PDF, 13Mb - Dayco

Zoom
developed in Europe: as far as the
Aftermarket is concerned for instance,
there is a single database which provides
the necessary information for a given
market, and this information is then
adapted and localised. But this also
applies to the logistic and commercial
strategies strictly speaking».
Obviously, from this point of view, China
calls for a greater work of adaptation
compared to the South American market:
in fact, beside the European models,
some applications are exclusive for this
market and must naturally be included in
the offering and in the specific catalogue
for this area. And if the range currently
consists of flexible components for the
most part, it is clear that it will expand
more and more. «For example, it is still
too early to promote the kit culture as the
consumer is still rather wary of the repair
costs, but the distribution of vehicles with
high technological contents leads us to
believe that a more developed “repair
culture”, similar to the European one, will
gradually spread - asserts Bosco –.
Fifteen years ago, in Europe, nobody
wanted the kit; today, in most markets it
is the top selling product».
OBJECTIVE: VISIBILITY
The first presence of Dayco’s “new era”
at the Automechanika Fair of Shanghai
last December, was extremely important,
both from a commercial and
communication point of view “It seems
that the event efficiently borrowed from
the German formula, leading to an
improvement of the organisation and
better effectiveness of the exhibition”
says Bosco. And he adds: «Dayco’s
presence in this context was a strong
signal. It was not only a question of
visibility, to have a stand, to introduce our
catalogue and products, but also to have
the opportunity to present ourselves with
a structure and management that are
almost exclusively Chinese, selected on
site. In other words, to give the customers
the possibility of concretely perceiving
our presence on this market». The
visitors’ interest clearly confirmed that
the brand has a good positioning and that
the customer recognizes and appreciates
Dayco’s quality guarantee.
Before attending the next edition of
Automechanika in April 2011, Dayco was
present at the AutoShow China in
Shanghai: «This event of great
international value is mainly dedicated to
motorcars, and a vast section is reserved
to the Aftermarket, where the visitors can
have a clear proof of the actual mass of
investments made by all car
manufacturers. And it is important for the
customer to see Dayco side by side with
the producers, immediately identifying us
as Original Equipment suppliers and
leaders in the Aftermarket ».
Dayco will also take part in a series of
local fairs at regional and provincial level,
obviously meaning the Chinese Province,
together with the local distributors, with
the objective, as is the case in Europe, of
addressing first and foremost the final
consumer, i.e. the mechanic. However,
we have to consider that China’s
commercial model is extremely different:
«Spare parts dealers – explains Bosco –
are usually concentrated in great
organised complexes, the auto-centres,
where all the sector’s brands are present
side by side. In other words, the customer
Where the sun never sets: Dayco, sponsor of the Swedish Rally
The month of July is a special period in
Sweden: days are very long and the
darkness of the night lasts just a few
hours. For this reason, July is also the
month that the Swedes choose for their
holidays.
It is also the time of the Midnattsolsrallyt,
the “Midnight Sun Rally”, the most
important date of the traditional
Swedish Rally, one of the most popular
car races in the country.
This year Dayco will be attending the
main race as the sponsor of one of the
competitors, the PAS Motorsport team.
Pilot Per-Arne Sjöstedt and co-pilot
Robin Sjöstedt will race in a splendid
vintage car: a 1964 Two-Stroke Saab
96. This choice is in perfect agreement
with the “historical” spirit of the race,
and it is no coincidence that the finish
line will be the Saab Museum of
Trollhättan, birth place of the Saab cars.
wants to have the choice between a great
number of alternatives». For this reason,
the marketing strategy is significantly
different and must mainly focus on
greater visibility, in a material sense:
“Neon signs, posters, carefully prepared
show-cases. In other words – concludes
Bosco – a competitive, communicative
and even “aesthetic” model that is totally
different”.
An important
step forward:
the warehouse
in Germany
A few months of activity were
enough to confirm that the recent
opening of the Neunkirchen
warehouse in Germany (already
mentioned in the previous issue) was
a successful strategic choice. In fact,
if Dayco’s primary goal is to be as
close as possible to their customers,
the new structure allows us to
achieve this in the best way possible.
First of all, the presence of a logistic
base in Germany allows us to work
with distribution second-level
customers at national level, making
urgent “over-night” shipments if
necessary.
In addition, the favourable position of
the warehouse – in the centre of
continental Europe – greatly
reduces transportation times for
shipments to neighbouring
countries, which are thus supplied
directly from Neunkirchen.
Following the strong growth of last
year, the German structure has now
entered a new development stage,
with about 500 new locations.
The objective for this year is to
optimise the processes and perfect
the planning, in order to give the
customer an increasingly efficient
service level, further strengthening
the presence of Dayco’s brand in
Central and Northern Europe.
MAY 2011
15