Steel, Parts, and Grease: How one team drives forward under pressure

What does it take to keep fleets of vehicles on the road through a pandemic? Lots of steel, grease, and quality Harris parts. 

Well-tempered from years of experience, Commercial and Auto Spares (CASL) at Harris Group has made a name for itself as the go-to in aftermarket for trucks, LCV, and HGV in Ireland. 

The all-makes parts programme’s obsession with exceptional customer service resulted in CV Parts Distributor of the Year in the 2020 Irish Auto Trade Awards.

An award that is partly in thanks to the full range of premium aftermarket and OEM parts they provide for all commercial vehicles. 

With a market-leader 98% first pick rate of stock, Commercial and Auto Spares carries reliable, renowned brands including:

• Sampa, offering 40,000+ quality spare part products for heavy-duty commercial vehicles; 
• XXL Marmitte, boasting high quality aluminised steel exhaust components that are compatible with all major models of truck, bus and commercial vehicle brands in Europe
• Trucktec, specialising in spare parts for Mercedes and Volkswagen LCV manufactured according to the highest quality standards;
• QTC, producing bodywork spare parts for trucks in the top brands of Mercedes, MAN, Scania, Volvo, DAF, Iveco, and Renault.

Recently Commercial and Auto Spares expanded to include Febi products, from the Bilstein Group, and Uni Truck mirrors for all types of European truck, bus and coach. The addition of these sought-after brands reinforced the strength of the already robust parts programme. 

Capped with a sophisticated stock management system, this programme is a well oiled-machine and ensures a 24 hour delivery to their extensive Irish and UK dealer network.

Testing the strength of steel

You never truly know the strength of steel until it’s been tested. The lockdown certainly tested the steel in us all: our personal lives, our supply lines, our company organisation, and the bonds that tie us together.

We all watched as our buildings shuttered, streets quieted, shelves emptied—our lives changed.

We all saw that our frontline staff needed PPE to continue to care for us. Medical services required more supplies. Food from our farmers needed to go to our shops and distributors to feed for our families. 

Seeing an opportunity to help, the Harris Group stepped up. And no one felt the drive to contribute more than the team at Commercial and Auto Spares. 

“We were going through it with the rest of the country. We had to keep going and working to keep everything moving,” said Michael Meenan, Group Parts Manager, who oversees Commercial and Auto Spares.

Classed as an essential service provider, the Commercial and Auto Spares split its workforce into two groups, working one week on and one week off. Whoever could work from home did so, which allowed the team to operate safely and still help customers.  

“It was like the moving parts in a truck. Everyone had a job to do,” said Vincent Kavanagh, National Key Account Manager for Commercial and Auto Spares. “We were humbled to be able to support our customers through this time and ensure that they were set up to carry out their essential services.” 

The team greasing the engine 

Much of the success over the last few months is owed to the strength of the team at Commercial and Auto Spares. Chat with any member of the team and they will tell you that working together is one of their favourite parts of their job. 

Three key members really helped to grease the engine that kept the operation running smoothly during uncertain times.

Kavanagh is on the road throughout Ireland for most of the year. He relishes the face-to-face meeting with customers (now appropriately socially distanced) to build and strengthen relationships.

“The best thing about my job is the opportunity to go above and beyond to help a customer get a sale across the line and see that they get the best value for their money,” said Kavanagh.

Ring for a part, and you’re likely to hear the helpful voice of Adam McCarthy on the other end of the line. He answers customers’ queries usually related to finding, ordering, and tracking part deliveries. 

“I’m quite proud of the quality and quantity of the stock that we’ve sourced for customers,” said McCarthy. With more than 500,000 parts coming through the warehouse’s doors each year, that’s a lot of product to keep up with! 

If you’re looking for a specific part, Marcin Jakubiec is your man. Specialising in Commercial Bus and Coach Spare Parts, he helps organise the sale and ordering of goods for customers to keep public transport on the roads. 

“I look forward to interacting with our customers and suppliers,” said Jakubiec. “My satisfaction comes from knowing I’ve provided solutions and high quality products at a good price.”

If you ever find yourself in need of a part, the team at Commercial and Auto Spares in Harris Group have proven themselves to always have your back—even through a pandemic.

You can contact the Commercial and Auto Spares team here.