Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/91805
Cover Story By Denise L. Rondini, Executive Editor drondini@randallreilly.com Diversity Still Rules At Parts For Trucks A combination of innovation, investing in facilities and a focus on inventory management has led to long-term success. C ontinuing to expand its prod- uct line, markets served and customer base has allowed Parts for Trucks to continue to grow even when market conditions are soſt . "When things get tough, having a diversi- fi ed product range and diversifi ed customer base really makes a diff erence, and I think was a big part of us getting through the recession," says Paul Raymond, president. Andy Raymond, vice president, admin- istration, explains the Canadian distribu- torship has locations in both cities and rural environments. "Th e urban environments have a heavy emphasis on construction, while the rural economies are more resource based. In addition, Parts for Trucks' custom- " ers encompass small fl eets, large fl eets, construction companies, government fl eets and utility companies. Emphasis On Facilities Parts for Trucks has moved to a number of new facilities in the past year and most recently moved into a new store in New- foundland. "We have a couple of other projects on the drawing board, which gives us momen- tum to continually improve what we off er to customers," Paul says. In fact, Andy believes Parts for Truck facilities have become part of the company's brand. "A store that is pleasant to walk into, pleasant to do business in and that is a nice place to work is part of who we are, says. " he Investing In IT Paul Raymond Andy Raymond Facilities are not the only place where Parts for Trucks has made an investment. Th e distributorship has long invested in tech- nology that helps it operate effi ciently. "We have invested well in our IT, " Andy says. "We haven't really made any steps we regret. We have put a lot of money into our IT structure to develop it, and we still are developing it. " Parts for Trucks invested in a variety of technologies before many of its peers did, and currently is working on implanting a mobile application that will be accessible through tablet devices. "We think we are quite progressive in terms of what we do [in the area of IT]," Andy says. He is quick to add that they spend their money wisely. "It is important to spend the money well, but we don't stand pat. We continue to keep up. We have a small IT staff , but they are very well trained and are a key part of our success." Product Mix Relying on its product management team, reviewing its sales and working closely with manufacturers is how Parts for Trucks determines which new products to add to its inventory. Andy says the distributorship is seen by suppliers as an attractive place to market products so they are approached regularly to consider a new product. Th rough participation in VIPAR Heavy 20 TRUCK PARTS & SERVICE | November 2012 Duty as well as attending HDAW, CVSN and HDDC, the Raymonds say they can keep up to date on product developments. "Our customers want to hear about new products from us," Andy says. Part of the reason for the warehouse expansions was to allow more parts to be stocked. "Much of the growth we have experi- enced in the past 15 years has been from expansion of our product lines," he adds. "Th ere are some key products in lubrica- tion, electrical and fuel that we weren't selling much of 10 or 15 years ago that have become key product areas for us today. Paul says the distributorship has worked " hard at addressing obsolete inventory. "As lines are identifi ed as no longer making sense, we try to return what we can. Rarely do we drop a line entirely; some just wither away. Th e key for us it make sure we get that inventory out [of our warehouses] so it does not become obsolete. " Andy sees proper inventory manage- ment as a key issue for all distributors and adds, "We endeavor not to make any inven- tory decisions by accident. When we stock something, we stock it deliberately. Parts for Trucks uses what the Ray- " monds call a highly sophisticated inven- tory soſt ware package to set ordering levels, but also does a fair amount of non-stock business to satisfy customer requests. Th e company also uses a central