Mobile Electronics December 2015

December 2015

me-mag.com

Passing the orch 3 BROTHERS TURN PARENTS’ ENTREPRENEURIAL DRIVE INTO A COMMUNITY - FOCUSED CUSTOM SHOP

Pushing Boundaries Pioneer fearlessly pursues first-to-market tech

Shout-Outs!

Thanks, kudos & more to industry peers

® optimize your senses

RVC1000

RVC910

RVC1100

RVCLR

Mini Super Wide Viewing 150º view, Programable Normal or Mirror Image, 0.5 lux

Wide Viewing, 120º view, 0.3 Lux

OEM look, Stick On mount super wide, 160º view

Flexible Rubber Surface Mount

NEW !

Auto Switcher SVC 2000SW

RVCLPM (Chrome) RVCLPMB (Black Chrome)

RVC800LPWIRB (Black) RVC800LPWIR (Chrome)

License Plate Camera 120º view

IR License Plate Camera 120º view

RVC1500IRA

SVC2000

Front Windsheild IR Camera with Audio Output

Side CCD Cameras with LED Marker Lights

OnStar ! OE STYLE REARVIEW MIRROR

4.3” WIDESCREEN LCD MONITORS Rear View Mirror or Glass Mount Monitor

NEW ! with Built In 4.3” LCD (Manual Dimming)

Glass Mount Monitor Snap-on Sunshade

Rear View Mirror Monitor

4.3” LCD Rear View Mirror Manual Dimming Includes Cable Adaptor Adjustable Parking Lines Works with old and newer OnStar Systems

NEW !

Adjustable Parking Lines

RVMMMDOS

Mini Digital Multi-Meter with Built in Flash Light

TFT-LCD Monitor AV Signal Auto Detect Power On/Off 2 AV Inputs Auto Switch when reversing PAL/NTSC compatible Temperature Range Operation : -20ºC ~ 70ºC

Rear View Glass Mount

Manual Reset Circuit Breakers

NEW !

STANDARD POWER 20A to 100A

Compact design makes for easy portable use.

CBM20 CBM25 CBM30 CBM40 CBM50 CBM60 CBM70 CBM80 CBM100

NEW !

Features Illuminated display and built in flash light

RVM430NG

20A 25A 30A 40A 50A 60A 70A 80A 100A

Priced as low as $4.95 Why use standard fuse and fuseholders anymore !

DM300

LCDP43LW

u o y e r A NEW !

LED SPOT OR FLOOD LIGHTS Available in 30º or 60º Angles

NEW !

White LED flood light 15 watt, 12vdc operation

LL27WAS - Spot Light 30º LL27WAF - Flood Light 60º

LL15WAS - Spot Light 30º LL15WAF - Flood Light 60º

60º Angle Flood Light

30º Angle Spot Light

INDIVIDUALLY CUSTOM DRILL IN !

LED Daytime Running Lights

a e R

LED SPOT OR FLOOD LIGHTS Available in 30º or 60º Angles

White LED flood light 27 watt, 12vdc operation

30º Angle Spot Light

. . . dy

60º Angle Flood Light

BLIND SPOT SENSOR KIT with LED & Audio Warning Sound

Finally a quality, high profit aftermarket blind spot sensor kit !

Also Avilable in Bar Style

Install flush into any grill or actual bumper itself. Custom mount in a straight line on follow contour curves of bumper

Installs in locations where no DRL1200 other DRL can fit !

17900 Crusader Ave, Cerritos, CA 90703 USA (800) 788-1212 (562) 809-5090

DRL2000

2 side sensors Dash LED Distance Display 2 dash or mirror mount LEDs Main control box BSS200D Continuously indicating obstacles Piezo warning sounds after turn signal activated (if there is an obstacle)

LED Indicator Activated

Dash Mount or Mirror mount LED Indicator

BSS200

Volume 32// Issue 8

Ad Index

14 FEATURES 14 // Business Feature: Year End Review As quickly as it began, 2015 is now in the books. But not without its charms. A look back on the year reveals what categories showed growth, and which ones will need a visit to the drawing board.

Accele ................................................................. p. 2-3 ® Alpine ........................................................................ p. 5 AudioControl ...................................................... p. 45 Auto Design NYC .............................................. p. 47 Compustar .......................................................... p. 59 CybCar America ............................................... p. 47 DD Audio ...............................................................p. 23 Directed ................................................................ p. 60 Focal/Mosconi/Illusion ................................ p. 35 Infinity ..................................................................... p. 11 InstallerNet ......................................................... p. 39 Kenwood ................................................................. p. 9 Memphis .............................................................. p. 37 Metra ....................................................................... p. 13 Mito ......................................................................... p. 36 Mobile Electronics ............................................ p. 41 PowerBass USA................................................. p. 21 SiriusXM .................................................................p. 12 Scosche ..................................................................p. 19 Voxx .......................................................................... p. 7

32 // Real World Retail: GNC Customs They say not to mix family with business. Tell that to the Mojica family, who made the Top 12 for the first time ever by combining the best of both worlds.

42 // Behind the Scenes: Pioneer Electronics Not many companies can say that the meaning of their name literally defines who they are. Enter Pioneer, a company that predates the 12-volt industry, and today continues to uphold its name with products like the NEX Apple Carplay receiver. But how will the aftermarket giant keep up in this era of ever-evolving technology?

48 // Tech Today: Baffled By Pillars: Part 2 In part 2 of his feature on building tweeter pillars, fabrication expert Joey Knapp discusses specifics like proper router use and working with acrylic.

42 ARTICLES 20 Retail News/Who’s Who 26 External Effects 54 Installs

On the Cover

Getting a business to function isn’t easy. Common difficulties include finding engaged, passionate employees, maintaining clientele and shaping a company motto. Some might say that it becomes harder when hiring family. The Mojica family, owners of GNC Customs, would disagree. For them, family is the most reliable and easier to find common ground with. This month’s Real World Retail discusses the power of family and what it means in a 12-volt era filled with uncertainty when it comes to finding talent.

COVER DESIGN: ROBIN LEBEL

4 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

DEPARTMENTS 6 Feedback 8 Editor’s Forum 10 Stats 12 Helpful Stuff 28 On the Market 58 Guest Editorial

facebook.com/me-mag

WITH ITS 9-INCH TOUCH SCREEN AND COUNTLESS FEATURES, THE X009-WRA IS READY FOR YOUR NEXT BIG ADVENTURE

The 9-inch screen is 89% larger than the factory radio and 55% larger than a standard aftermarket screen.

View alerts like tire pressure and door status, plus keep your favorite factory features like steering wheel controls and factory amplifier controls.

Your Jeep Wrangler deserves the ultimate dash upgrade. The X009-WRA Restyle Dash System has a large 9-inch screen that is the hub for your entertainment and information needs. Use it with separate front and rear view cameras to reduce blind spots and maneuver around off-road obstacles. Let your adventures start with Alpine.

The X009-WRA is compatible with front and rear view cameras (sold separately), to help eliminate blind spots around your Wrangler.

Shown here, X009-WRA for: 2011-UP Jeep Wrangler*

The X009 and custom dash kits are also available for:

Select Ford F-150* trucks, Select GM* trucks and SUVs, Ram* trucks and Toyota Tundra*

www.alpine-usa.com/me

* Jeep and Wrangler are registered trademarks of FCA US LLC. The Bluetooth® word mark is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such mark by Alpine Electronics, Inc. is under license. Other vehicle makes and models are those of their respective owners. © 2015 Alpine Electronics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

me-mag.com 5

 feedback

End of Year Shout-Outs Thanks and praise are shared from the industry’s best and brightest to those who helped them make 2015 a great year.

To: Eric Baltzer, Santa Fe Distribution From: Ryan Goeller, Car Concepts, Salt Lake City Message: Thank you for your support and effort in both expediter and retail business.

To: Kris Bulla/ DOW Electronics From: Rick Snyder, Manager, Tri State Automobile Accessories Message: Kris Bulla and Dow Electronics have help significantly improve our sales, personnel, quality of products, and our store as a whole since we started working together about a year ago. They helped us to bring in some new product lines and get better support and pricing on our existing products. Kris is always there to help with any technical or product questions that arise and goes above and beyond to make sure we have whatever we need. He also helped us update our store with some amazing new displays. There is no way we would have had the growth we had this year without him.

To: All who won their deserved awards From: Jon Lackey, Blvd Customs of Lakeland, Lakeland, Fla. Message: Thank you for showing the industry your passion to be the best you can be, so others may follow in your footsteps what a grade ‘A’ player should do.

To: JDSMC (Jon Dewar Sales, Marketing, Consulting) From: Drivers Side, Plainville, Mass.

Message: Jon is helping us realize available customers that we were not reaching already.

To: Businessworx, Ben Vollmer From:Soundcrafters, South Daytona, Fla. Message: The Businessworx system has helped us quite a bit to streamline communications with our client base.

To: Eric Carter and the Cartronix team From: Sean Davis, Tip Top Customs Message: We want to congratulate them on the new store. They did an amazing job getting moved and opened quickly.

Cartronix didn’t skip a beat with the move. Considering how beautiful the new store looks, it’s like the move never happened. I think this is something most businesses would struggle with and Cartronix rocked it!

To: Charles Brazil, First Coast Creations, Florida From:Carlos Ramirez, NVS Audio, N.J. Message: He opened up his own shop a few months ago and is doing really well. He’s working on some really nice hi-end cars and pumping out some beautiful, top-notch work.

To: Manny Olivio, DAS Distributors From: Eddy Lamour, DSP Audio and Video Message: I wish you luck in your business venture.

To: Jim Perdue, McDue Ultimate Audio From: Jessica Fauteaux Message: Jim Perdue, you started with a small dream and have grown to be an outstanding business owner!

Congrats on 20 years of success!

6 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

ADVERTISING SALES Kerry Moyer 703.598.3733 • kerrym@mobile-electronics.com ®

EDITORIAL Solomon Daniels 213.291.1528 • solomond@mobile-electronics.com Ted Goslin 800.949.6372 ext. 466 • tedg@mobile-electronics.com Creative Layout and Design: Robin LeBel Contributing Editors: Jamie Sorcher, Laura Kemmerer and Rosa Sophia.

Published by

®

Chris Cook, President 978.867.6759 • chrisc@mobile-electronics.com Kerry Moyer, VP Strategic Partnerships 703.598.3733 • kerrym@mobile-electronics.com Solomon Daniels, Dir. Media and Communications 213.291.1528 • solomond@mobile-electronics.com Richard Basler, Dir. Technology Solutions 978.645.6449 • richb@mobile-electronics.com Karin Drake, Events Manager 978.645.6478 • karindrake@mobile-electronics.com Robin Lebel, Creative Director 978.645.6456 • robinlebel@mobile-electronics.com 1)Title of publication: Mobile Electronics. 2) Publication No.: 957-170 6. 3) Date of filing: Oct. 1, 2015. 4) Frequency of issue: Monthly except FEB/MAR & APR/MAY 5) No. of issues published annually: 10. 6) Annual subscription price: $35.00. 7) Complete mailing address of known office of publication: 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845. 8) Complete mailing address of the headquarters or general business offices of the publisher: 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845. 9) Full names and complete mailing address of Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor: Publisher: Chris Cook, 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845; Editor/Managing Editor: Solomon Daniels/Ted Goslin, 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845 10) Owner. MERA, Mobile Electronics Retailers Association, 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845. 11) Known bondholders, mortgages, and other security holders owning or holding 1% or more of total amounts of bonds, mortgages or other securities: None.

12) Tax Status: Not applicable. 13) Name of Publication: Mobile Electronics. 14) Issue date for circulation data below: August 2015. 6. a) Total no. copies (net press run) Average: 12,484 Single Issue; 12,826. B1) Paid/Requested mail subscriptions Average: 6834, Single Issue: 6826. B3) Paid sales through dealers, etc.; Average: 0. Single issue; c. Requested distributed by other classes of mail: Average: 531, Single issue: 520. Total paid and/or requested circulation; Average 7365. Single issue: 7346. d) Non-requested distribution by mail; Average: 4382 Single issue: 4223. Free distribution through other classes of mail: Average: 0, Single issue: 0. e) Nonrequested distribution outside the mail; Average: 325. Single issue: 750. f) Total non-requested distribution; Average 4707, Single issue: 4973. g) Total distribution; Average: 12,072. Single issue: 12,319. h) Copies not distributed; h1) Office use, leftovers; Average: 412. Single Issue; 507 j) Total; Average: 12,484. Single issue; 12,826 Percent paid and/or requested circulation; Average: 61.01%. Single issue 59.63%.

 editor’s forum

Water the Right Seeds Growth isn’t just about seizing the logical opportunity. Look beyond logic to put all your efforts behind something you love to do.

When I was about three-years-old, a car accident with an industrial garbage container threw me from the back seat through the front windshield, landing face first in the container full of glass and debris.

I received cuts so bad that two millimeters were the difference between saving or losing my left eye.

Plastic surgery put my lower eye and forehead back together with skin from my leg and behind my ear.

For the next 15 years, I was the ugly, scar-faced kid to peers and classmates. And after that, I was the invisible adult.

That much time, especially during those formative years, shapes you. For me, it meant not seeking the spotlight for fear of ridicule, hanging out with other people who were deemed oddities, or eschewing others altogether. And lord forbid I ever thought of approaching a girl.

Today, most people who meet me tell me they don’t even notice the scars unless I call attention to them. But as cliché as this sounds, those scars still exist below the surface. Even though you see me on this page every month, I still struggle every day with introverted habits so ingrained that I often don’t realize I am taking the path less traveled.

But I’m working on it.

