The supply of parts is now arguably the greatest single challenge facing the automotive incident repair aftermarket today. Here, we speak to Kelvyn Waugh, managing director of Prasco UK, to find out how he is investing in technology, training and partnerships to streamline operations and ensure service and deliveries to customers around the UK remains as efficient as ever.
How is Prasco different from other parts suppliers in the automotive industry?
We view ourselves as very much the David in the David vs Goliath story in the supply of replacement vehicle parts. We’re not the biggest provider of replacement parts in the UK but, with our modest team, we do offer what I believe to be an unrivalled personal service.
We stock arguably the largest array of independently-certified replacement parts in Britain today and because we are integral to Prasco’s Pan-European operation based in northern Italy, our web of suppliers spans the planet.
We have invested significantly and improved our procurement processes over the last year or so, a move which has increased our offering in terms of product line-up and efficiencies in getting the right products and high levels of stock tenfold.
Putting that into perspective, at any one time we have up to five shipping containers full of products heading our way and as every month passes, we are increasing our product numbers to levels we’ve not experienced before.
How are you evolving operations to meet the changing customer?
Put simply, investment. There’s not a single area of the business we have not invested significantly in over the past two or three years. We listen to what our customers want, react and make sure we deliver on their expectations.
A prime example is our deliveries. Not only have we increased our fleet and the number of drivers, but also technology around tracking. Customers want to know when parts are on their way so we bought in a live tracking system so we can precisely monitor every delivery.
Then there’s our product range – this is an area where we have particularly grown. Since 1 January alone that area has seen a further 10% increase in part numbers and will continue to grow too. As we speak, close on £80,000 in new racking is being installed to ensure we can safely and securely hold those ever-increasing items in store.
How do partnerships benefit your business and improve operations?
Massively. From a supply perspective we have a great web of close working partnerships right across Europe and beyond to the Far East. It is solely down to those relationships that, even during the darkest days of Covid-19, we maintained and even increased our stock levels. I stay loyal, too, to those we work closely with. While some will chase lower prices and chop and change their suppliers accordingly, I never have.
For me, my driver to work with a supplier is the quality of the products they produce. That loyalty, which goes both ways, is a fundamental foundation behind our constant success and growth.
From a work provision point of view, we work with all the key insurer and bodyshop groups in the UK and we are fully integrated with management systems.
What are the key factors in the market impacting your operations at the moment?
The main issue surrounding the industry at the moment is with the supply of parts and, while I admit it is challenging, our close working relationships with our suppliers, especially those in the Far East, ensure we’re able to manage ourselves through it.
Our recent changes to our procurement processes now ensures we have steady flow of containers constantly arriving on site. We have multiple containers arriving daily, and then there’s our colleagues in northern Italy who dwarf our number of arrivals so, if we need supply and we haven’t got certain items, we can always rest assured we can confidently pull parts from Turin. Crucially, our range increases and constantly evolves to meet the demands of repairers.
How is technology streamlining your operations?
In every way possible! It’s not so much about streamlining operations but making us as efficient as possible. We have invested heavily over the last 18 months in order to further improve our efficiencies. Amazon has long led the way for online shopping but its real winning formula surrounds its tracked, next day, door-to-door delivery service.
We have simply emulated that and now offer what we believe to be an industry-leading customer service ensuring that if an item is ordered before 5pm, it’s in a repairer’s hands the next day, as early as possible.
We now have the technology whereby we can provide the customer with an accurate ETA – if there’s traffic problems enroute, the driver is automatically re-directed where possible to ensure that promise is kept. If, for whatever reason there’s a problem the customer is instantly notified.
We also provide photographic evidence that a product is delivered and it’s all designed to ensure the repairer is able to precisely manage each and every repair.
While we will always offer an in-person sales team, we have developed our own smartphone/tablet App which we believe is the first and only in the industry that enables users to order precisely the parts they need direct from the workshop floor.
How are you investing in your people to maintain operational excellence?
Constant training. Having a fairly modest team enables us to work closely with everyone. In the past we have introduced various training programmes and initiatives, and only recently we turned to our local chamber of commerce to identify areas where we can improve the team which will inevitably result in further training opportunities.
