DENSO has revealed it joined the Original Equipment Suppliers Aftermarket Association (OESAA) as it shares the same strategy to advocate for OE parts at aftermarket level.
Kevin Peacocke, DENSO Sales Manager (UK & Ireland), explained: “Initially, to be closer to the technicians and workshops, in general, and because we were brand new to the aftermarket, all our efforts were put into working with distributors – we needed the products on the shelf.
“Over a decade later, our strategy has changed, in that we now want to work with workshops and highlight the importance of quality parts – OESAA is the perfect platform to do that.”
Kevin highlighted the OESAA Garage Forum as an “immensely valuable asset”, so DENSO could listen and adapt its messages.
He said: “Without the ‘pull factor’ from technicians, we’d struggle, so the introduction of the OESAA Garage Forum has been a breath of fresh air and allowed us to ask questions, absorb and respond, if necessary; for example, our marketing activities have changed, we’ve reshaped our recruitment strategy and brought a better focus at workshop level.”
Protecting our industry
Four years into its partnership with OESAA, Kevin believes DENSO’s relationship with the organisation is as strong as ever, as both share “best practice ideas” to promote a “quality-first approach”.
He added: “In this global market, unfortunately, the availability of substandard parts has never been higher. Advertising language can be misleading, leading to drivers or technicians convinced that they are getting a good deal on quality parts without realising the potential dangers.
“Trust in a quality brand is rewarding in terms of time, confidence and reputation. A failure of a substandard component directly damages the reputation of the workshop and threatens future business – OESAA members know this and do all they can to protect our customers, and long may that continue!”
