Manufacturers have a number of ways to add value to their products. One important method is to provide additional services that support both their new machinery and the equipment already in the dealers’ fleets.
In the field of aerial work platforms, where 90 percent of the machines are purchased for rental, JLG Industries has developed the JLG PartsPlus program, which is designed to cover three major areas. The first is a full line of parts, manuals and accessories for JLG equipment. The second is the ability to contract for component products such as tires, batteries, filters, fluids and other products that are consumed in normal operations. The third area is unique to the aerial industry -- the availability of parts for competitive products.
Travis Myers is a JLG regional parts representative and one of four representatives calling on customers and helping them with the PartsPlus program.
“When JLG went full scale into the parts business, we knew that even JLG authorized dealers had a number of brands of aerials in their fleets and that many of them had parts in common,” he says. “Components such as boom wear pads, joystick controllers, cables, switches and other parts frequently come from the same OEM manufacturers that JLG uses. As soon as we had the procedures established to order our own parts, we added those competitive components to our inventory as a benefit to our customers.”
He continues, “One-stop shopping gives customers the opportunity to simplify their order procedures. Dealers that are availing themselves of the program can place a single order and receive a single shipment regardless of the brand of machine they are repairing. Not only does it simplify the paperwork and reduce the time it takes to order parts; it allows the customer to take advantage of quantity discounts and bulk shipping rates. Regardless of whether it’s a discontinued brand or one that is still in production, they can create a single order, usually online, and get what they need.”
The JLG PartsPlus Portfolio currently lists over 50,000 part numbers, an investment of over $27 million, which the company says is the world’s largest single-location inventory of aerial work platform and telescopic handler parts.
“We do another thing that is advantageous to our customers. If they find that they can buy something cheaper than our price and it is equal in quality to what we are offering, we purchase the same component from the same source and adjust the price immediately,” Myers explains.
To get the most bang from their buck, rental businesses should evaluate their vendors to be certain they can provide them what they need at a competitive price to keep their equipment ready to rent. After all, a machine that’s down because the right parts and support to fix it aren’t there is a dollar missed and an opportunity wasted.
