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Letter to the Editor
Monday August 2
Sonny Pan Re-elected to Serve Second Term as TABPA Chairman
During their recent annual meeting, members of the Taiwan Auto Body Parts Association (TABPA) members unanimously reelected Sonny Pan, Vice President of Gordon Auto Body Parts, as Chairman of the organization for a second two year term.Prior to his election as chairman in 2002, Pan served as Vice Chairman of TABPA for two years. Pan will be assisted in the leadership of TABPA by vice chairpersons Parkson Jong and Flyer Su of Jui Li Enterprises.
When first elected in 2002, at age 34, Pan was one of the youngest members of TABPA to be elected to the top job. Now a seasoned veteran, he brings to the position experience in the industry and an educational background which includes a Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) from National Cheng Chi University, as well as a bachelors degree in Transportation Management & Communications.
Prior to assuming his current position at Gordon, Sonny Pan was the Assistant to the General Manager of the company. He also served as TABPA Vice Chairman for two years and has been active on TABPA Committees since 1999. As Vice President of Gordon his major job is to conduct the general management of factory operations and act as spokesman for the company.
Pan said, “One of TABPA’s missions is to keep the communication channel open so that Taiwanese manufacturers hear the real voices of every segment of the industry. Our vision is to improve Taiwan's aftermarket auto body parts' image and legitimize our products in the eyes of American consumers.”
“TABPA is dedicated to cooperating with every sector. We have attempted to achieve our vision by listening and responding to marketplace needs, he continued. "We have met with distributors, certifiers, repairers and insurers in an effort to establish and meet our goals.”
One of the major projects undertaken during Pan’s first term as chairman was a joint project with a Taiwan government agency known as the Corporate Synergy Development (CSD) Center, a branch of Taiwan’s Industrial Development Bureau. This initiative resulted in a delegation of ASA, SCRS and AASP members traveling to Taiwan to give a one day seminar in September 2003, visit factories, and meet with the top management of some of TABPA’s membership.
The delegation’s trip continues to bear fruit in the form of on-going dialogue between the association leadership and manufacturers about how to overcome the obstacles involving aftermarket crash part usage created over the past twenty-five years.
According to Karen Fierst, President of KerenOr Consultants and U.S. Advisor to TABPA, who has worked with Pan for more than ten years, “This man has worked tirelessly to develop a successful and efficient bridge for communication between manufacturers and other industry segments. He has led his own company, Gordon Auto Body Parts, in their quest to better understand the needs of the collision repair industry, as illustrated by Sonny's attendance at CIC meetings whenever possible, and visits to collision repair shops and insurance executives around the U.S.”
Concerning his vision of the future Pan said, “TABPA was founded in the mid 1980s. The nature of our membership has changed dramatically over the past two decades. As such, the organization needs to keep pace. It is time for us, as an association, to look at our mission, goals, structure, and member benefits.”
He added, “I am pleased by the involvement of our government in our industry. Our long term goal as manufacturers is to increase our market share and acceptance, with the assistance and in put from the various industry and government sectors with which we work.”
TABPA is a sub-committee of the Taiwan Transportation Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association, representing approximately 25 Taiwan-based companies manufacturing motor vehicle replacement parts for the global market. Member companies produce both OEM and aftermarket parts.
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