JOST has supplied transport operators and logistics providers with parts and componentry for decades. In recent years, the business has also navigated a variety of market fluctuations – one being the emergence of non-genuine parts.
JOST Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, Guy Locke, has been in his current role for two and a half years and has led the business through the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, a situation which greatly impacted both the commercial transport industry and JOST’s own capabilities. Yet, while the latter has been tirelessly addressed and improved and markets have begun to slowly return to form, the issue of non-genuine parts seems to be more present than ever.
JOST boasts a strong national parts service featuring a more consolidated inventory which, for Guy, is one of the company’s greatest points of growth.
“At JOST, we have definitely developed more efficiencies in our stock management and our inventory,” he says. “The availability of items and parts that we carry has improved substantially. We put a lot of time and effort into ensuring we have the proper stock in the right locations to service our customers which was obviously a challenge throughout Covid.”
While the rebounding of the commercial transport industry is undoubtedly good news for the country and the economy, Guy has noticed an unintentional side effect that stands to disrupt the operations of many companies and providers – non-genuine componentry in the market making its way into truck and trailer builds.
According to Guy, this issue has arisen as a result of the industry’s rejuvenated competition and is a growing trend as markets continue to bounce back. He says the increased competition pushes some companies with damaged items to procure spare parts quickly and cheaply from unverified sources to sustain their operations.
“The risk starts when the fleet operator or service provider needs to get a replacement part and they don’t source it from an authorised parts provider,” he says.
The risk of these non-genuine parts is present because they have not been tested or validated by the original component manufacturers. This means that they can put customers’ equipment at a much greater risk of being damaged once applied.
“Componentry made from trusted and proper manufacturers have been designed and built to work in harmony with the other parts of an OEM’s build,” Guy says. “When you introduce a component or item from a non-genuine source, it can be made of different material, be of a different density or have a different performance tolerance to what the OEM has specified. Putting an underperforming part into the build can cause a fundamental failure in the operation of the equipment.”
While all non-genuine parts can risk the performance of a vehicle, certain components such as fifth wheels, jaws, cushion feet and springs are more critical to its operations. Their installation and use can therefore cause serious issues for OEMs and fleets including operational accidents like unintentional decoupling of trailers, forced vehicle downtime, unnecessary financial costs for repairs and health and safety risks due to non-genuine parts not meeting compliance requirements.
While the issue of non-genuine parts cannot be adequately regulated, Guy claims the solution can be found in JOST. The brand’s trustworthy reputation and extensive national presence ensures that customers can access reliably manufactured parts and components anywhere.
“Our genuine products will keep OEM fleets operating safely and efficiently,” he says. “We’re one of the only component manufacturers to have operations in every state and we keep extensive stock to serve our customers on a national scale, so customers and OEMs know that if they order JOST parts they will work and be compliant with the products they’re being fitted onto.”
Aside from JOST’s role in supplying quality products to the market, Guy believes that the presence of non-genuine parts will decrease with time. Frequent technological breakthroughs made by the industry, he says, will make replicating products much more difficult.
“The more technically complicated our parts become, the harder they will be to copy,” he says.
However, JOST is committed to innovation and significant national outreach with quality, easy accessibility and diligent service.
“I can guarantee that JOST is here to support customers with genuine products which will keep their fleets running smoothly and safely,” Guy says.
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