What is an Auto Parts Warehouse Distributor?
Let me use our ACDelco warehouse distribution agreement as an example. ACDelco is the auto parts arm of General Motors. When GM builds cars they contract with manufacturers all over the world to build all of the parts needed to assemble the vehicle. On any one vehicle this can be thousands of individual pieces. These parts are then delivered to the assembly plant and a vehicle is constructed for sale. When GM or Chevrolet or Buick or Cadillac or GMC then sells this vehicle they pledge to back up the auto parts needs in case anything goes wrong down the road. Some of these parts are designed to wear out and need replacing, like the brakes and tires. Other parts typically have a lifespan expectation that may be less than the overall vehicle. These are called replacement parts.
Most people are aware that when a car or truck needs repair, they can always take it back to the dealership to have the repair done and the parts replaced. The behind the scenes process that magically makes those auto parts available is where we come in. ACDelco has several very large, regional auto parts warehouses that are owned by GM. They are called parts distribution centers or PDC’s. A dealership can place daily stock orders from the PDC who will typically drop them off a few days later on a tractor trailer at their dock. We are contracted with ACDelco to be a LOCAL supplier of most of the parts they will need. So, if you drop your car off at the dealer and you need a new starter… unless they have it in stock it would normally take several days to come from the PDC. The good news is that we, the ACDelco warehouse distributor (or WD… GM loves acronyms) are just around the corner and will deliver it within the hour. As such we provide a very valuable component to the GM distribution system.
NOW… How does that help you? Because we have MANY warehouses built to service these dealerships, we have TONS of auto parts sitting on our shelves waiting to be sold. We are the WD for GM dealerships as well a a Motorcraft WD for Ford dealerships. Along with those lines, we carry dozens of lines to supply auto repair shops and jobber stores, even smaller auto parts stores. All of these parts are available to you at wholesale prices. Since our web page is almost completely automated, we don’t feel the need to add huge levels of retail markup. When you place an order at Autopartstomorrow.com, it automatically prints in the warehouse near the location of the item. The warehouse employee pulls the part from the shelf and puts it onto our conveyor belt system, where it will either go to the next parts location if you ordered more than one, or will ride up to our boxing area to be carefully packaged and shipped. Since most of our overhead is pretty much paid for by our traditional WD function, our costs are minimal. Very low cost allows us to sell at a very low markup. Getting you the part you need at the best possible price in the very fastest manner possible is what we are about. Autopartstomorrow.com is your direct warehouse distributor for auto parts!
**For the purposes of this blog post I have greatly simplified the definition.
