A year in the aftermarket at Denso
As the festive season approaches, Denso UK is celebrating a year of innovation, range expansions and customer achievements
The past 12 months have seen Denso UK’s Aftermarket product range expands to cover more vehicles than ever before. Alongside helping workshops give drivers the best possible service, Denso has celebrated customer successes with a number of incentives run throughout the year. A busy trade show calendar also meant plenty of opportunity to meet with the aftermarket industry at important shows such as Automechanika and Autoinform Live.
Product Extensions
In 2017, Denso made important range extensions across core product lines to expand the availability of their parts to drivers, helping workshops to offer the highest quality aftermarket products to customers.
Engine Management Systems
To kick off the year, Denso expanded its Engine Management System range with six new Mass Air Flow Part Numbers. Mass Air Flow sensors are vital for engine efficiency. By detecting the amount of air drawn into the engine, the signal they give is used to calculate the amount of fuel then delivered to the engine.
With the addition of six new part numbers, Denso expanded across 92 new applications, covering 6 million vehicles including Ford, Honda, Land Rover and Volvo. In addition there are also 26 new OE part number cross references.
Wiper Blade Updates
Denso has long been known for its industry-leading wiper blade technology in the shape of its flat, hybrid, standard and rear wiper blades. In February, 26 new part numbers for flat wiper blades were introduced to the range, adding applications for a number of new car models including Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Opel and Volvo. In November, Denso went onto launch a new wiper blades catalogue complete with 64 new part numbers to help workshops easily navigate the growing range in time for the harsher winter weather and the upsell opportunities it brings.
Ignition Updates
Ignition output is key to ensuring effective fuel combustion, and a vital part of Denso’s continued drive to lower car emissions. Ignition coils play the crucial role of converting the low voltage of a car battery into the thousands of volts which are then used by Spark Plugs to generate a spark. In May, Denso helped workshops better service customers with ignition problems by providing car fault-finding tips which may point to ignition coil failures.
A/C Troubleshooting & Range Updates
Tying in with the arrival of the summer months, Denso offered advice for workshops to aid them in better servicing car A/C systems with a troubleshooting guide available on their aftermarket website. Denso found that the use of the wrong compressor oil is the most common reason for faults in A/C systems. A month later, Denso went on to release 27 new part numbers for its A/C compressors in time for rising summer temperatures. The new part numbers have been consolidated to cover 55 OE references and 293 vehicle applications, and remain components of choice to key manufacturers such as Audi and BMW. In July Denso went on to release key Thermal Range updates in the form of 35 new part numbers consisting of five Condensers, nine Cabin Blower Fans ten Intercoolers, nine Radiators and two Radiator Cooling Fans.
Iridium Anniversary
Denso was proud to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Iridium Spark Plug, a key innovation used across road and many race cars. To celebrate this, Denso released a video highlighting the benefits of its Iridium TT Spark Plugs. With a 0.4mm Iridium point, the Iridium TT Spark Plug remains one of the most efficient ignition technologies to date, delivering highly responsive driving and improved fuel efficiency to drivers. Denso showcased the components performance alongside Rebecca Jackson at Donington Park during her final MINI Challenge Race of the season.
Trade Shows
In June Denso exhibited and attended the Automechanika Birmingham show, the UK’s leading automotive event. Here they were joined by new brand ambassador and celebrity racing driver Rebecca Jackson who was on hand to greet attendees. Denso also used the event to launch their e-Videns product, an innovative vehicle diagnostics tool which will soon be available to the market and will help workshops boost engagement with customers. As a new member of the Original Equipment Suppliers Aftermarket Association (OESAA), Denso also participated in a number of seminars led by the OESAA, helping to highlight the benefits of fitting OE quality replacement parts to both workshops and their customers.
In October Denso was present at the UK Trade Show in Manchester, a joint exhibition for both GROUPAUTO and UAN motor factors, making it a great opportunity for Denso to meet with valued customers face-to-face. It was here that Denso launched its ‘Fill My Wallet’ campaign, a reward scheme whereby UK stockists could earn points for every 10 spark plugs they purchased to spend on the Love2shop platform. The incentive ran from October and will continue into December, with a number of workshops already benefiting from the credits earned.
In November, the OE supplier’s spoke at Autoinform Live, an annual event which highlights the importance of OE quality products over cheaper ‘Matching Quality’ imports which are often of sub-standard quality and potentially hazardous to drivers. Denso Technical specialist Mike Sadler focussed on Lambda sensor technology including the products’ origins, types and characteristics as part of the seminar programme.
Customer Celebrations
This year has been another great year for Denso UK thanks to its loyal customers and throughout the year the brand has celebrated those who have exceeded their sales targets.
In August Denso joined the Autosupplies Chesterfield team on the racetrack, supporting an endurance karting event held at Amen Corner Karting track, Mansfield. The event celebrated the stockist’s recent business growth and the rise in sales of Denso products. Autosupplies managing director, David Clarke, said: “The team had a fantastic time. Events such as this one enables us to strengthen relationships within our own team and work with suppliers to deliver high standards of customer service.”
The year also ended in style for Denso UK winners of the ‘Denso Rewards’ incentive, who were treated with a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Thailand to celebrate their success. During the trip travellers were taken to the award-winning Siam Denso manufacturing (SDM) factory which is currently the third largest producer of Common Rail Systems and employs over 3,000 workers. The trip was enjoyed by all, with even more incentive to deliver outstanding results in 2018.