Top 5 Questions to Ask When Outsourcing your Parts Department

Are you looking for a third-party manufacturer to supply parts for your repair shop? It might seem like an “easy” job. There’s no doubt that outsourcing your parts department comes with many benefits. But how do you know which manufacturers can you rely on? There are some important considerations you need to keep in mind. 

Parts Quality 

Henry Royce once said: “Quality will remain when the price is forgotten.” 

We are not saying that you should buy from the most expensive manufacturer, but you should be looking for the best price per quality ratio. When doing your research check out for certifications to back up the manufacturer’s work. 

Some relevant certifications to look for:

• Third-party Certified Business
• ISO9001:2015 Certified
• OEM Certified 

Testing Parameters

This goes hand in hand with quality. Is the manufacturer you’re considering, testing their parts? 

Parts testing is essential for product performance and durability. As for window regulators and components, some testing parameters to look out for may include such functions as life-cycle testing, cold and hot testing, door-slam testing, vibration testing, environmental and corrosive testing. 

Experience and Reviews

Ask yourself: “How long has this company being in business?” They say that experience is the best teacher and I’m sure that we can all agree on that. 

When doing your research, check how many years the company has been manufacturing parts, and be sure to read/listen to what people are saying about them. You could gain a lot of insight into the company just by reading reviews and recommendations. The best marketing is word of mouth marketing and if there are negative reviews online, that should be a red flag for your research consideration. 

Capabilities

What else can they do for me? Sure a parts provider can manufacture parts and have them available when needed. But what are their other capabilities? Can they reverse engineer parts? Can they go above and beyond if there’s a special request?

It’s great to have a parts partner with a broad inventory… but it’s even better to partner with someone who can manufacture OEM and aftermarket parts. This will give you the peace of mind that the quality will be comparable and if there’s a special request, such as replacing a discontinued part, the supplier can manufacture what’s needed.  

Turnaround time

Last but not least… How fast can the product be delivered? When you need a product, production facilities can be unreliable when it comes to turnaround, leaving customers waiting for their much-needed parts. Choose a supplier who might be able to maintain an inventory of your part(s) as well as prioritize a leveraging a reliable delivery method to create an efficient product turnaround 

There are certainly other questions to ask before partnering with a parts supplier however, these top 5 are a great starting point for your research. What are some other considerations you would add to the list?

If you would like to learn more about our capabilities as a parts provider, click HERE. As an OEM and aftermarket parts manufacturer, we assure you that we will be among your top candidates when choosing a supplier.