Executive Interview: Tenneco's Jeff Koviak speaks out

May 20, 2016
Jeff Koviak, Vice President and General Manager, North America Aftermarket, Tenneco, speaks to Motor Age about the company, its strengths and what is ahead.

Jeff Koviak, Vice President and General Manager, North America Aftermarket, Tenneco, speaks to Motor Age about the company, its strengths and what is ahead.

Jeff Koviak

How has the Monroe brand continued to remain strong for 100 years?

Koviak: The brand’s continued strength is proof of the value of remaining close to your customers. Throughout our history, we have listened to and learned from the professionals who stock, sell and install our products and have used this insight to develop solutions and programs that make our customers more successful. I am confident that if you were to ask a group of parts distributors and service shop owners why they choose Monroe and Tenneco, they would tell you we are excellent business partners who offer the products and support they need to thrive in a highly competitive marketplace. This was true in the 1940s and ’50s when we first became a leader in the aftermarket, and it’s true today. Also key to our continued vitality has been our focus on partnering with the best customers in our industry.

There have been dramatic changes in ride control technology throughout the years, yet the Monroe brand and Tenneco have maintained their product leadership. How has this been possible?

Koviak: Monroe and Tenneco have always been extraordinarily resilient. When demand for tire pumps began to slow in the early 1920s, August Meyer and Charles McIntyre realized that the same technology could be adapted to a new and more promising opportunity – the suspension damper. Following World War II, we were among the first aftermarket companies and brands to anticipate the explosive growth of the replacement parts market. And when things became more challenging, such as when carmakers began to shift to smaller, lighter, front-wheel-drive vehicles in the 1970s, Tenneco was quick to invest in the development and production of MacPherson struts, both for the original equipment and replacement markets.

More recently, our North America aftermarket team determined that the complexity of strut replacement had become a significant productivity challenge for service providers. Our engineering team responded with the Monroe® Quick-Strut® assembly, which has revolutionized the economics of strut replacement by dramatically reducing installation time. In each of these cases, the Monroe brand became a more valuable contributor to our customers’ success.

Marketing has always been a strength for Monroe, from the brand’s early barrel displays at thousands of service stations to today’s “Shockmobiles.” Are these tools necessary to help consumers understand what shocks and struts do?

Koviak: That’s certainly a big part of it. Ride control components are largely invisible to the consumer, and they often wear out very gradually. It is incumbent on us as a leading manufacturer to help consumers understand that these parts play critical roles in providing safe steering, stopping and stability.  We have successfully communicated this message to multiple generations of vehicle owners through interactive displays at the point of sale; car care clinics; print, broadcast and digital advertising; our popular “Save the Squirrels” and “Everything Gets Old” consumer education campaigns; and more recently through our two Shockmobiles. We received a wonderful compliment recently from a distributor on the East Coast who said, “You’re not just a great manufacturing company; you’re also a great marketing company.” We believe our strong investment in marketing has helped grow the ride control category for all participants while also providing clear differentiation for the Monroe brand in the minds of professionals and consumers.

Another strength of Tenneco has been its field sales force. Do you believe front-line sales professionals are as important today as they were 30 or 40 years ago?

Koviak: Frankly, they’re even more important today when so few aftermarket manufacturers have a daily presence in service shops and parts stores. As I mentioned earlier, we believe it is vital to remain close to our customers; we benefit tremendously from their knowledge. Our sales team spends as much time as possible calling on and supporting the professionals who specify, sell and install our products.

How important has Tenneco’s OE expertise been to the continued growth of the Monroe brand? Will it continue to be important in the coming decades?

Koviak: There has always been synergy between Tenneco’s extensive OE portfolio and our aftermarket product offering. We believe our OE leadership will play an even larger role within the aftermarket as a growing number of vehicle manufacturers adopt leading-edge electronic suspension technologies such as those now available through our Monroe® Intelligent Suspension portfolio. It’s important for aftermarket parts and service providers to know that when these highly advanced solutions enter the aftermarket replacement cycle, they will be able to rely on us to provide the replacement products and specialized training needed to capture these service opportunities.

Many things have changed in the automotive aftermarket over the years, and certainly for the Monroe brand since Tenneco’s acquisition in 1977. Are there any characteristics that have remained constant from the old Monroe Auto Equipment Company years?

Koviak: We have many team members whose careers date back prior to the acquisition, and several others who are second- or third-generation employees of Tenneco. Whether they’re part of our North American sales team, are based here in Monroe (Mich.), or work in our manufacturing and distribution operations in Paragould (Ark.), they tell me that the same family spirit, passion for excellence and sense of personal accountability that helped make MAECO a clear market leader remain central to our culture today. That in itself is a great success story.

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