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AAPEX22: Suspension, Steering, and Fifth Wheel Parts

Learn about SAMPA’s expansion to North America, its suspension, steering, and fifth wheel parts, and the problems they are solving for distributors and end users.

Episode 238: We were in Las Vegas at the AAPEX – SEMA show at the Venetian Expo and we visited the SAMPA booth where they are promoting their suspension, steering, and 5th wheel replacement parts for commercial vehicles.

Our Guests today are:

  • Tarik Altuncu, SAMPA Group CEO.
  • Felipe Bumagny, SAMPA’s US President.
  • Jeff Williams, SAMPA US VP of Sales, Commercial Vehicle Aftermarket.
  • Daniel Hynes, Harbor VP of Purchasing.

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Disclaimer: This content and description may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, The Heavy-Duty Parts Report may receive a small commission.

Sponsors of this Episode:

  1. Want to look up parts but don’t have a part number or the VIN? Download Diesel Parts for free on Desktop or on your Apple or Android device.
  2. Looking for high-quality fuel injection for heavy-duty applications? Buy now from AMBACInternational.com/Aftermarket
  3. Looking for suspension, steering, and 5th wheel parts? Buy now from SAMPA.com
  4. Looking for OEM genuine parts? Buy now from AlliantPower.com

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Transcript of Episode:

Jamie Irvine:

You’re listening to The Heavy-Duty Parts Report. I’m your host, Jamie Irvine, and this is the show where you get expert advice about heavy-duty parts that keeps trucks and trailers on the road longer while lowering cost per mile. We are here in Las Vegas at the AAPEX SEMA Show, in the Venetian Convention Center, and we are at the Sampa booth.

They’re here promoting their suspension, steering and fifth wheel components, and I’m looking forward to talking to some of their people. So let’s talk to a few of them now. We’re here at the Sampa Booth and we’re talking with Sampa’s Global CEO. Could you just introduce yourself, sir?

Tarik Altuncu:

Tarik Altuncu, I’m the CEO of Sampa Group Companies.

Jamie Irvine:

And that’s globally?

Tarik Altuncu:

Globally, yeah, globally.

Jamie Irvine:

Speaking of the global nature of your company, what is something that makes you truly unique as a manufacturer that does operate globally?

Tarik Altuncu:

Sampa has 14 integrated manufacturing plants and 220 engineers working in our R&D center. It makes us globally this unique company.

Jamie Irvine:

I totally agree. In all the years that I’ve sold heavy-duty parts, when I think of aftermarket manufacturers, I don’t think I’ve ever come across a company with that many manufactured facilities and that focus on research and development. Additionally to those 220 engineers, how many support staff do you have?

Tarik Altuncu:

We have the 5,000 employees also in our factory plants.

Jamie Irvine:

All focused on manufacturing. With that many people working R&D, working the engineering, working in manufacturing, you’re putting out a very high quality product. When you look at the United States and all the growth you’ve had since 2018, what’s one thing that you think really contributed to that growth?

Tarik Altuncu:

This is someplace manufacturing light or equality. We saw the aftermarket products in United States, unfortunately, it’s very poor quality. Then it makes us, our growth is very fast. Then we have two warehouses in Dallas and Chicago, and we plan to open another six warehouses in the next five years. Then we are supplying to our customers also good service.

Jamie Irvine:

And that’s what it’s all about. The trucking industry, the commercial trucks, you need product that’s high quality, that lowers total cost of operation, and you need to be able to get that product quickly. And having all of this manufacturing capacity and those locations here in the United States has contributed to that. Thank you so much for taking a moment to be on The Heavy-Duty Parts Report.

Tarik Altuncu:

Thank you. Thank again.

Jamie Irvine:

I’m with Sampa, President USA, Felipe Bumagny. He’s back on the show folks, but this time we’re not doing it virtually. We’re here in person. Isn’t that great?

Felipe Bumagny:

Oh, that’s awesome. That’s awesome. It’s nice to see everybody here again and it’s busy.

Jamie Irvine:

It certainly is. So we’re at the AAPEX show. We’re here at the Sampa booth. Felipe, what trends have you been seeing over the last few months?

Felipe Bumagny:

Well, I think that we started with Covid and now it continues. We have new challenges. We have inflation, high labor costs, transportation costs, energy costs and even labor availability today. And it’s still playing or impacting our supply chain in the market in general. So this, I think it’s gonna continue throughout 2023 and perhaps even in 2024.

Jamie Irvine:

And we’re all experiencing that from one degree or the other in the trucking industry. So I’m curious, you’ve watched this evolution of this trend, starting with the pandemic and then where we are today. How has Sampa as a company responded to that?