I am sharing this very personal story with you, my industry family, to tell you that I am still growing. And this is the time of year when all of us should look on our personal and professional lives and think about our opportunities for growth. We all have goals to go beyond where we are. But lack of knowledge, education, resources or even personal support can turn efforts into failure, and repeated failure into fear of taking the next step. If there are areas in which, despite your efforts, either you or your business is not able to grow, the key is understanding why, and then finding a way around the roadblocks.

For me, I originally attacked my issues head on, but every time I tried to overcome shortcomings by forcing myself to do something I wasn’t comfortable with, it didn’t work.

Then I simply focused on the things I like to do. I love helping people. I love being part of helping a business succeed. I want to make a difference. So instead of pouring negative energy into a negative situation, I poured positive energy into all of the positives. And as a result, writing became my voice. I found my own way to express myself and accomplish my goals. That’s why I get so much fulfillment from helping retailers through the

8 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

magazine, and helping manufacturers through my communications company.

Is your business true to itself? Have you made “logical” decisions to expand, get into a certain product category or cater to a new group of customers, only to find that your heart is really not in it? Probably the worst thing anyone can do, personally or professionally, is to half-heartedly pursue an objective. With the wasted effort, time and potentially missed opportunities, it would be better to have done nothing at all.

But is there a way you can put more resources behind what you do well? Sure there is. You’re the Chevy experts or the best window tint facility. You support veterans or are strong advocates in your community. You are the go-to place for Bluetooth, vehicle security or motorized gas caps. You send out email blasts about it and put up store signage. You answer questions in Facebook groups and forums. You shout it from the rooftops. And you grow by being positive about your positives.

I’ll probably never be a Joe Dentamaro, Geoff Dixon, Pete Daley or any of the truly excellent sales professionals I’ve had the honor to know. You may still have to be the one to approach me to start a conversation. But I’m a damn good communicator and facilitator of business relationships. I’ve been fortunate enough to help a lot of people, and my goal is to continue that into 2016.

And by the way, you might be wondering, based on what I’ve told you, how I am able to get up on stage at KnowledgeFest, probably the biggest spotlight our industry has. I’ll tell you: There was one more thing I discovered in my process. I could talk in front of others—and be in the spotlight—if I’m talking about something I believe in. So when I’m up on stage in front of the hundreds of retailers and installers, I can talk because I believe in you, and in what we represent as an industry.

I want to wish each of you the best holiday season and a Happy New Year. I hope that, personally and professionally, we can all grow together. 

me-mag.com   9

 stats

How We Did In 2015 Looking back at the year in review provides insight into how proper planning can help your bottom line.

PROJECTED SALES FOR 2015 SO FAR

Yes, we are on target .......................... 15% Yes, we are somewhat ahead ....... 34% Yes, we are significantly ahead ..... 19% No, we are somewhat behind ........ 30% No, we are significantly behind ........ 2%

TYPES OF OBSTACLES ENCOUNTERED TOWARD ACCOMPLISHING SALES GOALS

Staffing issues ...................................... 52% Cashflow issues ................................... 24% Local event(s) or circumstances... 14% Didn’t execute part(s) of your plan .......................................... 17% Unplanned/emergency expenditure(s) ...................................... 7% Oil price drop, causing layoffs ........ 21%

YOU OR YOUR STORE’S 2015 PERFORMANCE IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

We didn' accomplish this Built rapport with current customers

We did somewhat

We did well

We did N/A really well

0.00% 12.50% 40.00% 45.00% 2.50%

0 5 16 18 1

Total

40

Improved the customer experience 2.50% 20.00% 42.50% 35.00% 0.00% in our store(s) 1 8 17 14 0 40 Increased 0.00% 22.50% 52.50% 25.00% 0.00% our repeat customer base 0 9 21 10 0 40

Raised our average ticket over same 5.00% 22.50% 32.50% 37.50% 2.50% 1 40 period last year 2 9 13 15 Used email marketing more 32.50% 27.50% 17.50% 15.00% 7.50% 13 17 7 6 3 40 efectively Used social media 12.50% 27.50% 17.50% 37.50% 5.00% more effectively 5 11 7 15 2 40

Used online 25.00% 37.50% 10.00% 20.00% 7.50% advertising more 10 15 4 8 3 40 effectively Benefitted from 5.13% 41.03% 17.95% 30.77% 5.13% online reviews 2 16 7 12 2 39

10 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

me-mag.com   11

 helpful stuff

Books: BOLD — How To Go Big, Create Wealth And Impact The World BY: PETER H. DIAMANDIS AND STEVEN KOTLER SIMON & SCHUSTER - $28

Part manifesto and part manual, Bold, is the follow-up tome to #2 New York Times bestseller Abundance. Written by co-authors Diamandis and Kotler, Bold is a practical playbook for business-owners, big thinkers, start-up investors, entrepreneurs, leaders, and activists who want to positively impact the world while also making their own dreams a reality. Sounds ambitious, right? To tackle these topics, the book is divided into three parts. The first focuses on exponential technologies—ones disrupting today’s Fortune 500 companies and enabling upstart entrepreneurs to go from guys-with-an-idea-on-paper to guys-that-run-a-million-dollar company. You’ll get advice from the Silicon Valley elite with the authors offering insights as to how anyone can benefit from the power of artificial intelligence, robotics, and 3D printing. The second part of the book focuses on psychology—the mental skills that make the top innovators who they are. There are lessons here from Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos among others. Finally, BOLD closes with a look at the best practices that allow anyone to tap into today’s hyper-connected crowd using resources like crowd-funding campaigns to access available capital.

Sites To See: Cesweb.org

WWW.CESWEB.ORG/SHOW-FLOOR

Next month kicks off the mammoth Consumer Electronics Show affectionately known as CES, and with all the hoopla surrounding vehicles and the connected car, it’s a no-brainer to be there. More automakers than ever are exhibiting in Vegas along with all the usual suspects in the mobile electronics industry. The show is only getting bigger—Tech East, Tech South and Tech West—so you’ll want to be prepared with a game plan on how to navigate it all. Check out the site for detailed maps, information on exhibitors, and what to see at each location.

RN IT ON TU

ATTENTION ALL EXPEDITORS!

SiriusXM, together with our partner Voxx Electronics, is now offering four SiriusXM aftermarket accessory options for non-factory equipped vechicles.

Contact Your Voxx Rep For Details.

MONTHS

AL

L AC C E S S

Add SiriusXM To Every Vehicle On The Lot! No Credit Card required!

See Offer Details below

4 GREAT AFTERMARKET SOLUTIONS TO FIT ANY MAKE/MODEL: Commander Touch™ SXVCT1T

SXV300V1T Vehicle Tuner

SATSTREAMER + SXV300V1T

Advent ADVUNI300 + SXV300V1T

Stand Alone Unit That Connects To Your Existing Radio

Connect To A SiriusXM-Ready Stereo

Bundled Solution For Toyota, Scion & Honda Vehicles

Bundled Solution For Any Double DIN Radio

Offer Details: Order an eligible radio from your dealer, call 1-855-692-5221 to activate your All Access “Free Trial” Subscription and receive 3 months free ($19.99/mo. savings), plus free activation (a $15 savings). If, during your trial, you purchase a subscription to follow your 3-month trial, your first activation fee is waived, but if you wait to subscribe after the 3-month trial expires, standard activation fee applies. If you decide to continue service after your trial, the subscription plan you choose will automatically renew every month thereafter and you will be charged according to your chosen payment method at then-current rates. Fees and taxes apply. To cancel you must call us at 1-888-601-6296. See our Customer Agreement for complete terms at www.siriusxm.com. All fees and programming subject to change.

SiriusXM reserves the right to modify or terminate this offer at any time. See a sales associate for additional information. ©2015 Sirius XM Radio Inc. Sirius, XM and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Sirius XM Radio Inc. All other marks, channel names and logos are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

12 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

Software/Apps: RescueTime

Services: Doodle and Doodle Mobile

WWW.RESCUETIME.COM

(for use on the go)

How much time do you spend on social media sites a day? If you’re going to be productive, it helps to measure your digital life—to know how you spend your time. With this app, you can easily spot inefficiencies so you can better manage daily tasks, create goals like spending less time on social media, and even set alarms so you know when you’ve used your allotted amount of time online or on a specific site. Get detailed reports to see what web sites you visit the most and how much time you spend surfing different categories. A weekly email report summarizes your activities so you can track your productivity. To get started, download the application on your computer and check the website where you can track your info. Create an account and log in with those credentials on all of your devices.

RescueTime Lite is free and should be sufficient for most users to tackle their time management issues. The app is compatible with Mac, PC, Android and Linux.

HTTP://DOODLE.COM/

When you’ve got to coordinate rep meetings, get your sales team together with a vendor, or figure out when to hold that special event, the right scheduling tool makes all the difference.

The service is free—it’s compatible with Apple and Android devices—and will help you simplify the process of scheduling appointments for a group of people in a business-like manner.

Sign up for a free account on Doodle.com, connect your calendar, and schedule an event right away. Within one minute, you can set up a poll to find a date and time for an event. Polls are by default yes/no. Participants see checkboxes beneath each time and date option. They can either check it if that option works, or leave it blank if it doesn't. You can change your poll to yes/no/if-need-be. The new third option means, “This time and date isn't convenient for me, but if it works for everyone else, I'll make it happen.” The poll then is available online for colleagues to visit and vote on. Doodle tallies the results and tells which date and time works best for everyone, or for the highest number of participants.

me-mag.com 13

 business feature

Retailers will need to ready themselves for new areas of opportunity as 2015, a year of great technology leaps, comes to a close.

WORDS BY JAMIE SORCHER

F

rom the rebounding economy to falling gas prices, the year 2015 is almost in the books.

When it kicked off last January at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the automotive and aftermarket mobile industries were front and center setting the scene for what has been an interesting year.

Driverless cars, gesture control, and Apple or Android autos were all major trends in the spotlight then and have

14 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

remained so. They will likely make bold headlines again at the upcoming CES next month.

While it is too early to tell what the key disrupters for the tech industry will be in 2016, one thing is certain: the landscape for the consumer electronics industry—and for aftermarket mobile electronics—is rapidly changing.

Mobile electronics retailers face the continuing question of whether to develop omni-channel strategies as

e-commerce evolves and challenges brickand-mortar businesses. There is no doubt that social media and mobile are going to play an even larger role in the consumer shopping experience for 2016 and beyond.

One of the big reasons is the increasing importance of the millennials (those who are ages 18 to 34), a large market segment who are heavily influencing retail.

Millennials are also the largest group of smartphone owners and they’re accustomed to purchasing without delay—click

Fig. 6.1 Total Entertainment Devices Sales to Dealer

Dollar Sales (Millions)

2011 $7,736 2012 $9,374 2013 $10,644 2014 $12,480

2015e $13,568 2016p $14,299

Dollar Sales (Millions) $16,000 $14,000 $12,000 $10,000 $8,000 $4,000 $2,000 $0

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015e

2016p

Includes: Aftermarket Autosound Equipment, Mobile Video, Satellite Radio Receivers and Domestic Factory Installed Systems.

Here is a look at some trends that have been part of the CE and aftermarket mobile electronics industries, and will have an impact for 2016:

Smart Homes Have Smart Cars and buy. More consumers are adopting mobile wallets this year and that will only increase next year. Mobile electronics retailers—if they haven’t already—will have to figure out how to address their customers who may want to make a purchase with Apple Pay, Google Wallet or some other option. Cash registers, according to some research, are going the way of the 8-track player.

Safety Dance In terms of product, consumers are focused on wearables—everything from fitness trackers to smart glasses. The smartwatch, though, is shaping up as yet another gateway—like the smartphone— into the car. Not surprisingly, automakers are all over the smartwatch craze, trying to figure out how to make them link to their infotainment systems. There has been a flurry of activity already. To name just a few, last April Porsche introduced its Porsche Connect app for Apple Watch.

A month later at the inaugural 2015 International CES Asia in Shanghai, China, Cadillac showed an Apple Watch app.

More apps will definitely be on the way.

This year, CEA is forecasting U.S. smart watch unit sales to rise 250 percent to 8.243 million units, and worldwide sales to jump 185 percent to 11.186 million units.

But what is driving business right now?

Not the traditional categories that were

the darlings of years past.

According to the CEA, the outlook for the aftermarket auto sound category (which includes satellite radio receivers) is expected to be slightly down this year from 2014 with revenues hovering right around the one billion mark. That is expected to be the case for 2016 as well.

Even as aftermarket manufacturers continue to embrace new technologies and the huge—and inevitable—push forward of the connected car, the fact remains that there is increasing incompatibility with new vehicle architecture and aftermarket head units. This is expected to be an ongoing issue for the 12-volt world and one that only continues to intensify.

It means the aftermarket industry must continue to evolve. Already, it is pushing retailers to reinvent themselves and figure out what categories offer the most potential. Retailers said safety solutions are strong performers—reverse cameras, blind spot assistance systems, and more.

Automakers are stepping up their efforts in this arena and it is not going unnoticed by consumers who are experiencing new technologies in the cars of friends or family, making them want to update their vehicles, too. Navigation and remote start are also vital categories along with higher-end speakers.

The mood, in spite of disruptive technologies and aggressive automakers, is

The current craze for being connected is happening in cars, but it’s also about extending the experience outside of the car. It’s a logical connection. The growing adoption of smart home systems is coinciding with growing awareness of the connected car.

There is plenty of crossover here as consumers use their phones to do everything from start their car to unlock their homes, turn on their lights, open their garages and more.

