Exceeding Customer Expectations – with more Innovations, more Quality and more Passion

Whenever a vehicle needs to visit a garage, the products and repair solutions from Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket are usually the first choice for repair. With its four brands – LuK, INA, FAG and Ruville – the business division is responsible for the global spare-parts business of Schaeffler. Whether it’s transmission, engine or chassis, Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket can fall back on decades of experience on the inde-pendent spare-parts market, and is able to offer solutions that are tailor-made to meet a wide range of repair requirements.

All products and repair solutions from Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket stand for advanced technology and outstanding original-equipment (OE) quality. The After-market specialists’ portfolio has everything

needed for parts replacement – from OE spare parts, to repair solutions and the right special tools. Always in focus is to provide a market-leading portfolio of transmission, engine and chassis products for passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, heavy com-mercial vehicles, buses and tractors – for use in all vehicle classes and models.

Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket has al-ways worked together with distributors and garages for the market success of everyone. This is because today’s automotive profes-sionals are constantly facing challenging repair jobs due to technological innovation, the high number of new models, ever-more complex vehicle components and service work. Besides offering well-thought out repair solutions, developing special tools, offering technical training seminars and the online portal REPXPERT, the Aftermar-ket specialists have also initiated – together with industry partners – service concepts that have made an important contribu-tion to supplying information to garages and distributors. These include TecDoc, the database for spare-parts information and parts data, TecCom, a platform for optimiz-ing warehouse logistics and order process-

ing, and the environmental management system Partslife.

The Aftermarket specialists are constantly working on new projects – in collaboration and close coordination with their custom-ers – that will secure the continuing suc-cess of the independent aftermarket.

With its LuK, INA, FAG and Ruville brands, intelligent repair solutions, the develop-ment of professional special tools, with technical training seminars and a service program, the specialists from Schaeffler Au-tomotive Aftermarket are working together with distributors and garages for the mar-ket success of everyone – by always being a step ahead!

Michaël Söding, President, Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket

Headquarters Langen, Germany Headquarters Valley City, USA

What is your OE expertise in the US and Europe and how does it affect your AM offer – both in the US / Europe??

Schaeffler’s operative excellence extends to components and system solu-tions for vehicles with drivetrains using internal-combustion engines as well as hybrid and electric vehicles. Because Schaeffler is one of the world’s lead-ing development partners of vehicle manufacturers, customers of the Auto-motive Aftermarket Business Division have at their disposal a comprehensive and innovative product portfolio. In the USA, our OE share with local vehicle manufacturers has grown steadily over the past years. This is especially true of our products for automatic transmissions, where we are increasing our market share. Through this, we will continue to be able to significantly expand our product portfolio for the automotive Aftermarket. This way, Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket’s portfolio is always aligned to the local market situation and its requirements.

How different / equal are the US and European markets in terms of market approach / customer base / new sales channels ? What in your opinion are the learning opportunities?

The market in the USA is divided today into a Do-It-For-Me segment (professional garages) and a still significant Do-It-Yourself segment (self-repairers). We can say, however, that the DIY segment will continue to decrease, which is mostly related to re-pairs becoming more and more complex. We believe that the trend to consolidation on the retail and supplier side of the US market will continue. This trend is currently evident in Europe as well. We also see, in a way similar to other industries that the USA has somewhat of a lead when it comes to digital sales channels (E-Commerce). We believe the internet is an opportunity to employ an additional sales channel to make our portfolio accessible.

Compare and explain your brand strategies in the US and Europe.

With our four strong brands – LuK, INA, FAG and Ruville – we are pursuing a clear positioning in the transmission, engine and chassis segments for passenger cars, light and heavy commercial vehicles and for tractors equally.

Does your company take specific actions to support the traditional distribution channel and the independ-ent repairer? Are they any different on both sides of the ocean?

We support our distributors on both sides of the Atlantic in aligning themselves to the demands of garages. This includes – besides our products, repair solutions and special tools – a comprehensive package of services.

Catalog data is important: What efforts does your company take to provide correct and extensive profes-sional data to the aftermarket in Europe and the US?

Clear, comprehensive and user-friendly catalog data in high quality are key elements of our service package. This applies to the catalog system TecDoc in Europe as well as to the leading systems in the USA and Canada like Epicor, Wrenchhead and Opti-cat. We’ve been honored again and again, by the way, for our outstanding catalog work. Just recently we once again received the “TecDoc Certified Data Supplier” seal of quality from TecAlliance in Europe. In North America, we were honored with the “Catalog Award” in 2014 from one of the market’s leading distributors.

How do you support your customers with technical know-how?

Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket has always understood it as its obligation to supply garages and distribution customers with the necessary technical know-how to conduct professional repairs. This includes technical brochures, service informa-tion, repair guidelines and installation instructions – along with our daily-updated online catalog and the garage portal REPX-PERT (www.repxpert.com).

What is your general appreciation of the 1Parts initiative?

Quite clearly this is a partnership that we rely on over the long-term!

What do you expect of this collaboration on the mid- and long term?

Through our partnership with 1Parts, we anticipate enormous market potential, especially in our North America sales region.

What opportunities do you see in terms of global footprint?

We welcome the long-term strategy of 1Parts to bring partner companies from other continents onboard. And we are con-vinced – this will also represent an important stimulus for long-term success for us as well.

For more information on Schaeffler visit www.schaeffler.com