When it comes to the parts market, there is no shortage of ideas about how it should be run, but there are some common threads that run through the whole industry. The companies that supply parts to vehicle service contract providers and administrators have built their reputations on delivering the right part in good working order,quickly, and that's something that doesn't change no matter who you talk to.
However, the technology that drives that process is constantly changing, and parts providers are adapting. This month, P&A asked several of those providers to offer some insights on the segment and where they think it's going.
All-Import Auto Inc. is a family-owned business in Texas that has been around since the late 1980s. It has built it's reputation on providing parts for higher-end vehicles, a niche it has found very profitable. Big "D" Auto Parts is also family-owned and operated, and has been since it was founded in the 1960s. It has chosen to specialize in the VSC market, with an emphasis on being a one-stop shop for all it's customers' needs. C&K Auto Parts also serves the VSC market, but it puts a strong emphasis on service. And VRG Automotive LLC is actually a group of recyclers across the country who share a call center, which allows them to route everything to a central location, then ship parts out from the closest facility.
While each company has a slightly different perspective on the industry, there is one common theme that runs through them - technology. The Internet and all of the automated and online processes it brought with it have radically changed the way the parts industry works on every level. And those changes are still happening. All four companies stressed that technology allows them to fulfill orders faster and more accurately, which equates to happier customers.
And the Internet has changed the business in other ways as well - it makes parts available from anywhere in the world, and makes it easy for potential customers to compare prices across a wide range of options. Some parts companies are taking advantage of that shift, looking to become the first place a customer looks, no matter where they're located in the world; others have chosen to emphasize what else they bring to the relationship beyond price, building relationships based on service and speed. But whichever way they go, all the companies we interviewed are finding success in this new world of parts ordering and management.
To read how each company views the industry and what's to come, click on their profile below.
Parts Provider Roundup
All-Import Auto Inc.
All-Import Auto Inc. Keith Sturgeon, owner
Tell us about your company and the products you offer.
All Import Auto Inc. is a seller of used auto parts based in Fort Worth, Texas. We buy and dismantle vehicles and sell parts to auto repair shops and retail customers.
Auto salvage is a family business and I grew up helping out my father, Ron Sturgeon, in his auto salvage company before I started my own as a junior in high school in 1989. I have always been more comfortable working on foreign cars, so I gradually came to specialize in parts for imports.
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Big D Auto Parts
Big “D” Auto Parts Hugh Pettigrew Jr., owner
Tell us about your company and the products that you offer.
Big “D” Auto Parts was established in Dallas, Texas, in 1963 and has been continuously owned and operated by the same family. We were a full-service auto recycler. Then, in the 1980s, an extended warranty company contacted us looking for a reliable source of alternative parts. Supplying parts to VSC companies is now our largest market. We specialize in used (like, kind and quality) and remanufactured major drive-line components. We also offer most smaller parts.
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C&K Auto Parts
C&K Auto Parts Mitch Rand, president
Tell us about your company and the products that you offer.
C&K Auto Parts has focused on serving the VSC industry for more than 18 years. Over the years, our product offerings have grown to include a full line of both remanufactured and used powertrain assemblies, the most comprehensive selection of OEM parts (over 21 million unique part numbers) in the industry, as well as a line of aftermarket remanufactured small parts (electronics, brake components, steering components, axles, etc.).
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VRG Automotive
VRG Automotive LLC Don Partin, president/CEO
Tell us about your company and the products that you offer.
The executive group of Vehicle Recycling Group (VRG) Automotive LLC consists of four owners of some the finest recycling facilities in the country: Nordstrom’s Automotive in Garretson, S.D., G&R Auto Parts in Oklahoma City, Okla., Spalding Auto Parts in Spokane, Wash., and Stricker Auto Parts in Batavia, Ohio. Collectively, they employ over 400 employees and they represent over 200 years in business under the same family names.
