By Ryan Maisonville, Student Intern, Grand Valley State University
AISIN is proud to welcome the newest addition to its family: AISIN Aftermarket and Service of America, Inc. (AASA). This newly formed company unites the strengths of AISIN Aftermarket and AWTEC—an AISIN Group company renowned for its expertise in transmission remanufacturing. The merger was officially celebrated on May 30, with more than 250 AASA team members gathering at the Plymouth, Michigan, remanufacturing facility to mark this exciting new chapter.
Dwayne Bates, former senior vice president of AWA Aftermarket, was named president of AASA. He said the merger would not have been possible without the cooperation, vision, and relentless teamwork of AWA, AISIN Holdings of America, and AISIN Global Aftermarket Company.
“Merging two distinct organizations into a single, unified powerhouse is no easy task,” said Bates. “It requires long hours, tough decisions, and unwavering dedication. But through this collaboration, we’ve successfully consolidated and streamlined AISIN’s aftermarket operations across North, Central, and South America. In today’s fast-moving aftermarket industry, agility is everything—and this merger makes us more responsive, more flexible, and better positioned for growth,” he added. “AASA is now doing what AWA Aftermarket and AWTEC once did separately, and we’re ready to expand our reach, embrace new challenges, and deliver even greater value to our customers.”
Among the AISIN executives in attendance were AWA CEO Kazuto Koyama; Yuko Hiramatsu, associate officer, AISIN Aftermarket in Japan; and AWA President and COO Scott Turpin, who called the merger a significant step for AISIN.
“The formation of AASA enables us to expand our manufacturing capabilities for service parts and brings together the combined strength and expertise of two highly successful teams,” said Turpin. “From a strategic standpoint, this integration makes great business sense and gives us a stronger platform in both the aftermarket sales business and the growing remanufactured product segment.”
Turpin added that the new and “highly energized” aftermarket team is aligned for growth and ready to seize new opportunities under the leadership of AASA President Dwayne Bates, who brings more than 35 years of dedicated service from his experience with both AWTEC and AWA.
