The Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) is realigning its structure in a move meant to offer members greater access to available resources.

The change creates MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers and MEMA Original Equipment Suppliers groups – combining the Heavy-Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA), Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA), and Association for Sustainable Manufacturing.

“In the prior division structure, aftermarket members would have had to join three MEMA divisions to benefit from all the information available,” MEMA CEO Bill Long said in a related press conference.

Each business segment faces common headwinds such as: shifts to electric and autonomous vehicles; supply chain disruptions; environmental, social and governance demands; workforce shortages; and global competition, he added.

“This really will create a stronger, more vital, and more cohesive MEMA organization,” said Julie Fream, president and CEO – original equipment suppliers.

“We are concentrating the suppliers’ voice.”

Collectively the groups represent more than 1,000 members, 65% of which are described and small- and medium-sized businesses with less than US$100 million in revenue.

“There is absolutely no way that a smaller member can really see the fullest potential of their own business and the market conditions without an association like MEMA,” said chairman Marc Blackman, CEO of Gold Eagle.

New chief commercial vehicle officer

Collin Shaw, whose role changes to chief commercial vehicle officer and COO of the MEMA Original Equipment Suppliers group, stressed that voices in the heavy-duty market will continue to be heard when drawn together with members in the larger light-duty segment. He most recently served as president and COO of the HDMA.

While recognizing “peculiarities” of the light-duty and heavy-duty markets, “there are far more things that bring us together that we have to solve,” he said, responding to a question from TruckNews.com.

“It’s not merely inviting heavy-duty members to the programs we already have,” he added, noting offerings like Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) and Heavy-Duty Aftermarket Dialogue remain. But the association will also look for ways to integrate specific heavy-duty content into broader events like a coming fall technology conference.

Heavy-duty members will also see access to more content such as a chief purchasing officer council, and a global aftermarket summit.

Heavy-duty manufacturers will now be included in MEMA’s town halls, which traditionally fell under the OESA division, Fream added.

Sustainability and ESG

A new Center for Sustainability, led by chief sustainability officer John Chalifoux and a yet-announced steering committee, will focus on broad ESG trends.

“We now live in a world where everything wants to be sustainable and now we have sustainable everything,” Chalifoux said.

“Our collaborative community will help members comply and build advantage as they assess and respond to the needs of their customers and other stakeholders.”

The new structure will be reflected in a www.strongbyassociation.org website that will be relaunched in February.