Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket Introduces Its Original Quality with Its Customers at the Fair
Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket will have the opportunity to present its products and services that it produces at high quality standards to its customers at the Automechanika Istanbul 2015, where most of its dealer network will be available as participants.
As we are approaching the fair, we wanted to share with you the interview that we have conducted with Senior Sales and Marketing Manager Abdullah Yavuz, who organizes the operations of the Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket GmbH & Co. KG in Turkey, which is a business unit of Schaeffler, one of Europe’s largest technology companies in family ownership.
Could you briefly introduce Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket?
Our company, Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket GmbH & Co. KG, can fall back on decades of experience on the independent spare parts market, and with its four brands LuK, INA, FAG and Ruville the business division is responsible for the global automotive spare parts business of Schaeffler. Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket offers a portfolio of more than 40,000 marketable articles designed for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and tractors. I think there are some major factors that strengthen our brands and support their acceptance in the aftermarket; first, the original equipment quality of our products, second: As a company looking to the future, Schaeffler Group places particular emphasis on investing in research and development. Worldwide, approximately 6,000 employees work at 16 research and development centers, in close partnership with customers, on new solutions with technologically and economically convincing benefits. In the year of 2014 alone, this commitment led to the filing of 2,518 new patent applications. Overall Schaeffler holds 23,000 active patents and patent registrations.
Could you give us some information about the local structuring and the dealer network of Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket?
The volume of our business in the Aftermarket channels of Turkey show a steady growth compared to the previous year every year. Hence, strengthening and improving our customer service organization in line with our steady growth is among our main objectives. In this regard, we have been operating with a total of four aftermarket employees currently which will be increased to seven until end of the year, at our new Schaeffler Turkey office, of which we celebrated the opening as of September 10 last year. Through this office, we provide support in areas such as sales, marketing, product management and after-sales technical support.
We continue on our path vigorously by adding two new distributors to our existing aftermarket network in the passenger cars segment in line with our New Sales Channels Project that we have been planning to realize for some time now parallel to the market developments such as growth of the business volume, changing market dynamics, new car parc structures, etc., and which we have begun implementing earlier this year. I would like to provide information about our dealers and mention them by name as well: Rotaş Oto Ticaret A.Ş., Başbuğ A.Ş., Silkar Ekipman ve Yedek Parça San. ve Tic. A.Ş and Karland Otomotiv Ürünleri Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş are all companies that have proven themselves in the sector and which we have been working together successfully for many years. Our two new partners that I had mentioned a while ago, which are also experts in their area of expertise, are Grup Oto San. ve Tic. A.Ş. and Ekol Otomotiv San. Tic. A.Ş. Both companies are connected to Europe’s major spare parts purchasing groups, which are Group Auto International and AD International, respectively. In tractor business, we also have distributors , namely Morel Eksport Otomotiv Mamülleri San. ve Tic. A.Ş. and YCN Yücesan Grup , with whom we have been in successful business partnership for long time. Additionally, another exciting element for us in relation to our dealer network is the bundling of our sales activities for the LuK, INA and FAG brands with those of our subsidiary Ruville. We will meet our customers’ demands for Ruville products through Reksim Mümessillik Ltd. Şti. who is one of the founder companies of TATCOM. TATCOM is the shareholder of Temot International which is also one of the biggest spare parts purchasing groups in Europe. With this reorganization of our sales structures, we are strengthening the power of Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket on the international spare parts market.
What are the problems and the challenges in your opinion that the independent automotive aftermarket in Turkey are facing now?
I think, one of the foremost common challenges is that the automotive technology becomes more and more complex and technology intense and thus, more investments on the professional repair equipment and also on staff training are required in order to overcome this challenge without any problems. We participate in activities through our memberships under the Independent Automotive Aftermarket Development Association of Turkey (OYPG) and the Association of Automotive Parts & Components Manufacturers (TAYSAD) in order to contribute to overcome the aforementioned challenge as well as similar challenges commonly affecting the independent aftermarket.
Could you talk a little about the Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket product range, what types of products do you have?
Our products address the clutch, engine, transmission and chassis systems of the vehicles. In fact, I do not want to use the term “our products”, since we offer professional repair solutions to the market rather than just providing a spare part.
For example, there are 6 setting shims for the 1st clutch, 11 setting shims for the 2nd clutch with a total of 17 settings shims, which are in addition to all connectors and safety elements, included in the 2nd Generation RepSet® 2CT repair solution, which is used at vehicles with double clutch automatic transmission systems. This way, by preventing the potential problems, we contribute to the repair technician in order to provide a professional service to the vehicle owner.
LuK product range consists of repair solutions such as clutch kits (RepSet, RepSet Pro, RepSet DMF, RepSet DMF SAC, RepSet 2CT), dual mass flywheels (DMF), clutch release components and steering pumps. And with the INA brand, we provide solutions such as belt drive system parts, tensioner sets and kits, valve tappets, rocker arms and cam followers for passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, heavy-duty vehicles and tractors. FAG product range covers a wide range of products ranging from high precision reliable wheel bearings to compact wheel modules.
What are your future goals?
The development that I want to express first, which makes us extremely happy is that Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket Headquarters attaches particular importance to Turkey and the independent aftermarket herein in recent years and surely it converts this approach into action. In this regard, I would like to mention one project, which makes us extremely excited. We are establishing a modern after-sales service facility entitled “Schaeffler Technology Center” which will be operational by the end of this year. We will begin providing anything that comes to mind in relation to the after-sales customer service (theoretical and practical trainings, guarantee and testing services, hot-line support, on vehicle product demonstrations, etc.) in an even more centralized and professional manner to our customers.
We bear the consciousness of our constantly evolving product range and our technological superiority. As I stated at the beginning of the interview, reflecting these advantages that our products possess to our market the best way possible and increasing satisfaction of our customers by further strengthening our local structure will continue to be among our most important goals.
