TPS, Volkswagen Group UK’s trade parts arm, is to launch ‘Brands at TPS’ this summer, boosting its parts offering and giving customers access to its widest range of products ever.
The UK’s 83 TPS branches, which are typically run by franchised dealer groups, will offer an expanded range of products to independent garages as the programme adopts third-party brands renowned for producing high-quality mechanical parts.
It is doing so to increase its coverage of the UK car parc, with a particular focus on older vehicles whose owners would rather not pay the premium associated with original equipment genuine parts. TPS has until now been focused on supplying the motor trade with VW Group approved genuine parts.
At launch TPS will offer around 2,000 third-party parts, with plans to increase this to over 10,000 as the ‘Brands at TPS’ range develops with new third-party brands being added to the portfolio as well.
In the initial phase, ‘Brands at TPS’ will introduce six well-known aftermarket suppliers: Bosch, a household name that will bring engine belts, filtration and braking products; ZF, a global leader of tier one quality products, bringing braking, shock absorbers, steering and suspension through its sub-brands Sachs, TRW and Lemforder; Mahle, specialists in cleaner engines, it will supply parts for filtration; SKF, the world’s largest bearings manufacturer will supply wheel ; bearings, engine belts as well as steering and suspension; Hella, global experts in electronics, bringing engine electrics products; and Valeo, TPS’s current group-wide supplier of wiper blades, bringing even more of their range of fly wheels, clutch kits and hydraulics
The latest motorparc data published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows the average age of a car on UK roads is now 9.5 years old and with nearly one in four cars on UK roads a Volkswagen Group vehicle, it’s a timely launch.
Catherine Baker, head of TPS, said: “We are proud to launch ‘Brands at TPS’ and in doing so boost our parts offering to our customers. We’ve always been genuine first and that doesn’t change. We remain dedicated to Genuine as our primary offer, but we can now offer a one-stop-shop for our mechanical customers’ needs, including a wide-ranging selection of third-party branded parts.
“So, whether it’s Genuine Parts for a five-year-old car or reliable, more affordable parts for a 10-year-old one, we aim to become the trusted one-stop-shop for keeping vehicles on the road – quickly, efficiently, and with unmatched expertise.”
TPS staff will be trained to be able to outline the differences between the new ‘Brands at TPS’ product lines and highlight the benefits and applications for each product; to assist garages.