July 3, 2006 – Distributor Report

DOC plans Intermot promotion
The Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce, in cooperation with Cologne Trade Fairs, is organizing an American Product Center at Intermot, the international trade fair scheduled to take place Oct. 11-15 in Cologne, Germany.
Edward Kimmel, of the Commercial Service/Global Trade Programs, U.S. Department of Commerce, said the organization will represent companies by displaying sales literature and product samples in the American Product Center with the aim of generating export leads and finding distributors and agents.
Products will be promoted before the event, while expressions of interest from qualified business visitors will be registered during the show and forwarded to business owners afterward. A directory of participating companies, with contact information and a company/product summary in English and German, also will be distributed to visitors at the booth. Participants also will be entitled to a one-year listing on the official U.S. Embassy business matchmaking Web site.
All products should be made in the United States or have at least 51 percent U.S. content. The cost of this service is $650 and includes a full listing in the trade fair catalog.
For an application package with further information and a market brief on the industry in Germany, register on-line at www.buyusa.gov/germany/en/intermot/html or call Kimmel 202/482-3640.
Western powersports Expands
Idaho-based Western Power Sports is adding 50,000 square feet to its distribution facility in Boise.
Company officials say they plan to utilize a four-floor order picking module in the new space, a move that will result in 200,000 square feet of space for inventory.
In further expansion news, WPS relocated its California warehouse from Sacramento to a larger facility in Fresno, a site offering twice the space of the Sacramento operation. WPS says the Fresno facility should make it easier to establish overnight service to a larger number of dealers located in Western states.
think3 Selected by Honda R&D
think3, a supplier of industrial design and product development solutions, has been selected to work with Honda R&D Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Honda Motor Co. that serves as Honda’s primary research and development organization.
With headquarters in Cincinnati and offices throughout Europe, Asia and North America, privately held think3 works with more than 5,000 mid-sized manufacturers worldwide.
think3’s Research and Development Group, based in Aix-en-Provence, France, is comprised of 10 employees who focus exclusively on developing next generation ID technology with leading university and industrial development partners.
“Working side by side with the design scientists at Honda R&D is the one of the most challenging and exciting periods of my career in computer-aided industrial design,” said Alain Massabo, vice president of advanced R&D at think3 and a 35-year veteran to the computer-aided design industry.
S&S Plans Open House
Wisconsin-based S&S Cycle, Inc. plans to host an open house for its dealers July 7-8.
The event begins July 7 with a ride from S&S Cycle’s new facility in La Crosse to the company’s original site in Viola, Wis. Also included in the two-day event are new product seminars, a panel discussion, one-on-one meetings with key S&S employees, track time at a local drag strip, celebrity bike builders and a special dinner.
Registration for the event closed June 10.
Motonation Adds Two
Sidi, Spidi and Set-Up importer Motonation, El Cajon, Calif., has added two employees to assist the company with dealer relations.
Ryan Daley joins Motonation in the newly created position of e-commerce sales. Daley will focus on expanding Sidi, Set Up and Spidi sales for Motonation’s dealers by assisting them with these brands on their Web sites.
The second new employee, Justin Fierro, will be acting as logistics assistant, ensuring a smooth and timely flow of the Sidi, Set Up and Spidi products to the dealer base.
“As we all know, more and more sales are happening online every day. Motonation wants its brick and mortar dealers to cash in on these sales while at the same time being their communities’ local base for Sidi, Set Up and Spidi,” said Motonation President Bill Berroth.
NGK Names Account Manager
NGK Spark Plugs (USA), Inc. announced the hiring of James Paugh to the position of power equipment accounts manager.
Paugh, a 17-year veteran in the power equipment industry, will oversee the sales efforts for NGK’s aftermarket power equipment segment. He will report to Mike Schwab, general manager, NGK Spark Plugs aftermarket division.
Paugh joins NGK after leaving Pace, Inc., where he served as territory manager.
MotorcycleIndustryJobs.com adds to its Web site
Motorcycle Industry Jobs.com has updated its Web site to offer increased resume exposure, time-saving features and an updated look.
“Besides the new facelift, the biggest news has to be the Resume Clips,” said MIJ President Alex Baylon. “We gave job seekers 200 characters to sell themselves to prospecting employers. Employers can view or test drive all of the available Resume Clips for free and if they see something they like, can sign up for Resume Browsing to get full resumes and contact information.”
The employer has the option to have a confidential listing, and can sort and browse thousands of resume clips or full resumes.
Visit www.MotorcycleIndustryJobs.com to learn more. psb