The Mission -
The mission of the ACEC is to promote the coordination of electronic commerce standardization activities between all industry segments in an effort to encourage the adoption of universal industry standards throughout the vehicle aftermarket.

The Legacy -
Historically, the majority of standards development work for the aftermarket was performed by a small but dedicated group of individuals from various trade associations. In the past several years there has been dramatic growth in the use of EDI, Electronic Commerce, and Internet-enabled technologies. This has led a number of the industry's trade associations to form electronic commerce committees. The obvious downside is the tendency for the various committees to address the same problem independently and arrive at similar, but different, solutions. This can lead to multiple or dueling standards instead of a single standard with attributes that serve broader industry requirements.

The Purpose -
ACEC was formed when a number of leading aftermarket trade associations recognized the need for a single oversight organization to promote the free flow of information between various segments of the industry and encourage "aftermarket" solutions rather than proprietary solutions to technology challenges. ACEC has developed a process whereby any aftermarket association can bring their proposed standards before their peers for review and comment. When no other standard exists for the intended purpose of the proposed standard, it may be "Approved for Use and Recommended" by the ACEC. In this manner, ACEC helps to avoid dueling standards and promotes the increased used of technology to lower costs and solve business challenges in the aftermarket.

The Organization -
To ensure that all segments and functions within the vehicle aftermarket are represented, ACEC is open to all trade associations serving the industry. Each association is permitted one staff and one member delegate. Alternate staff and member delegates may attend ACEC meetings as needed to represent their members and their standards initiatives. However, each association is allowed one vote in matters before the Council.

The Aftermarket Council on Electronic Commerce meets three times annually and leadership rotates among the participating associations. Information about upcoming meetings can be found on the web site at www.aceconline.org.

All aftermarket industry trade associations are invited to participate in ACEC meetings or simply keep-up with the work of the Council by visiting the web site Any organization interested in participating or contributing an e-commerce or technology standard for the review of the ACEC can contact the organization through the link on our web page.