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By Counterman
All Star Auto Lights, a specialty distributor of alternative automotive parts and a portfolio company of
link hidden, please login to view, has announced the acquisition of Blackburn OEM Wheel Solutions. Blackburn is a Macedonia, Ohio-based supplier of new and refurbished OEM steel and alloy wheels for the automotive aftermarket.
This is All Star’s third acquisition in the aftermarket OE wheel space since 2021 “and transforms All Star beyond its traditional auto lights business and into a leading automotive aftermarket equipment supplier,” the company said.
“This acquisition significantly increases our capacity to manufacture and supply OEM wheels through our growing nationwide network,” said Matt Immerfall, CEO of
link hidden, please login to view. “Combined with our existing family of brands acquired in 2021, Jante Wheel and Perfection Wheel, the addition of Blackburn quickly doubles our impact in the automotive-wheels sector and offers our customers a more comprehensive selection and faster delivery while solidifying All Star’s wheel division to better serve its customer base.” Phil Druce, partner of Atlantic Street Capital, added: “We are excited to add Blackburn to All Star’s family of brands. With 13 sites and more than 400 employees, All Star is positioned as a national player with collision and body shops, tire and service centers, rental-car and auction-house customers to profitably repair cars faster with the highest-value OEM alternative replacement parts.”
link hidden, please login to view is one of the leading distributors of OEM wheels in the United States and provides OEM wheels (steel and alloy), wheel covers (hubcaps) and center caps in brand-new, refinished and used condition. “Blackburn has a great industry reputation for quality and customer service that is consistent with what All Star stands for,” Immerfall said. “Maximizing the amazing business that Blackburn has built over the last 30-plus years with All Star’s capabilities is a true privilege. It’s exciting for the All Star Team to round out our newly formed wheel division with Blackburn. Our ability to partner manufacturing and supply to take care of our customers on a national level is an incredible opportunity that we are thrilled about.”
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By Counterman
BBB Industries announced a new online portal designed to enhance 24-hour ordering, enabling customers to instantly order replacement parts from
link hidden, please login to view. “BBB Industries is committed to providing an efficient and effective customer experience. We want our customers to easily get the parts that they need quickly,” said Shane Garner, director of customer service. “Through the use of advanced technology, we continuously work to improve upon our service levels. In Phase 1 of our rollout, these new features will greatly decrease the time it takes to place stock orders, place emergency orders and view the history of orders.”
The BBB Industries 1Stop customer portal shows real-time inventory for emergency orders and allows customers to immediately place orders. The portal also can automatically calculate if freight minimum requirements are met for stock orders and provide estimated shipping charges for special orders.
As added reassurance, the system automatically alerts the customer via email when an order is placed and when a special order is canceled, and can display the status of all orders with BBB Industries.
Customers can order competitively priced sustainably manufactured parts 24/7 with next-day and ground flat-rate shipping available, according to the company.
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By Counterman
Malco Products Inc. announced the addition of 22-ounce spray bottles of Bug-Off Insect Remover, Complete Wheel and Tire Cleaner, E-Zee Shine Premium Emulsion Dressing and Oxy Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner to the Malco Automotive Line of professional-grade detailing products.
The addition of 22-ounce sizes in these popular detailing products offer professional and enthusiast automotive customers the convenience of a ready-to-use spray bottle and gives distributors a retail-friendly size option, the company said.
Bug-Off Insect Remover loosens dried bugs from windshields, hoods, bumpers and grills. It is an ideal pre-wash for vehicles that cover many miles on the open road and have large frontal areas, such as trucks, buses and RVs, according to the company.
Complete Wheel and Tire Cleaner is an acid-free formula that dissolves and loosens soils from the wheel and tire in one step. Because of the unique blend of cleaners, the product is safe for virtually all types of wheels and should be a staple in any detailer’s arsenal.
