The Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA), the commercial vehicle division of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), and MacKay & Company have announced Chris Patterson, retired CEO of Daimler Trucks North America and an independent director, will lead a session getting a “real-world view” from aftermarket executives at Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue (HDAD) on Jan. 25 at 10 a.m. ET.

“The Real-World View” will focus on how the aftermarket is affected by today’s market conditions. Friedrich Baumann, president of sales and marketing & aftersales at Navistar Inc. and Al Dragone, CEO of FleetPride, will provide insights into short- and long-term challenges and opportunities, how the aftermarket structure and function will transform with new vehicle and business technologies, and how to help existing employees and new hires adapt and grow in the new era.

HDAD ’21 is co-presented by HDMA and MacKay & Company and will immediately precede the fully virtual Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) 2021. HDAD is traditionally held as a conference, networking, and kick-off for suppliers attending HDAW. This year, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, HDAD will be held virtually and feature presentations and panel discussions with industry experts on topics including:

• Macro-economic trends that will impact the industry
• What to expect of the 2021 DC administration
• MacKay & Company’s Truckable Economic Activity report
• The fleet perspective on changes in the aftermarket and lasting lessons from the pandemic
• Technology changes forced into the distribution chain by the pandemic and what will stick

Other speakers currently scheduled will include:

• John Blodgett – vice president, sales & marketing, MacKay & Company
• Dr. Bob Dieli – economist, MacKay & Company
• Kent Jones – president, Americas, SAF-HOLLAND Inc.
• Wayne McKitrick – vice president, sales, N.A. Williams Company
• Gerry Mead – executive vice president, maintenance & equipment, Hub Group
• Chris Patterson – independent director
• Mari Roberts – senior director, transportation, Frito-Lay
• Tyler Robertson – founder & CEO, Diesel Laptops
• Jeffrey Rosensweig – director, John Robson program in business, public policy, and government, Goizueta Business School of Emory University
• Amanda Schuier – senior vice president, Quality Transport Co.
• Ann Wilson – senior vice president, government affairs, MEMA
• Additional speakers and panelists will be announced soon.

For more information and to register, click here.