Dayco sees new products, partnerships in auto and industrial markets.

The past eighteen months have been beyond challenging for everyone, both personally and professionally.

In the automotive industry specifically, the pandemic brought about much change and forced many suppliers to seek new and better ways to interact with customers in order to continue with worldwide distribution.

Through it all, Dayco’s North American aftermarket team has remained laser-focused on all levels of the supply chain to ensure that customers received—and continue to receive—the parts they need when they need them.

“To drive better performance, we prioritized key continuous improvement processes, including the recruitment of top aftermarket talent and a steadfast focus on inventory management,” commented Tom Tecklenburg, Vice President of Dayco’s North American Aftermarket.

“Our customers may have noticed that our talent bench has grown, especially in product management, and we made enhancements to our sales inventory and operations planning process. These actions have led to significant benefits for our repair facility customers in Canada.”

Thousands of new part numbers

While other companies in the industry were at a standstill, Dayco never stopped working for its customers.

The first project that the product management team tackled was an in-depth review of global product categories that the company could utilize for North American applications and cross-references. This resulted in thousands of new product applications, many in the off-highway and over-the-road segments.

“Building out Dayco’s current product offerings, tightening up supply chain operations and focusing on new products really helped move the needle for customers,” said Bob Rosen, National Sales Manager.

“Over the past 12 months, the company has incorporated nearly 50,000 new applications into its catalogue. New part numbers for raw-edge V-belts, industrial belts, water pumps, pulleys and tensioners were made available for large machines and off-highway vehicles used in Canada’s mining, construction, forestry and agriculture market segments.”

In addition, Dayco saw success with its automotive and heavy-duty water pump line thanks to the introduction of an industry-leading warranty program.

“We are one of the only suppliers with full control of the manufacturing process—from raw material to finished products. That way, we are able to ensure that our water pumps exceed OE criteria—with robust seals, bearings and impeller designs,” added Rosen.

Dayco also offers a timing belt with water pump kit—so that everything a technician needs for a repair is in the box. Feedback from a comprehensive 3rd party survey of more than 300 repair shops commissioned by Dayco in late 2020 confirmed the age-old notion that “time really IS money.”

Technicians’ desire for complete ‘repair in a box’ kits ranked very high in importance for this demographic group due to the ease-of-use and convenience kits provide in the bay.

Quality has been associated with the Dayco brand for more than a century so when the quality products shops have come to rely on are kitted, they are able to move vehicles in and out of the bay more efficiently than ever before.

Rosen also shared that Dayco will be introducing a new line of CVT belts for those that service the growing UTV, ATV and snowmobile market in Canada.

New relationships benefit Canadian customers

According to Tyler Samagalski, Director of Industrial, Fluid Power and Performance for Dayco North America, the company is both honing in and expanding its presence within the industrial market across the region.

“We are positioning ourselves for growth through the right product launches and appropriate partnerships as we re-emerge into the industrial market space with renewed focus. We know that these are both going to be keys to our success.”

One of the first steps for Dayco in that regard was becoming an active member of the Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA), an organization that includes a broad range of companies that manufacture and distribute mechanical, electrical and fluid-driven equipment.

By the end of the year, Dayco plans to introduce a robust line of industrial V-belts and banded belts that offer better performance on a wider range of applications, as well as expand its new Kwik-Flex value line of hydraulic hoses and couplings.

“These new launches are just the beginning of a real push into the industrial market space and why we are eager to announce our first-ever master distributor partnership in Canada,” said Samagalski.

As August’s issue of Autosphere went to print, the ink was still drying on a new contract between Dayco and PTM, a large Canadian-based distributor that has been representing some of the world’s leading power transmission component manufacturers since 1984.

“With a new line of hydraulic components as well as a comprehensive offering of industrial belts under our Gold Label brand, the timing for a relationship of this kind was perfect.

“We are looking forward to working together with PTM initially on our belt offerings to serve our industrial customers in Canada with local inventory and sales needs in a growing market segment,” added Samagalski.

Dayco’s industrial products and solutions are already being used by some of the largest companies in the world.

Ranging from low horsepower machinery to high-output equipment, Dayco covers applications that use belts to transmit power and hydraulic solutions to move pressurized fluids in the industrial, agriculture, fleet, lawn and garden, construction and oil field industries.

Integrated approach key to moving forward

With Dayco’s growth coming in both the automotive and industrial markets, and products engineered to ensure better performance, increased safety and reduced comebacks, the company hopes its Canadian customers see the opportunities that exist in stocking and installing its belts and components.

“As our product design and engineering continues to evolve, we are bringing to market more coverage and applications for the automotive and industrial market segments that meet ever-changing performance and environmental requirements,” said Rosen.

“This holistic approach is truly fundamental to Dayco’s success worldwide. New products and a growing inventory, coupled with excellent distribution and expanded business opportunities are core in our ability to move forward, always.”