The two shows provided the perfect opportunity for NEXUS’s U.S. team, composed of Bas Donders, N! director business development North America, and Fernando Passos, N! North America suppliers coordinator, to introduce N! North America’s newest member, Advance Auto Parts, to N! Suppliers.

NEXUS Automotive International has underlined its strong presence in the U.S. by joining the two most important aftermarket gatherings in North America – the AWDA annual Business and Education Conference and AAPEX 2019.

NEXUS said it further reinforced its commitment to the region by holding its board of directors’ meeting in the Nevada resort city. Held consecutively between Nov. 2-7 in Las Vegas, the AWDA Conference and the AAPEX show collectively bring together leading manufacturers, distributors and suppliers from around the world.

The two shows provided the perfect opportunity for NEXUS’s U.S. team, composed of Bas Donders, N! director business development North America, and Fernando Passos, N! North America suppliers coordinator, to introduce N! North America’s newest member, Advance Auto Parts, to N! Suppliers.

Advance is one of the biggest automotive aftermarket parts providers in North America, with a total of 70,000 employees, serving both professional installers and do-it-yourself customers. It operates 4,780 Advance-branded branches and 1,231 independently owned Carquest stores across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, Mexico, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, the British Virgin Islands and Pacific Islands.

Bas Donders said, “To fulfil our role as an accelerator for the N! community it is essential the NEXUS leadership is close to the field and fully aware of the major growth dynamics around the world. With our improved presence in U.S. and the support we are providing for local associations we are already becoming part of the country’s aftermarket establishment.” 

N! Chief Executive Gael Escribe added, “Holding our first board of directors meeting in the U.S. is more than just a symbol. It is a tangible sign of our support to our U.S. partner N! North America and its five members (Advance, The Network, APA, VIPAR and CDO Mexico) and provides the opportunity to further explore tremendous new supplier opportunities and N! projects adaptations to the U.S. market.”

NEXUS has just established a new Supplier Management Hub for North America, based in Chicago, which will be managed by Fernando Passos, currently N! business development director for the Latin American region.

It is part of a strategic move to increase and strengthen supplier relationships around the world, moving from a central supplier approach to a decentralized one, in order to bring N! even closer to its supplier base and be even better positioned to help them and its members grow their businesses.

Escribe added, “We are delighted that Advance Auto Parts has chosen to join the regional N! organization. Advance is a powerful player in the U.S. aftermarket and a well-respected brand; it is a welcome addition to the progressive group of entrepreneurs that make up N! North America.”

Crystal Lake, IL – (March 13, 2019) VIPAR Heavy Duty was named the Truck Member of the Year at the annual NEXUS Automotive International (N!) Business Forum held last week in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

VIPAR Heavy Duty was recognized for their high achievement, significant growth and leadership and was selected from a field of more than 40 N! heavy duty members and member networks. Chris Baer, president and CEO, VIPAR Heavy Duty, accepted the award at the forum attended by more than 500 global aftermarket leaders and professionals. This was the first year the N! Business Forum featured an event dedicated to the global heavy duty aftermarket.

“We appreciate being recognized amongst a field of strong heavy duty focused members from around the world,” said Baer. “NEXUS Automotive International and our partnership with The Automotive Distribution Network and Automotive Parts Associates has proven to be a valuable resource to the VIPAR Heavy Duty Family of Companies. It has connected us to a highly innovative and progressive global commercial vehicle community while allowing us to focus on our North America strategies and markets as we serve our distributors, suppliers and collective end-user customers.”

The N! Business Forum serves as a platform to update N! members and suppliers on services, support and new developments within the N! community. Attendees have the opportunity to conduct business, collaborate and network with other global aftermarket professionals through speed meetings, corporate strategy presentations and shared dialogue. This year’s event marked the fifth anniversary of N!.

“The N! Heavy Duty community is already significant and is growing. Deciding who should be the first N! Truck Member of the Year was a difficult choice as we had many high achieving companies to choose from,” remarked Gael Escribe, CEO, N!. “But, in the end, VIPAR was the outstanding candidate, having enjoyed strong business growth over a five-year period. It was a well-deserved award and particularly pleasing as it was the first award made to an N! member in North America.”

Atlanta, Georgia – Members of NEXUS North America met in Atlanta, May 22-23 to network and exchange ideas during the organization’s N! North America Connecting Days 2017. The second annual event provided a forum for NEXUS North America founding partners, The Automotive Distribution Network (The Network), Automotive Parts Associates (APA Group) and VIPAR Heavy Duty, to meet with current and prospective global supplier partners.

In March 2016, the three organizations joined NEXUS Automotive International SA (N!), a leading global aftermarket trade group. The new NEXUS North America entity serves as the exclusive partner for N! in North America.

“The NEXUS Automotive International community continues to expand, growing in both distributors and key supplier relationships, and we’re proud to support the community through Connecting Days. This event helps further those global alliances while maintaining a North American focus,” said APA Group president and CEO Gary Martin.

N! Connecting Days provided NEXUS North America members with the opportunity to hold productive one-on-one meetings with suppliers and a forum for the three groups to share ideas, knowledge, and strategies and to facilitate discussions on mutual opportunities.

