Engine Technology Training for Staff [10/10/2007]

Engine products make up a significant slice of the Multispares business and with engine technology developing rapidly Multispares staff were due for a comprehensive update. Kolbenschmidt have been a long time partner for the Multispares European engine program and have always backed us up with great technology training.

On this occasion Kolbenschmidt based their top international trainer, Johann Szopa, in Sydney to run two intensive programs over two weeks. All Multispares product and sales staff from around Australia and New Zealand were flown in for the event and all left impressed and confident about the future of our engine program.

Kolbenschmidt supplies Multispares with pistons, rings, liners, engine bearings, valves and a number of other special products. They are at the leading edge of OE heavy diesel engine technology and are also a fantastic supporter of their aftermarket partners in distant parts of the world. This training exercise was very effective and greatly appreciated by all who attended.

We extend out thanks to Johann Szopa for his entertaining and informative presentations and to Kolbenschmidt for their continuing support.

To continue the momentum Multispares is planning to fly staff in for another training exercise in just a few months time, this time covering clutch and transmission products. Again our global technology partners will be at the rostrum helping us stay ahead of the game.

Hengst Partners Multispares [31/05/2006]

Hengst has appointed Multispares as sole distributor for its extensive OE and aftermarket filter range in Australia and New Zealand.

Hengst GmbH & Co was founded in Munster Germany in 1958 and has grown to be the premier supplier of OE filters for European built trucks and buses. Hengst has more than 1200 employees worldwide including 140 engineers in their R & D department.

Our background research on Hengst demonstrated a global reputation for extremely high first pick order fill rates and excellent coverage of filters across the entire European range, including late model vehicles. This made Hengst the ideal partner to deliver our primary objective: a single brand of OE quality filters across the range.

The Hengst agreement follows closely the terms of our sole distribution of the OE quality FULL range of filters for Hino, Isuzu, Mitsubishi and Nissan UD. Since the introduction of FULL our Japanese filter sales have been climbing rapidly and we expect the same growth injection to our European filter range as soon as Hengst products have replaced current stocks.

For more information visit www.hengst.de or call your nearest Multispares outlet.

HD Diesel Engine Program Ignites [12/12/2005]

A few months ago Multispares signed two high profile Distribution Agreements that have ignited our heavy-duty diesel engine program.

The first agreement covers the exclusive distribution of all ElringKlinger products for MAN, Mercedes, Scania and Volvo trucks and buses in Australia and New Zealand. Elring is the dominant European original equipment supplier of engine seals for these makes and there are many engine seals where Elring is the only high quality manufacturer.

Multispares is already the major Australasian distributor for Kolbenschmidt, one of two dominant original equipment manufacturers of pistons and liners for heavy-duty European diesel engines. With many Elring product now in stock at our outlets we are in a position to offer customers unparalleled aftermarket quality. Kolbenschmidt-ElringKlinger engine rebuild products are widely regarded as the most successful combination in the global aftermarket.

Our second agreement covers sole and unrestricted rights to the FM Diesel brand in the Australian and New Zealand markets. FM Diesel offers a range of high quality products sourced from Japanese OE manufacturers and consolidated under the one brand. FM Diesel is OE quality and highly competitive and is positioned to make a significant impact in our home markets.

For more information, please call your nearest Multispares outlet on 13 16 15.

Multispares Establishes in the Capital Country [17/06/2005]

We are very pleased to announce that Fred Fattore has joined the Branch management team at Multispares. We have committed to a long term-lease on a property in Sheppard Street, Hume ACT and in August Fred will open the doors to the latest Multispares Branch.

Many people who have worked in our industry in Canberra and the surrounding regions will already know Fred as an outstanding service oriented Parts Manager. Fred has managed two of the regions major parts suppliers over the past 20 years and has had great exposure to both our European and Japanese product ranges.

Hume is an area that is developing as a logistics hub for the Capital Country and it is an ideal location to provide fast deliveries and local knowledge to customers based in Canberra, Queanbeyan and the surrounding regions. Once established this Branch will look after all our customers in the ACT, Southern Tablelands, NSW Far South Coast, Goulburn, Young, Wagga Wagga and Griffith regions.

Over the next two months Fred will be overseeing the fitout for our new Branch and recruiting a local team. He will also be visiting some of our established customers with Cliff Gray who has done a great job building our business in the area over the past few years.

Fred expects to hit the ground running some time in August. For more information please call Fred Fattore on 0412 966 105.

New Branch in Melbourne South East [08/02/2005]

At last we are in a position to announce the successful conclusion of an exhaustive process evaluating our business options for the southern and eastern regions of Melbourne. In early April this year we will be opening a new branch called Melbourne South East.

A little over six years ago we consolidated the operations of our two branches in Melbourne, one in Dandenong (South East) and one in Campbellfield (North), into the current site in Sunshine (North West). After a slow start Sunshine has developed into a very successful Branch but most of its growth has come from the northern and western regions. By contrast, despite a lot of effort from staff and considerable investment in remote service levels, we have only achieved a small portion of our potential on the southeast side of Melbourne.

Over the past six years Multispares has progressed enormously as a business. Whereas six years ago two branches in one city was a considerable complication, today we are confident that two branches in Melbourne can complement each other, contributing to growth on both sides of the city.

These are early days in our planning but we will be keeping customers informed as we move towards our Melbourne South East opening. In the meantime our delivery services out of Sunshine are operating as usual.

For further information please call our National Sales Manager, Mark Harvey on 0412 966 038.

