INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS: TOP STORY COMPOUNDING EFFECT
BUS DEALERSHIPS EXPAND, CAREFULLY CONTROL PARTS PURCHASING AND INVENTORY LEVELS TO SERVICE SCHOOL DISTRICT CLIENTS WRITTEN BY SYLVIA ARROYO
P
arts for school buses have become a hot commodity in the past few years as pressure is placed on transportation directors to spend
as little money as possible, forcing them to house fewer spare parts for aging fleets with older average ages. As buses run longer, they require more maintenance and replacement parts that might be difficult to find. “By having the parts on hand, we’re able
to get that bus diagnosed, repaired and re- turned to the customer faster,” said Richard Wolfington, Jr., vice president of Wolfing- ton Body Company Inc., a dealership that provides school and commercial bus sales, service, transportation and parts to Pennsyl- vania, New Jersey and Delaware. Te dealership sells Collins Bus, IC and
Trans Tech school buses, and is one of many across the country that has evolved to address the changing parts purchasing and inventory needs of school district transpor- tation departments, among other services.
PARTS INVENTORY EXPANSION AT DEALERSHIPS
Tis past year, Wolfington continued to
upgrade its service capabilities by leasing a warehouse located close to its main branch as a fully functioning parts distribution center. Te warehouse was up and running Dec. 1. “Our own dealership locations didn’t have
the capacity to handle the volume in parts,” explained Wolfington, who added that calls his staff receive from school transportation directors or fleet managers looking for parts are “more intense” than five or so years ago. Tat’s because the need for the parts is so high and immediate.
He noted the dealership has seen strong
growth across all makes of aftermarket parts. “Many of our customers who have to take
the low bid, they will have a mixed (age) fleet, so a big part of service for the custom- er moving forward is making sure we can supply all of their needs,” Wolfington said. In Holland, Mich., Holland Motor
16 School Transportation News March 2014
Homes and Bus Company, a Blue Bird school bus and RV dealership, expanded by 500 square feet to house more parts, bring- ing its total capacity to 5,000. Tis was part of a $1 million expansion completed last July that included more space for servicing — including six new service bays dedicat- ed to school buses — body repairs, parts inventory and sales support. Holland’s need to expand was also due to it acquiring new territory previously serviced by Ohio-based Cardinal Bus.
President John Dykstra said before the expansion, the dealership didn’t have space to stock larger parts such as bumpers and chargers. “We sell a lot of seat foams and seat covers, so now we have room for that. It’s added space for parts we couldn’t stock. Before, we had to order on an as-needed basis,” he noted.
A number of Blue Bird bus dealerships
were put to the test during the recent harsh winter weather, but both they and their customers saw little effects in terms of parts
NEW DAIMLER REWARDS PROGRAM OFFERS THOMAS BUILT PARTS DISCOUNTS
Thomas Built Buses’ parent Daimler Trucks North America offers a new online
program this spring called
MyTruckBucks.com designed to reward customers with parts and service discounts at Freightliner, Western Star, Detroit and Thomas Built Buses service locations. A company representative said that customers wouldn’t have to own a Thomas Built Bus to cash in on incentives. School bus operators would only need to purchase parts or utilize a certified Thomas dealer for service.
MyTruckBucks.com is currently allowing users to sign up to receive updates when the program is live. Specials offered will include discounts on select parts and services designed to introduce customers to the full scope of DTNA's aftermarket offerings. Customers can apply the discounts online at checkout without the need for coupons or to take further action. Truck Bucks is an extension of technologies implemented to improve customer
service and Web user experience in all aspects of parts purchasing, from the initial order to delivery through the life of the product.
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