LAS VEGAS. Meritor Inc. has revamped its five aftermarket brands in an effort to provide a product lineup that covers each stage of a commercial vehicle’s lifecycle.
During a press event at Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week, Meritor executives also said the company had further upgraded its e-commerce ordering system and was speeding aftermarket deliveries. Brett Penzkofer, vice president of aftermarket in North America, said the brands are broken into three categories: Good, Better, and Best.
The Mach brand, launched in September, falls into the Good tier. These are affordable, all-make parts that come with a one-year warranty, Penzkofer said.
The Better tier includes the Meritor, Euclid, and Meritor Reman brands, which are generally targeted at second and third vehicle owners.
Meritor Genuine is the lone brand in the Best tier, which Penzkofer said offers “the same parts used on new trucks and trailers rolling down the assembly lines.”
He added: “With our new brand structure, we’re offering high-quality parts across the board at better prices with the convenience of one-stop shopping to help our customers save time.”
To help gets all of these parts to customers, Meritor has opened a new West Coast distribution center in California serving 13 states. Aftermarket orders placed by 4 p.m. are now shipped out on that same day. A similar facility is scheduled to open in Ontario this April to serve eastern provinces in Canada.
At the same time, the upgraded Meritor Parts Xpress e-commerce platform is further speeding orders. The site has seen a 150% increase in new users since the site launched in April.
Justine Scriptunas, director of innovation and technology for Meritor’s aftermarket business, said the site is targeted at distributors, and not end consumers. She noted is it optimized for desktop and mobile viewing, and allows users to access most functions without logging in.
Also at HDAW, the company launched Meritor-branded air springs. “Meritor air springs are built to exacting Meritor quality and reliability specifications at a competitive price point as we continue to focus on enhancing our service to customers by delivering comprehensive aftermarket solutions,” said Krishna Natarajan, Meritor’s senior director of steering, suspension, and drivetrain.
Additionally, Meritor said it expanded its king pin kits to include offerings in the Meritor Genuine and Mach product lines.
