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Powersports Business • June 2024 • 29

The last time we visited Boise was before the pandemic , and the weather was ‘ sub-optimal ’ in January — or perhaps it was ideal if you like ice skating . That said , we recently dropped by the Boise Center downtown again to meet with Jason Thomas , aka “ JT ,” who is pulling double duty these days as the WPS media and marketing coordinator and NBC trackside analyst for the AMA Supercross series .

Unlike other distributor meetings , which primarily focus on product Expos , the WPS sales meeting is a unique event . It is exclusive to dealer and vendor reps and provides intensive training on house brands and vendor lines , making it a standout in the industry .

Some of the big news from the event was that WPS and Michelin were teaming up to give away two new 450cc MX bikes to the top sales performers . This was still top secret at press time as the reps thought the bikes were there for display purposes only . There were quite a few new products being unveiled to the reps for the first time , so vendors and brand managers had to be trained on them . One of the more exciting sessions we sat in on was with the new RST line that WPS introduced at a “ soft launch ” in Daytona during Bike Week .

In Europe , RST is very popular . The UKbased brand does everything in-house , including sourcing the materials . RST has full leather suits popular among touring and sport bike riders . The leather is sourced from Pakistan , and the company rep told us that is because cows are sacred there . That means they can roam freely and are not contained in an area

The second part of the NSM is for vendor brands such as SSV Works and others .

Every 20 minutes , the public address speaker tells the reps to shift to the next station .

We visited the Boise Center for the first part of the NSM , which was focused on house brands like Shinko and Fly .

The WPS National Sales Meeting is one of the more unique events . It is only open to sales reps and vendors . by barbed wire . The rep says that if the leather has been pierced by barbed wire , it is not usable because it will have a protective weak spot in that area if a rider has an accident . The company also introduced a new line of ADV apparel that performs as good as it looks . And the price point will be a big bonus for those who try this brand . It has an outer rain shell that goes over the top of the gear , unlike others where it is zipped into the inside . This allows better breathability and is more convenient to put on , according to the RST rep .

The last two days of the show focused on vendor lines , and then it concluded with a banquet to celebrate all the accomplishments of vendors and reps . The past couple of years have been a challenge , admits WPS , because not only were they dealing with new leadership and integrating into a global group ( Arrowhead ), but the economic headwinds threw an extra monkey wrench at them . JT says they are mostly through the oversupply of apparel that flooded the market after the high demand during the pandemic . As they say , it takes some time to right the ship , and WPS looks poised for a positive reset going into the riding season .

Stay tuned for a full interview with the WPS leadership team in the next edition of Powersports Business .

SBS Friction A / S , a Tier−1 and Tier−2 supplier of high-performance brake pads for OEMs and aftermarket , recently announced it has achieved IATF 16949:2016 certification .

According to the company , SBS Friction ’ s IATF certificates were a requirement from some OEMs and will also benefit the rest of the aftermarket group .

The certification builds on the company ’ s already existing ISO 90001 certification and will complement the ECE R90 certification .

The company says the IATF certification has been implemented to improve workflow processes and confirm the brake manufacturer ’ s continued commitment to producing quality brake products for OEM and aftermarket use . The certification also enables the expansion of its business activities and will boost production efficiency .

“ With our ECE R90 and ISO 90001 certifications , we already work daily to ensure high quality and reliability for motorcycle riders and customers all over the world ,” says Gitte Hviid Larsen , quality manager at SBS Friction . “ The IATF certification is required by many industrial OEM vehicle manufacturers , and we are now in a better position to service these from the SBS production facility in Denmark , together with the rest of the Brembo group .”

SBS Friction shares this achievement is a result of its continued pursuit of excellence . The company says stringent quality control and continuous improvement initiatives across all facets of its operations have required full collaboration throughout the organization .

The IATF certification will improve workflow processes , allow the company to remain committed to producing quality brake products and enable the expansion of its business activities and production efficiency . Photo courtesy of SBS

“ The entire SBS organization has focused fully on the previous work required to achieve the certification ,” Larsen continues . “ And a big thank you must go to all employees who have reviewed , modeled and defined procedures that have secured the certification .”