New in 2020!
Aftermarket Parts Branding Study
MacKay & Company is pleased to announce our comprehensive examination of aftermarket parts’ brands for commercial vehicles.
Fleet owners and maintainers have a variety of brand options when replacing parts and these options continue to expand. Brand options provide fleets with part selections that best fit their vehicles’ application, age, and other factors. With the increased offerings by distribution channels and increased usage by fleets, it’s time to take a closer look into brand of parts and their usage.
Over the past few years, MacKay & Company has posed top level brand-related questions to both fleets and distribution channels. Fleets have indicated their use and familiarity with “all-makes” or second tier brands. Similarly, businesses that sell parts note that non-OEM brands comprise 35% of their total parts sold, with some variance by component.
Learn more about the Study through our Prospectus that outlines all the Study details, the key issues to be addressed with both fleets and distribution channel, and the Study’s deliverables. Want to provide input on the Study topics? Commit to the Study early on and add topics that are most relevant to you and your team.
Contact John Blodgett with any questions.
Truckable Economic Activity (TEA)
As we had anticipated in our last edition of the TEA newsletter, recent reports suggest continued softness in the trucking economy. Preliminary readings on some of the major series we follow, along with comments we gathered during our recent visit to HDAW, are part of the evidence we are compiling and will share with you once the statistical data are available. Along with you, we are monitoring the news about the coronavirus and its effects on global supply chains. 2020 promises to be as big, if not bigger, a challenge than was 2019 as the additional layer of uncertainty associated with the election comes into play.
We hope to have the next edition of the TEA newsletter out to our subscribers by early March. Subscribe now, if you are not already on the list.
2019 Was a Very Exciting Year at MacKay & Company!
Near year-end, we released two informative, in-depth studies — 2019 E-Commerce Parts Purchasing Study and the 2019 U.S. Truck & Trailer Service Study. The feedback that we have received from participating companies has been very positive — “allowed us to look at the growth areas”, “guiding our strategic initiative” and “helps us to target our sales and service efforts”.
E-Commerce Parts Purchasing Study
Our 2019 E-Commerce Parts Purchasing Study is our second examination of this ever-evolving online marketplace. In total, fleets are completing 12% of all parts purchases through an online source. Traditional brick and mortar establishments via phone or
in person, while still the “norm” are losing share as online purchases continue to increase. The “Amazon Effect” has turned into action for many distribution channels as they have increased their e-commerce capabilities, offering customers an online option. But, this business is still about relationships. How do you meld the two? What can you offer your customers and what does the current online marketplace expect from its sources? Check out our Table of Contents and contact John Blodgett with any questions.
Truck & Trailer Service Study
“Service, Service, Service”….for years, you have heard MacKay & Company say that “Service is the key to the parts business”. Our 2019 Truck & Trailer Service Study estimates the service labor market for medium and heavy duty units, trailers and container chassis to total 650 million hours. The service labor market continues to increase (our 2019 hours increased 4% from our last study in 2015) as the serviceable universe continues to grow. This Study details 27 component service activities, service shop practices, service transactions, service technicians and many other service-related topics. Take a look at the Table of Contents and contact John Blodgett to learn more about this Study.
