model
American musclecars. Many of the residents in the UAE have disposable income to put into
vehicle builds and mods. The UAE region has a positive perception of U.S.-made parts and
vehicles. The only drawback is that the region is relatively small, so there is a limit to the
market potential simply because there is not a large population.”
n Jack Tese (second left), business development for Kooks Custom Headers Inc., and
Chris Clark (third from right), sales director,
also met with buyers. “The SEMA Middle
East trip was very beneficial to Kooks’
international development in more ways
than we ever anticipated,” Tese said. “It’s
not often you get to meet with preselected
buyers from the top performance facilities
all over the region in both business and
casual settings.”
n One Crowd Investment CEO Sunny Leung
(right) demonstrated the company’s dash
cams to an interested buyer.
I’m very optimistic that we will close some
deals. Since returning home, two prospects
I met during the trip have already reached
out to me. When I have that type of response
before I have even generated my follow-up
letters, it tells me that it was a successful trip.”
—Scott Majors, director of sales
aftermarket for Putco Inc.
“It’s a growing market, and there is ton of
opportunity, whether you are on the accessory
side or the engine performance side like Comp
Performance. You need to come and build the
relationships. There is a lot of potential here.
There is a young demographic here that bodes
very well for the future.”
—Chris Douglas, vice president of
marketing for COMP
Performance Group
“The Custom Show Emirates really highlighted the passion for motorsports and customizing in the Middle East, and the buyers
who attended the show had great interest in
our products. It is going to be a fast-growing
marketplace for SEMA-member companies.
—Lake Speed Jr., general manager of
Driven Racing Oil LLC
“It was really encouraging to see how many
young car guys were involved and excited
about modifying their cars with our members’
products.”
—Wade Kawasaki, president and
COO of Coker Group and chair-elect of
the SEMA Board of Directors
Why Travel to the
Middle East
“Going to the UAE gives a sense to the
customers that we are committed and serious
about doing business in the region.”
—Scott Majors, director of sales
aftermarket for Putco Inc.
n Scott Majors (right), director of aftermarket sales for Putco, said that going to the
UAE gives customers the sense that the
company is committed and serious about
doing business in the region. “Visiting the
shops firsthand, I could see that they do like
to customize vehicles just like we do here in
the United Staes,” he said. “I could see by
the vehicles on the road that the market is
full of opportunities.”
n Faye An (center), vice president of Seibon Carbon, answered questions posed by
pre-vetted buyers to the trade-only SEMA
section of CSE.
n “The sales and business opportunities
in the Middle East were well beyond our
expectations,” said Dave Edmondson (left),
senior vice president of Roadwire Inc., who
was joined by John Marsh (right), the company’s new business development manager. “The enthusiasm, professionalism and
attentiveness of the vetted buyers set up
for SEMA members was extremely encouraging and will lead to revenue increases
for our subsidiaries as well as the other
attending SEMA-member businesses. The
tours, events and conference were very well
planned, fun and targeted at our interests
and business.”
n Trade buyers attended the SEMA program from 10 countries in the region,
including buyers traveling to the event
from Egypt and India. Attending from
SEMA-member company SuperATV were
Vice President Lindsey Hunt (second from
right) and National Sales Manager Stephen
Sheets (third from left).
n Participating SEMA companies exhibited
for two days at CSE. The first day was
trade buyers only, while the SEMA section
was also open to trade and consumers on
the second day. Attending for SLP were
Anthony Marszalek (third from right), director of sales, and Matthew Hansen (far right),
internal international sales.
n Billy Waldoch (center), general manager
of Waldoch Crafts Inc., talked with buyers
at the second CSE.
n Warrior Products was one of nearly 40
SEMA-member companies traveling to the
UAE to meet one-on-one with buyers and
learn about opportunities for their products
in the region. Pictured here is Thomas Richardson (second from right), the company’s
president and CEO.
“The only way to understand this region is
to go there yourself. Talk to business owners,
talk to consumers and form your own opinions. We can’t successfully run our manufacturing business and plan our company’s future
based on hearsay and opinions from others.”
—Steve Whipple, vice president of
sales for Edelbrock
“While our company is currently conducting business in the region, I came away from
the trip knowing that we can do much better
n James Pittman (left), president of Pittman Outdoors, demonstrated the company’s custom-designed air mattress, which is
specifically made to fit in the bed of pickups.
www.semanews.com 157
n INTERNATIONAL
if we simply put a little focus there. I had the
opportunity to connect with qualified buyers via shop visits and displaying within the
SEMA section of the Custom Show Emirates.
My company made many legitimate business
contacts throughout the week that I’m confident will lead a substantial expansion of our
business in the UAE market.”
—Chris Douglas, vice president
of marketing for
COMP Performance Group
“The experience is not only eye-opening,
but it also brings a much more intimate
understanding of the county and the people as
well as doing trade at an international level.
There is a difference in doing business with
partners in other countries compared to working with distribution partners in the states.
The level of trust, both ways, is very important, and there is no better way of building
that trust than meeting personally with the
people who are going to be representing your
products in another land.”
