- MDCP Home
- New Awards for 2020
- What is MDCP?
- Impact
- Reputation for Efficacy
- Important Dates/Contact
- Current ITA Project Teams
- List of All Projects
Click headers to expand:
Results & Highlights
Apply for Project Funding
Cooperator Project Mgt
ITA-MDCP Project Team
Cooperator Financial Mgt
Other MDCP Resources
More Resources
Market Development Cooperator Program
PROJECT PROFILE: Auto Care Association (ACA, 2015 award)
Outside of North America, buying and selling automotive parts in the Americas is complicated by the lack of standardized protocols for describing products and exchanging catalog information. image: Auto Care Assocition
Speaking the Same Parts Catalog Language
Doing business electronically today requires vast libraries of content from hundreds of sources. Without one agreed-upon language for this content, automotive aftermarket parts manufacturers and their distribution partners would not be able to efficiently exchange millions of pages of catalog content, such as product images, packaging sizes and country of origin, to name a few.
MDCP Award/ACA Match: $299,345/696,953
Markets Targeted: Chile, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador
U.S. Industry Promoted: Automotive aftermarket
Period: 2015-2019
Key ITA Collaborators:
- Todd Peterson, ITA Team Lead, I&A/Office of Transportation & Machinery
- Kellie Holloway, GM/USEAC Portland, OR
- Lilliam Baez, GM/CS Managua
- Sandra Hernandez, GM/CS El Salvador
- Cesar Jochamowitz GM/CS Lima
Project Description:
- Lead outbound trade missions.
- Host technical seminars on industry standards.
- Broker matchmaking at Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX).
Project Milestone Report (Part B)
Projected Exports Generated by 2020: $55,000,000
Read the MDCP Project Application
This is possible in North America, where there is one agreed-upon automotive "language" when referring to a vehicle and the spare parts.
The common "language" now in use in the United States, Canada, and Mexico does not refer to English, but rather to a consistent protocol for identifying and describing auto parts. With one common protocol or standard, the description can mean the same thing whether the catalog is published in English, French, or Spanish.
Auto Care Associtiona has led the industry in creating standards for the management and exchange of automotive catalog application data. With Auto Care Association's Aftermarket Catalog Enhanced Standard (ACES), suppliers can publish automotive data with standardized vehicle attributes, parts classifications and qualifier statements.
Standards Education Through Technical Seminars
Auto Care Association has developed standards training materials in Spanish. In the targeted Latin American markets, Spanish-speaking Auto Care Association staff, assisted by Auto Care Association member companies and ITA staff, are educating trade associations and companies about the advantages of using ACES.
Much of this education happens in the form of technical seminars held in the international target markets. The technical seminars highlight the lack of standardization of parts catalogs that plagues much of the Americas. So it these events are natural opportunities to showcase the ACES standards used in North America.
But the technical seminars are also effective at establishing relationships with potential buyers of U.S. automotive parts. Starting with the base of technical seminar participants, it becomes easier for U.S. firms to venture abroad. And it is likely that some seminar participants will become new clients.
IT15INA1120007 -- SF case 90700
---------------------------------------------------------
The Auto Care Association advocates for the auto care industry. There are 2600 Auto Care Association members, representing 150,000 independent automotive businesses including independent manufacturers, distributors, parts stores and repair shops. Auto Care Association is headquarterd in Bethesda, Maryland.
Auto Care Assoc. contact: Angela Chiang
- ACA home page
- How to apply for MDCP funding
- Contact your local Export Assistance Center
- Peru market briefing (video)
- Post-mission reviews for Peru and Guatemala
- Summary of ACA's global presence
- Highlight: Standardizing Auto Parts Cataloging Data
- Selected highlights of MDCP projects addressing trade barriers
Note: This page contains hyperlinks to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.
The International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, manages this global trade site to provide access to ITA information on promoting trade and investment, strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. industry, and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein. This site contains PDF documents. A PDF reader is available from Adobe Systems Incorporated.