Actually, you can’t be a star, not in the way we mean. You can belong to STAR, though, and we believe that it is in your best interest to do so.
STAR is an acronym for Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail. Formed in May 2001, it is a non-profit, industry-wide initiative to create voluntary information technology standards in our industry.
We need these standards because proprietary technology requirements make communications among manufacturers, dealers, and customers unnecessarily difficult, complex, and costly.
Let’s say you have a multi-franchise dealership. By definition, you deal with multiple manufacturers. Of necessity-because of the proprietary technology linking each manufacturer to your dealership computer system-you communicate essentially the same information to each manufacturer in a different way with different equipment.
Doesn’t it make sense to standardize the technology we use to exchange business information, and to make that technology available to everyone who should be able to use it?
The creation and implementation of non-proprietary, Internet-based standards would benefit your dealership by reducing your technology costs and saving you time and effort while increasing your operating efficiency.
STAR is composed of dealer organizations, automotive manufacturers, and retail system providers that provide dealership computer systems and services. STAR members develop industry standards and research emerging technologies for the benefit of dealers. Standards development is accomplished by Special Interest Groups devoted to infrastructure, data transfer, and extended mark-up language (XML, the computer language of the Internet).
STAR needs dealers to be members. It needs your input and business experience. You have to ensure that your dealership information technology infrastructure can support Internet-based applications that manufacturers and others have already begun to implement. To learn more about STAR’s work and how you can participate, please visit the STAR Web site at www.starstandard.org.
The above information was adapted from NADA Management Bulletin BM.29, STAR: Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail. You can order this bulletin from the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) by calling 800-252-6232, ext. 2 or 703-821-7227. Cost to NADA members is $2.50, $5.00 for non-members, plus shipping. Or, order an electronic version online at www.nada.org/mecatalog.
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