Hitachi Astemo Americas has promoted Ryan Pelkey to director of sales for the Hitachi Astemo Americas Aftermarket Division. Pelkey assumes the role vacated by Gary Plover, who recently became Hitachi Astemo’s vice president/Americas Aftermarket Business Division head. Pelkey will report to Plover and lead the Americas aftermarket business unit’s sales activities for Hitachi.

As Director of Sales for Hitachi Astemo Americas Aftermarket Division, Pelkey will work closely with its sales managers and distributors in each territory to continue to provide high quality parts and service to Hitachi’s customers. 

“I am excited to lead the Hitachi Astemo Americas Aftermarket Sales team,” said Pelkey. “As we continue to expand coverage with the highest-quality parts, I am certain our strong team, coupled with exceptional fill rates and our on-time delivery strategy, will propel us toward a very successful future.” 

As a member of the Hitachi Astemo Americas team since 2018, Pelkey has previously served Hitachi as the U.S. retail sales manager. When Hitachi considered expanding its product line-up, Hitachi Astemo called on Pelkey’s 10-plus years of aftermarket product development experience to lead its U.S. product expansion initiatives as the U.S. marketing manager. 

 “Sticking to Hitachi values, I know quality is paramount in our offerings, no matter the vehicle coverage,” said Pelkey. “Our customers can confidently reach for any Hitachi Astemo product in our line and know they are getting the same original equipment quality they have experienced for years.”

Pelkey comes to his new position with 15 years of sales experience within the automotive aftermarket. Throughout these years, Pelkey has been a successful leader in his field as he has managed key relationships with multiple retailers and national accounts. During Pelkey’s tenure he has worked at K&N Engineering, ReadyLIFT suspension, and Gale Banks engineering and was instrumental in creating strategies that increased sales significantly. 

“We will continue to focus on delivering more high-quality products and service to our customers,” added Pelkey. “Hitachi Astemo has been a trusted brand for over 90 years to a wide range of original equipment and aftermarket customers, including Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone, O’Reilly Auto Parts, as well as independent warehouse distributors.”