Capacity Expansion for Australian Distribution [13/01/2005]

We have just completed our first major capacity expansion since relocating our Australian distribution operations to the current Sydney site at 151 Fairfield Road, Guildford.

As a result of steady growth in our core business over recent years, this distribution centre has come under considerable pressure. We have made substantial investments to increase our storage capacity including pallet racking extensions and two high-tech carousels that significantly boosted capacity for smaller items. Despite this we have run out of room and for more than 12 months some larger products have had to be sent to Adelaide for redistribution to our southern branches.

For the last two years we have been negotiating a leasing opportunity on the sister warehouse positioned parallel to our current building on the other side of the complex driveway. These negotiations have been successful and we now have full access to this new warehouse with long term leasing options. In fact we have secured long term control over the entire site.

The new building will increase current storage capacity by about 30% with virtually no loss of operating efficiency. With better warehousing practices and new stock management systems currently under development, this extra space should serve our needs for many years to come.

New Zealand Distribution Centre [16/08/2004]

Multispares NZ has just signed two new leases with long-term renewal options that will more than double the current warehouse capacity in Auckland.

Our New Zealand business began in Wellington in 1991 and Multispares Auckland was opened in 1995 primarily to service the northern markets. Although our business administration remains in Wellington today, as our global supply chain has extended Auckland has become the natural distribution point for many of our imported products. Over the last 2 years we have been building an Operations Team based in Otahuhu, Auckland and we have gradually increased the handling and redistribution of imported products from this location.

Significant growth in both Wellington and Auckland and the opening of a third branch in Christchurch have increased the pressure on the original Otahuhu facilities and over the past 12 months product distribution has been struggling.

The Otahuhu site has always been an excellent location for a sales outlet. It has great street presence, being slightly elevated above a busy intersection, and offers good customer access.

We have now secured a second lease on an adjoining warehouse with access to a quiet street at the rear. Both landlords have agreed to allow us to connect the buildings. This will allow us to remain in our original sales outlet and attach a fully integrated national distribution centre with separate access from the back. We will get the benefits of separately managed sales and distribution functions while retaining a largely integrated and therefore efficient use of stock.

The new leases will commence from 1st February 2005. We expect the new distribution centre to be fully functioning by March and Otahuhu branch renovations to be completed soon after.

Multispares Customers Trading On-Line [15/07/2004]

Today after 3 years of systems development a small number of customers commenced trading on-line with Multispares and the first order was despatched tonight.

We call our new on-line trading system MultiPIT, short for the Multispares Parts Interpreting and Transaction system. MultiPIT allows customers to interpret requirements using our electronic catalogue, check availability and other critical information and place orders with their local branch. It also allows customers to monitor the progress of deliveries, research old account information and update their account details all on-line to our central database.

Going live with MultiPIT has been a significant milestone but we are treating the move to on-line trading as evolutionary rather than a revolution in the way we do business. MultiPIT is seamlessly integrated with all existing back-office functions and work practices. It is an additional level of technology, not a replacement for existing services.

At this stage only customers with specific competence in parts interpretation will be given access to MultiPIT. Over time, as our information systems develop other customers will be given access. In the long term MultiPIT has potential as a genuine productivity tool for both Multispares and our customers alike.

For more information about access to MultiPIT please contact your local Multispares manager on our Parts Hotline.

Parts Management Contract in WA [19/12/2003]

Multispares and Southern Coast Transit (SCT) have signed an Agreement that makes Multispares responsible for the procurement and timely supply of the entire SCT requirement for replacement parts.

In accordance with this Agreement Multispares has purchased SCT

Operational Changes for New Zealand [17/11/2003]

Several consecutive years of strong growth in New Zealand and the prospect of a number of new growth opportunities is an exciting confluence but one that brings about new challenges for management.

Some decisions we have made to strengthen the New Zealand operations have added to these challenges, particularly the extra branch in Christchurch, which has complicated product distribution, and a move to direct importing from all major suppliers, which has placed new pressures on stock management.

We have approached these challenges by dividing the old sales management structure in two, creating two new positions in the process. Bryan Hill, formerly our Southern Regional Sales Manager, is our new National Sales Manager with the added responsibility of overseeing the sales performance of our Auckland entity. Dave Cundy, formerly our Auckland Branch Manager, is our new National Products Manager responsible for product development, inventory management and distribution.

Significantly, this new independent position of National Products Manager will make it easier to leverage our extensive supply chain to supply other New Zealand parts retailers on a wholesale or indent basis. (If you are interested in this service please contact Dave Cundy on 027 4405 773.)

We are in the process of recruiting a new Parts Manager for Auckland and hope to have good news on this front soon.

These changes have a significant impact on our staff and are pivotal to the development of our New Zealand business. They make a clear statement that we are confident in our future and are prepared to invest in the right infrastructure to support growth.

These changes also reflect positively on the strength of the existing management team. The strengthening of management at branch level over recent times has allowed us to establish three pillars of responsibility at the top; finance, sales and now product management.

Perth Branch Plans Move to Kewdale [26/05/2003]

After an extensive search for a suitable site we are pleased to announce that we have signed an agreement to lease modern premises in Abernethy Road, Kewdale.

The new facility includes approximately 450 square metres of high roof warehouse space. We estimate that with effective racking designs this warehouse space will support more than double our current turnover. The showroom and office layout suits our new branch presentation style and the staff amenities are a considerable improvement on the current location.

Multispares Perth was founded in Redcliffe, one of Perth