E-Zee Shine Premium Emulsion Dressing RTU is a ready-to-use version of the high-gloss economical dressing that helps prevent drying, fading, cracking, discoloration and deterioration of rubber, vinyl and plastic surfaces.
Oxy Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner is a peroxide-based oxygenated all-purpose fabric cleaner that quickly removes coffee, wine, juice, food, dyes and ink stains.
“As the Malco Automotive brand gains popularity among car enthusiasts, we have experienced an increased demand for retail-friendly sizes from our distribution partners,” said Mike Goldstein, Malco product manager. “Malco has been selling these popular automotive detailing products to professionals for years in 1-gallon and larger sizes. It only made sense to expand the availability to 22-ounce retail-friendly sizes to meet the demand of smaller customers.”
Bug-Off Insect Remover is available in 22-ounce, 1-gallon and 5-gallon sizes. Complete Wheel and Tire Cleaner is available in 22-ounce, 1-gallon, 5-gallon and 55-gallon sizes. E-Zee Shine Premium
Emulsion Dressing is available in 22-ounce, 1-gallon and 5-gallon sizes. Oxy Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner is available in 22-ounce and 1-gallon sizes.
For more information, visit
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By Counterman
Fenix Parts, a leading recycler and reseller of OEM automotive parts, announced it has completed its acquisition of the assets of A&P Auto Parts and U-Pull U-Save Auto Parts in central New York.
This is the largest acquisition completed by Fenix Parts since the company was acquired by affiliates of Stellex Capital Management LLC in April 2018.
A&P is a full-service automotive recycler servicing the Syracuse and Rochester markets with locations in Cicero and Palmyra. U-Pull U-Save is a self-service automotive recycler servicing the Syracuse market with a location in East Syracuse.
“We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of A&P and their sister company U-Pull U-Save,” said Bill Stevens, CEO of
link hidden, please login to view. “We are excited about the addition of its experienced and talented team to the Fenix family. This acquisition expands Fenix’s existing footprint in New York, adding both full and self-service operations, and further solidifies our industry-leading Northeast position. I want to give a special welcome to the incredible team at both A&P and U-Pull U-Save. We sincerely look forward to working with you.” William Abold, owner of A&P, added: “The Abold family of companies, A&P Auto Parts, A&P Auto Parts Rochester and U-Pull U-Save are proud to join the Stellex sponsored Fenix organization. The infrastructure, dedication to succeed, leading-edge technology, and professionalism of Fenix and its officers and employees is truly impressive. It reinforces our family’s decision that our employees will have a prosperous future with endless growth opportunities. The future will be very exciting for our team as they grow within the most efficient operations in this industry.”
Fenix Parts continues to pursue opportunities that align with its strategic development plans. Current auto recycling owners interested in learning more about Fenix’s acquisition process should email [email protected]
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By Counterman
Electric vehicles, specifically those that are 100% battery powered (BEVs) have everyone “amped up” and anxious to get the most “current” projections on sales, share of the car parc and long-term impact on the aftermarket parts and service business. The impact of BEVs will be felt slowly over a very long time. But the time to get educated and prepared is now.
Beginning with the joint industry report at AAPEX from the Auto Care Association and AASA and continuing with presentations at the AASA Technology Council and Vision conference this spring, forecasts about BEV sales and their trajectory of market share have fascinated and frightened those who grew up with and depend upon the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) for their livelihood. The consensus I heard is that the demise of the internal combustion engine has been exaggerated and the growth forecasts of BEV market share are optimistic considering the limits of current battery technology, tepid consumer demand resulting from the high cost, and shortcomings in charging infrastructure and the electric grid.
There is no secret that CO2 emissions are responsible for changing the chemistry of our atmosphere and warming the planet, and vehicle tailpipe emissions are a major contributor to the problem. So, every alternative form of vehicle propulsion has been thoroughly explored in the last decade and Lithium-Ion batteries are the leading technology for the time being. Tailpipe emissions from the vehicle are eliminated, there’s instant and plentiful torque and the new models are even starting to look cool.
