What else is in the box?

Jan. 1, 2020
A panel discussed “What Else is in the Box?” in the first of two mechanical forums at ASRW on Friday morning.

NEW ORLEANS – When purchasing parts for their shops, owners want quality and affordable items. But what else is in the box that the part arrives in?

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A panel discussed “What Else is in the Box?” in the first of two mechanical forums at ASRW on Friday morning. Jack Cameron, vice president with the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), walked through the benefits today’s full-service manufacturers provide to shops, and heard from three companies on what they do for shops.

“Oftentimes these value-added services these full-service manufacturers provide should be taken into considerations,” Cameron says. “And I know that often it’s not your choice. It’s your suppliers pushing a private label part and saying it’s just as good.”

Bobby Bassett, manager of training, Gates Corp.; Scott Howat, director of communications, Affinia Group; and Jack Vollbrecht, senior vice president Remy International, shared specifics on what their companies provide. For example, Bassett outlined tools Gates offers to grow a shop’s business like sales team, award winning catalogs, comprehensive training, online forum, a mobile app and more.

Howat added information on Affinia’s quality assurance system, which features four touch-points: people, supplier relationships, continual improvement and customer-centric focus.

These three companies are examples of full-service manufacturers. Cameron says these companies provide cataloging, look-up, training, sales support, technical service.

“When you have an issue, whether it’s installation or you have a failure and you need that advice on the other end of the telephone, all of these suppliers provide that,” he states.

Whether a manufacture produces products for OE, the aftermarket or both, the process is similar. It starts with development — concept, refine, present to OEM, bid and award — and moves to distribution. After that, there is making the sale, which goes beyond just the factory sales rep. Full-service manufacturers offer sales representation, rapid order turnaround, high fill rates, U.S. availability/local supply, application cataloging, IP protection, brand recognition and flexible payment terms.

After the sale, full-service manufacturers offer training, technical support, installation assistance, product liability protection, product recall protection, application support and more.

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