You’re probably here because you love working on motor vehicles, it’s a hobby for you, maybe even a passion. Now imagine if all of that was taken away from you? If aftermarket parts were no longer available or, worse, if they were suddenly against the law. Think about it. Devastating right? Thanks to all the dedicated people at Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) that is one fear none of us have to worry about. When most people in the industry hear SEMA, they think of the SEMA Show. One of the nation’s largest automotive trade shows held each November in Las Vegas, NV. But the people working at SEMA don’t just bust their butts for that single week and take a vacation the rest of the year; far from it. I was fortunate enough to be invited to the annual Industry Day 3.0 organized by Clazzio Regional Sales Manager, Rodney Esteban. This being the first year the event was held at the all-new SEMA garage facilities in Diamond Bar, CA (which I’m excited to tell you more about!). Rodney is most known for his VIP Toyota Prius, but on a personal level I know him as one of the most dedicated and well networked people in the aftermarket industry; putting on events like this to gather companies together for such an event and connecting directly with SEMA is a testament to his passion. So what exactly do the people at SEMA do the rest of the 361 days of the year? Mike Spagnola, SEMA’s VP of OEM & Product Development Programs explained how one of their biggest tasks is staying up to date on legislatures that come through both Federal and State governments throughout the United States. These include the recent passing of the Right to Repair Act and fighting for owner’s rights to the black box data in each vehicle. When not dealing with politics, the SEMA garage is open to all companies who are SEMA members to utilize the numerous tools and equipment they have at the fraction of the price to purchase. But before I get more in depth in that, here are the companies who presented at the event and a little about their involvement in keeping our lifestyle alive. Five Axis / Five Axis Design – Troy Sumitomo Troy started Five Axis designing and developing concept cars and show cars for various OEM clients. It really brought the visions of cool aerodynamic modifications to everyday cars on a mainstream level. His work became so popular that he started Five Axis Design to create wheel and body kit lines of his designs available to consumers.Eleven International / Clazzio – Yoko Senesca & Masa Kusumi Originally only in the Japanese market, Eleven International brought the Clazzio brand of custom, perfect OEM fitting seat covers to the United States in 2006. Combining style with function and affordability to the consumer is the goal of Clazzio and their engineer Arai-san.PowerBassUSA – Robin McNeal PowerBass USA manufactures everything from speakers, amplifiers, to component wiring kits. Most recently the amplifiers they have been developing have been designed smaller (as small as the palm of your hand!), but still pack a significant amount of power to the speakers.Sticky Fingers Design – John Meehan While some might not qualify stickers as a modification; full vinyl wrapping, especially recently, is not something to overlook. It takes skill and technique to wrap an entire car (or boat, or airplane; yes, he’s wrapped an airplane) and make it look like a fresh paint job while keeping the OEM paint protected. John’s work has been seen on many OEM show cars at SEMA as well as the popular TV show, Overhaulin’.Beat-Sonic USA, Inc. – Eric Kwon Beat-Sonic started out making speakers and subwoofers called “bass shakers” in Japan, and has since opened a location in the United States. After some early hardship, they reorganized the company and now provide consumers with quality products in car electronics and accessories which do well to highlight the original styles of each vehicle.RS*R – Eric Kwon After stiff regulations in Japan forced RS*R to drop their original productions of exhaust systems, they focused on springs and coilover suspension instead. By putting their efforts into sponsoring drivers in Formula D they helped grow their brand on the consumer level. They were an important link in bringing drift to the US with their ’03-05 Drift Festival which brought pro drift cars over from Japan to show US audiences.OEM Audio Plus – Daniel La Blanc Crisp, Clean, Clear is their motto and providingsignature tailored results for each specific vehicle is what they do best. OEM Audio Plus redefined car audio by providing home theatre quality sound packed in an easy to install plug and play kit. Acc USA, Co. / Air Runner – Shin Okamoto Acc USA, Co. developed their first air suspension kit in Japan and soon brought it stateside. Their various Air Runner system options provide consumers with a variety of adjustable options whether high or low, parked or on the go.Kyoei USA - Cesar Luna This family business has been around for decades and brings the styles you normally see in Japan here to the United States. From distributing JDM parts, Japanese body kits, suspensions, wheels, and accessories to services of installing,modifying and converting them to fit our USDM vehicles.Eneos / JX Nippon Oil & Energy USA, Inc.– Sarah Park Eneos oil is the OE oil used by most Japanese manufacturers, but there was a little debate whether aftermarket Eneos brand oil is a reasonable substitute for genuine factory oil. But through the help of SEMA and the Right to Repair Act, consumers can prefer any aftermarket oils, such as Eneos brand, to service their vehicles - which could lead to cheaper prices, better performance, or both for the consumers. All of these companies provide a variety of quality aftermarket products for consumers to choose from and trust. While their manufacturing processes may differ depending on the product, they have one thing in common - all are SEMA members. SEMA helps these companies develop and test any product they have in the works. The SEMA garage, which is currently being renovated, has many resources available to all of them – helping to cut manufacture cost and time down significantly. They have a certified emissions lab to test and ensure products are in line with all regulations. There is a gearhead’s dream garage with a lift and a plethora of tools, scales, compressors, and everything in between at their disposal. They can also do full 3 dimensional scans of vehicles, products, tools, anything really. Then using CAD, they can make the aftermarket adjustments they seek and print it out on a 3D Printer. This printer is amazing and can print an object as big as 36’x36’x42’ - extremely helpful for printing new product prototypes and checking fitment on the vehicle before being put into production. The scans and prints are so accurate that in a single print job, it can print out an adjustable wrench that maintains its adjustability function. Finally, they are working on a new photo cove, which companies can use to photograph their products or cars with perfect lighting and clear solid backgrounds. This garage is a thing of beauty with so much potential use for SEMA member companies. I’m planning on coming back for the grand opening, when they’ll be showing off and operating 3D printers and other new goodies. Next time you order a new part online for your car, when you open the box, install the product, or take out your pride and joy you worked so hard on; thank the people at SEMA for helping to keep your dreams alive!
