This month’s cover story – Tales from Under the Hood – clearly illustrates why there will always be a market for the service you provide. It has been said the human will can triumph over any adversity. It should also be said that good old fashioned human ignorance, procrastination and the oft ill-fated notion of “I bet I know a better way” can result in adversity that would make even the stoutest of wills shudder.
Neglecting recommended maintenance practices, putting off necessary repairs and engaging in a little amateur engineering are all ways some customers will contribute to your bottom line, usually sooner rather than later. This mentality ensures systems and components will fail, trucks will break down and you will have gainful employment well into the future.
Add to this the normal wear-and-replace cycles of components and it would seem there are plenty of reasons for a vehicle to require service and repairs without having to stack the deck against it by installing counterfeit parts.
I was shocked last month during the Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network’s Annual Business Forum to hear Haldex’s head of technology, Chuck Kleinhagen, remark that his company knows of at least 25 companies making cloned copies of their components. I knew the problem of counterfeit and cloned parts was widespread, but had no idea it was so pervasive that one company could have that many “competitors” robbing their design and passing it off as an original or as-good a product. It undermines the substantial investment made in research and development, testing and validation, and branding and marketing. It raises the cost of the product – companies endure considerable expense to protect their intellectual property and litigate against those who steal it. Not to mention these knock-offs are almost universally substandard in quality and manufactured with little regard to safety and compliance.
The argument has been made that it’s the customer’s choice when it comes to specifying a counterfeit part. The demand necessitates the supply.
This may be the case, but I again refer to this month’s cover story and caution that, despite the adage, the customer may not always be right. The desire to cut costs or gain a competitive edge can often cloud otherwise sound judgment. The role of that little voice of reason can, and should, be yours.
I point to one particular tale in this issue told by Duke Drinkard, former vice president of maintenance for Southeastern Freight Lines. He turned down a friend’s request to modify an engine to gain more horsepower, explaining that he knew his friend’s livelihood and ability to support his family rested on the uptime of that truck. His friend left in a bit of a huff and had the work done elsewhere. Duke got the call the next day to come undo the work that had been done, which disabled the truck.
The operator did what he wanted to do. He could not get what he wanted from Duke, so he went elsewhere. After he got what he wanted, and the unexpected and unfavorable consequences, he returned to Duke to set things right.
Customers will make choices, sometimes the wrong ones. Take on the role of educator, let them know the risks and the liabilities. They may go ahead and make the wrong choice anyway. But, as in the case above, when they come back after learning their mistake, you’ll still be there to set things right.
