SAF Holland Refocuses on Aftermarket Parts
SAF Holland is bringing its electronic catalog up to date and focusing on field sales and timely order fulfilment. Photo: SAF Holland
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SAF Holland is bringing its electronic catalog up to date and focusing on field sales and timely order fulfilment. Photo: SAF Holland
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Twenty years ago, in the wake of an acquisition, newly formed SAF-Holland made a strategic decision to focus on OEM sales. At the time, the move was at odds with the industry’s long-standing practice of installing firth wheels at truck dealerships or independent shops.
“As far back as 1985, Holland was a 100% aftermarket company,” said Carl Mesker, vice president, aftermarket, for SAF Holland. “But truck OEMs increasingly began to install fifth wheels at the factory, and the Holland company began to slowly transition to meet this new trend.”
In order to better serve this new market, Holland went on a buying spree, acquiring jack manufacturer Brinkley in 1991 and Fruehauf’s axle business in 1997. Neway’s air ride suspension business followed in 1999 and landing gear supplier Austin Westran in 2005. The following year, the company merged with SAF, and soon after, the company began to reevaluate its aftermarket strategies.
But after successfully meeting OEM needs, the need to provide better aftermarket support to fleets was obvious, Mesker noted. Today, SAF Holland’s primary goal is to make the experience of finding, purchasing and obtaining aftermarket parts so easy for fleets that they request SAF-Holland products on their next purchase.
In order to do that, Mesker says the company is currently rewriting its sales catalogs and maintenance manuals – some of which date back to the 1960s – while bringing its electronic catalog up to date and focusing on field sales and timely order fulfilment. “We are really stressing internet functionality,” Mesker said. “This encompasses objectives like quick and easy information for parts on demand, availability lookup, price checks, and freight rates. We’re redesigning our system to make sure fleets and …Read the rest of this story
