If you operate heavy equipment you know how expensive it can be to keep your machine working. You also know how much money can be lost if your machines are down. The life of a construction company depends heavily (pun intended) on its ability to keep moving, drilling, digging, and hauling. Larger construction companies have the luxury of plugging new parts and machines into their lineup without blinking because money is, generally speaking, no object to them.
As for the rest of us, keeping our Caterpillar excavator, Volvo wheel loader, Case backhoe, or any other Earth mover going takes more creativity. When it comes to buying parts, there are three main factors involved; cost, time, and quality.
Here at ConEquip Parts we get calls daily from companies which operate only a handful of machines. Often we get calls from machine owners with a job in limbo as they scramble to get an important part such as a main pump or final drive to get digging again. Many of those machine owners would buy OEM if they could but either they can't afford to get new parts or the part is backordered or worse, discontinued.
Many of the machines smaller construction companies are trying to keep up and running are older machines, some built in the 80s and earlier. They can't simply go out and buy a new machine or rent one for an extended period of time, so they need to keep the old girls going.
When it comes to parts buying, smaller companies generally lack the budget, time, and ability to make educated parts purchases. In fact, many companies that call us for parts are run by only one or two people. This can make parts buying extremely challenging for a machine owner who doesn't have the time or resources to sit on a phone for hours trying to find that discontinued axle housing for the old John Deere backhoe or the discontinued Volvo wheel loader bell crank. This is where a parts broker can be very valuable to a machine owner.
Here at ConEquip Parts we operate generally as a parts broker so take that into account as you continue to read this article but we assure you, we will be very thorough and fair when it comes to assessing our contribution to the heavy equipment parts world. Our objective as a parts broker is to provide a timely, cost effective, informative, reliable solution to our customer's parts needs.
The main question that arises when it comes to a parts broker is why a customer wouldn't simply avoid the extra cost by circumventing the broker to buy parts directly from suppliers. The answer to this question has four main components all of which were noted above; time, cost, education, and reliability.
When a machine owner is calling around for the part he or she needs, they are likely to come across our website at ConEquip Parts. The customer may or may not know ConEquip is a parts broker but within minutes they will discover a parts specialist at the other end of the line is prepared to handle the parts request.
The first advantage to using a parts broker is saving time. While the customer may have been calling around for hours, days, or even weeks to locate a part, it generally only takes a few hours or even just minutes for a parts specialist to provide a solution for the parts request. When a business owner is on the phone or computer for hours trying to find a part, he or she is not able to attend to other business responsibilities. Indeed, if time is money, hours on the phone or in front of a computer can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Parts brokers are armed with more than just a computer and a phone. ConEquip Parts has an extensive network of suppliers around the world with millions of parts, new, rebuilt, and used ready to find a home. Beyond that, established brokers such as our company have relationships with these suppliers.
Could a customer save money by contacting one of these suppliers directly? The honest answer is usually but not necessarily. Many suppliers do not even sell directly to the public. Because ConEquip Parts buys so many parts from companies around the world, some suppliers offer us a generous discounts. There are times when a customer will actually save more money buying parts from us than directly from the supplier we secure the part from.
We get calls from customers every day who need more than just a part, they need information on the part or machine they are working on. With so many machine models, with parts variations separated by serial numbers, machine owners too often end up getting the wrong parts for their machines. A reliable parts broker can help a customer avoid these unfortunate situations with expertise navigating parts books. Also, having experience working with many machines and parts, parts specialists at ConEquip Parts often help steer machine owners in the right direction. From experience they are often able to educate customers on availability of parts, what they can expect from performance, and help them navigate the market. In the end, the customer can make an educated decision when it comes to their situation.
Finally, a part broker will put itself between the customer and the supplier. Unfortunately, there are many unreliable companies that sell parts. Specifically speaking about companies that sell used parts, a machine owner is always taking a risk when handing over money for a part off a salvaged machine. A reliable parts broker assumes much of that risk, putting its reputation on the line. When a part is received that has a problem, it's up to the parts broker to do what it can to make sure both parties involved in the transaction are satisfied with the solution.
Parts specialists at ConEquip have built fantastic relationships with many companies. The machine owners at those companies have discovered how valuable their relationship is with their parts broker. As parts needs arise, those companies can get the problems solved often with a simple phone call. They get the part they need, at the right price, and have confidence if anything goes wrong with the part they will have a reputable company to correct the situation.
Brokers are valuable services in markets that are complicated to navigate. People rely on brokers when buying a home or stocks. A parts broker is just as important to machine owners who need help navigating what is often a complicated and confusing world of parts.
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