The event also served as an ideal setting to recognize key partners crucial to the success of the organization and the aftermarket in general. This year inaugural supplier and technology awards were announced. NEXUS North America presented the “Supplier Partner of the Year” award to Bosch and its “Technology Partner of the Year” was awarded to WHI Solutions, Inc.
“The success of NEXUS North America is based on the free exchange of ideas between the partners and our suppliers. This has led to opportunities to collaborate in many areas,” said David Prater, president of The Network. “We appreciate the input and support of all of our partners, but it is gratifying to recognize these two companies who have gone above and beyond in their support of NEXUS.”

NEXUS North America continues to deliver value to its members through real-time collaboration in areas such as membership, PDC access to parts, and technology. Members have collaborated on a variety of projects, including a B2B platform to provide an e-commerce solution for end user customers as well as national accounts with vehicle ranges from class 1 all the way up to class 8.

“The work among the members of our group on this technology project is precisely the type of collaboration we envisioned when we formed NEXUS North America,” explained Chris Baer, president and CEO of VIPAR Heavy Duty. “We anticipate more projects like this that help us better serve our customers.”

• Event provided a forum for NEXUS North America founding partners, The Network, Automotive Parts Associates and VIPAR Heavy Duty, to meet with current and prospective global suppliers
• N! North America Connecting Days allowed the three founding program groups to share ideas, knowledge and work collectively toward key initiatives
• Event highlighted with NEXUS North America members holding one-on-one meetings with suppliers
• NEXUS North America serves as the exclusive partner for NEXUS Automotive International SA in North America

Rosemont, Ill. – May 17, 2018 – Members of NEXUS North America met in the Chicagoland area for the group’s third annual N! North America Connecting Days May 15-16, 2018. The event served as a forum for NEXUS North America founding partners, The Automotive Distribution Network (The Network), Automotive Parts Associates (APA), VIPAR Heavy Duty and executives of NEXUS Automotive International, to meet with current and prospective global supplier partners.

The two-day event offered an opportunity for NEXUS North America members and suppliers to spend dedicated time together, reaffirm existing relationships and explore new business opportunities.

“Connecting Days is an opportunity for NEXUS North America to meet with suppliers that are new to the North American market as well as strengthen our existing vendor programs,” commented David Prater, president of The Network.

N! Connecting Days North America was highlighted with NEXUS North America members holding productive one-on-one meetings with suppliers. It also provided a forum for all three North America program groups to share ideas, knowledge and work collectively on key initiatives to best meet the dynamic needs of customers ranging from light passenger through heavy duty commercial vehicles.

NEXUS Connecting Days is a global program initiated by NEXUS Automotive International to help the N! Community to accelerate its growth. Next to the yearly global N! Business Forum, more than 10 local Connecting Days are organized every year by NEXUS around the world. This event is one of the most important innovations of NEXUS among its community.

“In an industry that’s constantly changing, it’s important for our shareholders that we create and develop key partnerships in order to provide stability and competitive supplier programs,” noted Douglas Squires, Automotive Parts Associates board chairman. “Our alliance with the Automotive Distribution Network and VIPAR Heavy Duty gives us an opportunity to not only discuss the changing environment and share insights, but it has also provided a valuable connection for collaboration toward future growth. By creating a support structure like NEXUS North America, we all benefit as resources for each other.”

NEXUS North America continues to deliver value to its members through real-time collaboration on a variety of projects in areas such as parts distribution center opportunities, national fleets and technology, including a B2B platform to provide an e-commerce solution for end-user customers.
“We have just started down the road, but already the level of cooperation and collaboration among NEXUS North America members is a model for what successful industry partnerships look like,” explained Chris Baer, president and CEO of VIPAR Heavy Duty. “The great work we have accomplished over the past few years has enabled us to better serve our respective customers.”

Germantown, Tenn., Kansas City, Mo., and Crystal Lake, Ill. – The Automotive Distribution Network (The Network), Automotive Parts Associates (APA Group) and VIPAR Heavy Duty have announced the formation of NEXUS North America, LLC.

In March 2016 the three organizations announced that they joined NEXUS Automotive International SA (N!), a leading global aftermarket trade group. The new NEXUS North America entity serves as the exclusive partner for N! in North America. The organization has offices located in Germantown, Tenn., Kansas City., Mo., and Crystal Lake., Ill. Officers of the organization are David Prater (The Network), president; Chris Baer (VIPAR Heavy Duty), vice president; Gary Martin (APA Group), secretary; and Beth San Filippo (VIPAR Heavy Duty), treasurer.

The formation of NEXUS North America further strengthens the resolve of its founding partners, putting more “skin in the game” to execute on combined strategies and work in close alignment on key marketplace initiatives that can positively affect each partner. Leaders within NEXUS North America actively serve on multiple N! committees and boards, including the auto and truck global sourcing committees.

“This agreement is exciting for all of us,” said David Prater, president of The Network. “The ability to look at data efficiencies alone, in addition to discussing common solutions to everyday issues, makes our members anticipate great opportunities.”

NEXUS North America provides a forum for the three groups to share ideas, knowledge and strategies to best meet the needs of customers ranging from light passenger through heavy duty commercial vehicles. The partnership also enables each group to collaborate on a deeper level to address mutual opportunities and challenges while serving their respective market segments. Areas of concentration for the group include PDC opportunities, technology sharing and solutions, national fleets and global supplier relationships.