RV PRO magazine has proven over the past half decade to be a consistent and loyal voice for the RV Aftermarket – a segment of the industry that has been largely discounted through the years despite its vital role in the success the recreational vehicle industry has experienced and will experience in the years to come.

In this issue of RV PRO you will find a direct message from the RV Aftermarket through its national trade association RVAA – the Recreational Vehicle Aftermarket Association. This is the first of many such messages – through the coming months RVAA will be working with RV PRO to provide information to both the dealer and aftermarket community about the prominent and important role our segment plays in the overall success of the industry.

In some ways, the RV Aftermarket Association has had a similar mission to RV PRO since its founding in 1969 as the Warehouse Distributors Association (WDA). At that time, the primary goal of the association was to host a conference on an annual basis that would allow warehouse distributors to sit down for three days of face-to-face meetings with their supplier partners. The idea was to take care of important business at one time and at a reduced expense – all of which would ultimately affect the bottom line throughout the channel by diminishing travel costs for consistent meetings between these two categories of RVAA’s membership.

Through the years, the meetings continued and with growing popularity. More distributors and suppliers agreed that gathering at one central location to create a framework for a year’s activities was preferable and more cost-effective than traveling to multiple venues throughout the year.

But as these suppliers and distributors met on an annual basis they began to realize that there was far more that they could do to positively impact the industry than simply meeting once a year to conduct meetings. Though these annual individual conferences with business partners were indeed critical, the conversations between those involved led to new ideas about how the aftermarket could work to provide support to the entire industry.

In 2001, the name “WDA” was formally changed to “RVAA” as a reflection to the industry that the association represents the whole of the aftermarket – its suppliers, its distributors and manufacturer’s agents. In conjunction with this, the association began actively working with its national association partners to seek out specific areas in which the association’s membership could help in working through some of the RV industry’s most pressing dilemmas. Members of RVAA either served on or chaired every committee appointed for RVIA’s “Committee on Excellence” project to address these major concerns.

The results of the efforts of these Task Forces were published in a concise and valuable publication in 2007 and RVAA was the first association to develop a program which utilizes many of the ideas developed over the three years of Task Force effort into a program that provides recognition for its member companies that incorporate these “Best Practices” into their daily businesses.

In August 2008, RVAA’s “Aftermarket Efficiency” program was announced to its membership. It represents more than a program that allows companies which utilize the highest and most efficient aftermarket business practices to be acknowledged as such – but more importantly it allows its own members to reap the bottom line benefits of adjusting their current operations to align with a model that works at the highest level with their own business partners within the aftermarket channel.

And just as relevant, with the long-term use of these best practices, the entire efficiency of the RV industry will be improved. From the dealership parts and service department and even to the manufacture of new units, every aspect of the industry can be ultimately elevated with a consistent dedication to teamwork from the aftermarket channel. As we begin to pull slowly away from a significant economic downturn, every industry that competes for the discretionary dollar becomes the RV industry’s most significant threat. 

Ultimately it is the dedication to service of the product that will be the determining factor as consumers have greater access to research and a greater personal need to make sure their extra dollars are invested in an industry that has the ability to service the products it produces.

The “Aftermarket Efficiency” is one of several programs RVAA has developed to not only assist its own membership in achieving great success on a daily basis, but also reach out and provide the industry with the highest level of performance. Members still participate in an annual conference to map out operations on an annual basis – this year’s event will be held in Huntington Beach, Calif., in August 2010.

The Association also conducts an annual “Supplier Performance Report” that gives its supplier member’s direct information about their strengths and weaknesses as determined by their distributor partners. And through its Website-based “Supplier Showcase,” the association has provided an instantaneous and cost-effective means for supplier companies to launch products to warehouse distributors throughout North America.

In 1969 when RVAA was founded, it had a vision with its annual conference of creating a greater efficiency for the aftermarket channel with a single meeting. In 2010, the association continues to conduct that critical annual meeting – but with its additional initiatives it has truly developed into the vision of an association that provides the aftermarket with an ability to help them as they help the industry as a whole.

We thank RV PRO for its continued dedication to our channel within the industry, and look forward to telling out story and the latest enhancements to RVAA’s growing lineup of services and benefits to its supplier, distributor and manufacturer’s agent membership.