Over the last few years, automotive aftermarket use of the Internet has continued to grow, making it a valuable business tool in automotive repair shops.

Autologue CEO Jim Franco, who's company provides automotive information system services, e-cataloging parts pricing and other electronic data services for the automotive distribution market, spoke recently in an "Executive Interview" for aftermarketNews.com, saying that the Internet has become the most valuable business tool in aftermarket industry.

"The Internet has enabled us to connect businesses simply," Franco said. "It used to be a one-to-one communication, but now the Internet allows one-to-many or many-to-one communication. It is an information gateway that results in a definite increase in productivity in the aftermarket."

Who's Got It
Ask most techs and they'll tell you the Internet in the past decade has been a useful tool for seeking specific repair information or chatting through e-mail with fellow technicians on a hard-to-diagnose repair.

Babcox Research, the marketing and research arm for the parent company of Underhood Service, recently conducted a survey on Internet usage in the automotive industry. The results of the study not only help us create better features and articles to help you, our readers, but also give us a look into how our industry compares to other markets. Looking at that data, we've found that 68% of repair shops have Interne...