Eaton, Meritor Expand Aftermarket Parts Approaches
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GRAPEVINE, Texas — Tier 1 commercial vehicle suppliers Eaton and Meritor Inc. presented their latest approaches to serving customers in the aftermarket.
The separate announcements came during Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week Jan. 27-30.
Power management company Eaton announced its mobile power takeoff portfolio has expanded to include two new PTO units from Spanish manufacturer Bezares SA, intended to complement its all-makes parts portfolio.
Since automated clutches are found on more than 75 percent of new heavy-duty trucks, we're excited to introduce our Advantage Automated Series replacement clutches which fit the most popular automated transmissions. #HDAW2020 Learn more: https://t.co/iIDmHDLO7N pic.twitter.com/KX2wNYxKyi — Eaton (@eatoncorp) January 28, 2020
Eaton will distribute the Bezares 95X series four-bolt, rear-mounted PTO for the Eaton Cummins Endurant 12-speed automated transmission, and the new Bezares PTO for the Detroit DT12 automated transmission.
Eaton announced in early 2019 its vehicle group’s aftermarket division had reached a distribution agreement with Bezares to become the North American master distributor for its mobile power hydraulic portfolio.
“We have secured a strong distribution footprint across North America and will continue to build on the momentum throughout 2020,” Tim Bauer, Eaton Vehicle Group North America vice president of aftermarket, said in a release.
At the same time, Dublin-based Eaton announced it has expanded its Advantage automated series clutches to support automated transmissions featured on more than 75% of new heavy-duty trucks sold in North America.
The Advantage automated series portfolio includes aftermarket clutches for the most popular transmissions in operation in North America, including: Eaton Cummins Endurant, Eaton UltraShift Plus, Detroit DT12, Volvo I-Shift and Mack mDrive.
“Advantage automated series clutches include a clutch bracket with a hardened steel pivot ring, which better sustains loads throughout the life of the clutch, and larger spring fingers for better wear versus the competition,” Bauer said.
Meritor Announces Improvements to https://t.co/SQ8m6zqncp. To read the full press release, visit https://t.co/G5BkabdHYl. #MeritorNews #MPX pic.twitter.com/NEjdRuxa2E — Meritor (@Meritor) January 27, 2020
Meanwhile, Meritor Inc. announced in three separate releases new features and enhancements to the MeritorPartsXpress online site, Meritor-branded, all-makes aftermarket air disc brake rotors and the direction of its aftermarket training program.
MeritorPartsXpress includes an expanded catalog search function to include custom drill-downs for specific product categories. Also, it features optional email confirmation notifications for stock and emergency orders to let customers know when an order is in process or has shipped, among other enhancements.
“With these improvements, the 24-hour, self-service portal is not only for ordering parts, it’s also a comprehensive business resource for finding product information on more than 100,000 aftermarket parts,” said Christy Westrich, Meritor’s director of customer loyalty.
Also new in the aftermarket are Meritor-branded all-makes aftermarket air disc brake rotors for linehaul, refuse, vocational, coach and trailer applications.
The Troy, Mich.-based company noted warehouse distributors can consolidate stocking activities for multiple ADB parts that fit competitor applications by ordering from Meritor instead of buying from several suppliers.
Also at HDAW
Its aftermarket training program for 2020 — geared toward dealers, warehouse distributors, fleets and service garages — will focus on arming customers with specific product knowledge to help them drive part sales, improve customer satisfaction and keep trucks on the road.
The training program is in its second year. Based on customer feedback, Meritor will offer regional training during the daytime instead of evening hours. Training sessions this year will be four hours and spread over two days to avoid having an entire shift away from the workplace.
Meritor also offers on the MeritorPartsXpress website interactive training seminars, led by an experienced industry professional, at 11 a.m. Eastern time on the second Wednesday of every month.
The monthly topics for the 30-minute seminars, scheduled to begin Feb. 12, start with a new way to service hubs. The sessions are set to end Dec. 9 with the topic of proper wheel-attaching hardware.
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