Felipe Bumagny:

Well, we have some relative advantages out there. We have 14 plants and in North America we only sell what we manufacture. So we have control over product flow, availability, cost, quality, and all that good stuff. Also, we have already two warehouses in North America into 2023. We’re setting additional warehouses in North America where we keep ample inventory. So for our customers in North America enjoy just in time delivery as if we were manufacturing here in North America.

Jamie Irvine:

Well, I was gonna ask you what your plans are for 2023, but you’ve already told us that. So what I’m curious about is how do you see that benefiting not just the distributors and dealers you work with? Because obviously they need to get the parts, but it’s really about the end users, it’s the people who install these parts. So how is that gonna impact them?

Felipe Bumagny:

Well I think that making OEM quality products available at competitive prices is a game changer in this market, right? Because there was always this separation between high quality, high price versus competitive pricing and lower quality product.

Today we are able to because of our engineering, because of our processes, because of our equipment, manufacturing equipment, we are able to offer this combination that is a winner for the end user, is less downtime, lower operational cost, the cost of ownership, and the continuity of supply. Meaning it’s not only a one time purchase, but the customer can rely on the same quality and the same product mix for a long time to come.

Jamie Irvine:

Felipe, thank you so much for being back on The Heavy-Duty Parts Report. I really appreciate it and so nice to be able to do this in person.

Felipe Bumagny:

Oh, great, Jamie, and enjoyed the show. I certainly am.

Jamie Irvine:

We’re here at the Sampa Booth with Jeff Williams, Vice President of Sales. Jeff, welcome to The Heavy-Duty Parts Report. So glad to have you here.

Jeff Williams:

Hey, thank you Jamie. I’m glad to be here.

Jamie Irvine:

So I’ve been looking forward to coming to your booth and talking to you specifically because I know in the role of sales, you’re out there and you’re talking to your customers and you’re here today to talk to customers. What kinds of products have you been featured?

Jeff Williams:

Sure. So most of our customers have come to know us because of the air springs and the availability that other folks have had some supply challenges. So we’ve done an excellent job maintaining supply throughout this whole time period. What happens is they’re so pleased with the experience that they’ve had with the air springs, they’re actually open to talking to us about our other suspension in steering products.

And more recently we had a lot of discussions on the fifth wheel and the fifth wheel components. So what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to make sure that we’re meeting with the customers, talking about these products that they’re now open to listening.

Jamie Irvine:

Right. And of course, when you do a good job with one product and it opens up that opportunity. When you’re talking to your customers, you’ve got a couple layers here because you are a manufacturer. So can you explain to the audience how that works and really who are your customers?

Jeff Williams:

Sure. Well, to your point, there’s a couple layers. So our customers are independent distributors. So they’re the folks that family owned businesses where, you know, got a son who’s worked with his father and his grandfather. You’ve got dealerships. So we do business with dealerships across the country, and then we also spend a lot of time and energy working with the people who put the part on the equipment, right? That’s important. I think everybody’s focused on making sure that they’re taken care of and they have all knowledge and the information they need.

Jamie Irvine:

We spoke earlier with your CEO and he was telling me about the 14 integrated manufacturing facilities and the focus on quality on your products all the engineers that work for you, the 5,000 people in all of those facilities. So how does that translate down to benefiting the end user who installs the product on their equipment?

Jeff Williams:

Sure. Well, it’s something that we lead with. Truth be told most of the people that we interact with, they have a story where they may have ventured out and they tried something new and it didn’t work so well. So we lead with the fact that we’ve got 14 facilities that we actually spend a lot of our time making product for OEMs in Europe. We’ve got the certifications so that the production facilities that are making the product for OEMs, it’s the same production lines that is producing product for us as well.

Jamie Irvine:

Yeah, well that’s fantastic, Jeff. Thank you so much for taking some time to talk with us and being on The Heavy-Duty Parts Report.

Jeff Williams:

Oh, glad to be here. And thank you for all that you do. Appreciate it.

Jamie Irvine:

We’re gonna take a quick break. We’ll be right back.

Commercial Break:

Don’t have a heavy-duty part number and need to look up a part? Go to parts.diesellaptops.com or download the app on Apple or Android to create your free account.

Looking for high quality fuel injection for heavy-duty applications? Having one supplier for fuel injection allows you to better serve customers by providing them with a complete line, which increases your sales and profitability. Learn more at ambacinternational.com/aftermarket.

Parts availability and quality have a big influence on fleets and owner operators total cost of operation. If they can’t find a part, it means more downtime. If they install a low quality part and it fails, it means even more costs like tow bills, hotels, meals for the driver, and lost revenue. That’s why we recommend Sampa. They manufacture a wide range of advanced parts for commercial vehicles. Their website has an intelligent product search engine, and broad coverage of suspension, steering, and fifth wheel components. Expect more. Expect Sampa. Visit sampa.com.