THE BIG QUESTION: AFTERMARKET VS. OEM? The connected car is on the rise, but not every new car will be connected. Some drivers may want to add technology into their lives at their own pace. Interoperability is going to play a big part and aftermarket devices have a chance to gain here.

me-mag.com 15

 business feature positive. Retailers said they have enjoyed strong sales to date blind spot systems. There is definitely more demand for safety and are gauging where the opportunities exist for 2016. because of the OEM side. Consumers see what is out there in “We didn’t see the revenue up as much as we’d have liked to, new vehicles and they want to add things to their cars that are but we’ve seen the confidence missing.” of the consumer return,” said In terms of auto sound, Landau Kenny McCardie, owner of Auto said he sees a divide. “We have Sound Specialists in Union City, clients who want to their vehicles Calif. The shop offers complete updated,” he said. “They want to custom car audio along with get their factory system working window tinting, custom wheels again or they want to be made and more. whole again. The other end is the “We’re definitely seeing people client who is sound-driven and shop differently—carefully, but looking for high performance. now the customer is reinvested.

We’re not seeing as much middle They are looking for quality,” ground.”

McCardie added. “They want At Audioworx in Pittsburgh, Pa., a return on their investment, installer and shop manager Kenny something that will last them Rogers agreed. Customers doing a longer. So we find it encouraging full system, he said, are focused on that it’s a quality versus quantity sound quality. state-of-mind right now for the “We’re a big Focal dealer so customer. Our customer is lookwe’re able to meet the needs of ing at a product to determine if that customer,” Rogers said. “It This term isn’t going away any time it’s the right purchase for them, used to be someone who came in soon—and the trend is transforming not shopping price. They’re not wanting $10,000 of bass in the the automotive and aftermarket mobuying more expensive, but what trunk, but now we’re seeing cusbile world. Essentially it’s the idea that they do buy has to have quality.” tomers who want a streamlined “The economy has rebounded,” look with their speakers and better everything is connected to the Intersaid Jason Kranitz, owner of sound.” net. According to research firm IDC, the Kingpin Car and Marine Audio Along with sales of higher perIoT market is set to grow 19 percent in Wilsonville, Ore. “We’re seeing formance speakers, the store is this year. Research firm Gartner prea few more types of clients also experiencing a record high dicts there will be 26 billion connected like contractors who want nav with navigation units. It’s also upgrades. Our existing clients, the time of year when the shop’s devices by 2020. As vehicles become because of how the economy has remote start business picks up. more complex and connected, it is been, were money conscious, but “It gets super cold in Pittsburgh bringing pluses like more safety and we’re seeing that money is flowso our season has already started,” information which could ultimately reing more freely now. Gas prices Rogers said. “What’s happening sult in fewer road accidents and reduce are going down and there’s with the navigation business has money for everyone to do things been a bit surprising. I mean, traffic congestion. The downside: the again.” who doesn’t have a smartphone? concern about vehicle theft, hacking According to Bader Hijaz, CEO But it’s the safety factor. We’re and data privacy. of three-store retailer Soundz doing good business with Pioneer Good Stereo, Inc., based in units. We have all four of their Oxnard, Calif., the company is SKUs which retail from $750 up to having its best year even with the $1,400.” decline of sales in core 12-volt Rogers said the store has also products. “We’re constantly been experimenting with some adding new vehicle-related catnew areas. “We’ve been doing egories to make up for car audio,” he said. “We’re focusing on more remote starts controlled by factory proximity keys,” he service, wheels, window tint and others.” said. “We’re doing between five and 10 of those a week. More “Things at our facility for 2015 were good,” said Joshua cars are push-to-start these days so we’re seeing this business Landau, system design consultant for JML Audio of St. Louis. pick up.”

“There is definitely more awareness of safety categories—reverse And more cars are certainly being sold these days. It’s been cameras, parking sensors, collision avoidance systems, and an incredibly strong year for auto sales which can benefit the

The Internet of Things

16 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

Fig. 6.5 Total Information and Security Sales to Dealer

Dollar Sales (Millions)

2011 $1,655 2012 $1,230 2013 $1,043 2014 $1,059

2015e $899 2016p $786 Includes: Aftermarket vehicle Security and Portable Navigation.

Dollar Sales (Millions) $1,800 $1,600 $1,400 $1,200 $800 $600 $400 $200 $0

aftermarket in many ways—primarily by giving new technologies exposure to the masses.

In fact, the best October auto sales since 2001 has the auto industry tracking to sell the most new cars and trucks ever in a single year and break the all-time record of 17.41 million vehicles set in 2000.

The encouraging numbers are expected to continue through year-end with automakers no doubt offering holiday promotions and incentives. Industry analysts are predicting 2015 full-year sales could reach 17.8 million vehicles.

“What’s going to happen—and it is already—is that customers using rental cars or even getting newer cars then want to update their other vehicles,” McCardie said. “Basically it means that the connected car is validated. We have used 2015 as a market to invest in ourselves. We’re encouraged and we expect to see growth in a couple of categories for next year—like Bluetooth, to name one.”

Out With The Old Retailers said they are anticipating a decent 2016 riding some of the positive energy from this year, but they know there will be some hurdles on the horizon.

“For 2016, we know it’s going to be challenging, but it looks positive,” said Hijaz of Soundz Good Stereo. “Amazon and eBay are getting more powerful and that is affecting brick-and-mortar.”

While custom fabrication—upper-end speakers—have been one of Kingpin Car and Marine Audio’s biggest categories, owner Jason Kranitz said that cameras in cars are shaping up to be a promising category for 2016. “It’s more than the basic back-up camera—it’s having one on the right, left, the rear, and

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015e

2016p

Key Highlights from Kelley Blue Book’s Vehicle Hacking Vulnerability Survey 72 percent said they are aware of the recent Jeep Cherokee hacking incident.

41 percent said they will consider this recent

vehicle hacking incident when buying or leasing their next car.

78 percent said vehicle hacking will be a frequent problem in the next three years or less.

33 percent classified vehicle hacking as a “serious” problem; 35 percent classified it as a “moderate” problem.

58 percent do not think there will ever be a permanent solution to vehicle hacking.

41 percent think pranking is the most common reason for hacking a vehicle; 37 percent think theft is the most common reason for hacking a vehicle.

me-mag.com 17

 business feature

Android is King Google’s operating system has become the dominant standard for smartphones and tablets, but Apple remains a major market force. Will Android be the go-to operating system of the future, too?

Driver Distraction -

Don’t forget about this hot-button issue. According to AAA Foundation For Traffic Safety research, drivers spend more than half their time focused on things other than driving. A category one mental distraction is on par with listening to the radio. Category two is the same as talking on the phone. Send voice-activated texts and that’s a category three distraction. Category four is equivalent to updating social media while driving.

Category five relates to a highly challenging, scientific test designed to overload a driver's attention. Will the connected car be the answer or part of the problem?

But There’s A Disconnect -

Vehicle owners aren’t using many of the technologies that automakers are spending billions of dollars to develop and implement., according to the J.D. Power 2015 Driver Interactive Vehicle Experience (DrIVE) Report. The report measures driver experiences with in-vehicle technology during the first 90 days of ownership. The report found 20 percent of new-vehicle owners have never used 16 of the 33 technology features measured. The five features owners most commonly report that they “never use” are in-vehicle concierge (43 percent); mobile routers (38 percent); automatic parking systems (35 percent); head-up display (33 percent); and built-in apps (32 percent). The report further showed that there are 14 technology features that 20 percent or more of owners don’t want in their next vehicle, including Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto, in-vehicle concierge services, and in-vehicle voice texting.

In-vehicle technologies that most owners do want include vehicle health diagnostics, blind-spot warning and detection, and adaptive cruise control.

a top-down 360. It’s what is happening in newer cars and then our clients see that and want them in their older cars.”

Mercedes-Benz, for example, offers a 360-degree camera system including four cameras as part of their parking package. The camera monitors the entire area surrounding the vehicle, offers visual support when parking and helps with situations where there is restricted visibility.

“Our 2015 has so far been awesome,” Kranitz continued. “We had a huge increase in sales and we eclipsed 2014 sales by July so it’s been a bonus round from August on. We had a change of staff which has been phenomenal and we also changed our business model. We are now appointment only. The showroom is physically locked; we go by consultation only now. We spend a lot of time with our clients because we’re focused on the higher end.”

18 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

Kranitz said he had been thinking about making the changeover for about two years before finally pulling the trigger. “We had our store manager leave with no notice. We were getting behind, but now it’s actually gotten busier since we made the change.”

Crystal Clear As 2015 comes to a close, there is no crystal ball needed for the 12-volt industry. The future is clear: the industry needs to embrace change.

“Technicians in the industry need to grow up some,” Kranitz said. “They need to embrace integration and get the training so they know what’s going on in the cars and can do the installations properly.”

Another wake-up call for the industry is the presence retailers need online whether it’s a website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. It’s critical even

if they are not using those sites as selling tools.

“We definitely notice that people are doing their research online,” said Landau of JML Audio. “Our job is to make sure our web sites are educational tools, even if we’re not going after the sales. We need to be more active than, ‘here’s our address, contact info and the cars we’ve worked on.’ What we’re doing is more blogs and we’re focusing on SEO, search engine optimization. We’re definitely excited for 2016.”

Next month when CES kicks off, the show will be tracking to be the biggest ever. The automakers will be center stage once again along with all the aftermarket companies and accessory vendors. What happens there is yet to be seen, but it is no secret that the CE and auto worlds are more closely tied together than ever. 

me-mag.com   19

 retail news

Generations of Sound Westminster Speed and Sound has experienced many years of change and growth, all the way back to 1969. It continues to flourish, bringing back three generations of customers.

WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA

B

y the time Mark Miller started working there in 1987, Westminster Speed and Sound had already been a fixture of the local community since 1969. When Miller joined the staff, the business focused on performance parts. Miller’s involvement in the 12-volt industry began when he was still an employee. He and then-owner Bob Sherfey discussed getting into the electronics business.

When Sherfey fell ill and passed away, he willed the company to Miller. “He told me that I gave him the greatest gift that one man can give another man—assurance that he was going to Heaven. I had talked to Bob about having a relationship with God.” July 13, 1990 marked the day that Miller took over ownership of the company.

25 years later, the anniversary proved a good time to unveil the remodeled building as well as a newly completed demo vehicle. To educate the public and generate excitement for mobile electronics, Westminster Speed and Sound celebrated with a grand reopening, complete with free food and tours of the installation department. The event was marketed on social media and via email.

With a long-time goal of remodeling and expanding, they gutted the installation department, built a new fabrication

20 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

facility and increased capacity and capability. “Our showroom looks better than most places a client will go in, bright and clean with interactive displays … so we wanted to have our installation department reflect that same thought process,” Miller explained. “We give tours, show people vehicles. When we take a client around to the installation department, their eyes light up.

It looks better than most car dealerships will look, and that’s our goal. It reinforces who we are.”

During the event, several client vehicles were parked out front. “We parked the rest in our installation bays. They could see the vehicles, hear them, and we also finished a new demo vehicle, a 2014 Dodge Ram pick-up,” Miller said. Along with unveiling the renovations, they also revealed the Ram for the first time.

Things have changed a lot over the years. While the business remained with performance, it slowly transitioned into mobile electronics. Now, 12-volt is the driving force behind the business.

The business’s clientele also changed, depending on trends in the industry. “Mid- to late-90s it went to the performance scene and Hondas, Mitsubishi, things like that. Then the trend went into SUV, so we started doing more of those,” Miller explained.

“At this point there isn’t a singular theme because there hasn’t

we invite you to come experience new products from powerbass and image dynamics

Image Dynamics

PowerBass

SQ Mini Digital Amplifiers

UTV Powered Soundbar

- IR Full Range Class-D Design

Bluetooth™ -

- Precision Tuned Electronic Crossover

8 Speaker or 10 Speaker Amplified Configurations -

- High Efficient SMD Circuit Technology

Water Resistant -

- 41 Click Accu-Tune Rotary Controls

Remote Mountable Controls ( Sold Sperately ) -

- Available in Mono Block, 4 Channel and

AUX Input and Output -

5 Channel Configurations

n e w

Universal Mounting System -

d e a l e rs

w e l c o m e !

PowerBass USA, Inc. & Image Dynamics USA 2133 S. Green Privado, Ontario, CA 91761 PowerBass USA tel. (909) 923-3868

|

Image Dynamics USA tel. (866) 933-1414

CES 2016 North Hall Booth #710 me-mag.com   21

 retail news

Miller used the install bay as the center-piece of the shop’s re-opening to impress a new generation of customers with its size and capabilities.

slowly gone back to 30 to 55-yearolds,” Miller added, also noting that in the categories of collision avoidance and safety, he still does business with people outside of those age ranges.

The store was willed to current owner Mark Miller when the The grand re-opening, previous owner passed away. Since then, Miller has transwhile successformed it into a 12-volt powerhouse. ful, was not been a driving force that overtook that promoted as a industry in a long time.” While their sales event. “It was more of a ‘check this business model first focused on 35 to out,’” Miller said. “The day was good in 55-year-old males, the age range slowly sales.” Over the span of Saturday, Monday went down to 16 to 24-year-old males. and Tuesday, “We did about four times a “Over the last 15 years, that business has normal day’s business [over three days].

22 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

We were pleased with the increase, but that wasn’t our goal. What we wanted to do was generate excitement. We … encouraged them to hang out and talk to people. Two guys offered tours, showed them the expansion, vehicles. Two guys around back stayed in the installation bay to answer questions.”

The event was designed as a gathering, and the grand re-opening was full of surprises. “We had clients who came in who had been customers back in 1969. They would be the first of three generations,” Miller said. “Some of those guys came up with vehicles we had worked on in the seventies.” Impressively, some of these folks have grandkids who are now customers of Westminster Speed and Sound.