But, BEV adoption has lagged below the projections of futurists and will continue to face a number of challenges and headwinds. To put this in perspective, BEVs in the U.S. account for barely 1% of the fleet in 2021. That market share will double to 2% in 2025. By the end of this decade, BEVs will account for 6% of the domestic parc — and the vast majority of those will still be under factory warranty. It won’t be until 2035 that the BEV share rises to double digits. These numbers are from the joint industry report issued at AAPEX and represent the Base Adoption scenario. The numbers could be lower if development and investment lag, or they could be higher under the rosiest of assumptions.
A few inconvenient truths about battery-powered vehicles have jumped out at me from my research:
1) Consumers have expressed reluctance to invest in a BEV unless their range-anxiety is satisfactorily addressed, and they can confidently head out on a road trip without the need to plan their itinerary around rest stops at the charging station. Derek Kaufman from Schwartz Advisors told the AASA Vision Conference audience that the government has a goal of investing $5 billion on an additional 500,000 charging stations. That’s great, but the need is for 4X that number. Until the number of charging stations is dramatically increased, depending on a BEV will require changes to driving and consumer behavior.
2) Current battery technology can be charged with standard household current. But, it takes all night, and the full range potential is not achieved. Fast-charging DC stations typically cost 3 to 4 times as much per KWh limiting their use unless absolutely necessary. Brian Daugherty, chief technology officer at MEMA, explained that a typical home consumes 1.2 kilowatts (KW) per hour on average. A direct current (DC) fast charger on the side of the interstate uses 300 KW or the equivalent demand on the grid of 250 homes. Imagine your favorite rest stop equipped with a couple dozen charging stations on Memorial Day weekend with everyone plugged in for a fast charge to get them to the beach. The entire East Coast will go dim.
3) Just as concerning as the infrastructure is the source of the minerals that go into modern batteries. China controls 70-80% of the lithium, cobalt, manganese, nickel and graphite use in electrodes and Russia produces more than 20% of battery-grade nickel. Half of the cobalt is supplied from the Republic of the Congo, with a dismal record of child-labor abuses. But, battery technology is rapidly advancing and professor and inventor John Goodenough, who is credited with inventing the current state-of-the-science Lithium-Ion battery, recently co-developed a rapid-charging, high-cycle, non-flammable glass battery. Years of testing and development are needed to prove the viability of this tech in automotive applications. But, apparently, the 2019 Nobel Prize winner for Chemistry did not think Lithium-Ion battery technology was … Good Enough.
4) Finally, it is worth remembering that switching from a gasoline ICE to a BEV that plugs into the electric grid is simply a trade off from tailpipe emissions to smokestack emissions until we have a much higher portion of our electricity supplied from renewable sources (solar, hydro and wind). Even in our current position, battery electric cars generate only 50% of the emissions of a comparable gasoline vehicle, even when battery manufacturing is included in the calculation, according to Cultura.org.
With all that said, battery electric vehicles are here to stay, and their share of the market will slowly increase. Costs will come down, range and performance will go up, and the investment of the OEMs and the government will ensure that electrics command a significant share of our transportation system in the future. Internal combustion engines are not facing extinction and will remain relevant to hybrid vehicles, heavy equipment and large SUVs and trucks for many decades. As Kaufman explained, electrics will be the preferred solution for small package delivery fleets, autonomous urban vehicles and fleet-shared transportation solutions. The best thing for an aftermarket parts or service business with an eye on the long game is to take your local Avis, Uber or Waymo executive out to lunch and talk about their need to eliminate underperformed maintenance and deliver 100% up-time with a reliable supply of aftermarket parts.
The aftermarket should do what we’ve always done when faced with something new and uncertain, adapt and pay attention. Change is coming faster than ever, but we are Essential — regardless of the propulsion technology.
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