Jamie Irvine:

Today we’re here at AAPEX at the Sampa booth and we are with City Spring and Axle General Manager, Grant Taylor. Grant, welcome to The Heavy Duty Parts Report.

Grant Taylor:

Thanks, Jamie. Nice to be here.

Jamie Irvine:

For some of you, you may know that Grant and I have a long history in the business together. We actually worked together at one company many years ago, so it’s nice to have you here on my show and be here in person. Grant, for those who maybe aren’t familiar with your company tell us first of all, where are you located and what do you kind of specialize in?

Grant Taylor:

Well, we’ve got four locations in Western Canada. We’ve got Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, and Langley, and we specialize in suspension, repairs and replacement, whether it’s a trailer, a truck, a Kenworth, a Ford. We try to cover all that.

Jamie Irvine:

Okay. So you have been a distributor of the sample product for some time. Just how long have you been a distributor?

Grant Taylor:

We’ve been with Sampa for three years now.

Jamie Irvine:

So three years, Grant is long enough to really get a bit of a history with the company. You’ve used their products now for some time. What impact has being a distributor of Sampa’s had on your business?

Grant Taylor:

Well, it’s been huge growth for our business. We’ve always been a traditional spring shop, steel springs, everything from a ’55 Chevy to a Kenworth truck, and we wanted to broaden our product offering. So once we got in business as partners with Sampa, it’s grown exponentially. Our suspension side of our business has probably grown four or five times over the last few years. It’s been great.

Jamie Irvine:

That’s fantastic. One of the things they talk about pretty regularly is their manufacturing capacity, the inventory that they’ve been able to maintain during the pandemic. I’m sure everyone, you had some supply shortages from some suppliers. What’s it like with Sampa?

Grant Taylor:

Oh, it’s great. They’ve increased their inventory many times. They came into the United States and North America not knowing how everybody was gonna react. And it’s grown quite a bit. They’ve got stock for us, it’s reliable product. They’re one of our few suppliers that we can really depend upon. Their delivery is few days, not weeks and months like everybody else. So it’s been great.

Jamie Irvine:

Fantastic. Well Grant, if people want to check out your company, where should they go?

Grant Taylor:

Well, it’s wwwcityspring.com and we’ve got a great website. If you need to get ahold of me, I’m available in Edmonton. Anybody who wants to give me a call. But we’d love to talk to anyone that wants to talk to us about Sampa.

Jamie Irvine:

Fantastic. Well thank you so much for being on The Heavy-Duty Parts Report. Nice seeing you again guys.

Grant Taylor:

Nice seeing you, Jamie. It’s great.

Jamie Irvine:

We’re here at the Sampa Booth and we’re with Julie Arellano from Harbor. So you have an interesting perspective of Harbor Truck Parts because it’s a family business for you, correct?

Julie Arellano:

Yeah, so my dad started the business in 2006 and myself and my husband Daniel decided to join in 2017 because it was expanding so much.

Jamie Irvine:

Well that’s exciting. It’s very important for independent companies to have success. So Julie, when it comes to the history of the company, like you said, started in 2006 how many locations do you have? How have you been able to grow and expand?

Julie Arellano:

Yeah, so my dad, like I said, started the business back in 2006. In 2015 he saw a lot of growth and a lot of potential. And so then in 2018 we launched our Gardenia location and then in the next year we launched our Ontario location. And since then we’ve just been expanding. This year alone, we’re gonna open two more stores, so we’ll be six. So it’s just been growing like crazy and we’re just taking it.

Jamie Irvine:

What would you attribute that growth to? What are you doing that’s allowing you to have that much of rapid growth? Because a new branch every year that that’s a big job.

Julie Arellano:

Yeah, I think a lot of it’s that we try to be a one stop shop for the truckers, the fleets, the mechanics. We try to have everything for them and we focus a lot on customer service. We pride ourselves in delivering, having quick deliveries. We have hotshot drivers and I think our customers love that we have that for them.

Jamie Irvine:

Yeah, well when I sold parts, I know that when someone orders it, they’re not just ordering for fun, they usually need it because the truck’s gotta go. When it comes to the way that you approach the products that you sell when you’re a distributor, you do have a lot of choices and you have to make some choices. So from just from your perspective, why did you choose Sampa?

Julie Arellano:

So we chose Sampa because we love the way their product is displayed. We love just how their boxes look, just even their airbags. They come in plastic bags and customers love that. And the quality of, yet we are confident that it’s not going to leave a truck on the road. And the customers have trusted us in that and we trust Sampa that if anything goes wrong behind us and vice versa.

