Trade Mission to Peru Draws 8 Companies

May 23, 2016

Eight companies joined the Auto Care Association on a trade mission to Lima, Peru, the first in a series of trade missions that will be organized as part of the Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) award from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The association received the award to help the automotive industry increase exports to free trade agreement partners in Central and South America. The trip took place May 17-19, 2016.

The eight participating companies were:

Cloyes Gear and Products Inc.,

ACL Distribution Inc.,

Performance Friction Corp.,

Gates Interamerica,

APW Knox-Seeman Warehouse Inc.,

Cardone Industries Inc.

Meyerban LLC, and

Gabriel (Ride Control LLC.)

Staff and members from the Overseas Automotive Council (OAC) of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association also participated and helped recruit participants for the trade mission.

Day one of the trade mission included a country briefing presented by U.S. Embassy personnel, representatives from the Automotive Association of Peru, and a local legal and regulatory expert. Trade mission delegates then were escorted to on-site visits at a local dealership and a local family-owned parts store. On the second day of the mission, the delegates participated in personalized business-to-business matchmaking meetings with foreign industry executives that were pre-screened to match companies' specific business objectives.

“I had not anticipated that this trade mission to Lima, Peru would be as productive as it has been,” said Mick Jordan, vice president of marketing for Cloyes Gear and Products, and current OAC chairman. “The briefings presented Tuesday by Peruvian and U.S. Embassy officials, and from the representative from the Automotive Association of Peru, were thorough and very informative. They clearly put into context the opportunities and challenges that exist in the Peruvian aftermarket.”

“We are very excited to have completed our first trade mission to Latin America and we are thrilled that early feedback has been so positive,” said Bill Hanvey, CEO and president of the Auto Care Association. “The developing automotive market in Latin America holds tremendous export, business development, and job creation opportunities for U.S. companies, and we look forward to working with the Department of Commerce, OAC and other partners on future successful missions.”

For details about the Auto Care Association’s trade missions, visit www.autocare.org/trade-missions. For additional event information, contact Carolina Arregoces at  [email protected], or 240-333-1037.

For more information about the Auto Care Association, visit www.autocare.org.