—Jeff Jenkins,
president of Fidanza Performance
“The SEMA Middle East trip was very
beneficial to Kooks’ international development in more ways than we ever anticipated.
It’s not often that you get to meet with preselected buyers from the top performance facilities all over the region in both business and
casual settings.”
—Jack Tese, business development
for Kooks Custom Headers Inc.
“One of the best parts is seeing the high
interest level in American brands and American-made products. The level of retail presence has also taken off, and many of these
establishments are done up very nicely. The
interactions with the various customers have
been great. Everywhere we went and everyone
we met were tremendous.
—Kevin Floody, director
of international sales for aFe Power–
advanced FLOW engineering
Opportunity to
Connect With
U.S. Delegation Members
“The participating SEMA members became
a close-knit group throughout the week and
built great relationships that I’m sure will lead
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June 2016 SEMA News
n Peter MacGillivray, SEMA vice president of communications and events, spoke at a briefing dinner on the opening night of the 2016 SEMA Middle East event. Representatives from
the regionally based U.S. Department of Commerce spoke to the U.S. companies about
their local markets. “These international trips are designed to create new opportunities for
SEMA members,” said MacGillivray. “They are a great first step in developing new business channels for the industry.”
n Nearly 40 SEMA-member companies traveled together to the UAE as part of the fifth
SEMA Middle East Business Development
Program. The group included manufacturers of engine performance, suspension,
interior and exterior products and those
whose products are used for racing, street
performance and off-roading as well as
for classic cars, restoration and hot rods.
The group was in the Middle East to learn
about the local specialty-equipment market
firsthand. Participating for WELD Racing
LLC were Abdul Chatoo (second from left),
technical sales specialist, and John Zhang
(second from right), Asia/Middle East sales.
n The SEMA section was opened by officials
from the UAE and the U.S. government,
including Deputy Chief of Mission Ethan
Goldrich (second from left) for the U.S.
Embassy Abu Dhabi; Sheikh Marwan Bin
Rashid Al Mualla (center, holding scissors);
Mohammed Al Ghandi (second from right),
executive director of Al Ghandi Auto Group,
the GM dealer in Dubai and GMC dealer
throughout the UAE; and Wade Kawasaki
(far right), chair-elect of the SEMA Board
of Directors.
n SEMA-member companies participated in
the second international vehicle measuring
program, which featured vehicles that are
heavily customized around the world but
are not sold in the United States. With the
assistance of the Middle East distributor
of FARO, SEMA had a FaroArm on hand to
scan the vehicles to create 3D CAD images.
SEMA’s Vehicle Product Data Specialist
Matt Cortado (right) used the FaroArm
to capture dimensions for the fitment of
SEMA-member products. Scans of the most
popular sections of the international measuring session’s featured trucks will be
available to members through the SEMA
Tech Transfer program.
n SEMA had a full array of hand tools and
a lift on hand to enable members to take
measurements in order to create exportready products to the UAE and globally,
where vehicles such as the Nissan Patrol
are heavily customized and used by enthusiasts. These vehicles are not sold in the
United States, though there are tentative
plans to rebadge the Armada as the Y62
Nissan Patrol. Chris Johnson, mechanical
engineer for Baja Designs, inspected a Y62
Nissan Patrol.
to future business opportunities.”
—Chris Douglas, vice president of
marketing for COMP Performance
Group
“With such a diverse collection of exhibiting companies from so many segments of our
market, everyone was interested in learning
about each other and our respective companies. We were able to spend quality time
together as exhibitors, allowing for the start
of some very strong business networking connections that will last a lifetime.”
—Jeff Jenkins, president
of Fidanza Performance
n Jim Moore, SEMA senior director of OEM relations, and Matt Cordato, SEMA vehicle
product data specialist, were on hand to assist SEMA members in measuring the vehicles
and to scan the vehicles with the highly accurate FaroArm.
“Getting to spend time in an informal
atmosphere with peer companies, Department of Commerce staff and SEMA staff was
a big bonus on this trip.”
—Jim Chick, director sales and
marketing for Bestop Inc.
In addition to the annual business development program in the Middle East SEMA
organizes similar programs in China, Russia and Australia. For more information,
contact Linda Spencer at lindas@sema.org
or visit www.sema.org/international.
n Lisa Chissus (left), president and
owner of Flex-a-lite, Craig Chissus,
owner, measured a Land Cruiser at
the second Middle East international
vehicle measuring session. “The
SEMA Middle East experience allows
manufacturers to meet one-on-one
with existing customers as well as
new ones from many countries,
including the UAE, Saudi Arabia and
India,” said Lisa Chissus. “It also provides access to popular vehicles used
in these countries so that aftermarket manufacturers can verify product
fitment. Flex-a-lite has participated
in this event for three years and
has found it to be a valuable use of
our time.”
PLAN BETTER.
STAY AHEAD
OF YOUR
COMPETITION.
2015 SEMA MARKET REPORT
Comprehensive review of the automotive specialtyequipment market, detailing retail sales, purchase
channels, and vehicle segments. Indicates the
opportunities and trends to help SEMA-member
companies make better business decisions.
Reports available for download at www.SEMA.org/Research
www.semanews.com 159