I added Brake and Steering Rebuilders  (BSR)  to plaxo as well as Hydraulic Rebuilders. Read the notes as to what they can do

Greg

new suppliers added to E-Cat listing

See your google doc for supplier e-cats and the youtube links for training .... added Sierra and Mallory Marine .... both have youtube training video's ( Mallory is part of Mr. Gasket group .... so Hot Rod as well as Marine )



Any times you can IMPROVE our list of suppliers and their BEST web page and training video's -- if you do NOT have EDIT privileges -- you could ask to get this --or ask your store manager to use your suggestions --and all stores can share in the benefit.

Payroll

Mark your calendars, I will be doing payroll on Thursday, April 26th. Please make sure that timesheets and vacation/sick days are sent in for first thing in the morning. Payroll will be deposited on Monday, April 30th.

Thanks, Rhonda

Linked Alternates .... not pretty but - what we have

In the first demo's of EXPLORIS many many years ago there was a smart window that opened up and you could easily see the number of items linked to a master part ...in fact as a test ( when I was on the Jobber Committee ) I linked a handful of 1/8 drill bits ... never new we had so many types ....

Anyways -that was then and this is NOW --and what we have is NOT PRETTY but it is all we have ... the tell tale is the up and down arrows as circled ... try it for BAT 551MF

In the master part in F-8 screen ( see #2 image ) you can edit and see what parts are listed ... until you click EDIT and then the ALT/SUP SETUP you won;t see how many you have

 .... see image #3

Does this make it any easier to understand ????

LFT - some parts available

Notice a new sub line ( PN Code #3 ) in LFT .... the Lift Struts ... a few basic hardware parts .... you also have additional end parts from lines like CC Marine ( hat tip for that to Ryan )

FMSI updates

Bill Mercer ( our rep ) from FMSI is off on a medical leave - we are awaiting who might be able to cover for our yearly visit ... stay tuned

Saw this article --click here - on AC line splices -and handy uses ....

new sku's in MWC

for a long time it looked like Torq ( SCA Hygene ) was a dead line in CARQUEST .... looks like some breathe of life coming back

Example - dispenser #654028A .... and a no nonsense approach that the cost of the dispenser is based on as NO PROFIT to the customer ....

Polish Cloth # 197278  ( only levels set at Petes & A Barn

Blue Grease Cloth # 440278 A ( levels set at all stores --we have requested movement codes be INCREASED so the DC will stock more -- at this point any of our stores has an order point HIGHER than the DC warehouse

Road Show

What can happen when you attend a road show? For those of you who made the time to attend the last road show on March 27th you will see a bonus payment in the amount of $75.00 paid with your mid month. For those of you who chose not to attend you received a payment of $1.00.

Anyone who drove to the meeting will receive an extra bonus at the staff meeting on Monday but you must attend the staff meeting in order to receive it.

Rhonda

Mid Months

Mid Months will be deposited on Friday, April 13th.

Rhonda

Missing Images or Safety Sheet data

we have added Bogdan Danescu to Plaxo as the contact in CARQUEST for missing images and Safety sheets ...  he handles just the Cdn side -- but assuming that most of what we are missing are the Cdn lines ( like CQO and ANT )

Search Plaxo for IMAGES and you will find his contact name and e-mail address

PS --Note - his e-mail address is NOT his first name ... has been corrected ( for the 3rd time ) --see PLaxo

Wax & Polishing Tips

The March Meguiars demo got cancelled - we will try to re-set for a fall or next spring ... int he mean time we have updated Plaxo address and contact names ( see NOTES in Plaxo ) for Claude's contact and also added the Help Line ( opens 9:00 EST - 6:00 Pacific time )

A reminder - we have linked the few ( surprised Meguiars doesn't do more ??) youtube video's

The Image is a NEAT TRICK -- polished the wife's Lexus .... dues #6 cleaner polish and then decided to put a extra layer on the nXt wax ( MEG  - G12718 -- Note -- some products in CARQUEST have the C suffix for French and some do NOT - kind of confusing ...but ... you can update the UPC code to help solve problems )  Note --I tried to link this wax to the Canada web site ...yeh ... ???  so It takes you to USA site ...

