April 25, 2022—NGK and AutoZone were awarded the 2022 Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association Channel Excellence Award presented by Epicor for a recent collaboration. The companies were recognized at the 2022 AASA Vision Conference.
According to a press release, the AASA Channel Excellence Award presented by Epicor aims to recognize innovation and collaboration between suppliers and channel partners in the automotive aftermarket.
NGK and AutoZone received the award because of their efforts to share market research and point-of-sales data to develop an oxygen sensor program that can grow market shares, reduce inventory requirements and establish a foundation for inevitable shifts in market demand.
"We are extremely excited to achieve this Channel Excellence Award with NGK and sincerely thank AASA and Epicor for this tremendous honor," said Rob Bell, Director, Merchandising and Customer Satisfaction for AutoZone said in the press release. "This great recognition would not have been possible without the collective effort of NGK and our amazing AutoZoners across the entire organization. Our phenomenal results show the power of data and the importance of customer feedback when leveraged in a collaborative environment.”
NGK and AutoZone approached this collaboration by identifying an increase in demand among do-it-for-me customers for O2 sensor technologies. The companies utilized their data to build OEM-based O2 sensor families by vehicle application.
“These projects demonstrate the value of collaboration in solving the challenges of a highly complex value chain," said Tim Hardin, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Automotive, Epicor in the press release. “Ultimately, each success builds toward a future where data-driven collaboration isn't just project based, but a daily part of doing business and optimizing our industry's contributions to the global economy."
Image: AASA
