'One-stop shopping scores for IA
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Multipart's Red Card service is proving ar ace with dealers. John Durant learns why
WHAT is the major attraction of Multipart, the parts operation for Leyland products and its allmakes programme? Is it price? No, Leyland Vehicles is not attempting to undercut competitors.
If it was trying to sum it up in a word LV would probably plump for service. After all, it claims that the Leyland Parts International distribution Centre is the most modern commercial vehicle parts distribution centre in Europe, if not in the world. It is sited at Chorley, Lancashire — a good location to connect with road, rail, sea and air communications.
However, at distributor level the explanation given to me was "One-stop shopping". While a lot has been heard in recent years from the advocates of onemarque fleet rationalisation, thousands of firms employ a mix and I don't suppose that the effects of the recession plus discounting have done anything to reduce this; rather, the reverse. Multipart also supplies parts for Bedford, Daf, Dodge, ERF, Fodens, Iveco, Mercedes, Renault, Scania, Seddon Atkinson and Volvo — some 90 per cent of all lorries on Britain's roads.
Another name or two in the lower-weight ranges is likely to be added to this list as time goes by. If any makes do well, it gets on the Multipart list. I went to Arlington Commercial Vehicles Sales and Repairs at Cranes Close, Basildon, Essex, and met John Reynolds, branch general manager, Danny Needham, special parts manager, and Ed
die Sultan, parts manager, who are very pleased with the way things are going. Within these two years business has grown to around 35 per cent of the turnover at this branch, John told me.
So this part of its activities is proving a success story for LV even during the recession. It is not an easy business to forecast. John and his colleagues have many years experience in this trade, yet were unprepared for the large volumes of business that have been precipitated in some areas — such as batteries, and brake shoes.
"We used to go to a local brake-lining specialist," said John. "Now we are off the shelf with brake shoes, at a quality equal to the original.
"The Multipart guarantee is a tremendous back-up to us. Say an operator fits a clutch and is upset when there is a problem with it (this has only happened once in two years) then this guarantee covers labour and costs.
"We find that operators like to deal with one telephone number and be able to get a whole package of parts, saving a lot of time. Mind you, we had to prove th we are competitive. Most factc have different price structun with different discounts on c ferent original prices. Very coi plicated for the operator to ke a check at all times on what he really paying.
"Now the factors are cornii back at us with fierce discoun but we beat them on service al the spread of the products. TI back-up from Leyland involve: stock order every Monday al an overnight VOR service. Tt does not affect a customei buying terms."
Arlington operates Multipar Red Card priority delivery s( vice from Basildon — this ca was played by Leyland only la October; it is another, and it portant, arrangement for use the campaign to minimir operator vehicle downtime ar maintenance costs (another reducing any temptation to bi spurious parts, like pumps ma( in odd parts of the world whe there is no history of reliab manufacture).
Multipart issues a directory distributors and dealers offerir this service within service area The geographical coverage h, limited in order to ensure t each firm can deliver parts Ily fast — like two hours, in iny cases.
kn operator participating in 5 gets a personalised plastic .c1 of credit-card size complete ,h unique serial number and t-line phone nimber. It is just a >e of looking up the designan of the parts required by iding them from the Operator rides published by Multipart each vehicle manufacturer — from a daunting task — and oning. "Normally the delivery. -vice will be very fast but if u are in a-real panic then don't .get to say so ...
'If for any reason your distritor/dealer doesn't have the rt in stock (it's been known to ppen!) then Multipart's Intertional Distributor Centre will ickly dispatch the part with ?. minimum of delay.
"All Multipart distributors can der emergency requirements ing their direct computer link. ey may also be able to get the rt you require from one of air neighbouring distributors." The product range includes eking, engine chassis, steerg, suspension and electrical mponents together with acssories and workshop conmables (and discounts with )rtz Car Rental and Trusthouse irte, whether for business or irsonal use).
Panic deliveries, by the way. e made by liveried Marina ins; the plan is that they will ventually all be radio introlled. Arlington's Basildon fleet is having its radios installed within the next few weeks.
Multipart, which has over 150,000 different parts in stock, including captive parts, claims that this represents the first serious attempt by a major UK truck manufacturer to provide comprehensive, fast-moving parts support for all makes of commercial vehicles. The programme covers 90 per cent of all trucks and buses over 3.5 tons gross vehicle weight operating in the United Kingdom — whether they are imported or manufactured here.