“People from the early to mid-90s who remembered us. They were coming back and checking it out. They thought it was really cool that we’re still around. Lots of clients we’ve done business with over the last ten years or so are really excited about the changes they’re seeing.” 

»

Who’s Who Nick Lyons Sound FX East Providence, R.I. Years of industry experience: 10 Hobbies: Lifting weights What you’re really good at: Keeping things organized, problem solving

Elias Ventura DSI Mobile Electronics Laurel, Md. Years of industry experience: 11 Hobbies: Football, fine dining and cars What you’re really good at: Sales and management

Rick Snyder Tri State Auto Accessories Southaven, Mass.

Years of industry experience: 10 Hobbies: Spending time with my family and work What you’re really good at: Hiding remote start wiring, customer relations, leather installs

Cory Richards Car Concepts Salt Lake city, Utah Years of industry experience: 20 Hobbies: Being a great father and audio What you’re really good at: Leadership

me-mag.com 23

 retail news

Modern Glue

Car Concept’s new installation manager is raising morale and encouraging pride, bringing the team together one build at a time.

WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA

F

ounded in 1983, Car Concepts in Salt Lake City, Utah has seen a lot of changes over the years, which have threatened team chemistry and store efficiency. Now that Cory Richards has joined the team as installation manager, operations at Car Concepts have never been more efficient. Not only that, everyone is happy to be at work.

The installation bays have been redesigned and Richards has begun updating displays on the floor. Ryan Goeller of Car Concepts spoke very highly of the new hire. “Cory is 38 years old, managed a Best Buy car audio division, both sales and install side,” Goeller said. “He did take a number one status in the company as far as volume of installations goes. He worked for Aspen Sound for two years, and he managed their installs, then 406 Motoring where he managed the whole store.”

With that much experience under his belt, Richards is able to bring a lot of

24 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

fresh ideas to Car Concepts and a high level of dedication the business has needed for a long time. His ability to help out on the sales floor is also a great boon to business.

“When you have a guy that’s called up to quote an install job, it really helps to maximize selling opportunity when you have a second mind in there … helps add to the sale,” Goeller explained. A positive attitude affects others, and Richards brings this positivity to work every day. As a highly approachable, helpful manager, his coworkers always feel comfortable asking questions and going to him whenever they need help. “He really brings a team environment and atmosphere into our shop,” Goeller said. “He meets with his guys every other week, he works on and develops a plan for them to make more money, he works with each one of the guys. If a guy is doing a car he is not 100 percent familiar with, he helps bring him up to speed on installation

and technology, and how we integrate [technologies].”

Employees need to feel comfortable approaching a manager with questions or concerns, and Richards is the perfect person for the job. His knowledge regarding efficiency has also brought a lot of improvements to Car Concepts, and he utilized strategy and past experience to redesign the install bays. “Basically, we do a bunch of different types of jobs here,” Goeller explained. “Leather interiors, custom car audio, and then the quicker unit installs. When he came in each guy had his own bay, and he reorganized the bays based on the size of the job … what the bays are used for to increase the efficiency.”

Richards also built new work benches to increase the productivity of all thirteen bays. “He’s done installs for a long time, so he used his knowledge to make the job easier for everyone,” Goeller said. “And when he took over, he said he needed an

“When you have a guy that’s called up to quote an install job, it really helps to maximize selling opportunity when you have a second mind in there … helps add to the sale.”

- Ryan Goeller

assistant manager because he can’t be there all the time.” Goeller went on to say that, at one point, everyone did their jobs without real supervision. Now, an organized team environment has been created—thanks to Richards.

“He brought in Robert Jurkiewicz as his assistant, and Robert has been doing installs since 1989,” Goeller said. “Between the two of them, they worked together to create that team environment. If you ask any of our techs, they feel they have management they can approach with issues, concerns, input as far as what they can do to increase production … where before they felt like they were on their own.”

Regular meetings and an open level of communication contribute to the improved morale of the employees. “The overall aura of my shop is happy, and when you enjoy going to work every day, you have a tendency to do a better job and do it faster. Without exaggerating, my shop is between 15 and 20 percent more efficient.” The smile factor has also increased dramatically. “There’re guys smiling, high-fiving, joking,” Goeller said. “Having someone who cares [Richards] makes them care about something where they feel they matter.” 

The shop’s installation shop has increased productivity thanks to a boost in morale.

Cory Richards, Installation Manager

me-mag.com 25

 external effects

Google and Apple Auto, Time Travel and Navigation Apps WORDS BY JAMIE SORCHER

LET’S DO THE TIME WARP

What’s Going On:

ALPHABET HAS DECENT NUMBERS What’s Going On: Google, now known as Alphabet, has grown to include six services— Google search, Android, Google Maps, Chrome, YouTube, and Google Play—each with more than a billion users. To maintain a dominant presence worldwide, and as Android growth continues, the company is reportedly combining its two operating systems.

Back To The Future Day— October 15, 2015—is a memorable event in movie history. It’s the day Marty McFly goes to the future from 1985 to 2015 in the 1989 hit, Back to the Future: Part II. For tech enthusiasts, the day marked a moment to go back and see how many of the predictions in the film have come true. No flying cars these days, but the movie did reference camera drones and there were also nods to biofuel, fingerprint payments, hoverboards, and video glasses.

How It Can Affect You: Hoverboards—well, electric rides of sorts—have arrived. No flying cars yet, but that bulky drone in the movie is nothing like the devices operated today.

Still, the movie wasn’t too far from the mark. When the creators of Back to the Future envisioned news drones, they were inspired by the “probe droids” in Star Wars. So, present day, we’ve got drones, but commercial use is still prohibited unless companies get clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA plans to issue its rules allowing the commercial use of small, unmanned drones in the first half of next year.

WINDOWS OPENS ITS DOORS

How It Can Affect You: The first Android operating system for mobile devices arrived seven years ago—an eternity in tech time— and established itself as a direct competitor to Apple’s iOS mobile operating system. A year later, Google introduced Chrome OS. The company has supported both until now, but reportedly plans to merge Chrome and Android into a single offering. The move isn’t a shocker since the Chrome operating system (used on Chromebooks) lags behind Apple and Microsoft on personal computers. Under Android, the combined operating system is set for release in 2017. It will give PCs that use the operating system access to the all-important Google Play app store.

26 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

What’s Going On:

Six years ago, Microsoft took the leap into retail with small outposts in malls, but the time was right to establish a flagship. The company recently opened the doors of its massive store on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue.

The store opening coincided with the general release of Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book devices.

How It Can Affect You: Microsoft already has more than 100 stores in the U.S., but this one is the statement maker. It spans more than 22,000 square feet spread out over five floors. Not only is the store distinguished by its size, but by its futuristic vibe.

It features a clean look, open spaces, and bright lighting. One of the coolest areas is devoted to “future” products like the new Band 2 fitness tracker. For super techy types, there’s a developer version of Hololens, the company’s futuristic augmented reality headset, which is on display in sealed glass. The first two floors are set up for selling the core stuff—smartphones, PCs and Xbox.

Like Apple stores, there are no visible cash registers or checkout areas. Microsoft is using mobile point-of-sales systems so customers can ring out anywhere in the store. Microsoft also has its own version of Apple’s “Genius Bar” with tables on each of the first two floors devoted to an “Answer Desk. “ While this is a huge step for Microsoft, the company said it plans a slow and steady approach to expanding its retail presence.

THAT’S THE WAZE IT GOES

BUS FUSS

What’s Going On:

What’s Going On:

Road trips are going to look different for fans of Waze, a navigation app founded in 2007, which features crowd-sourced social updates from users. The popular app, which is distinguished by its social angle, got a major boost with a redesigned user interface making it easier to share updates. Google bought the company in 2013 for over $1 billion.

Self-driving cars have been making headlines for awhile, but now self-driving buses are coming to America. The first place to get them is Bishop Ranch business park in San Ramon, Calif. The French buses will be used to take passengers from one place to another. Shared driverless transportation may be the way to get people more comfortable with the idea of a robo-vehicle.

How It Can Affect You: The navigation game continues to evolve with ease of use becoming even more critical as the amount of information and options that drivers have at their fingertips in their vehicles increases. Even with Waze’s dedicated community of fans and a big upgrade, the king of GPS remains Google Maps. Like many standard navigation apps, Waze gets you where you want to go, but also lets you share that info—even your arrival time—with friends. It is primarily unique because of its traffic updates from its users. Frequent users also gain points elevating their status giving the app some gaming type attributes.

When on the road, if a driver encounters a road issue or sees heavy traffic, he/ she can report an alert for others. The app is intuitive so the more it is used, the more it learns its users preferences and tailors routes for the most efficient possible. One of the key upgrades of the improved interface is that key points are indicated on the map more clearly and choosing a route is easier now, too.

WAITING ON WIRELESS

What’s Going On:

Wireless power is finally seeing some healthy adoption numbers.

In fact, over 100 million mobile phones are expected to have wireless charging functions this year, but actual use is still low.

How It Can Affect You: According to Navigant Research, global wireless power revenue is expected to grow from $1.3 billion in 2015 to $17.9 billion in 2024. But first there are some issues to address with wireless power taking off. First is consumer awareness remains a challenge. Next, existing wireless power technology doesn’t give users a truly wireless experience. Finally, there are competing industry standards that have deterred some manufacturers from committing to wireless power entirely. There is no choice moving ahead, however, since there are more gadgets than ever and the constant need to power them. Inductive coupling is the predominant wireless power technology currently in the market but it has its challenges along with another technology, magnetic resonance. The arena is now seeing several start-ups develop technologies to address better distances, power limits and efficiency.

How It Can Affect You: EasyMile is a joint venture between a vehicle maker (Ligier Group) and a robotics company (Robosoft). The company’s cyber-vehicle, the EZ10, is a driverless bus designed for “the last mile.” It is already in use in Finland and France.

Spain is readying its launch now. The electric vehicles, which carry up to 10 passengers (there are ramps for wheelchairs and strollers.), transport people that last leg of their journey. The buses are ideal for theme parks and airports ultimately allowing people to avoid driving and parking. To navigate, the EZ10 uses GPS to follow a pre-programmed route while laser sensors help with the avoidance of any obstacles. It’s a different journey than the one for Google’s driverless cars which encounter vehicles, pedestrians and other potential hazards while navigating the highways and traveling at higher speeds. How quickly folks become comfortable with a driverless vehicle—short-range or any other kind—is still uncertain.

me-mag.com 27

 on the market

Integration, Sensors and Receivers NAV-TV GMK-PRG Rear View Mirror Camera Integration WWW.NAV-TV.COM

Pioneer In-Dash DVD Receivers WWW.PIONEER.COM

Notable:

Notable: NAV-TV has announced the release of the GMK-PRG, a rear view camera and additional video input integration solution for ALL 2013 and up Chevrolet Sonic and Spark, and the 2015 and up Chevrolet Trax.

The GMK-PRG joins the NAV-TV CTSGVIF and MyCUE interfaces, giving NAV-TV blanket safety integration coverage to all of the current Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC lineup. No dealership coding is required. The unit is 100 percent plug-and-play and will not affect the vehicle electrical warranty. For convenience, the GMK-PRG also provides two 12 volt+ outputs to power the aftermarket cameras.

The rear view camera image is automatically displayed on the factory LCD screen whenever the vehicle is placed into reverse, and can be “forced on” and viewed in any gear through analog trigger activation. Multiple analog activation triggers means the GMK-PRG can also be used in conjunction with the NAV-TV SVS-6 Smart Camera Switch (NTVKIT592) to incorporate up to six camera or video sources.

28 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

Pioneer Electronics (USA) has unveiled its new 2016 line of in-dash multimedia DVD receivers designed for today’s music and technology-loving consumers. The nine new models, AVH-180DVD, AVH-280BT, AVHX1800S, AVH-X2800BS, AVH-X3800BHS, AVH-X4800BS, AVH-X5800BHS double-DIN receivers, AVH-X6800DVD and AVH-X7800BT single-DIN receivers, offer a range of entertainment and connectivity options. A new clear resistive touchscreen, advanced Bluetooth connectivity with enhanced features like Dual Device Connection and Music Library Browsing over Bluetooth, Siri Eyes Free, Spotify as a dedicated A/V source, Pandora with station presets and station creation, and FLAC file playback1 are among the options.

Soundstream Power Sport Speakers WWW.SOUNDSTREAM.COM

Notable: Soundstream is now shipping PSS.4 power sport speakers. The New PSS.4 Four Inch100 Watt max speaker system has a 100 percent waterproof enclosure with high-density ABS construction and UV coating. Integrated mounting bracket fits most roll bars or handlebar.

It contains quick disconnect wire terminals - Meets ROHS and CE certifications. They are perfect for those outdoors enthusiasts looking to enjoy their surroundings without having to sacrifice their love for music, according to the company.

AAMP of America Subaru Dash Kits WWW.AAMP.COM

Notable: AAMP of America has introduced American International SBK925GB and Best Kits BKSBK925GB installation dash kits for the 2015 - 2016 Subaru Outback and Legacy. These new American International and Best Kits dash kits facilitate the installation of one Double DIN radio or a Single ISO radio with pocket.

Brandmotion Collision Avoidance system WWW.BRANDMOTION.COM

Notable: Brandmotion LLC, developer of driver safety and collision avoidance systems for the automotive aftermarket, introduced the third generation of its Curb-Alert front-end proximity sensor. Curb-Alert’s ability to detect distance from curbs, parking blocks and other objects has been known to save vehicle owners thousands of dollars in bumper and fascia repairs. However, the newest version—Curb-Alert Park View PRO—allows the user to see, as well as be alerted to, obstacles with a camera that automatically shows the front view through a factory or aftermarket in-vehicle display.

