Toyota New Zealand’s parts division is industry leading, with parts supply rates shining nationwide.
Toyota’s parts supply rate is at 95.5 percent, this doesn’t just cover new Toyota vehicle parts, it also covers parts for used imports as well. If you need a part for a Toyota, new or used, and regardless of where the vehicle was purchased from, the numbers show Toyota can provide it, and in most cases overnight.
Toyota New Zealand Assistant Vice President of After Sales Operations Michelle Povey says over the past two years with multiple disruptions such as Covid-19 and cyclone disasters, they’ve found themselves in a unique situation compared to other parts suppliers.
“A supply rate of over 95% for an OEM is huge. Our message to trade garages, is come straight to us as we’ve got the parts stock. This is a massive achievement considering the volumes or parts we stock and distribute, not to mention the variety. For maintenance parts alone our supply rate is 96.8 percent, and we’re supplying around 14,000 separate parts a month,” she says.
“I don’t think there’s widespread knowledge of just how big our warehouse operation is, how much space there is and how many parts we hold there. Whenever anyone visits they’re just blown away by the scale of our operation,” she says.
Toyota New Zealand’s parts division is run from its warehouse in Palmerston North. At over 37 thousand square metres, the warehouse services all corners of the country. At any one-time Toyota can have up to 50 thousand different parts on hand. The parts are dispatched overnight to our Toyota Stores in all corners of the country via Post Haste, and for larger parts via Mainfreight.
Collision parts
Toyota New Zealand also focuses strongly on its collision parts.
Michelle Povey says last year the team was tasked with improving the supply rate in collision parts.
“We classed all the parts and then realised for a few high demand items we were a bit short, so we built up bumpers, panels, windscreens and parts that move fast, increasing inventory levels.
“Our increase in stock was rewarded with sales, we have found people are coming to us as their first option. We’re also seeing a lot more collision insurance quotes, so our strategy is working,” she says.
Michelle says the feedback from repair customers speaks for itself. “Aside from the numbers it’s important for us to get this right so we can look after our Toyota vehicle owners, if you’ve had a collision there’s nothing more frustrating than your vehicle being out of action for longer than it needs to be. Having the right parts on hand is all about being able to get our Toyota drivers back on the road as quickly as possible as well, it’s a key focus for us.
“If you have a breakdown, if you are unfortunate enough to be involved in a collision, we’ll have the part you need and will be able to give you a really good estimate for arrival time. For the most part we are dispatching these parts overnight to Stores from our warehouse in Palmerston North,” she says.
