Executive Interview with Monty Jinks, Catalog Manager, Purolator Filters NA

As Catalog Manager for Robert Bosch LLC's Filtration Business Unit, Monty Jinks is responsible for supervising and managing the research, production and distribution of all filter catalogs. In 2006, Monty received the John F. Cummins Award from the Filter Manufacturers Council. He currently serves as chairman of the Filter Manufacturers Council's Catalog Committee and has held the position since 1998. In the following interview, Jinks talks about Purolators recent efforts to expand electronic cataloging for the fast-paced filter category.

When did Purolator begin to offer daily updates on its electronic filter catalog listings? Why did Purolator decide to offer these updates?

These updates are the result of a pilot program we initiated in early 2008 in response to dialogue with our distributor and service dealer customers who wanted immediate access to new Purolator filter coverage. After fine-tuning this initiative throughout the past year, we took it active and announced its availability in the first quarter of this year.

How do your customers learn about these updates? Do you, for example, send out an e-mail blast each time there is a new addition to your catalog? Do your sales people talk it up during a sales call?

The nice thing about this program is that, once our customers are aware of it, it is self-supporting. Our sales people notify customers of this feature on every sales call, and customers then know to look for new coverage whenever they have a new model car to service. And, of course, another way the word gets out is through fine media like aftermarketnews.com.

Are these updates only for PureONE and Classic oil and air filters or are they also for other types of filters as well?

We provide instant online catalog updates for all filters in the Purolator line as they become available – PureONE and Classic oil and air filters, as well as fuel and transmission filters and BreatheEasy cabin air filters. We work especially hard to post oil filter coverage just as soon as a new model hits the streets, since car owners will have their break-in oil changed early on, while air, fuel, transmission, and cabin air filters will not be changed until the car has been on the road for a while.

Have you received any feedback from your customers about this program?

We have, and it’s all been positive. Independent service shops are eager to get new cars into their service bays as early as possible in order to get motorists accustomed to having their warranty support work done there and not at the new car dealer. As an example of our commitment to our customers, we have just recently posted to our online catalog and made available Purolator Classic oil filter coverage for some of the most popular new 2010 models, including Camaro, Mustang, Fusion, and Mazda3.

Is the inventory in your warehouses also updated frequently to keep pace with the daily new number/application data?

It sure is. Our goal is to have oil filters cataloged, posted and available within 90 days of a model’s introduction so that a Purolator oil filter is listed and available when a service shop first needs it. And in those cases where production may lag a little behind application data, we will post a footnote in our online catalog advising that a particular filter has been engineered, is in production and will be available shortly. This is evidence of our commitment to honest dialogue with our customers to help them be as successful as possible and make “pure profits.”