Jamie Irvine:

And that is so important because the purchase price is one thing of a part, but then the downtime is something completely other. Well I think now we’ll have to talk to your husband and see what he thinks.

Julie Arellano:

Yes. Agreed.

Jamie Irvine:

Thank you so much for being on The Heavy-Duty Parts Report. It was wonderful to meet you.

Julie Arellano:

Thank you. Nice meeting you too.

Jamie Irvine:

So we’re here at the Sampa Booth and I’m really happy to have someone who I’ve talked to on the phone before a couple years ago. But now we get to finally meet in person, Daniel Hynes, Vice President of Purchasing, co-owner of Harbor. Welcome to The Heavy-Duty Parts Report.

Daniel Hynes:

Thanks so much, Jamie. Great to be on.

Jamie Irvine:

Yeah, it’s nice to see you in person. That’s why I love about getting back to all these shows. We’re at the Sampa booth. So before we get into you being a customer of theirs, let’s talk a little bit about your company. So you’re a distributor of Sampa. What initially attracted you to them and why did you want to become a distributor?

Daniel Hynes:

Yeah, I remember, well starting up things with Sampa, remember being very busy and feeling like I didn’t quite have time to take a look. And then I remember jumping on a call with them and being really impressed. I remembered them sharing catalogs and really what struck me initially was branding because that was what was visible easily from catalogs from websites.

I thought they had a really strong brand that came across as a brand that I just, for whatever reason, they’ve done a good job and I could have confidence in. And then as we got speaking and as they explained the power, the control they have over the manufacturing process and then their focus on quality, it became obvious quickly to me that their focus was on quality and they could also execute quality in their products. And that’s something that is a huge concern of mine. It’s a huge focus of ours.

For many years we’ve been trying to focus on reliable parts, things that aren’t gonna be visited more than once, that the customer can be happy, put it on and it’s gonna do its job. And so that came across and then we just went full speed ahead and decided we were gonna do a bunch of switchovers and all the different product categories that they offer.

Jamie Irvine:

Well that’s fantastic. It’s really good to hear that you’ve had that success. How would you say that that has translated into impacting your ability to really serve your customer?

Daniel Hynes:

Yeah, well it’s easier as a parts salesperson on the counter you can rely on the product. You don’t can be honest about the quality of the product. And then also simply when you place that product on the counter as a sale and the person’s picking it up there, if anything impressed even by the box. So it makes life easier for the customer, but also for us selling parts there’s less of a defense to have to be made for the part itself and that’s just a joy. So that’s for us that this should makes life easier. And if we can make life easier, then we can do more and we can, if anything, pay more attention to other things that are going wrong, which we have to deal with.

Jamie Irvine:

That makes a lot of sense. And actually, speaking of things that everybody has to deal with going wrong, when you started with Sampa, it was before the pandemic. So then it’s one thing for someone to say, Hey look, we have control over manufacturing, we can keep products in stock, but how did it actually translate into action during the pandemic? Was there a difference with Sampa to other suppliers?

Daniel Hynes:

So everyone was dealing with very similar issues but I know that we certainly decided that we would take greater control over how we were buying. So one of the things with Sampa that isn’t always available with other manufacturers is the visibility of what they do and have also, they were very open in communication when lead times did extend, they just told us how it was gonna be even before the fact.

And so that allowed us to just tweak our system to make sure the lead times were reflected in how much we were ordering and how early we were ordering. But it’s that visibility, I think more than anything we can increase our and how much we stock and assume a longer lead time, but if we don’t have visibility, we can’t really react until you’re already outta stock. So that’s what they offered, that it was a huge value to us.

Jamie Irvine:

And you’re absolutely right, once you’re outta stock, it’s too late. So if somebody wanted to learn more about your company, where should they go?

Daniel Hynes:

Just go to harbortruckparts.com. Everything should be there. You’ll see all of our locations. You’ll see, you can even just click a button to call or click a button to email each individual branch. And then you can see brands and that we carry and product categories and we’re trying to make sure that’s up to date all the time. So anything new is gonna be, it’s gonna be there.

Jamie Irvine:

Thank you so much for being on The Heavy-Duty Parts Report and again, so great to see you in person.

Daniel Hynes:

No, thank you so much. Thank you for your time.

Jamie Irvine:

You’ve been listening to The Heavy-Duty Parts Report. I’m your host, Jamie Irvine. We’re here at AAPEX SEMA talking to the folks at Sampa. To learn more, go to sampa.com and to follow The Heavy-Duty Parts Report, go to heavydutypartsreport.com. Thanks for all your support.

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