GROM HD Radio Dongle WWW.GROMAUDIO.COM

Notable: GROM Audio’s HD Radio Dongle (GROM-HDR1) is being released as an HD Radio upgrade for the select GROM aftermarket integrated car kit products. It plugs into these car audio integration kits and extends their features and quality with HD Radio receiver capability. The GROM-HDR1 Dongle is a high definition Radio Tuning Device. The device promises to deliver the ultimate listening experience by offering static-free, crystal-clear audio from FM stations. It will add digital FM reception from more than 2,000 HD Radio stations and access HD2, HD3, and HD4 channels broadcast by any of those stations. The dongle will retail for a suggested $89.99.

me-mag.com 29

 on the market Rydeen Mobile Electronics Advanced Vehicle Technology Series WWW.RYDEEN.COM

Notable: Rydeen Mobile Electronics announced the release of the latest addition to its Advanced Vehicle Technology series. The MD4BT is a three-in-one solution that incorporates a 4.3-inch LCD display Mirror Monitor for rear camera viewing, a Bluetooth "Hands Free" system and Mi-Link (Rydeen's digital link system utilizing a built-in HDMI connector) to any Smartphone device.

The built-in Bluetooth enables Hands-Free phone calls and Audio Streaming of content available on a Micro SD Card. The Backup Camera input also has the capability to overwrite the video screen when the car goes into reverse.

HED: KICKER LED Grilles For Square Solo-Baric L7 WWW.KICKER.COM

Notable: KICKER has developed six new grilles for the Solo-Baric L7 square subwoofer (2011 model), complete with remote-controllable LED lighting. The KICKER L7 LED Square Subwoofer Grilles are currently available in charcoal and white for 10-inch and 12-inch Solo-Baric L7 subs. All charcoal and white grilles are now available at Authorized KICKER Dealers, including online at kicker.com.

One of seven LED colors are available during installation, simply by choosing select wires to attach to the positive and negative power terminals. Available separately is the KICKER KMLC LED Lighting Remote, which allows as many as 20 colors wirelessly. The remote also controls brightness (adjustable), adds a strobe effect, randomizes the colors and more.

Massive Audio Bluetooth Headphones WWW.MASSIVEAUDIO.COM

Notable: The company has released its new Bluetooth and Wired Headphone collection, built for comfort, function, style and sound quality. The leather ear pads and adjustable headband ensure a universal comfortable fit. The built-in noise canceling microphone captures voice "perfectly" for gaming or talking on the phone. On board buttons allow users to have full control over music, phone, mute and volume. The rechargeable battery has 30 hours of constant music, capacity and is easily charged via USB. Music can be shared with friends via the auxiliary jacks.

Cybcar OEM Integrated Drive Assist System WWW.CYBCAR.COM

Notable: Winner of the award for Best New Mobile Electronics Product at the 2015 SEMA Show, Cybcar's OEM Integrated Drive Assist System is a plug-and-play device that syncs with turn signals to appear on the mirrors to help drivers see blind spots. The device comes with a wiring harness for ease of installation and is compatible with most Toyota vehicles and several Honda models, with Ford and Chevy truck designs on the way. The company sells primarily through distributors and expediters.

30 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

JL Audio FIX 82 OEM Integration DSP WWW.JLAUDIO.COM

American Road Products OmniVue Camera Systems WWW.AMERICANROADPRODUCTS.COM

Notable: JL Audio has introduced FIX 82, an OEM Integration digital signal processor (DSP) that makes it possible to upgrade the factory supplied audio system with better aftermarket amplifiers and speaker systems, while preserving factory vehicle functionality and dashboard cosmetics.

Equipped with a powerful DSP processor, the FIX 82 combines an active line output converter, time delay synchronization, a signal-summing interface and EQ correction, all in one compact chassis. Setup is completely automatic with a calibration track and one simple press of a button.

Rockford Fosgate Moto-marine Source Units WWW.ROCKFORDFOSGATE.COM

Notable: Rockford Fosgate recently released its PMX-2 and PMX-5 Element-Ready moto-marine source units. Both the PMX-5 and compact PMX-2 digital media receivers are designed to be the ideal choices when selecting a source unit for just about any marine or motorsports application. Each unit features a 2.7-inch full color TFT display for optimum viewing that is optically wet-bonded to prevent any dust or moisture penetration. Both units' faceplates are IPX6-rated and use a water resistant rotary encoder knob with white LED button illumination and front mounted sub level controls.

The compact PMX-2 has an MSRP of $299.99 and features Pandora control capabilities, Bluetooth audio steaming with album art support for Apple and Android products, and iPod playback with on-screen display.

MTX S65 Subwoofers WWW.MTX.COM

Notable: MTX Audio released its new subwoofer, the S65 Series, at the 2015 SEMA Show. The S65 Series features a square design utilizing MTX Audio's patented surround geometry that allows for increased Xmax and lower distortion resulting in higher SPL and better sound quality. Additional functional technologies include MTX's Spider Plateau Venting, which mechanically targets cool air at the voice coil, and a t-yoke with integrated heat sink to further assist in removing hot air from the voice coil ensuring reliability and minimized distortion. The S65 uses a similar motor structure to the popular 55 Series but with a larger magnet, allowing each S65 model to handle up to 500-watts RMS power. The S65 Series is available in both 12-inch and 10-inch sizes.

Notable: American Road Products, Inc. (ARPI), driving safety advocate and developer of the patented ReverseGUARD rear monitoring and detection system, recently secured several new agreements with municipalities and commercial fleets to equip vehicles with the company’s 360° OmniVue camera systems to eliminate blind spots. The company has recently announced a targeted initiative to allow select 12-volt retail outlets in North America to offer the next-generation product to consumers. The additional channel development will enable ARPI to grow its customer base and bring trusted safety and accident protection solutions to passenger cars, SUVs, trucks, recreational vehicles and local business fleets.

The passenger vehicle 360° OmniVue camera system utilizes the latest in SVM (Surround View Monitoring) technology, consisting of four high-definition, 180-degree wide-angle cameras installed around the vehicle: one under each side mirror, one in front of the vehicle and one behind. The system’s powerful processor merges and stitches the images from each camera together to create a flat, top-down view of the vehicle’s surroundings in real time. With industry standard connections, the 360° OmniVue connects directly to any aftermarket in-vehicle monitor or screen-based radio, or to a monitor-equipped factory radio using a third-party video interface.

me-mag.com 31

real world retail

It Runs in the Family Through a combination of good business practices and family values, the Mojica family has grown its small 12-volt business into a powerful hub for local car audio clientele.

WORDS BY TED GOSLIN

32  Mobile Electronics  December 2015

me-mag.com   33

real world retail

?

GNC CUSTOMS FAST FACTS

www.gnccustoms.com GNC Customs is a traditional retail store located at 2626 Peddlers Village Rd, Goshen, Ind., 46526. The store sits off of a main highway with average traffic of 23,000 vehicles per day, which helps sales, while word-of-mouth is the primary marketing tool. The building is made up of 8,100 square feet, which includes the 12-volt business and a furniture business, which shares the building.

The installation bay is made up of the main bay and woodshop.

The bay can house up to six vehicles at once. Staff includes five full-time installers and sales staff, with one part-time floater.

STAFF General Manager/Co-owner: Josh Mojica Shop and Installation Manager/ Co-owner: Jeremiah Mojica Graphics/Digital Media: Jared Mojica Installer/Fabricator: Nathan Whetstone Installer/Wiring Specialist: Andrew Emelander Installer/Floater: Pano Perez

34  Mobile Electronics  December 2015

P

erhaps societies' most treasured of traditions is to raise a family.

In American culture, doing this requires a willingness to put one's job first in order to build the financial foundation to buy a home and provide for that family. But what if business and family mix?

Traditional thinking regarding the concept has always stated that business and family don't mix. Whether it's because money is "the root of all evil" or because emotions tend to run higher when a family member disappoints you than a random employee, that sentiment carries weight with many. But not all families share that sentiment. Especially those who have been in business as long as the Mojica family.

Since 1983, Victor and Margarita Mojica have owned their own business.

Since it started, the couple have grown both the business and their family to the point that their sons, Jared, Josh, and Jeremiah have taken over one aspect of the business and made it their own. In doing so, the business has not only proven many people wrong about family and business, but shown the entire 12-volt universe how to make a business feel like family.

A Cherished Legacy As a door-to-door jewelry salesman, Victor Mojica was good at his job. So good, in fact, that after two years, he and his wife Margarita opened their own jewelry store, Gold-N-Comfort, in 1985. The store, located in Goshen, Ind. was operated out of a 15- by 30-foot space, selling jewelry and furniture, but wouldn't stay that way for long. Over the years, the store would grow, along with its profits, to occupy more of the same building it started in. The whole building is the length of two football fields, and used to play host to a flea market. Now, the Mojicas own the building. But jewelry isn't the only industry the family has used to make its living.

"It switched from jewelry to lamps in the 80s, then they got into car audio and home audio," said Josh Mojica, general manager and co-owner of GNC Customs.

"They had no experience in any venture.

They just wanted to try them out."

As Mojica tried out new business avenues, one industry that ended up sticking was that of home and car audio equipment. With no installation knowledge to speak of, Mojica only sold the equipment, but due to it being in-house, provided an opportunity to his sons, who took an interest in 12-volt.

"I was always putting speaker boxes together and had my share of damaging speakers," said Jeremiah Mojica, shop manager. "Josh did the same stuff. I've been doing this since I was 12. Josh is 36, Jared is 26 and I'm 32."

Having been involved with car audio more out of obligation than passion in high school, Jeremiah reluctantly worked in the shop and developed his sales skills early.

"I worked in the shop throughout high school had a real family business mentality. I learned sales tactics and how difficult people can be. It wasn't easy having older men questioning you as a young kid and you didn't have the answer," Jeremiah said. "Having to learn from those aspects helped me to become a better business man. Having to deal with rude characters helped me grow."

After high school, he stayed for a year, working at the shop and attending a local community college until he decided to up his installation IQ and attend a vocational school in Florida called IIE Audio where he developed a passion for the work.

"I learned advanced acoustics, alarms and other installation aspects. We decided to go ahead and make a career of the business," Jeremiah said. "Josh moved to Indianapolis after high school for three to four years, then moved back here and decided to go full force and go with what was already given to us. That's what helped us decide. Nothing was really forced being in the second generation."

In contrast, Josh Mojica veered away from the business as well, earning a college degree in architectural design. But like his brother, he couldn't stay away from the family business.

Since taking over the business in 2003, the brothers and co-owners changed

the name of the 12-volt business from Gold-N-Comfort to GNC Customs. The shop started with room enough for only one vehicle, eventually converting the showroom into a second spot. The shop functioned that way for 12 years, until last year when the company renovated to create three more spots, which are enclosed and located away from the showroom. "We had a loading dock at the old building that went into the workshop.

It's a lot more professional now than it was before," Jeremiah emphasized.

The elder Mojicas still run their side of the business, which includes Gold-NComfort but no longer sells jewelry, just home furniture. "Our parents are still here and very active. Still do sales and delivery or furniture store," Josh said.

"We help out when we can but keep pretty busy on our side. We have techs go out and periodically help assemble furniture. Everyone wears many hats."

“Trying to implement a family business for 30 years, do you treat employees like family or employees?

We discuss those challenges regularly and are working to create a handbook with SOPs.”

JOSH MOJICA, General Manager and Co-owner, GNC Customs

Core Values While non-family businesses spend time building trust and defining the store philosophy, the Mojica family has an edge with those elements, and others, already locked in. Not only that, each family member, as well as regular employees, knows their role and does it well.

"We all do sales. Most everybody else does sales and installation. Jared is the digital media designer and technician.

We have five full-time staff and one part-time," Josh said. "When it was just the two of us we had to do everything.

Our passion was installation. Our father always handled sales and we got more involved. If there's someone waiting in showroom, we will call someone out to do sales. I stepped away from bays but still do when we're short a couple of guys. For the good of business, it would be nice to be dedicated for individual roles but at same time if we need to get it done we will."

Learning how to balance business and family has been a struggle for the Mojica brothers, but one that they gladly confront on a daily basis.

"Trying to implement a family business for 30 years, do you treat employees like family or employees? We discuss those

me-mag.com 35

real world retail

Victor and Margarita Mojica opened Gold-N-Comfort in 1985 and have grown the business ever since, providing a place for their children to blossom into business owners as well.

36  Mobile Electronics  December 2015

challenges regularly and are working to create a handbook with SOPs," said Josh Mojica. "I've taken a number of Marcel Newell's [Audioworx] classes at KnowledgeFest which talked about whether the SOP failed or if the process and person failed. We've implemented more structure but there's still a long way to go; the wheels are greased."

Using their jack-of-all-trades mentality, the brothers make a point to put their money where their mouth is in terms of matching work ethic with business philosophy. "I'm consistently busy. I think it's good for me to do sales because I want to know all aspects of the business," said Jeremiah, who primarily runs the installation bay. "When we say a client needs something, it's because they need it in their vehicle to make their system better.

We want to be able to give our clients the most for their money."

"I use that as a selling tool, that I was an installer. That's the difference between us and the other shops where the salesman doesn't know how it works," Josh added. "It's a war right now. I've told clients looking for a deal that if they want the cheapest deal, they might want someone else. If you are looking for a price over the phone, I won't give that to you.

We don't believe we get cookie cutter customers, because you don't have a cookie cutter vehicle. As an installer I want to make both work. I think that's a strength that we have here."

