My Road to AAPEX: Teaching the Next Generation

The aftermarket is a people-driven business. It’s one of the biggest themes of the annual AAPEX show and, by extension, this season of My Road to AAPEX. We’ve been traveling the country putting executives in the aftermarket to the test. In every episode, they go from the boardroom to the garage to fix up cars, using the same parts their company sells every day.

“You see that high collaboration between suppliers or manufacturers, WDs and installers. It’s driven by the people of this industry,” says Stefan Feder, head of automotive aftermarket at AUMOVIO. 

We begin this episode in Allentown, Pennsylvania. AUMOVIO is a new name in the automotive aftermarket, but not a new company. In April, Continental launched this rebrand of its automotive sector business. AUMOVIO comprises several brands, including ATE braking products, VDO blower motors and engine management systems, and Redi-Sensor TPMS products.

After chatting with Stefan about his career and AUMOVIO’s various brands and products, we head to the Lehigh Career and Technical Institute, where Stefan is joined by AUMOVIO technical trainer Doug Rennie. Doug gives the students tips on brake pad and rotor inspections, and where to use lubricating paste when putting them back together. From there, Stefan talks to the young future technicians about why they are needed in the automotive industry, and the AAPEX show’s place in the industry.

See what the students learned in this episode of My Road to AAPEX.