OESAA gathers big names from the truck and bus industry 23 August 2013

The campaign on truck and bus aftermarket component quality initiated by the recently formed action group of original equipment suppliers is gathering momentum.

Bosch, Corteco, Federal-Mogul, Knorr-Bremse, Mahle, Wabco and Yuasa have all signed up to OESAA (Original Equipment Suppliers Aftermarket Association).

Their stated aim is to increase awareness of some suppliers' false claims of OE quality – warning that unsuspecting workshops may be purchasing components not tested to vehicle manufacturers' quality standards.

The group is about to launch a new advertising campaign following the success of the 'horsemeat versus beef' related launch at Manchester Mechanex in May.

A constant stream of visitors compared a wide selection of OE components displayed next to their 'matching quality' equivalents and were dismayed by some of the more blatant examples which were described as 'a betrayal of trust' by one mechanic.

Group chairman Nigel Morgan, managing director of Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket (UK), says that the only way to be certain that you are fitting OE quality components is to fit parts from brands that supply parts for original fitment.

"The overwhelming majority of components produced by the members of the group are destined for the vehicle manufacturers' assembly lines," comments Morgan.

"The fact is that we also supply these exact same parts to the aftermarket in our own boxes, so you know that they have been designed, manufactured and tested to the exact demands of the vehicle producer," he continues.

"We believe that the only 'matching quality' is OE, and that it does not make commercial sense to fit parts that you cannot be 100% certain of in terms of quality and reliability."

Author
Brian Tinham

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