Located on the outskirts of Goshen, the shop relies heavily on word of mouth, making the store philosophy that much more important. Being right next to the main highway in the area helps bring in traffic. While the store has no signs on the highway itself, the amount of time the store has been in the same location and strong word-of-mouth marketing have solidified it as a popular destination for car audio customers. Additionally, the brothers know how to sell themselves once customers make the choice to walk in the store.

"We do GNC tours all the time; we show them the bays and woodshop. We learned at KnowledgeFest to sell ourselves and be mobile electronics solutions specialists. It's about what we can offer

you to best suit your needs," Josh said. "I get a feel for what they're looking for in terms of product. Some people, you can tell they know what they want. Sometimes they think they do but you see that's not what they're looking for. Even if people don't buy we want to make sure they're educated."

When a customer first enters, they are asked if they have ever been there before then given a tour of current goings-on, including cars being worked on, a recently finished vehicle and the showroom displays. "Those have become powerful tools for what we do and how we do it," Jeremiah said.

Josh Mojica estimates that around 23,000 people pass by the shop on a daily basis. He has also learned that the median age of the area is 31. With a population of 32,000 people in Goshen, most of whom pass by the shop on a daily basis, the store is well aware of who they're selling to and how to keep them coming back. But like most successful businesses, that knowledge came through the school of hard knocks.

"My grandparents had a tortilla factory in Mexico. They opened grocery stores in the states," Josh said. "We've just been blessed being in business for ourselves.

Nothing comes with any business education. We were just born into this."

The team atmosphere allows fabricators to collaborate on projects in the company’s considerable woodshop.

Sharing is Caring After many years of working by themselves and defining their individual roles, the Mojica brothers built the company well enough to merit some needed help.

In finding help, they looked at those from within the 12-volt community and fans of their business. One such employee is their lone part-timer, Pano Perez, who performs a variety of tasks, making his unofficial job title "Floater."

"He does installs and helps with the furniture side, and is basically an assistant to everyone. He's been with us two years, having just graduated high school when he started and worked with us through the summer and school year through a school career program," Josh said. "It's new waters for us having so many employees. Now we actually have installers. Our employees came to us

800.489.2300

call us today!

me-mag.com   37

real world retail

Using an educational style using displays and tours of the shop has helped the shop afford a recent renovation, which has boosted profits.

Starting with only enough room for one car, the shop can now house up to 6 cars at a time.

38  Mobile Electronics  December 2015

because of our work ethic and professionalism. As part of the ICE program, I've learned to let go and let staff be individuals."

One might consider it doubly hard seeing that the shop was built by family members and now includes non-family members, which requires a level of professionalism from the owners to maintain fairness among all staff. Thankfully, the team has found staff with a strong work ethic and the same love of 12-volt that they have, specifically in installers Nathan Whetstone and Andrew Emelander.

"We've found our installers with them falling on our doorstep.

Nathan was a customer who hung around the shop a little bit.

We had lost a guy we trained for two years and were looking for somebody for about a month. We tried him out for 30 days, loved the work he did and he became part of the team," Josh said.

"Andrew and I both went to the same audio school in Florida.

He had the opportunity to work at a big box store down the road, had success there and gained a lot of knowledge from doing that.

At the time we did the renovation it was good timing for both of us; we needed him and he wanted out of another place," Jeremiah added.

To cut down on job time, installers work in teams of two, utilizing the strengths of each person to their advantage. Of the two full-time installers, Whetstone handles fabrication work (along with general installations) with Jeremiah, while Emelander focuses on wiring and technical jobs.

"We're one of those shops where multiple people work on one vehicle. Typically one or two guys, sometimes three," Jeremiah said. "If you have another set of eyes, it helps you come up with a solution and see something you might have missed."

Aside from teaming up on jobs, the crew also provides clients door hangers with 10 percent discounts if they return within 30 days. After remote start installations, the team also leaves a sheet with up to five maintenance tips.

The store has a customer waiting area with a high-quality sofa, chairs, table, a TV with basic cable, a cooler stocked with water and a Keurig coffee maker. Free Wi-Fi is offered for guests who want to work on their own devices while waiting. The area is part of a renovation the shop recently underwent.

"We've been in business so long that the renovation was needed. It took more time and money than anticipated but we have a building we're proud of now," Josh said.

Learned Behaviors For the Mojica brothers, training is as important as selling products and services. Thanks to both family and industry mentors, the brothers know the importance of gaining knowledge, regardless of where it comes from.

"Teamwork is helping us grow and move forward. We can bounce ideas off each other. Our biggest competition here is ourselves. How can we be better today than we were yesterday?"

Josh said. "We have weekly meetings on Fridays where we might be talking about product, something new or something that has changed or we're considering bringing in."

Given the variety of customers that come in, which ranges from everyday head unit installs to advanced, high-end

TE

CHNICAL

P P ORT

AL

ER/STO RE

DE

SU

NTENT CO

AGEME

N

M

AN

CATORS

T

LO

VE

HICL E

OBD-II FI CATORS

ALLATIO ST

P

RO

Installation Everything.

S

N

IN

LO

T GUIDE

GRAM

me-mag.com 39 www.InstallerNet.com • 800-444-1644

real world retail

GOOD ON PAPER Most business owners who’ve tried advertising know the risk involved.

Josh Mojica discusses his struggles with one particular TV campaign that seemed good at first glance.

“Most of our marketing campaigns have been bad. It’s hit or miss. We’ve been constantly branding for many years. One of the worst was a TV campaign that didn’t get people in the door. We ran a TV ad three times. It wasn’t a decent return on investment.

“Our initial goals were to get three customers a month to offset the $1,000 cost. Each ad showed something different.

One showed the store with a quick tour showing different categories. One was a couple talking about their car. I thought they were great commercials.

We did the commercials inhouse and hired an outside company to do voice-over.

“In the end, it just didn’t deliver.

The first time it aired was during the show ‘Gotham,’ which is a huge, national TV show. It was still a local commercial but I thought since it was a big show it would do well. It did not generate anything. Not sure why it didn’t work. It might have been the demographic.”

40 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

fabrication work, the team needs to stay on top of the latest technology as well as be in constant contact. That concept reinforces the need for team jobs.

"Sometimes the challenge is making sure everybody has their job and gets something done. It's difficult when you do a custom job and the whole car comes apart. The biggest challenge with our process is finding the best way to do the job," Jeremiah said. "We're trying to work on efficiency. We've gotten more in sync with one another as time goes on."

Although the employees work on an hourly rate pay structure with no bonuses or commission, that hasn't

"Social media is our number one marketing source besides word-of-mouth. We recently started using Instagram; it's so much easier to post pictures and more relevant to show what we're up to," Josh said.

Despite the power and helpfulness of social media, the brothers claim, the business got along fine for 18 years without it. The same goes for other forms of marketing, other than the primary form.

"Word of mouth promotes new business.

Paying for marketing has never been part of our business plan," Josh said. "I think if I were to put numbers to it, it would be miniscule at four to five percent of our

“Sometimes the challenge is making sure everybody has their job and gets something done. It’s difficult when you do a custom job and the whole car comes apart. The biggest challenge with our process is finding the best way to do the job.”

Jeremiah Mojica, Installation Manager and Co-owner, GNC Customs

prevented them from becoming more efficient, including more effective ways to communicate.

"We recently formed our own Facebook group to communicate with each other in the shop; I hate group texts. If there's an issue in a car, like a check engine light coming on, we can post and it has the proof of a time stamp," Josh said. "It goes back to having a team to have that time to bounce ideas off each other and have everybody on the same page. Instead of a whole email going out, it's about us. It helps us grow and learn as a team."

Social media is also used to promote the shop by showcasing builds, as well as local events, like GNC's very own car show.

"We have own event we do every august called 'Mid-summer Mayhem.' It was our 12th show this year," Josh said.

"Another show we do with a partner is called Acton Autofest. A local dentist and car aficionado bought the car show a few years ago from a car club that put it on for 50 years. It takes place in South Bend, Indiana and they see about 15,000 people in a two-day show. It's a lot of fun."

The company Facebook page recently broke 1,000 likes, which is a milestone for the store considering how much business is generated from social media.

budget spent."

Perhaps the store's best form of marketing is also one of its biggest accomplishments: becoming a 2015 Top 12 Retailer of the Year. Having that on one's resume certainly can't hurt business, but like any smart business owners, the Mojica brothers know not to take it for granted.

"Making the Top 12 is pretty huge. But looking back, the renovation helped give us confidence enough just to put our name in the hat. Sometimes you're just afraid to try," Josh said. "Failure is a reality. It's something we're all going to go through at some point. If you knew the outcome of every situation it wouldn't be rewarding. We need to be willing to fail."

Looking forward, the family has its eyes set on many things, including winning the Retailer of the Year trophy. And they know what it takes to get there.

"Getting organized, focused, and getting everybody together on same page is what it took to get here. There needs to be a leader but we also need to respect each other. No one is greater than another," Josh Mojica said. "Our motto is that we're family, we treat people as family. Right now we're just so humbled and excited to be where we are." 

WEBSITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Let Mobile Electronics build your website • Hosted, maintained website • Full customer support • Automatically updated content • Easy-to-use Content Manager • Supplied and customizable graphics • Image Uploader Mobile App • Vendor incentive ads available

ONLY 99 $

PER MONTH SEO available

®

©Copyright 2014 Mobile Electronics Group

Call or email today for a free consultation (800) 949-6372 or sales@mobile-electronics.com

me-mag.com 41

 behind the scenes

A Fitting Name From its early roots as a repair company to becoming one of the defining brands in car audio, Pioneer has proven to be a crucial player in developing and maintaining the 12-volt industry.

WORDS BY BILL BRAUN

P

ioneer is one of the oldest names in car audio. In fact, they are older than car audio itself. Starting in 1938 as Fukuin Shokai Denki Seisakusho in Tokyo as a speaker and radio repair company, they reformed to become Pioneer in 1961.

It’s fair to say Pioneer has played a key role in forming the consumer electronics industry into what it is today. According to Pioneer’s corporate website, their research and development has helped to make plasma TVs, CD recorders and DVD players a reality during their tenure, as well as introducing the world’s first car CD player in 1984.

42 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

Becoming a Pioneer dealer is a function of many things, including geography. According to Ted Cardenas, Pioneer’s vice president of marketing, distribution of their car audio products has taken on three specific forms, the first of which is the Direct Specialist. This type of account is usually a dedicated 12-volt retailer. In establishing whether or not a shop qualifies for that status, credit ratings are considered, as well as location and what other competitive lines the shop carries. Install facilities and a sales floor are also factors in the decision making process.

The company regularly presents its latest products at CES, usually boasting one of the most impressive booths to attract as many onlookers as possible.

For those who are approved, a Direct Specialist interacts directly with Pioneer corporate, and has an online ordering system. The shops also gets placement in Pioneer’s online dealer directory. The directory allows people to search for a specific product within a zip code, and allows the user to see an address and phone number as well.

The directory will also list other dealers in a predetermined mile radius, as well as authorized online retailers that carry the gear.

The second distribution option is distributor networks.

Placed throughout the US, dealers may choose to buy in smaller quantities. “They’re not in the direct specialist channel, but do sign dealer agreements and do get listed on Pioneer materials on the Pioneer website," Cardenas said. "When that dealer wants to order gear, the process is a flexible one. They simply have to contact their distributor. It can be as simple as calling up a rep and saying 'I want one of those.'”

The third is national accounts, which have their own distribution. These are for larger companies like Best Buy and Wal-Mart.

The three distribution possibilities allow for varying sizes of shop to access the Pioneer line, but without the constraints of a large buy-in. While Direct Specialists get different pricing and

“WE’RE ALWAYS WATCHING OTHER INDUSTRIES AND BENCHMARKING HOW WE COMMUNICATE, HOW WE PROMOTE AND HOW WE TRAIN.” TED CARDENAS

Ted Cardenas, Vice President of Marketing, Pioneer Electronics

me-mag.com 43

 behind the scenes direct access to Pioneer’s internal ordering process, the shops that choose to go through a rep firm still retain the luxury of being listed on Pioneer’s website, without ordering gear at quite the same scale.

If a dealer is direct, they have two options: contact a district sales manager, and submit a PO. The District Sales manager will then log it into the system. The second option would be for the dealer to enter the order into their business-to-business portal.

Not On Our Watch Pioneer deals with Return Authorizations in much the same way. Distributor dealers submit the R.A. and are approved by the local rep or D.S.M. Once the R.A. is approved, Pioneer inspects the gear, but some speakers are field destroyed.

For the most part, the equipment is shipped back. Cardenas pointed out that there are no online-only companies selling Pioneer car audio gear. “The majority of our dealers are brick and mortar. We do not have any e-commerce-only authorized distribution.” While there are nearly a dozen companies selling Pioneer according to their website, selling on the web—called an “e-tailer”—it requires a separate online agreement. That agreement includes several rules, as well as specific MAP pricing policies.

When it comes to product development, Pioneer employs a regional approach. “One thing we're proud of is our decades of experience. We're close to 50 years into developing products for the automobile. That is a global effort," Cardenas said. "Most products have a base platform for a global use. We will add or delete specific features at the regional level. “ This means that specific markets around the world will receive product features that work best locally. Certain navigation features, for example, are useful in the US, but not in another market across the globe.

Pioneer employs product planning staff in several major markets. Cardenas explained that in Long Beach, Calif., there are four product planners. Their sole purpose is to identify trends, do market research, visit retailers and identify trends, technologies or business partners that may be the next popular feature or technology the company can incorporate into Pioneer's products. “It's unique,” Cardenas said, “we have staff in South America, Europe, Asia and in the Japanese domestic market.

Four times a year these teams all get together to discuss what’s going on in their specific markets and to discuss product development. The only way we can do that is because we have such a great engineering team in Japan.”

