Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/553583
T he independent aftermarket isn't an industry known for progressives. But up in Ontario, forward-thinking business planning and an honest ap- proach to customer service have served as the corner- stones of success at Harman Heavy Vehicle Specialists for decades. Founded nearly 80 years ago as a general supply and jobber business, the company the heavy-duty aftermarket knows today as Harman HVS has done it all. It's been a brake and wheel end specialist; light- and heavy- duty spring shop; full-scale machine shop and expansive auto parts distributor. But while its product categories have changed, one area where the 2015 Truck Parts & Service Distributor of the Year fi nalist has never wavered has been its complete and unequivocal focus toward serving its customers. "One thing we've always said is we're never going to be the same company [over time]," says President Jay Johnston. "What we are now may be close to what we were six months ago, but we're always going to change and evolve to better serve our customers." Those words are especially true in 2015, as Harman is less than a year removed from consolidating two of its branch locations into a new superstore in Cambridge, Ontario. Designed to function as a PDC, retail facility, service de- partment and corporate hub, Harman's new superstore offers customers access to the complete breadth of products and services the company offers in the most convenient way possible. It allows the company to best provide its customers everything they desire, says Ian Johnston, vice president of sales marketing. He says that's one area where Harman has always been progressive, citing a culture that empowers all Harman employees to think outside of their typical re- sponsibilities to help enhance customers' experience. Another area where Har- man's progressive nature shines through is its accep- tance of technology. "We became computerized when 90 percent of my peers didn't know what a computer was," says Jay. "We saw the benefi ts for our business and our customers." Jay says Harman also was an early adopter of VMI (vendor managed inventory) to improve the functionality and performance of Harman's parts department. "We are one of the few — we might be the only — dis- tributor in Canada using VMI and we've been using it for 12 to 15 years," Ian says. "I can't believe other people haven't gotten involved in that." Ian mentions the company has even turned to non-tradi- tional resources when posting job opportunities. He says a recent delivery driver position garnered nearly 300 appli- cants on Kijiji — a Canadian online classifi eds page. Looking ahead, the John- stons anticipate adapting more technology into their business every day. "I really think technology is going to change the [after- market] landscape," Ian says. "Some people say Amazon won't happen in our busi- ness, but I think it's already happening. He adds, "We will do what- ever it takes to continue to give our customers what they want [from us]." Headquartered in Cambridge, Ontario, more information on Harman HVS can be found at www. harmanhvs.com. Source: Google Maps, Harman HVS Harman HVS at a glance Harman HVS recently combined two of its smaller facilities into one centrally-located superstore to better serve the entirety of its customer base. Harman HVS Harman Heavy Vehicle Specialists has been serving the southern Ontario vehicle market since 1938. DOTY Finalist By Lucas Deal, Editor lucasdeal@randallreilly.com 14 T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E | A u g u s t 2 0 1 5