FPS Vital News | Page 2

INSIDE THIS ISSUE… REGULARS 2 Note from the MD 3 For Your Information 14 Newsdesk 15 Take a Break with PMA 26 FPS Product Index 28 Competition Time Your chance to win a bicycle of your choice – plus a Winter Cycle Pack, courtesy of REMY! FEATURES 4 Testing Excellence FPS invests in quality control with ‘The Lab’ 6 Kit Out the Shocks BOGE explains why you should always complement new shock absorbers with their associated service kits 6 DENSO Gap Fillers Expanding the 360° application coverage with more products from DENSO 7 Switched On CAMBIARE talks about power steering oil pressure switches 8 Heat Resist and Don’t Lose Your Cool VITAL NEWS discovers important tips on interior blowers and heater resistors 9 Mind the Gaps FEDERAL-MOGUL addresses queries about the apparent differences in piston ring gaps 10 Bright Opportunities RING sheds light on the latest developments in LED lighting 11 The Common Interest VITAL NEWS investigates the latest in Common Rail technology 12 MAHLE Innovation and Uncompromising Quality Introducing the MAHLE range of original components and VICTOR REINZ sealing products 13 FPS Galvanises Supply Chain FPS reinforces supply chain network by streamlining same-day inventory 16 Start-Stop, Power On GS BATTERIES describes the challenges of Start-Stop technology – and how you can benefit from it 17 Partner Up with GATES VITAL NEWS finds out how to benefit from the TechPartner Programme by GATES 18 Clean Cooling FIRST LINE tells VITAL NEWS all you need to know about electric water pumps WELCOME Note from the MD Welcome to the latest issue of Vital News. The past few months have been a whirlwind of change. We started with Brexit, the market’s knee jerk reaction to the surprise outcome, and then the slow realisation that the world hadn’t ended as we “kept calm and carried on”. Then the massive GB medal haul at the Olympics, what a shame half the races were in the middle of the night as the US media controlled the schedules, but still a fantastic achievement. And then we have our very own “Lexit”, with the announcement that Lookers has reached an agreement whereby the Parts Division (consisting of FPS, Apec and BTN) will transfer to the ownership of Alliance Automotive Group, a large European aftermarket business, backed by Blackstone. As with Brexit, this was a surprise for many, but we really see it as moving from a main dealer investor to an aftermarket investor. We will continue to run independently and work as hard as we can to serve all of our customers to the best of our ability, just as we have always strived to do, so essentially no change. As a demonstration of this, this issue of Vital News covers our continual efforts to reinforce our supply chain where we catch up on the progress of our Super Branches. Our commitment to delivering value and quality has led us to invest in the expansion of our quality control centre. Find out more about the extensive measures that our team have put in place to set the standard in customer satisfaction and QC on page 4. We also celebrate a new partnership with aftermarket giant, Mahle on page 12. This has afforded FPS to further galvanise and expand our component portfolio. Vital News also has a guide on piston rings by Federal-Mogul and news from our suppliers like Boge, First Line, Ring, Carwood, Cambiare, GS Batteries, Gates, Comma, Castrol and Anaf. As we approach the colder months, page 19 covers winter essentials to make sure that you don’t get left out in the cold with sales. We also have an interesting take on winter sales by preparing you for winter cyclists. Many cycling enthusiasts would not miss a chance to get more miles in during the colder months, no doubt spurred on by our Olympic success. They will need to be kitted out for winter cycling. Page 20 has some sales ideas to brace you for the seasonal demand. We also have a summarised update from Wendy Williamson on IAAF activities. As always, we continue to look forward to your feedback on how to make the business better. Meanwhile, happy reading! Neil Davis Managing Director, FPS [email protected] PROUD TO SUPPORT CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE… 19 Brace Your Shelves. Winter is Coming Making sure you’re well stocked with winter essentials 20 Warm Up for a Cold Cycle VITAL NEWS sheds light on sales opportunities from winter cyclists this season. 21 Going with the Flow COMMA explains why using OEM-approved oils is so important 22 Stop Idle Damage, Start with Magnatec How CASTROL’s Magnatec provides vital protection for your customers’ engines 23 Fighting Flames with ANAF ANAF stresses the importance of effective fire control ORANGE = PMS P30-8C GREY = 40% BLACK 24 IAAF Update The latest news from IAAF Chief Executive Wendy Williamson 25 Hard-to-Find Parts The latest additions to the 360° parts portfolio 2 CONTENTS VITAL NEWS ISSUE 44