The A-Train With Pioneer’s frequent product release schedule, training the dealers becomes as vital as it is frequent. Couple that fact with the landscape of a quickly shifting industry, and it becomes understandable that Pioneer training has evolved drastically over the years. Where once they relied exclusively on a large department of “road warriors” who trained in person, now

44 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

B

oo

th

21

12

the company relies on something else to relay their message: bandwidth.

Cardenas began in this very department, experiencing firsthand how technology has served to facilitate the company’s training initiatives. “When I was a product specialist we had a slide projector, with the home office providing the slides. Then came PowerPoints, then came the Internet when that became a real thing. Now we have webcams. We’ve evolved to the point where we have two-way web conferences.”

Harry Kroll is the National Trainer, and amazingly he conducts face-to-face training meetings without leaving his home.

“We built him a studio,” Cardenas said “and he is the final voice on any specific feature, why we built that feature—he has all that messaging. What’s great about that is that we will send a salesperson out with a web camera on the other end. Harry can see the audience the audience he is talking to and they can see him. It’s a true two-way communication.”

Pioneer has furnished Kroll with all the products in his studio as well as multiple cameras. During his trainings, he can switch

“GREAT SOUND FROM

YOUR FACTORY RADIO” FEATURING ACCUBASS™ COMPENSATION FOR IMPROVED FACTORY BASS +18

AccuBASSTM

+12 +6 0

Bass Restored to Flat

-6 -12

Factory Rolloff

-18 20Hz

50Hz

100Hz

300Hz

1kHz

TWO CHANNEL LINE OUTPUT CONVERTER ACTIVE SPEAKER LEVEL INPUTS - HANDLES UP TO 400 WATTS | FIXED AND VARIABLE OUTPUTS WITH DISCRETE LEVEL CONTROLS | ACCUBASS™ PROCESSING FOR CORRECTION OF FACTORY BASS ROLLOFF | SELECTABLE GTO™ SIGNAL SENSING TURN-ON CIRCUIT | INPUT FOR OPTIONAL REMOTE LEVEL CONTROL | BUILT-IN LINE DRIVER PROVIDES UP TO 9.5 VRMS OUTPUT | COMPACT DESIGN (5.4” X 3.25” X 1.5”)

www.audiocontrol.com 425.775.8461

me-mag.com 45

 behind the scenes

AVIC-8100NEX flagship 7-inch in-dash navigation receiver

MVH-X380BT single-DIN Bluetooth receiver

to a camera that is pointing at a product during the training to make the experience as much like being there as possible. The reach he has through the web allows the National Trainer to do a training on the East Coast from 10-11, do another training on the West Coast from 11-12, then do another training on the East Coast in the afternoon. “From an efficiency standpoint technology has really changed the way we do training.” Said the Marketing VP. In that same studio, Kroll is arguably the most prolific videographer in the car stereo industry. Cardenas described Kroll’s process of filming videos, and at a frenetic pace. Pioneer publishes his “how-to” instructionals on the company website for consumers to see even the most basic of functions on a receiver, and how to go forward with doing it. “He has taken every FAQ we used to write out in text and done them in video. He’s filming how to set the clock, how to set presets, how to change the equalizer, how to switch sources. He’s much more efficient, he’s happier, and the retailers have taken to it as well.”

A single trainer educates the entire country by webinars— sometimes multiple times a day. Pioneer’s logic? One trainer with a webcam can have trainings anywhere in the country, anytime, with an unlimited class size.

To explore the viability of a single trainer for the entire country, Pioneer benchmarks several non-consumer electronics industries. The company found that several companies were doing well with the webinar techniques, and so it shifted into using that technique. “We're always watching other industries and benchmarking how we communicate, how we promote and how we train,” Cardenas said.

In addition to the webinars, the Kroll also creates hundreds of informational videos per year for the consumer world. Designed primarily to show basic operations of their receiver line, most of the videos are available right on Pioneer’s website, directly below the products themselves. Some products have as many as 20 videos associated with them, ranging from clock operation to equalizer setup, to Smartphone initialization. He can also quickly react to consumer and retailer input, creating training videos “on the fly” to accommodate their needs. His most popular videos can exceed 100,000 visits in a matter of days.

For example, he turned out 19 videos for a model that was just released days ago.

A Sizeable Task

TS-SW2002D2 8-inch subwoofer

46 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

That training is necessary, as Pioneer is one of the largest receiver manufacturers on the planet according to the Marketing VP. As an early option for Apple’s Car Play and soon after Google’s Android Auto, the company has invested both in the current functionality of the platform and the future potential it may offer. “Without a doubt Android Auto and Apple Car Play has more than legs,” says Cardenas, “the significance of that is now we have a touch point for hundreds millions of consumers that had never before considered upgrading their radio. These are people who previously would have said 'why would I change the radio, I have a perfectly good CD player.' Now there is a valid appeal built into the platform.”

That appeal extends into everything from a convenient way to stream audio, to the maps and navigation, to interaction with the messaging and calling features of the phone. The Android and Apple platforms also allow the user to search in intelligent ways, using the same voice activated queries they employ outside of the car. Pioneer has invested in both platforms, going as far as making dedicated web pages on their site to explain each format and its usefulness.

“That touch point has opened the door to so many new consumers that we didn’t have a way to talk to before,” Cardenas said. “It’s a huge lift to our industry—we’ve seen it in sales, and it’s only the beginning. We’ve seen ads from several manufacturers, so we know a big push from the OEM is coming, which will only drive awareness.”

Pioneer expects that awareness to have a positive effect on the aftermarket as well. The people interested in the technology but are not going to buy a new vehicle will be able to find it in the Pioneer head units.

New Beginnings In addition to the Apple and Android platforms, Pioneer is developing new A/V receivers as well. In fact, it just launched nine new DVD receivers. “This A/V category is pushing the industry…driving the industry,” Cardenas asserted. “It’s floating a lot of business for the specialist.”

One big addition Pioneer is excited to add is Spotify as a source. With the app’s increasing popularity, it is only the second app to be added since Pandora in 2009 which now has six presets. According to Pioneer, it were the first to do so.

On the Bluetooth DVD models, Pioneer added simultaneous phone connections. You can play music on one, receive a call on the other, pause the fist phone, pause the second phone and answer the call. When the call is done it will switch back. “The goal is to add relevant features while continuing to maintain the same price points and profitability,” Cardenas said.

Speakers have been a part of the company since its inception. “We have a facility in northern Japan dedicated to speaker research and design,” he said. “We’re about to launch a video series showing the facility, what we do there and why it's important, talking about why and how they’re different. It’s a story we haven’t told in decades.”

A story nearly half a century in the making, the video features Cardenas as the narrator. As the first in a series of videos, effort was taken to explain Pioneer’s spirit as much as their technical prowess in speaker manufacturing and research.

The video, like the company itself, is constantly balancing technology with economy. Being one the largest 12-volt manufacturers in the consumer electronics industry comes its share of challenges, and Pioneer is actively striving to meet them, one by one. 

NOW HIRING NYC Custom Shop

Appointment Available at CES 2016 Please Contact Us for Details

OEM Integration Specialist Driver Assistance Solution

Fully OEM Integrated Add-on Navigation System

Master Technician with installation/ troubleshooting skills and experience in all aspects of Mobile Electronics.

Fabricators with multi-level skills in all materials. You must be crafty with a good mind for design.

We are Manhattan’s premier and only high-end custom shop. Out-of-state installers, we can help with relocation assistance, if you qualify for the position.

We are looking for serious people with long-term goals in the business.

Plenty of growth potential, competitive pay, with great benefits like paid vacation and sick days.

Shown here:

100%

Send resume to Stefano@ autodesignnyc.com or call 212-255-8900

2016 Tundra

Blind-Spot Camera

100% OEM Integration

Engineered in

3 YR

3D MAP

3 / 36,000 3D Map Warranty Voice Guidance

Houston Texas

OE-Fit Side Camera

Features:

Easy Installation Plug-n-Play Wiring Fully OEM Integrated Maintain ALL Factory Features

www.cybcar.us

OE-Fit Emblem Front Camera

Options:

Multiple Camera Inputs Available Android OS Available Entertainment A/V input Available Smart Phone Mirroring Available DVR Dash Recording Camera

(888) 686 6227 me-mag.com 47

 tech today

Baffled By Pillars: PART

2

In the second part of his tweeter pillar tutorial, fabrication expert Joey Knapp covers the specifics on how to remain precise while keeping an eye on the clock.

WORDS BY JOEY KNAPP, SIMPLICITY IN SOUND

I

n the previous installment of this article, we were finishing up the major fabrication work on the set of A-pillar speaker pods for a Porsche Cayman. The pods will house the new Focal Utopia Ultima tweeters. Because of the extended depth of the tweeter housing, the pod would have to stick out more than a traditional pillar tweeter pod.

I decided on a design plan that would have the tweeters mounted in a pod as if it was a factory-upgradeable piece. The pod would be attached to the pillar and removable. The pillar would be molded to fit the pod. After spending some time acclimating myself to the interior design of the car, I sketched out a few ideas of what I thought would look like a complimentary addition to the car. The design

48 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

I came up with used the shape of the air vent trim ring. The shape was a trapezoid with all of the sides being slightly curved.

The tweeter specs were to be fairly on-axis with the listeners, so the pods would have to stick out a bit from the pillar to provide the necessary depth.

Starting Point When I started on the design, my idea was that the pillar would be upholstered in OEM headliner material and the pod and corresponding trim rings would be a combination of vinyl and paint. Once I had the pods built and test-fit them in the vehicle, however, I decided to change that plan. After seeing them through the windshield, I was concerned about the size of the pod and its interaction with

the pillar. I feared that giving the pod a different finish than the pillar would make them stand out even more. So, I decided that the pillar and the pods would both be covered in OEM headliner material. I felt that both pieces being the same finish would give the overall assembly a sleeker look. This also brings up a point I mentioned in the previous article that I would like to touch on again.

Always look at your pieces in the car. I know it adds additional steps to test fit, even when you know they will fit. Seeing the parts you build where they will reside in the car helps you to visualize the final product. Oftentimes, the interaction of other parts of the car, or lighting, or colors will be different than you might have initially anticipated. It is much

It is very important to always check the pieces you build in the car before you begin final finishing steps.

better to find out something doesn’t look right while you are in the building stage as opposed to finding out after things are finished and upholstered.

The remaining pieces I needed to make for the job were a baffle trim ring and a top trim piece. Both of these would be painted, so I made them out of acrylic. I find that acrylic is a great substrate to use for parts that will be painted. It accepts paints very well and has proven to be very stable in a variety of temperatures and climates. I believe that making them out of acrylic also saves some time, rather than making them out of MDF. If they were made out of MDF, they would have to be rough cut, then cut out using a template. Then they would need to be primed with a poly primer like Evercoat Featherfill, or Evolution primEVOL, and sanded smooth. The poly primers seem to really help stabilize the wood, but it is still susceptible to the effects of moisture and humidity. That whole step is removed with the use of acrylic. The acrylic can be cut, primed, and painted in a very short time.

If you are ever in doubt of something you are routering, the router shield is the safest way to router things.

Tricks like this are great if you are comfortable with them.

me-mag.com   49

 tech today The baffle trim rings were made out of a 3/8-inch acrylic. The template for the rings was oversized slightly to accommodate for the eventual thickness of the OEM headliner material that would cover the pods. I then made a quick MDF copy of the oversized template so I could cut out both at the same time. Both pieces were then cut out of a 3/8-inch acrylic.

Top Trim Tidbits The next pieces I needed were the top trim pieces. These would serve to conceal the mounting screws for the baffle trim ring. The top trim piece cutout goes around the tweeter, so when the piece is

TIPS & TRICKS As a bonus, Knapp put together some added tips for those needing extra detail when it comes to proper equipment use and supporting elements of the build.

50 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

installed, they give the tweeters the look of being installed flush onto the pods.

Because the tweeter flange thickness was 1/8-inch, I chose that as the thickness for the acrylic. I wanted the outer edge of the top trim pieces to be as round as possible.

This would mean leaving the pieces on the template, so the round-over bearing would have something to follow. I used the MDF template to cut out one of the trim pieces, and then flipped it over and used the other side to cut the next trim piece. This resulted in one trim piece on each side of the template. This not only saved me the time of making another

template, but also made the work with the round-over bit somewhat quicker.

With the acrylic pieces cut out, it was time to work on how they would attach to the pod. I started with attaching the baffle trim rings. Because I would have a trim ring on top of the baffle trim rings, I knew I could use screws to hold the baffle rings onto the pod. The top trim pieces could then cover the screws. If a fastener will need to be removed and reinstalled a number of times over the life of the installation, I like to use bolts and threaded inserts or rivet-nuts. In the case of the baffle trim ring, though, it would be screwed in place once, and hopefully

I forgot to bring my small adjustable angle tool with me on this trip. I needed something to duplicate the angle of the pod baffle from one side to the next. We have plenty of tongue depressors and popsicle sticks, so I glued two of those together to make a jig for replicating the baffle angle for the other side.

The pods were constructed from a few layers of fiberglass. I was concerned about how secure a rivet-nut would be in this scenario. To help secure the nut, I added a washer on the back side of the nut. This provided additional security for the rivet-nut; it not only clamped on the sides of the hole, but also to a larger surface area of the top.

When routering pieces that don’t necessarily need the use of a router shield, but are still small enough to cause concern, I like to do this. I grab a scrap of wood and use it to brace the piece. This gives me something more substantial to hold onto and keeps the piece more secure. I was routering a few pieces that were this shape, so I glued on an additional scrap to make a corner in which to secure the piece more tightly.

never removed. So, in this instance, screwing them into the wood baffle was fine. I first determined the center point of each corner and marked them with a Sharpie. Because both pieces were identical, I stuck the pieces together with double-stick tape. This way, when the pilot holes were drilled, I would be drilling both sets at once, saving a little bit of time. I used a drill press to drill the holes, ensuring they would be precise.

