2. Eliminating the Question of 'Will the Part Fit?'
In the mid-1990s, astute marketers and customer managers at DENSO’s aftermarket headquarters in California recognized that the service parts market in North America was shifting. Competition in the segment had intensified and demand appeared to have leveled off.
Sensing an opportunity to enter a market in flux – a classic DENSO move – DENSO Products and Service Americas (DPAM) launched First Time Fit® as a brand solution to what was ailing repair shops and technicians across the segment.
“We knew these customers and the competition in this category,” said Fran Labun, who joined DENSO in 1982 and most recently retired as VP and General Manager for aftermarket and other DPAM groups. “Most suppliers didn’t have the original-equipment relationship that DENSO had, and the quality wasn’t there. That meant products were returned and valuable technician time was wasted.”
The primary concern in this segment was simple: Was the replacement part going to fit?
The Value Proposition
“Our approach was to give the independent shop professional a product they could rely on and a brand name they would remember. We developed First Time Fit® to communicate the value of our original equipment (OE) strength and heritage, and to guarantee our parts fit right the first time and every time.
The strategy paid off as the First Time Fit® brand expanded quickly and significantly. Soon, this California born-and-bred DENSO brand was offering a lineup of parts well beyond its initial offerings of spark plugs and AC kits, including AC pumps, oxygen sensors, fuel pumps and injectors, starters and alternators, air filters, wiper blades and more.
Quality Drives the Solution
“We understood the value of a quality solution for our independent retailers and the shops installing a DENSO part. Their reputations and their businesses sometimes literally depended on the DENSO fit,” Labun said.
It was this knowledge, and the growing competition, that kept the Kaizen in everything DPAM was doing to advance the First Time Fit® name. This included motorsports sponsorships, showcasing products at industry events and earning coverage in segment media.
“First Time Fit® was a direct response to a market need,” Labun recalled. “We knew that with greater competition and the commoditization of some auto parts, we had to talk about the value and integrity of a DENSO product.
Today, DENSO’s First Time Fit® is marketed across the globe and distributed by NAPA, Carquest and WorldPac to professionals, and sold at top retailers, including Advance Auto, O’Reilly and others.”