Despite continued pricing pressures and parts shortages, the percentage of distributors turning to new suppliers due to availability constraints declined last year, MacKay & Company announced Monday in its 2025 DataMac U.S. Distribution Report.
According to the company, only 37% of survey responders altered their sourcing to account for availability challenges in 2024, down from 60% in 2023. MacKay & Company says these shifts accounted for anywhere from 5% to 37% of all parts purchased by responders in 2024, with the average of 11%.
MacKay & Company
The 2025 report offers other sourcing insights too, such as the increase in non-OE sourcing within dealer operations.
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MacKay & Company states its report showcases genuine OE brands represent nearly 60% of all parts purchased for resale or installation, with dealers and engine distributors reporting the highest shares. However the report also identifies a shift is occurring in the dealer segment, as dealer responders increasingly sourced aftermarket and non-OE parts at a higher rate in 2024 compared to prior years.
Inventory is addressed in the report as well. MacKay & Company states in 2024, the average number of sales days held in inventory was 46 days across all channels with engine distributors averaging the highest at 60 days and independent garages the lowest at 23 days.
The company says compared to the prior year, in 2024:
- 49% of businesses made no changes to inventory levels.
- 25% increased inventory, citing business growth, price inflation, line expansions, and bulk purchasing.
- 26% decreased inventory, driven by obsolete product reductions, sales declines, and cost control due to inflation.
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Featuring insights from 340 businesses across the dealer, distributor, independent garage, auto parts store segments and more, MacKay's 2025 Distribution report identifies market trends from across the medium- and heavy-duty aftermarket distribution channels.
Beyond these highlights, the report also provides a detailed view into parts and service labor sales and other sourcing and inventory strategies.
For more information on this report and other research completed by MacKay and Company, please reach out to John Blodgett at [email protected].
