Dayco Australia Sales and Marketing Director David McClurg has announced his retirement, following a career spanning almost four decades in the Australian automotive aftermarket industry.

McClurg made the move into the automotive aftermarket industry after working at Cadbury Schweppes as a product planner. He joined Denso Australia in 1985, also as a product planner, introducing several new and highly successful parts to the company’s locally manufactured automotive range.

After three years, McClurg was promoted to Product Manager for the Denso Replacement / Aftermarket Radiator range, overseeing a vast range expansion and major automotive aftermarket business growth across the next decade. 

After 11 years with Denso, McClurg was recruited by Dayco Australia as the company’s product manager, overseeing the company’s entire Australian and New Zealand aftermarket product range. He was promoted to sales and business manager at Dayco after one year in his new role, overseeing a period of outstanding success for the local arm of this leading global automotive component manufacturer.

McClurg became Dayco Australia and New Zealand sales and marketing director 15 years ago and has been pivotal in replacing and growing the company’s lost OE sales (when the big three car manufacturers ceased Australian manufacturing) with an aftermarket sales focus. He developed a program of constant Dayco product range expansions, including the introduction of product kits to make technicians’ jobs easier, when no others in the industry were doing this.

McClurg also oversaw the company’s immensely successful online catalog, which was introduced long before it became the industry norm to do so, becoming a mainstay of the industry ever since. He was also responsible for the introduction of several new and high-quality non-core aftermarket products to the company’s local range, which have been highly successful, now representing more than 10% of the company’s aftermarket sales in the region.

In his marketing responsibility, McClurg established and was the driving force behind Dayco’s highly successful motorsport marketing program, starting with the company’s original Supercars Ambassador, the late Jason Richards and progressing to include Supercars teams including the Nissan factory team, the first full time female Supercar driver, Simona de Silvestro, Porsche Carrera Cup, International GT and Supercar Enduro driver David Russell, the Mustang Supercar debut with Tickford Racing and many more smaller team involvements. These exciting marketing platforms made sure that the Dayco brand was promoted to mechanics and car enthusiasts far and wide for more than a decade.

McClurg also oversaw the design and presentation of several Dayco trade media advertisements, the company’s successful local and international trade media PR program and the company’s award-winning trade show stands and attractions. McClurg always ensured the Dayco brand was showcased as an industry leader to support the company’s valued customers – the technicians of Australia and New Zealand.

According to Arnold Mouw, Dayco vice president – aftermarket, Southeast Asia, McClurg enters retirement after having achieved so much for the company.

“David brought enthusiasm, dedication and acute industry knowledge to his management roles at Dayco. He has been a mainstay at every industry trade event and international trade fair event during his remarkable close to four-decade automotive aftermarket industry career.

“We will miss him greatly from our team and we all wish David an enjoyable transition to retirement after having contributed so much to our company and to our industry for so long,” Mouw added. 

According to McClurg, it has been a very rewarding career.

“I have met and worked with some great people along the journey, and I have enjoyed spending close to four decades in the automotive aftermarket industry. Most of my career has been with Dayco and I’m thankful for the opportunities that I was given to broaden my career with the company. I’m very proud of what we have been able to achieve together.”