Truck sales boom pushes parts supply to the limit

Jun 03, 2023

Date: 11.07.2023

After three decades as the biggest selling brand in the light and medium truck segments in Australia the demand for Isuzu parts to keep vehicles on the road is epic

For 34 years in a row Isuzu Australia Ltd has topped the leader board when it comes to truck sales in the light and medium segments of the market.

Hundreds of thousands of their trucks grace the roads of Australia and the South Pacific. It is a business of scale, and one that needs massive support in place.

For Isuzu dealers and customers, the central hub behind their experiences with the brand can be found at the 15,000 sqm National Parts Distribution Centre at Truganina, northwest of Melbourne’s CBD.

Recognised as one of the largest truck parts and component sites in the southern hemisphere, the state-of-the-art facility is also home to the Isuzu Power Solutions operations and development centre, and IAL Administration, Sales, Engineering and Services.

On the parts side, 50 staff work rotating shifts from 5am to 10pm daily to ship more than 16,000 items to the dealer network by air, rail, road and even sea for partners throughout the South Pacific.

It’s logistics on a grand scale with IAL receiving and processing an average of 450, 40-foot shipping containers every year.

"We pick an average of 3000 lines of stock every day, which equates to over 600,000 every year," IAL Parts Warehouse manager Leanne Peterson says.

"From that number, over 70,000 consignments are shipped-out every year to wherever they need to go. It is critical that we move extremely efficiently at this end of the supply chain so our customers can get out on the road again as quickly as possible."

Peterson says the warehouse holds about seven million items at any one time, ranging from tiny electrical components to replacement cabs, engines and transmissions.

Isuzu delineates those parts into three product ranges: Genuine Parts, Isuzu Approved Parts and its second tier Best Value Parts or ‘BVP’ range.

National Parts sales manager Joel Gledhill says the Genuine Parts range are manufactured directly for Isuzu to stringent Isuzu quality standards and testing, while the Approved Parts range is sourced from a number of leading brands including Meritor, Fleetguard, Eaton, Hendrickson and Allison.

"This ensures the ongoing reliability of an Isuzu vehicle and in many cases the parts can also fit other brands of trucks, which is beneficial for those dealerships and affiliated service centres who service a range of different truck brands," Gledhill says.

Isuzu’s ‘BVP’ range comprises a comprehensive selection of service parts to suit older model Isuzu Trucks. Included are starter motors, alternators, drive belts, brake components, clutch components and filters.

While the parts centre is certainly busy now, the team is busy gearing up for even busier times ahead.

Isuzu says the next 24 months is set to be an interesting period in Australian trucking history with the competing forces of high-volume sales, lingering supply chain issues and the manufacture of new battery electric technology to contend with.

IAL’s parts warehouse manager Leanne Peterson says her team are ready for the challenge.

"There certainly is growing demand but we have the facility, the technology and importantly the people to ensure Isuzu continues to be at the forefront in meeting the needs of our customers."

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