Whittier, Calif. -- Tracy Industries has launched a unique arrangement with Mopar to distribute gas engines, transmissions, and torque converters throughout the United States.
The relationship began at existing company warehouses in Los Angeles, San Leandro, and San Diego, Calif., as well as Las Vegas, but quickly added other locations, including facilities in Kansas City, Mo., St. Louis, and Chicago, Ill., said Vice-President of Sales, Marketing, and Human Resources, Shea Baldrick.
"We are currently operating out of 38 warehouses," said Vice-President of Operations Greg McCanna, "nine of which (on the West Coast) also distribute Ford products."
Tracy Industries has 45 years of experience as a Ford Authorized Distributor of engines, transmissions, and torque converters, and nearly that long as a Ford Authorized Remanufacturer of products, which include engines, window motors, and calipers, said Treasurer Tim Engvall.
Baldrick said Tracy has now become one of three options for Mopar dealers to obtain engines, transmissions, and torque converters, with the other two being Mopar product distribution centers and local Power Dealers.
While in many ways Tracy will serve as a local warehouse, servicing dealers in the market, it will also offer additional services, including marketing assistance and delivery. Customers will continue to order the products through their local dealer, Baldrick said, which can determine if it is in Tracy's stock of 200-300 units.
If it is in stock, the dealer has the option of having the product brought to the dealership or delivered directly to the customer, Baldrick said, adding that the goal is to be able to deliver products to customers in major metro areas within three hours. "We are opening our warehouses with a 1 1/2-month supply of engines based on local order history and the warehouses will be resupplied weekly," she said.
"Typically, we go in a little heavy to make sure we have the products we need on the shelf," McCanna said
All available engines and transmissions will be stocked in at least one of the company's warehouses, Baldrick said, allowing for shipment from another location if it is out of stock.
Baldrick said Tracy has hired employees with strong automotive experience in each of the regions. "Our salespeople will primarily start out calling on the dealers in the region to get them to know us and understand how we do business," she said.
Greg Gordon, who is regional manager for Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin said that dealers and installer both benefit from the company's local inventories and hot shot deliveries to locations within 50 miles.
Gordon said that he handles customer service for the Kansas City market, while Ryan Fisher is the St. Louis district manager and Jim Loomis is the Chicago district manager.
Baldrick said the district managers call on fleets, installers, and repair shops to build awareness of the available products, the differences between the OE remanufactured products and the aftermarket, and the levels of service that can be expected. "These are great products at competitive prices," Baldrick said, "so a lot of what needs to be done is just building awareness.
"That is the company that built the vehicle," said Gordon. "Who else could know more about how to remanufacture it. Their work includes the latest engineering upgrades, backed by an OE warranty, with service provided by your local dealer."
Baldrick stressed that Tracy is not a competitor to local dealers but is rather meant to complement them. "The first question we always ask is if the shop does business with a Mopar dealer, and if the answer is yes, we refer them back to that dealer for orders," she said. "If not, we will tell them who the local dealers are and let them choose."
Because the engines, transmissions, and torque converters that Tracy is distributing are OE-remanufactured products, Baldrick said one major advantage is a warranty that allows the product to be serviced at the repair shop where it was installed (with parts and labor paid) or at any Chrysler, Dodge, or Jeep store in the country.
For dealers, Baldrick said the relationship not only allows them local access to a lot of additional powertrain inventory but also means that Tracy will be advertising the products in local trade publications, will partner with dealers on advertising, and will work with their outside salespeople to make sales calls.
Baldrick said the company soon would also open an outbound sales center to make calls on aftermarket and fleet customers and build awareness of the products. The company also works with dealerships to create direct mail campaigns targeting installers and fleets, she said.
Another unique program the company offers is to pay dealers $50 a month to display an engine or transmission in their showroom, Baldrick said. The program, which the company has used for years on the Ford side, helps build customer awareness that the dealer has the products available, she said, adding that the dealer can also offer the same arrangement to one of its customers.
"We don't just sell something to the dealership; we try to get involved with them and help them sell the product," Baldrick said. "We're not just a distributor and logistics company; we're also a sales and marketing company."
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