Mapping the Middle Eastern markets

One collaboration Tyres & Accessories experienced the benefit of during Automechanika Middle East was that of Auto Strategies and CIP Development Services. The two companies work together to produce insights in the automotive markets of some of the lesser reported markets, including many in the Middle East. As well as annual vehicle sales, which are relatively easy to get hold of, the companies reports also look at the car parcs of the markets covered. And data that looks at what vehicles are currently on the market wearing out tyres is obviously of great interest to tyre companies too.

Auto Strategies president, Gene Williams has been employed full time in international motor vehicle aftermarket planning since 1971. He established Auto Strategies International Inc in 1984 to provide automotive data to people in charge of international business planning and product management for multinational aftermarket companies. Auto Strategies International Inc. now maintains a computer analysis system used for business planning by many of the world’s largest vehicle manufacturers and parts manufacturers.

Clients include some well known names in the tyres and accessory fields (including Bosch, Bridgestone, Continental, Federal Mogul, Itochu and Sumitomo) as well as some of the biggest players in the automotive industry such as: Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Hino, Honda, Isuzu, Mercedes Benz, Michelin, Nissan, Tata, Toyota and more. In fact the majority of Auto Strategies’ clients are based outside the US.

According to the company, Gene Williams regularly travels overseas to collect data on 196 countries/territories, and to visit numerous foreign clients. He and his staff maintain regular contact with over 500 data suppliers. Williams processes international motor vehicle shipment data from the 22 countries that account for the majority of international motor vehicle shipments.

CIP Development Services

For its part CIP offers a wide range of services to the industry including undertaking specialist data projects either with or based on data from Auto Strategies. The company was founded in 1994 by Terry Indge and Ian Godfrey, both of whom have spent their entire working lives in the Motor Industry, starting as apprentices with General Motors.

The core activity is the Continuous Improvement Process, which CIP’s initials stand. Because of the firm’s world wide experience over 90 per cent of its business is outside the EU with the firm particularly active in the Middle East, Russia and Africa. Clients includes DaimlerBenz, the European Union (in countries aspiring to join the EU such as Egypt and Turkey), the Financial Times (for whom they were commissioned to write a research book on the Motor Industry in the Middle East), GM and the World Bank (for whom they have carried out several feasibility studies in west Africa)