Anyways ... I noticed the wax was REALLY had to wipe off ( even using Neil's new micro finer towels  he sells and sources thru PBE --but has yet to add to the computer system .... note the 'dig' ? ) ...and when all was done -- I see streaks on the hood area ... ???????  and the smearing that Pete says use the Liquid Ice ( a Norton product  - that I find makes smearing worse ) .... so I e-mailed Claude and he called me back ... runs out on the synthetic products - you have to apply EXTREMELY THIN .... hmmm ... I find this our afterwards .... BUT -- he has a tip -- take one of the Micro finer towels -- you remember the ones that Neil has yet to add to the computer ( like a dog with a bone of issues ... ) and get is 'damp' ..... OMG ...does this ever work FANTASTIC ..... a damp polish towel .... who figured this out ... the photo's are note the best but the upper one --you will see some 'streaking' in sunlight --the bottom on is a minute latter ... IMPRESSED all to hell ....

PS -- wrote Dracy Backman (  key guy in Canada ? ) on questions like - why can;t I find the nXt on Cdn web site - why does USA have a retail seller listed and Cdn site sucks ...  why doesn't MEG have MORE tech training on their youtube channel ... and why don't they answer  questions posted on youtube ... it is that sort of world we live in ... eh !

changes in Batteries ....

I have enjoyed reading John Peterson's comments in Seeking Alpha (a stock pickers web site) and the comments from other readers ( at the bottom of the article

Have a look at part .....

The simplest, cheapest and most direct approach is adding fine carbon powders to the sponge lead pastes used in the negative electrodes of first- and second-generation lead-acid batteries. Extensive testing over the last decade has shown that changing the paste formulation to include up to 6% carbon by weight (±30% by volume) offers excellent cycleability and power while significantly reducing charging times.

Johnson Controls (JCI), Exide Technologies (XIDE) and several other companies are already using carbon paste additives in enhanced versions of their flooded and AGM batteries with notable success. Others will follow. While carbon enhanced batteries have slightly lower specific energy than their predecessors, their 100 to 200 percent increase in cycle-life reduces the cost of energy storage by 30 to 50 percent.

A more complex approach is the Ultrabattery from CSIRO, Furukawa Battery and East Penn Manufacturing. It divides each negative electrode into two parts, a lead half and a carbon half. The end result is superior cyclability and power with even shorter charging times. The Ultrabattery is being tested in a variety of stationary and micro-hybrid applications and shows significant promise, including the potential to reduce the cost of energy storage by 50 to 70 percent.

The third and most sophisticated approach is the PbC battery from Axion Power International (AXPW.OB) that replaces the lead-based negative electrodes used in conventional batteries with a carbon electrode assembly. The resulting device is an "asymmetric lead-carbon capacitor" that offers the energy storage of a battery and the power and cycleability of a capacitor in a single hybrid device.

Hang in there -- the Lead Acid battery has much life --


-

Payroll

I will be doing payroll on Wednesday, March 28th. Please make sure that timesheets and vacation/sick days are sent to me for first thing in the morning. Payroll will be deposited on Friday, March 30th.

Thanks,

Rhonda

Pig Money

If you have not already paid please have your pig money for the staff meeting tomorrow night at Auto Barn.

Thank-you!

The 'still on hold' Cdn version of the Service Line Cat

Awaiting for the LONG AWAITED -- SERVICE LINES Cat ...   reminds us of the time Peter McNally banned the new version from Canada as it had a line they didn't keep -- and for that reason we couldn't get it ... well ..actually our 3 stores did get it - as we called up the warehouse and they sent us a case as a favour.

So - awaiting the 2012 catalogue --- hmm ...told it was on the USA CQ-Link ... well -see it and guess what it is OPEN  - here are the links

the entire catalogue is here .... 

The PDF sections are available here .....

There are some Cdn sections -- well- I guess we wait for those ?

Updated Battery display signs

Gary & Ryan worked on the updated Battery signs - I must say I am impressed with the results.    See Image -- while CARQUEST makes almost as good a sign for considerably more $$  they only make the signs for a fraction of the batteries we display ....  we needed ALL SKU's ....

this has been a HOT BUTTON for a while

2010 posting on issue

2007 posting on issue

2006 posting on issue

Mid Months

The mid months will be deposited on Thursday, March 15th. For those of you who have attended staff meetings, you will see a little extra on your mid month for the payment of staff meeting attendance. This payment is up to and including the February staff meeting.

If you have any questions regarding the amount please call me.

Rhonda

Final Payment

The final bonus payment will be deposited on Monday, March 12th.

Rhonda

March Staff Meeting

Please remember that the March staff meeting will be held at Auto Barn on TUESDAY, March 20th.

Rhonda

Spring Forward

Remember to turn your clocks ahead one hour this weekend.

Rhonda