Plain Talk Is It Important Enough? By Rob Buksar As rebuilders and | na vendors, manufac- ya. turers and suppliers, , we all work the same [ side of the fence. i Some of us are quite ait fd! large and others very small. Our op- erations vary from single dimension one-item subcontractors to very com- plex winding, rebuilding and ware- housing operations under one roof. You mix these differences with age, edu- cation, experience and geography, and end up with a very diverse collection of perspectives. As domestic business people who serve primarily a domestic market, it’s my estimate that only three percent of our ranks export. We need to quit bickering about issues which are way out ona limb. Let’s focus on the trunk of the tree the irrefutable, uncontest- able dilemma that the market is rap- idly shrinking. There are obvious as- pects of this problem which are out of our control. Then there are major ar- eas which could be dealt with but that would require a collective effort and real push. Just how important is it to you to keep your electrical rebuilding business alive and well and moving for- ward? Is it important enough to: – Focus on what you can do and not on what you can’t? – Become personally active on whatever level is possible in light of your circumstances? It may mean noth- ing more than contributing a couple hundred bucks to help defray the start- up costs of an exclusive electrical or- ganization. – To openly and actively voice your displeasure about having less and less choice concerning where your parts and materials come from? – To choose a domestic supplier over a foreign one whenever possible? – To send a strong message to our wayward government that it is not in the best interest of the United States and the American people to have its automotive and truck aftermarket shoulder the burden of faulty Third World economies? To destroy, dis- mantle and relocate our livelihoods to the Third World is just plain wrong. I was in Orlando for the Automo- tive Parts Rebuilders Association (APRA) show. I haven’t attended them all but have gone to a bunch over the years. The extracurricular activity at this show was noteworthy and some- thing which should concern us all. It was a very important issue to the ven- dors who paid big bucks for booth space for the benefit of their custom- ers. In this respect this year’s show resembled a Third World straw mar- ket. A number of us sat in lounge areas and watched. Foreign factory reps (their turbans give them away) were working the vendors in the booths and their rebuilder customers right out of their attaché cases. Kind of reminded me of being in Mexico and having some guy roll up his sleeve revealing a dozen watches strapped to his arm. In Orlando they were not selling watches. How about alternators, ro- tors, stators, solenoids, rectifiers, bear- ings, complete units, you name it, it was being offered and to some extent dis- played right out of their briefcases. These guys didn’t restrict their panhan- dling, unprofessional behavior to the show floor either. They were display- NOVEMBER, 1999 ing their goodies at breakfast, lunch and dinner in many of the restaurants and later in the bars also. These folks have the blessing of the U.S. government via the current crap trade policies in force. Make no mistake of their intention. They are af- ter the U.S. market which is the only viable market. The less domestic re- sistance the better it is for them. It is their desire we disappear and they are committed to that objective. Is this getting important to you yet? The latest estimate of our trade deficit for 1999 was announced over National Public Radio about three weeks ago. It was higher than origi- nally figured. It now appears it will be over one-third of a trillion dollars. Keep in mind the growing deficit is also, in part, business we are all losing in our industry that will never be re- trieved again. Is this important to you personally? We’re all having our clocks cleaned before our very eyes and un- fortunately far too many of us consider this to be nothing but simple change. Believe this or not, I don’t disagree with many of my critics. They all make some very good and viable points. Yes, we all need to improve and concen- trate on being more tomorrow than we are today. There is also business out there to be had. However, attending all the trade shows, clinics, and tech seminars, listening to self-improvement and empowerment tapes, continuing education, etc. won’t do you or me any good if we allow the market to get away from us and fall into foreign domi- nation. Please don’t let anybody or any organization mislead you. The Third World nations want what we have, our markets and our money. They are not interested in buying our goods or trad- ing with us. It’s a one-way deal and Page 1 of 2