Putting more parts on the shelves

The parts manager can never have too many weapons.

In recent months, Trailmobile Parts & Service Corporation has added several new products to the arsenal. Speaking at a meeting of its dealer and branch parts managers, Tom Nolan, director of purchasing, reviewed them.

• Shell Oil. This includes the company's line of motor oil, transmission fluid, synthetic grease, antifreeze, and hydraulic oil.

• Uni-Bond brake shoes and LED lights and mirrors. These are imported products for customers who are price sensitive.

• 3M automotive products. This program began about two years ago as an effort to consolidate the multiple divisions into a single buying source, Nolan said. Dealers and branches can now order such diverse products as caulk, duct tape, respirator masks, sandpaper, and trim adhesive with one order.

• Penz twist locks for intermodal containers and chassis.

• Replacement corner caps for competitive trailers, including Monon, Lufkin, Pines, Stoughton, and Strick.

• Windshield wiper fluid available in gallon containers or in 55-gallon barrels of fluid or fluid concentrate.

• Holland fifthwheels.

• Plywood from Brazil for price-sensitive customers.

• Nineteen-ply container flooring.

• Brakleen brake cleaner that meets California regulations.

• Kemlite ETR roof sheet.

Also in the works are separate programs for handling Duracell batteries and another for the sale of disposable gloves. “There is a huge market for disposable gloves,” Nolan said. “People do not want oil and dirt absorbed in their skin. These gloves provide the protection that they are looking for.”