CRANBURY, N.J. – CRP Automotive has realigned its automotive sales organization in order to establish a more effective and efficient sales management operation. The announcement was made by Michael Palm, vice president of sales & marketing for CRP Industries Inc., who indicated that the new alignment will impact the company’s two key customer channels: Original Equipment (OE) and Independent Aftermarket (IAM).
CRP Automotive is CRP Industries’ largest business unit and provides automotive replacement and service parts.
As part of the realignment, Mark Malone has been named director of OEM/OES sales, while Bob Crane is now director of IAM sales.
According to Palm, “The consolidation into the OE and Aftermarket business channels is designed to gain a better alignment with our sales growth strategies ensuring that CRP continues to meet and exceed customer expectations for quality products and unparalleled service. Both Mark and Bob have worked hard, proving their contributions to the company in multiple ways. We are very excited about the next step in their growth and know they will continue to meet the challenges in front of them.”
As director of OEM/OES sales, Malone will be responsible for CRP’s Original Equipment business development in the NAFTA market. In his 31 years with CRP, Malone has managed a large portfolio of independent warehouse distributors as well as OEM and OES customers. Palm explains, “This new alignment will allow Mark to focus 100 percent of his time on CRP’s OEM/OES business development. Mark’s independent aftermarket responsibilities have been transitioned to a new key account manager.”
Crane, as director of IAM sales, will assume sales management responsibilities for all of CRP’s independent aftermarket (IAM). Crane joined CRP in 2004 and has spearheaded CRP’s sales growth in non-traditional and new distribution markets. Palm noted, “Bob’s 30-plus years of sales management experience and working knowledge of the entire automotive aftermarket places him in a strong position to manage the day-to-day activities of our IAM sales team. Bob will have our IAM sales and account management teams reporting to him.”
