More than 30 ETI Members representing 17 companies attended this year’s Annual Winter Tech Week which was held December 3-6 in Tokyo, Japan. For 25 years, the Equipment and Tool Institute and the major Japanese automakers, represented by JAMA, have presented Winter Tech Week as a forum to communicate new information and tool requirements for servicing new and future vehicles. This year’s Winter Tech Week once again provided ETI Members with the opportunity for dialogue with the Japanese Automakers and to receive the necessary information to provide the needed tools and equipment, showcase their new launches, and discuss any new tools or equipment that these new vehicles may require. More than 35 individuals from Hino, Honda, Isuzu, Mazda, Mitsubishi Motors, Mitsubishi Fuso, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki, and Toyota were in attendance and delivered presentations on the service and repair of new model launches and new technology. Winter Tech Week proved to be an outstanding event and many ETI Members commented on the “Winter Tech Week was a success and the opportunity to work together towards the common goal of sharing data regarding the repair and service of vehicles and having two-way, problem-solving discussions was at the forefront of the meetings. The information gained during the week was invaluable, the networking was outstanding, and a good time was had by all”, said ETI Marketing Manager Jessie Korosec. “Holding Winter Tech Week in Japan provides a unique opportunity for ETI Members to ask technical questions to the OEM Overseas Personnel that provide the data, and to forge relationships beyond the US OEM Subsidiaries.” The information provided in the presentations and subsequent discussions was very enlightening for the ETI Members. Presentations on a number of relevant topics included:
During the ETI/JAMTA (Japan Automotive Machinery and Tool Manufacturers Association) meeting, discussions took place on country restrictions outside North America and the ETI data utilized software, coverage area of data disclosure (system, function, vehicle coverage), restriction for the objective vehicle of data disclosure for truck and bus, movement or activity on establishing Diesel OBD regulation, the method of vehicle validation for the implemented data quality, and the purpose and general information on ETI. “Attending ETI Winter Technical Week in Tokyo, Japan, and learning about Japan’s JAMTA tool association and their views on Trends of generic scantool standards for Japan was extremely insightful. Before hearing this information I had no understanding that there was a focused industry group working to organize tools into such categories as function, price, and quality along with a breakdown of scantool functions into basic and expanded classes for the Japanese domestic market. The JAMTA group is certainly doing their homework, and the overview they provided was an important data point for my global company; one that never would have come into view without attending ETI’s 2012 WTW,” said Bernard J. Carr, Senior Product Development Manager (and Technical Evangelist), Bosch Automotive Service Solutions.
In addition to the meetings, ETI Members were able to enjoy a day of sightseeing and networking with other ETI members in Kamakura, and had a chance to become acclimated to the time zone changes.
We are in the process of gathering the data and the discs will be mailed to all WTW Attendees and ETI Delegates as soon as we receive all of the information. The ETI Attendee List and OEM Business Cards will be included on the disc as well. All pictures from Winter Tech Week 2012 are available on the ETI Facebook Page. | NAVIGATE |
ETI Concludes Another Successful Winter Tech Week
value of the information received this year. The Automakers were impressed by the knowledge and enthusiasm of the ETI Members. 
ETI also held a meeting with the Heavy Duty Manufacturers, including Hino, Mitsubishi Fuso, and Isuzu to which included a discussion on U.S. and California Information access requirements regarding access to scan tool data stream information, what the scan tool manufacturers require to emulate OEM scan tools, how ETI can help OEMs distribute required data, what plans truck makers have made to provide scan tool data, and information requests from ETI.
The final meeting of the week was the ETI/JAMA (Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association) joint meeting which included presentations and discussions on Japan OBD Regulations and Enhanced OBD, the Massachusetts Right To Repair Law, and planning for the next two Winter Tech Weeks.
“The JAMA-ETI Tech Week meetings are always productive, and this year’s, the 25th, underscored the value of our cooperation in addressing, for example, the challenges of servicing older vehicles, of which there are an increasing number on the road today. The excellent and friendly working relations between our respective members ultimately benefit our U.S.customers, and we are deeply appreciative of the efforts of ETI members in the Tech Week initiative,” said Mr. Hideaki Itami, Leader of the ETI Relations, Ad Hoc Group at JAMA and General Manager of Mazda’s Vehicle Service & Program Department.
