-
Welcome to Auto Parts Forum
Whether you are a veteran automotive parts guru or just someone looking for some quick auto parts advice, register today and start a new topic in our forum. Registration is free and you can even sign up with social network platforms such as Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.
Carquest’s Junior Word: ‘Our Industry Is In A Healthy Place’
-
Similar Topics
-
By Counterman
AIT announced the addition of five professionals to its team. The company said these individuals bring a wealth of expertise and proven success, further strengthening its mission to deliver exceptional value to its customers and partners.
Rick Stempien, Vice President of Sales – Retailers
Stempien joins
link hidden, please login to view with over 20 years of leadership experience in sales and business development while at First Brands, Hopkins Manufacturing and Trico. Known for his exceptional ability to drive market share growth and cultivate strong customer relationships, Stempien will lead retailer-focused sales initiatives and deepen engagement with our retail partners, according to AIT. Mark Roach, Marketing Director
Roach brings nearly a decade of experience in the automotive aftermarket, with a strong background in brand strategy, digital marketing and content development. Before joining AIT/TrakMotive, he held key marketing roles at Schaeffler and International Lubricants, where he played a pivotal role in driving brand growth and market engagement. His strategic vision and expertise will be instrumental in elevating
link hidden, please login to view’s marketing initiatives and strengthening industry presence, the company said. Tracy Beecroft, Senior Key Account Manager
Beecroft joins AIT/TrakMotive with a proven track record in managing high-profile accounts while employed at Dana, BorgWarner/Delphi and Lumileds Philips. Her extensive experience in developing strategic partnerships, executing successful product launches and driving revenue growth will be instrumental in advancing retailer relationships, according to AIT.
Stephen DiSorbo, Key Account Manager
DiSorbo brings a diverse background in sales and category management, with experience at organizations like GKN, BorgWarner/Delphi and Eaton. His expertise in product launches, line expansions and bridging sales with category strategy gives him a unique ability to drive growth, strengthen retailer partnerships and translate market needs into actionable opportunities, AIT said.
William Zhu, Strategy and Business Intelligence – Manager
Zhu brings a strong background in operations transformation and management consulting. Before joining AIT/Trakmotive, he was part of Accenture’s Strategy & Consulting practice, where he specialized in generative AI, risk and compliance, and business process optimization. His experience within the automotive aftermarket began in 2013 when he spent the summer as a factory worker at Ningbo Wonh Industries Co., Ltd., part of the AIT/TrakMotive family of companies. This unique blend of industry experience and functional expertise positions him to drive impactful initiatives that will support AIT/TrakMotive’s continued growth, the company said.
With AIT/TrakMotive’s continued growth, the company said it is expanding its sales, marketing and strategy operations to better serve its customers. Its traditional aftermarket accounts will continue to be led by Vice President of Sales Kent Talley and his team, ensuring the same trusted support and expertise our partners rely on. Meanwhile, Vice President of Retail Sales Rick Stempien and his team will focus on strengthening relationships with retail partners, enhancing AIT/TrakMotive’s ability to serve this important segment.
The post
link hidden, please login to view appeared first on link hidden, please login to view.
link hidden, please login to view -
By Counterman
Like many parts professionals, I’m a little bit OCD. My coworkers might tell you that’s an understatement. Organization has always been a pet project of mine, from designing and implementing planograms for the retail floor to maximizing storage space in the areas behind the counter.
For the retail areas of our stores, we receive a great deal of support from the various manufacturers that make up our line cards. Corporate planograms, signage and other materials not only make it easier for us to effectively display retail products, but these professionally designed merchandisers also serve as advertising for the manufacturer. Having a particular category or brand offering consolidated in one place makes it more convenient for a customer to find what they need with minimal assistance, and the manufacturer can display the items they feel showcase their brand more effectively and profitably.
The “back of house” area is an entirely different world when it comes to inventory organization. Warehousing and other non-public-facing storage areas need not be visually appealing to attract customer dollars, but they should be designed to maximize inventory dollars per square foot, and to encourage safe and efficient workflow when picking orders and restocking products.
With products from multiple vendors sharing warehouse space, a simple and logical method of organization is to group items first by manufacturer/brand, and then alphanumerically. For most of our manufacturers, this works well because their product offerings are often similar in size and packaging. For manufacturers with varied product lines, this becomes a bit more challenging. A chassis parts inventory will include a wide variety of package sizes and shapes, making it difficult to store long items like drag links in the same space as a relatively compact ball joint package, or the large irregular shapes found when organizing boxed control arms. A well-defined part numbering system can help alleviate some of these storage issues, but there always seems to be one or more outliers, leaving the stock clerk to figure out how to shelve them effectively.
In the OEM dealership world, parts generally come from a single source. With a single “brand,” and often cryptic part numbering systems, the alphanumeric inventory method becomes nearly impossible. Consecutive part numbers could (theoretically) be as varied as a bolt, a set of brake pads and a door shell, none of which would sensibly be shelved together. For most dealer parts departments, a “bin location” system is necessary to customize and maximize storage. Each part number is assigned a location code, corresponding to a specific shelf, drawer or bin somewhere in the warehouse.
The “bin location” method offers flexibility, but adds another level of complexity to organization. Shelving units are more uniformly organized, with like-sized items stored together regardless of function or category. As parts transition through their natural life cycles, they can be added to and removed from their locations, keeping faster-moving parts closer to the counter for ease of picking, or moving a part’s location to accommodate larger stocking quantities of that item. In some cases, it also can allow for items that are frequently sold together to be stocked in the same location. Finally, location coding allows for less-experienced warehouse personnel to find items simply by finding a location and verifying the part number on the order, rather relying on someone’s memory of “where we keep that widget.”
The drawback is in the duplication. Each part number must be assigned additional information when it is initially stocked, and some store-level inventory systems are not designed to accommodate a field for location. Further, if a location code is entered incorrectly, never assigned or a part is mis-stocked somewhere in the warehouse, it easily becomes “lost,” and can be nearly impossible to find until an inventory is performed. Most dealerships maintain a perpetual “bin count” schedule, checking a few bins each day to keep up with this task, making corrections as necessary.
No matter your organizational method, keeping a sense of order is important when designing your back of house area. Minimizing the amount of empty space (not including that reserved for future expansion) maximizes the value of your inventory per square foot. Physical characteristics of some parts will often dictate their unique storage needs, but wherever we can streamline the process of stocking and retrieving parts, we increase efficiency and worker productivity.
The post
link hidden, please login to view appeared first on link hidden, please login to view.
link hidden, please login to view -
By Counterman
This episode of the Road to AAPEX takes us to Grand Rapids, Mich., for a trip to Auto-Wares, where host Joe Keene learns about the company’s history, operations and distribution of auto parts. Auto-Wares works closely with manufacturers like BCA Bearings, a division of NTN, to ensure high-quality OE replacement parts are delivered to where they’re needed most.
That leads us to our next stop—NTN’s Mt. Prospect, Ill., location. There, we take a close look at the company’s focus on manufacturing high-quality products. NTN also discusses the importance of AAPEX as a platform to showcase new products and to connect with customers. Then, it’s back to Michigan, and Tamrox Automotive in Jackson, Mich., for an NTN wheel bearing replacement. Watch the video for a demonstration of the process and for insights on customer service and technician retention.
The post
link hidden, please login to view appeared first on link hidden, please login to view.
link hidden, please login to view -
-
-
-
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.