For Leyland vehicles, Multipart is committed to maintaining parts supply for a minimum of 10 years for trucks, and 15 years for buses. In many cases, parts are held for much longer.
For the other major UK manufacturers, including Ford, Bedford, Dodge, Seddon Atkinson, ERF and Foden, Multipart gives comprehensive coverage on selected product lines for most vehicles. And a similar service is available for the leading imported marques — Volvo, Scania, and Mercedes, for example.
In most instances, the Multipart distribution network can supply competitive, quality parts ex-stock. If it is out of stock, the part will be delivered the following day in most circumstances.
By the end of 1984, some 68 different products will have been launched progressively — on a product group by product group basis. Each group requires nearly a year of intensive research and development to establish exact specifications, applications, supply sources, and availability.
In addition, an extensive range of accessories is available, and continuous additions will be made during the course of the programme.
Also included is a range of exchange units — a low-cost option of units remanufacturered to the original specification, and covered by a full warranty.
The support material is categorised by model, product group, and part number. Up-todate cross-reference data is also available — relating the manufacturer's or supplier's part number to Multipart.
Product support is available in the form ofAwall charts, posters, and individual product group brochures.
Naturally, Multipart carries a full range of Leyland parts for all Leyland models — both UK and export. That includes tractors, industrial engines, and special products as well as trucks and buses.
In most cases, says Multipart, the individual parts are produced by the original manufacturer. Where this is not possible, the part is made to a standard of quality at least equal to that of the original manufacturer.
Prices, it says, are established at a level which matches the best of the competition on a quality for quality basis. Moreover, monitoring of market prices ensures that each distributor can compete on a regional basis — with the best that the motor factors in each area can offer.
Multipart offers a full 12 month unlimited mileage warranty, subject to the conditions set out in its Operator Service Statement In some cases the warranty period is longer.
Should a part or product become defective during the period of warranty, any Multipart distributor will supply the replacement part free of charge. Labour charges for fitting the replacement part under warranty will also be paid on condition that the work is carried out by the Multi-art distributor at the time of supply.
The heart of the programme at Chorley is a 26-acre warehouse site. An additional £17 million has been invested in facilities; 395,000sqft of warehouse floor space is equipped with flexible storage systems for parts on up to three levels. The inventory of more than 150,000 part numbers has a retail value in excess of £100 million. It includes the full range of replacement parts for Leyland truck, bus and tractor products made at Leyland in Lancashire and Bathgate in Scotland as well as Albion, AEC, Daimler, Guy, Scammell and Leyland National.
At Chorley, the Multipart programme deals with a worldwide network of accounts. It is in contact with more than 1,600 suppliers and dispatches upwards of 25,000 tons of parts every year.
Each distributor carries extensive stocks to meet day-to-day parts requirements. In effect, each one operates as a major factor in his own right. He carries all the necessary catalogues and can also negotiate special price An IBM main-frame computer, with on-line storage capacity of 5.7 billion characters, is the basis of the Multipart system. It gives fully computerised stock control, order processing, invoicing and all the information services necessary for efficient everyday operation.
Each Multipart specialist distributor has access to these files via CAT — a Computer Action Terminal, linked directly into the Multipart computer.
Not only can CAT be used for stock orders, and overnight VehicleOff-Road orders, but the individual distributor can also use it for instant checks on such information as part numbers, supersessions and alternatives. Current prices, and the up-to-date status of orders and back orders — they are all instantly available.
The computer also holds all the Multipart all-makes programme catalogues. All applications and part numbers can be produced with the minimum of delay in any sequence required: by product group, model, or whatever.
Major units — such as engines, gearboxes, both new and exchange — are also carried by every Multipart distributor.
The Chorley facility provides their essential back-up support which is extended to the distributor network by way of regular
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training programmes and a gionally based team of Multip representatives that provide vice and detailed assistance.
From a start with four prodt groups, Multipart has extend to 37: alternators, batteriE brake drums, brake shoes, bra valves, bulbs, clutches, col pressors ... and so on.
"Initially," said John Re nolds, "progress was slow, t '82 was the year of expansic the most important factor bei the Red Card.
"Now we are negotiating fo lease in HO — Leyton — for total Multipart centre, close the M11 and North Circul Road, to be launched by April, will be a separate distributil point and will expand into t East End of London — an ent mous market, and one where will give local service."
For its part, Multipart looking further afield: the a makes range will be launch progressively in select( worldwide markets. Model coy rage will initially be limited the major European manufacti ers; the range will gradually I extended to cover other man facturers' vehicles and mode specific to export markets.