Welcome to this new section of our newsletter. Each month, we will feature one of TRW’s European customers for our ‘Distributor Focus’.
This month we talk to the man behind one of the UK aftermarket’s most well known independent businesses – Kevin Cooper, of Kevin Cooper Motor Factors. The business first opened its doors to provide automotive parts to local independent garages in the Southwest of the country 30 years ago and has been a TRW customer for more than 20.
“The business is centred around the Devon and Cornwall area. It’s the area we know best and the area in which we intend to stay and grow," said Kevin Cooper, founder and managing director.
The opening of two new branches in the past year takes the number of branches to 18, the total employee headcount to 150 and total number of vans to 65. The branches are located at: Brixham Bude, Callington, Crediton, Ilfracombe, Ivybridge, Kingsbridge, Launceston, Newton Abbot, Okehampton, Plympton, Roche, Saltash, Tavistock, Torpoint, Totnes and the company’s head quarters in Plymouth.
After 12 years working for a well-known Motor factor in the South of England, Kevin Cooper, spotted an opportunity in the market and started trading in March 1980 - operating from a small unit in Plymouth – with just three employees. Business flourished and just three years later, in 1983, Kevin opened his second depot in Tavistock. And the rest, as they say…is history.
Kevin continued: “One of the reasons I think we have seen such a steady growth, is that we have stayed in the area we know – working with and for the people we know. Whereas many of our competitors operate from major cities we have established a network of depots in smaller towns enabling us to offer a rapid delivery service to the local area. We are completely independent and not a member of any buying group.
Getting the right parts, in the right quantities to the garages we serve – when the garages need them - is literally what our business is all about. We therefore invest a great deal of time and money in both our ordering systems and in the training of our employees.
“We also closely watch the market and are acutely aware of technological developments to make sure we are in line with industry growth. I see braking and filtration as being particular areas of growth in the immediate future and so we are heavily focused on these parts. We have good working relationships with our suppliers who work hard to ensure we are provided with the parts our customers want, as quickly as possible. Close working relationships in this industry take time and effort to grow – as they are based on mutual trust and understanding. For example, we have been working with TRW Automotive Aftermarket, the company that supplies our braking portfolio for over 20 years.”
In-depth ranges of stock are kept at the main depot in Plymouth, while each depot has a smaller range of stock that is backed up by deliveries from Plymouth two or three times a day to ensure that the right parts are always available in the right quantities. We have a fleet of 65 vans generally operating an ‘on demand’ delivery service, within approximately a 10 mile radius of the individual depot. The majority of the van fleet that service customers are Peugeot Bippers. Larger, Ford transit vans service Kevin Cooper depots.
“With space being of a premium and with the car parc expanding and new models appearing literally month by month, very few garages are able to keep all of the stock they need to service the varying makes and models that they get through the door on a daily basis. Therefore, the ability to deliver parts to them quickly is paramount. And of course, it helps that we are located within a relatively small geographical area.
“Around 90% of orders from garages come via the telephone. Customers can also order on-line – a method that is becoming increasingly popular with our customer base. Our employees are both the face and the backbone of the business, so as well as investing our energies in providing quality product, on-time delivery, premium brand choice and programme range, employee training is right at the top of our agenda. We have two dedicated training rooms where suppliers train our staff on existing products or new product ranges that we supply.”
“The industry has changed so much since the early 80s when we started. There were no computer systems and everything happens so much quicker now – therefore expectations are higher. The man on the street expects the garage to perform a quick fix – and doesn’t want to have his vehicle off the road for days at a time – and we have to be able to deal with that and supply the necessary parts to the garage quickly. We really do pride ourselves on our reliability and competitive prices and we strive to keep our customers happy on every level,” Kevin concluded.