Case Study: OEM-Quality Spare Parts

The spare parts business presents both opportunities and risks for automotive manufacturers: high sales potential in after-sales and strong customer loyalty are offset by demanding end-customer expectations. Until now, supply has often worked like this: the dealer orders a body component with primer, has it coated in the vehicle colour in-house or externally, and then assembles it. Sounds complex – and it is.

• Long waiting times and high demand for courtesy cars for end customers
• High costs and numerous interfaces along the process chain
• Inconsistent colour matching due to third-party coating
• Additional effort for workshops without their own coating facilities
• Value creation shifts from the OEM to dealers and external coaters
• Depreciation of the customer’s vehicle because original equipment quality is often not achieved

At KSK, processing stages traditionally carried out downstream are brought forward and completed to OEM series quality. Exterior add-on components for various vehicle model ranges are kept in stock as finished products in all available vehicle colours. Dealers order the spare part exactly like a series component – via the familiar OEM ordering system. KSK is fully integrated into the supply chain and acts on behalf of the OEM, without the dealer being aware. A dedicated system environment connects seamlessly with the OEM logic. The series processes have also been harmonised from a manufacturing perspective. Specially selected equipment enables the built-to-order principle and, together with a specially developed warehousing concept, ensures maximum flexibility and speed.

• Exterior add-on components available as finished products in all vehicle colours
• Seamless integration with the OEM ordering system
• Dedicated system environment for smooth data exchange
• Harmonised series production and spare parts processes
• Built-to-order production system plus proprietary warehousing concept