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Today, in our AMN Executive Interview series, we feature Jens Schueler, president, Automotive Aftermarket North America, Schaeffler Group USA Inc. Here, Schueler talks about the impacts industry consolidation, the economy and other global variables have had on the Schaeffler Group USA, as well as his expectation for what lies ahead for the company. He also gives us a sneak peek of the new brand the company will be introducing at this year's AAPEX in Las Vegas.
A host of variables – the U.S. economic recession, automaker bankruptcy filings, increasing globalization, the European economic crisis, as well as consolidation in the North American aftermarket, just to name a few examples – have dramatically changed the aftermarket landscape over the past few years. As a leader in the North American aftermarket, which is part of a larger, global corporate parent, what are your thoughts on the changes that have taken place?
Well, I have enjoyed working in the North American automotive aftermarket for what has now been almost two years. You list a couple of interesting topics that influence our market environment. In addition to economic challenges and globalization, I also see significant changes in vehicle technology, repair behavior and the significance of individual mobility. Beyond affecting the market performance in different regions of the world, I think that these trends will influence our business in general in the future.
With regard to change, from my perspective, the North American aftermarket is at the end of “day one;” the markets are beginning the transformation toward a new structure. There will be further consolidation within the distribution and supplier levels of the supply chain throughout the entire region. The Internet is an established distribution channel within our industry and we will continue to see further development in this area concerning availability, transparency and connectivity. With the change in technology toward higher complexity, the portion of DIY will further decline and professional repair within the independent aftermarket and on the OES side will profit from this development. From a global perspective, I recognize this as a general development.
We started two years ago to realign our regional organizational structures and processes within our North American aftermarket in order to adapt to the changing market environment.
What opportunities do you foresee for Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket NA in the aftermarket in the next several years? And, conversely, what do you see as your biggest challenges going forward?
Our Schaeffler Automotive business is growing significantly in North America, both from an OE and aftermarket point of view. Schaeffler offers a broad range of products that fit the North American car parc and we will continue to add them into our automotive aftermarket programs. Besides our strong LuK passenger car clutch business, our future focus will be particularly on chassis and engine products that we market under our brands FAG and INA.
We, at Schaeffler, set the highest standards for quality of our products and services. From my perspective, these will be the key drivers for success in our markets. To service the customer with the right product at the right time requires “more” in the future. Just to name a few “more” headlines that need to be addressed to make us ready for the future: supply chain integration, process excellence, real-time order management and information, advanced category management, joint planning and analysis for marketing activities, accessible and professional repair information. We are in the process of optimizing and improving our organizational structure in North America and we will address all these important topics.
There are a number of challenges – especially in a changing environment like in the North American aftermarket. We, as a supplier, target a superior performance in all the known standards such as product quality, cost and delivery performance. Additionally, we target the same excellence in all the “more” areas in order to create even more value for our channel partners.
Biggest challenge? We all have to adapt quickly to the changing market environment and take care that the service professional can do a proper repair job with a quality product and the accurate repair information in the years to come.
With the globalization mentioned earlier, many aftermarket manufacturers moved production offshore to low-cost countries. Schaeffler continues to make products in North America. What advantages does this offer the company; and how does this benefit your customers?
Our slogan is “in the region, for the region!” Within a worldwide network of manufacturing locations, Schaeffler has a high focus on a regional production footprint. Customer proximity is critical for the development of market-specific products, and the provision of short delivery times and rapid service.
There always was, and there always will be, a tremendous competitive pressure from companies that manufacture their products in low-cost countries. Only with the highest possible focus on operational excellence and efficiency are you able to produce high-quality products at a competitive price level in North America. Our company does an excellent job in this regard, and we continuously improve our production and process environments.
As already mentioned, we can react very fast to customer needs by maintaining production within the region. Specifically for the automotive aftermarket, where suppliers manage a broad variety of parts with low quantities, a flexible local production concept also benefits two financial key figures that are important to all of us: inventories and freight costs.
Thinking longer-term, what is your main goal for Schaeffler in the next three to five years?
We want to significantly grow our business in the North American aftermarket with our quality products and services that differentiate us from other market players.
From my perspective, a key for growth in the changing aftermarket environment in North America is that we establish and grow long-term partnerships with the channel partners in the market. The relationship between channel partner and supplier is essential in order to manage the change and to be successful in the future.
AAPEX kicks off next week in Las Vegas. What can we expect to see from Schaeffler at this year's show?
AAPEX is a valuable opportunity for the Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket to get in touch with our customer base, suppliers and the industry. In 2013, for the first time, we will represent the entire North American region. Our colleagues from Mexico will be joining our United States and Canadian teams at AAPEX this year.
Under our global theme “more,” we will present more service, more innovation, more technique. Communication is the focus for the 2013 AAPEX. You can expect information about the products we offer under the well-known Schaeffler brands LuK, INA and FAG and, specifically, displays featuring the following products:
· LuK RepSet with SAC and DMF
· LuK new flywheels
· LuK SAC OE vs. non-OE
· INA belt drive functional model
· INA OAP & OAD with INA tool box
· INA Individual valve drive components
· FAG wheel bearings with axial spline
· FAG hub and wheel bearings
· FAG wheel bearing repair solution for LCV
New this year at AAPEX is the presentation of our brand, Ruville. Ruville is a global Schaeffler Automotive aftermarket brand, which represents trading programs with OE quality. Until now we have only marketed products in the North American region under the brand Ruville in the Mexican market, where we offer a complete brake program that includes brake pads, brake blocks, hydraulics, brake shoes, rotors and drums.
This year, we will be hosting our bi-annual Customer Appreciation Event the Monday evening before the AAPEX show. This year, our customers and service partners can expect an evening under the theme “more performance” – it’s all about racing. We will have two amazing NASCAR simulators in place with popular United States NASCAR tracks and our guests will have the opportunity to race against the clock and the other participants. Screens outside the simulators will give all the guests the chance watch the action. The top 10 drivers will compete in a championship race-off and the best three will win some awesome prizes.
We look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas.
| Product Model | Inside Diameter | Outside Diameter | Thickness |
| 5217S NTN | 85 | 150 | 49.2 |
| 5216S NTN | 80 | 140 | 44.4 |