With the holes drilled, I then used double-stick tape to attach each baffle trim ring to its respective pod. Sticking the baffle trim to the pod allowed me to use the pilot holes in the baffle as a guide for

drilling the screw holes into the baffle.

That is another benefit of acrylic; it is hard enough to use as a guide. Once the screw holes were all drilled, it was time to make provisions for clearance of the screw heads and the top trim mounting magnets. My plan was to have the screws recess into countersunk holes and then have magnets attached to the top trim pieces. The magnets would magnetize to the screws and hold the top trim piece on. Because I wanted the top trim piece to sit flush on the baffle trim ring, I would need to include the thickness of the magnet (1/16-inch) in the depth I was countersinking the screws. Once

I determined the correct depth, I then counter-sank all eight mounting holes.

The final step to finish the work on the baffle trim rings was to drill out the pilot hole large enough to create clearance for the threads on the screws I would use to mount the baffle rings.

Final Prep Now that all the acrylic pieces were fabricated, the last step before upholstery was to attach the magnets to the top trim pieces. See the Tips and Tricks section of this article to learn how that was done.

The first parts to be upholstered were the pods. I wanted to upholster them

If you love sanding, raise your hand. No hands up? I don’t love it either. This is one of the tricks I use to reduce the amount of things I have to sand. If you are applying filler and need it to be confined to a space, or flat and straight, a piece of cardboard or wood can help. Apply filler to the area (add a bit extra to allow for any that seeps around).

Put a piece of tape on the filler side of your flat piece and then press it up to the spot you want the filler to stop at. The filler will hold the piece in place while it dries (or for larger areas, use a weighted object, or more tape, to apply pressure).

There are typically a number of ways to accomplish a goal. When stretching mold cloth over a shape, I like to glue the perimeter of the piece, as opposed to stretching it around the backside of the piece and gluing it there. Gluing on the perimeter leaves the bottom of the piece clean and free of fiberglass resin. The way I do this is by CA gluing the substrate and then pulling the cloth over it. To make sure the glue saturates the cloth for a good bond, I normally smooth over the piece with my finger. I had issues with the glue starting to set and tearing the gloves. My solution was to put a piece of tape over the tip of the glove. This protected the glove and kept it from tearing.

I use magnets quite a bit to hold on trim pieces. They are great for putting parts together without having any visible hardware. For these pods, I wanted to attach the top trim piece to the baffle trim piece. The baffle trim piece was screwed to the baffle. I took advantage of the metal screw heads as a point for magnets to adhere to.

I countersunk the baffle trim piece for the four screws, allowing for the thickness of the magnet to sit on top of the screws, and netting a clearance between both pieces of zero. To make sure the magnets made full contact with the top trim piece, I backed each screw out half of a turn. That raised them just high enough to make full contact with the top trim piece. Once the magnets—and the surface of the piece I wanted them glued to—were prepped for the glue by scuffing them with 60 grit sandpaper, I placed a magnet on each of the screw heads, rough side up. Then I added a drop of CA glue to each magnet. I carefully centered and placed the trim piece on top of the magnets and allowed the CA glue to dry. The result: perfectly placed magnets!

me-mag.com 51

 tech today “Seeing the parts you build where they will reside in the car helps you to visualize the final product. Oftentimes, the interaction of other parts of the car, or lighting, or colors will be different than you might have initially anticipated.”

SIMPLICITY IN SOUND

Making symmetrical pieces can save time by using one template for both pieces.

A drill press ensures that the pilot holes are precise.

52 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

first, to make sure that once the OEM headliner was installed, they fit well into the recesses I had molded onto the pillar.

I measured the thickness of the material with digital calipers, but I always like to check with the final piece, when possible.

I was able to fairly easily wrap the pods.

There was one seam on the front of the baffle, at the bottom. Once the pods were mounted into the pillars, the seam would be covered by the pillar recess, so I wasn’t concerned about it.

The pods were a snug fit into the pillar recess, so I knew once the pillar was covered, the fit would be perfect. I also did a test fit of the baffle trim rings, which I was happy with as well. I wanted to check the fit of all the pieces, so adjustments could be made, if needed, before all the parts were upholstered.

Then, on to the pillar upholstery. I had to be very careful spraying the glue for both the pillars and the pods. The OEM headliner material we sourced for this project was very thin. I did not want any of the glue to seep through the material and stain the surface. I spent a little bit of time cleaning the spray-gun nozzle and adjusting the pattern and pressure to get a very thin spray. I coated the pieces in very thin, multiple coats of contact cement. When all the pieces were dry to the touch, I upholstered both the pillars.

These went very smoothly, and no real challenges came up in wrapping them.

Testing Time Now, the most exciting part of the job: the final assembly and test fit! With the acrylic pieces painted and the pod and pillars upholstered, I put the assembly together and snapped them into place.

Notice of the pictures has a trim ring around the speaker, which is black. I left California to return to Florida, not being 100 percent sure about the silver trim piece. I thought it looked good, but it might be a bit too much silver. After talking with Jesse Lucero, the full-time installer at Simplicity In Sound, we decided they also needed a black set of rings. The black rings would give the option of having a more understated pod, for daily driving. Jesse was able to use the template to make a new set of rings

A great shot showing the inspiration for the design of the pods. inset: Multiple colors, materials and textures were used in the pods, all of which were based on the OEM interior design. The blended part of the pillar does a great job of making it look like the pillar and the pod belong together.

and paint this set black. This is an excellent point on why it is important to keep, and even smarter to label, templates used on projects.

You never know when you might need to make another piece!

There are a number of ways to install tweeters into A-pillars. A common, and quick, way to install them is use a ring, some low-temp plastic, and a mold cloth. The resulting look of that type of installation isn’t what I wanted for this build. This build needed something different.

I believe it is important to try something new, at least every once in a while. Trying new techniques or ideas stretches your imagination and skillset. You also will, inadvertently, come across unforeseen challenges when trying new things. These challenges can be great learning experiences, and make you a better fabricator.

I encourage you to try something new on a project this month. Even just experimenting with a different way to do something routine can help. There is profit in repeatability, but there is fun in learning something new. I think we all came to this industry because of a desire to have fun while we work. ď‚ľ

The OEM headliner was flexible and forgiving, so it made the job of wrapping these pods fairly easy.

The screw-on baffle trim plate was designed to hide any of the seams.

Getting ready to cover the pillars. Great care was taken to make sure none of the spray glue bled through the fabric.

me-mag.com   53

 installs

Perfect Shot

SUBMITTED BY: CHRIS SIMPSON AND MIGUEL HERNANDEZ, VIP AUTOWORKS, MENTOR, OHIO

54 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

The team at VIP enhanced this 2015 Polaris Slingshot by fabricating a custom fiberglass and plastic enclosure for the subwoofer which was designed to fit in the passenger storage compartment behind the seat and features a custom pressed grill. They then custom-fabricated a new front face for the OEM speaker pods.

The new front holds an XFIRE three-way component set that is divided in two to allow the 6 1/2-inch mid to have its own enclosure. The new pods were topped with a custom pressed grill and LED lights.

The team considers the top feature of the build to be a custom-fabricated new head unit mounting system to hold a Sony MEX-XB100BT radio and a custom iPad Mini docking station. The iPad mini is removable and charges while docked. All speakers used were from XFIRE.

me-mag.com   55

 installs

Out of Retirement

SUBMITTED BY STEVE BRONDSTETTER, ALTIMATE AUTOMOTIVE, BAY CITY, MICH.

A 1971 Monte Carlo was brought to Brondstetter with no interior. Being a retired drag car, the owner wanted to do a complete restore on the vehicle, which explains the stripped interior. The system includes an Alpine head unit, two sets of Alpine Type R components, three Massive Torax 12’s on three Rockford Power series 1000.1’s and two Power series four-channel amps for the highs.

56 Mobile Electronics  December 2015

Maxed-Out

SUBMITTED BY ERIC M. CARTER, CARTRONIX, VALPARAISO, IND.

A

client found Cartronix online to upgrade the sound system of his 2016 Nissan Maxima. The client wanted a factory look with audiophile sound, including showcasing the subwoofers. Carter and his team worked with their vendors to figure out the best layout for the system. Parts included AudioFrog Components and subs, an Audison VOCE 5.1, an Audison Bit Processor, Hushmat sound deadener and FastRings.

me-mag.com   57

µ guest editorial

10 Steps to Improve Teamwork In my previous article, we addressed the importance of having an effective and proficient team of professionals who can deliver their best performance. We used the analogy of a pit crew and how it is a perfect example of great teamwork. We also addressed what can happen when there is a lack of teamwork.

All smart organizations must operate at a superior level, and if you want to stay in business, you need to do so as well. Follow these 10 steps: 1. Practice dynamic leadership.

Remember whose job it is to keep your team motivated in today’s tough business environment. It’s yours!

If they see worry, doom and gloom on your face, they won’t be inspired. You, as their team leader, must display dynamic leadership. As a leader, you are also a teacher. Think of yourself as a great sports coach, instructing and encouraging your team to excel. Coach them to excel in sales and installation.

Make your team members feel as if they are working with you, not for you. If they feel they are working for you, you will get robots that go through the motions of their job, and never show initiative beyond their job description. If they feel they are working with you, they are more likely to look forward to coming to work each day.

2. Get the right players on the team.

Have the courage to remove anyone who might prevent the team from performing at the highest possible level. You can’t afford to have even one weak player. Once you have the right people on your team, your job will be infinitely easier. When you have people who perform to their highest capacity and provide outstanding service to customers and the other members of their team, you will be able to focus on business growth and development.

3. Communicate.

Sit down with your team and tell them how much you appreciate the good job they do. Then, describe what you would like to accomplish. Explain that you need their involvement in an important team-building and idea sharing process. People tend to promote what they help to create. Asking for their ideas and input in this initiative is the first step in effective team building; employee involvement is critical to the success of your business. This holds true whether you have 10 or 10,000 employees.

4. Set expectations and competencies specific to each job role.

Communicate your expectations for each person, as well as the expectations you have of them as a team. As a cohesive unit, they should demonstrate the following: • They are all working toward the common goal of carrying your mobile electronics business into a more successful future.

• Peer support will be practiced day to day.

• Conflict will be resolved amongst each other. If it cannot be resolved, they are to come to you.

• Team members will speak openly about their opinions without being asked.

• Team members will not be afraid of losing their job when they do speak up.

58 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

• A high level of trust must exist between you and your team, and there must be a similar level of trust between team members.

• Team members are to demonstrate the core values of honesty, integrity, safety, respect, customer focus, teamwork, accountability, professionalism, family, and concern for Earth and the environment.

5. Set the highest standards for yourself and your team.

Never settle for mediocre performance from an individual or your team. You will never be able to achieve success if you do. Another reason to set the highest standards is that your people will respect you for it!

6. Ask for ideas.

Ask for ideas on how you can modify or eliminate any procedure that does not allow for flawless execution; ask them how you can avoid wasteful spending; ask how you can improve productivity and morale. It is amazing how many great ideas you will obtain if you just ask.

7. Create guiding principles for the way the team will communicate and operate, and how all customers will be treated.

Create guiding principles, have them printed out and posted around the office. “We will check and double check our work.” “We will never fail to thank a customer.” “We will treat each other with respect.” Have each team member sign them, and agree to adhere to them. Then, assign a team to add to them quarterly.

Use this document for new hires. Let them know that they won’t fit in with the team if they don’t practice these guiding principles.

8. Set rigorous, but achievable, goals for sales, error-free performance, reduction of customer complaints and safety.

You can keep your team pumped up by setting goals, and giving them a small reward when they reach these objectives.

9. Train your team!

Arm your installation team with knowledge and skills. Better yet, consider teamwork training to help your employees become a truly effective entity.

10. Establish five critical success factors and use it as your road map.

Work with your team to establish five critical success factors that will help you achieve success in 2016. This will be your road map to get you where you want to go. Print them out and put them on cards and on your walls so that your team doesn’t forget to stay the course. Begin these steps as soon as possible.

Look Who’s Driving?

Imagine you are a race car driver. You need that great pit crew.

Drive your business forward. Drive as smart and safely as you can, and surround yourself with the smartest and most supportive pit crew you can possibly find.

The Biggest Difference There is one major difference between you and a professional racecar driver. For them, there’s a finish line to cross. For you, the race for business growth has no finish line.

Just remember to enjoy the ride. I, for one, will choose to do so. I hope to see you in Indy!

To learn more visit www.christinespeaks.com, or call 847-477 7376. 

Up to 3-Mile Range

Durably Built

Water Proof

3-Year Warranty

Stay connected to your car on the slopes, on the lake, and on your next outdoor adventure!

The PRO T11 is water proof at a depth of up to 1 meter for 30 minutes.

compustar.com

Fall on it, drop it, or even throw it. The PRO T11 is built tough, just like you.

An industry-leading solution backed by an industry leading remote warranty.

me-mag.com   59

@compustaronline

Build Your Business with Viper.

Become a Viper 5-Star Dealer and get hot qualified sales leads sent directly to your in-box. All you’ll need to do is connect back to them, close the deal and cash in on the profits. Connect, Close, and Cash in.

©2015 Directed • All rights reserved.

Apply to be a Viper 5-Star Dealer today!

Not a Viper Dealer?

Apply to become one today at www.directeddealers.com

®

NO ONE DARES COME CLOSE.

TM