By Mark Phillips

CHICAGO — The rapid increase in global sourcing of parts requires that aftermarket manufacturers provide more information to service technicians, Steve Handschuh, president and COO of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association, and Ron Pyle, chief executive of the Automotive Service Association, told attendees of the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium.

“The repair technician is confused about what’s in the box anymore,” Handschuh said. “We have the end-user who may have been forgotten or neglected.”

Pyle said global parts sourcing is handled by suppliers in different ways. Some utilize third party independent field research to determine how a part from a particular country is made. Other suppliers may just box a part at a warehouse and send it out. The result can be inconsistencies that service technicians observe, but may feel helpless to change. The biggest reason is that manufacturers have fewer representatives in the field than before.

“In program group distribution, we really did rely on the information we got from the manufacturers. That has changed,” Pyle said. “Now with global sourcing, do you have feet on the ground while you’re purchasing their parts?” Suppliers should have someone visit plants and inspect their processes.

Two suppliers close to ASA’s offices in Texas agreed to participate in a project to determine the information gap between manufacturers, suppliers and service technicians. ABC Auto Parts and AutoZone took part in the project, as well as a number of service technicians. “Global sourcing has been going on for a while. But while the manufacturers are acquainted and comfortable with it,” Pyle said, “the customer is saying, ‘wait, I’m not comfortable with this change.’ We’re not speaking the same language.”

A survey Pyle’s organization conducted revealed was disturbing, he said. “We heard about attitudes on aftermarket parts and OE,” he said. “The traditional perception of aftermarket parts among service providers has changed.” Service technicians are using OE as the standard to which aftermarket parts are held. “That’s a serious thing that we have to pay attention to,” he said.

The remedy to the question of quality of aftermarket parts over OE is simple, Hanschuh said. “For years and years, we’ve said our parts are as good as OE,” he said. “The important thing is to go out and talk about the quality of aftermarket parts that we’ve always been known for.”

Among the questions asked of parts suppliers in the project:

What criteria do you as parts suppliers utilize when soliciting a parts source?

Are parts produced by aftermarket made according to the same specifications as OE parts?

When outsourcing to other countries, do you require the same specifications and quality of materials as you would from a domestic source?

Are parts manufactures within countries inspected by an independent third-part before they are sold domestically?

What processes do you utilize to monitor or certify parts quality?

How would a service provider know where the part is manufactured if the box lists more than one country?