Parts Dept=Stepchild?

[Richard]

anyone else feel like a redheaded left-handed stepchild of the dealer world?
how many of you get everyone else's broken furniture, instead of new? how many of you get to take out everyone elses trash because other managers/employee's can't find their way to the dumpster? How many of you lose floor space to filing cabinets with 10 years of deals/A-R/A-P, ect? How many of you lost valuable bin space to Special Tools, plus got the much "needed and desired" (ha ha) status of having special tools in your dept?

Basically, what I want to know is how did YOU get over, around, or through these type of things? I have been here 8 years, and in 8 years have lost probably 25% of my warehouse to other departments, offices, files cabinets, tools, ect, while maintaining approx the same dollar value of inventory......ok, what I really want to know, how did YOU get out from under being the "Rodney Dangerfield" of the dealership?

[Chuck Hartle]

In one sentence....

Sell, Baby, Sell !!!!!!!!!

Richard,

Having overcome the "Rodney Dangerfield" syndrome in our store (I was lucky enough to have the owner's office at our second dealership... and "YES" I was the Parts Director then) really was a matter of the owner treating us the same way he treated everyone else...

The fish stinks from the head down, so the saying goes! If the dealer allows any dept. to seem like a second class citizen it is his own fault.

Storing records in the parts department is something that has been inherant since the beginning of dealerships. The way I finally got that monkey off my back was to start scanning and archiving all paperwork from all departments. Wow! Did I get a lot of room back.

One thing you can do, if you feel comfortable in your position at the dealership, is to "PUSH BACK". Have you expressed your feelings to the dealer? I have heard dealers say that their parts manager never expresses his "PINNED UP" frustrations until it was too late.

I can only sympathize with you because I am sure 90% of the parts managers who read your outlook could put the same shoes on!

Keep talking!!!! We'll listen and hopefully offer some solutions (if not; compassion) for your situation.

Chuck Hartle'

[Richard]

in the 8 years i have been here, we went from a $200,000 inventory (80% obsolete)to $165,000 with less than 20 % Obsolence. Yes, I realize that 20% still sucks, but it is coming down steadily, and should be under 10 in 6 to 8 monthes. Our ROI is at it's best level ever in the history of the store. We hit the RSG 10 monthes last year, and everytime I get decent help, as soon as they are trained and working well, they get transferred out to either service or the body shop. I have talked to the dealer, and he agrees with me, but tells me he is doing everything he can with our limited space.
I guess my best bet is to become Oliver Twist......."Please sir, can I have some more?"

[joe r]

Richard, it sounds like you have done a good job of turning the inventory around. Now you need to make the dealer think of his parts as dollar bills instead of parts. Ask him to make time (30 minutes a month) to go over his investment. After a few meetings he should (mine did) start paying just a little more attention to his parts department. And just that little will allow you to make him understand that the cramped spaces are not good for his investment.

It has worked for me at my present dealer and in the past. Some dealers just don't care but most don't realize the importance of their parts dollar investment. If you can meet regularly with him one on one he should start to have a little more respect for parts needs.

Joe R