PUMPS
UK SOURCING IS PARAMOUNT
MARK WATER PUMPS
RISING TIDE FOR UK-MADE
AFTERMARKET WATER PUMPS
Sourcing automotive aftermarket
water pumps from a UK manufacturer
is increasingly becoming the preferred
option, as stresses within international
supply lines continue to grow.
There are a number of forces powering a
trend to adopting UK made water pumps,
including greater confidence in product
quality, faster access to new products, more
efficient supply arrangements and more
security from international difficulties and
currency fluctuations. This represents a
significant change on the earlier position
of buying on price alone and hoping that
quality and service will be acceptable.
David Lewis, plant manager for Mark Water
Pumps Ltd (MWPL), manufacturer of the
leading ProFlow brand, says his company
is not only benefitting from the trend but
also helping drive its progress: “We keep
up with original equipment manufacturers’
(OEM) changes by constantly launching
new products, usually at a rate of two per
month. For instance, we will be the first
manufacturer in Europe to introduce a new
pump for Land Rovers 3-litre engine with
a two-piece casting. This supersedes the
earlier three-piece casting design, and is a
perfect match for the original equipment
(OE) pumps, both dimensionally and in
terms of performance.”
MWPL ensures quality by manufacturing
its pumps at the plant in North Wales and
carrying out comprehensive testing as well.
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“Our pumps have precise dimensional
equivalence to the OE products and we
do a full set of functional and life tests
so that we can be certain of long-term
performance in all conditions. Our objective
is always to produce the best products on
the market, so that we are the go-to option,”
says David.
To support logistics and efficient supply,
MWPL maintains extensive stocks of
finished products at its plant. This allows
it to provide weekly deliveries so that
customers do not have to tie their capital
up in large stock-holdings. The company
can even arrange emergency deliveries
if necessary. This contrasts with some
overseas suppliers, who require large
orders before they will ship goods -and
who cannot generally guarantee delivery
dates.
By buying UK-manufactured goods,
customers are also free from currency
fluctuations and other uncertainties such as
tariffs, customs delays and political upsets.
A key element of MWPL’s strategy is to
offer market-leading customer service.
“Having UK-based technical support means
we can respond to any technical queries
immediately and, if required, set up face-
to-face meetings within 24 hours,” says
David. “Our technical back-up is very much
appreciated and is a major contributor to
our success at winning repeat business.
However, we are not resting on our laurels,
Mark Water Pumps will be the first
manufacturer in Europe to introduce
a new pump for Land Rovers 3-litre
engine with a two-piece casting.
but are always looking for ways to improve
customer service further.”
“We have the simple objective of ensuring
ProFlow is the best pump range in the
aftermarket. This means ticking big boxes
for quality, delivery, support, price and
innovation. It is a multi-facetted approach
that is greatly supported by the fact that we
are a domestic manufacturer.”
About Mark Water Pumps Ltd
Mark Water Pumps Limited is an
automotive parts manufacturing
company based in Wales that
specialises in producing automotive
water pumps for both OE customers
and the Aftermarket supply chain.
An extensive product range is available
for the aftermarket, in addition to
direct product supply for many large
automotive companies, such as Volvo,
Aston Martin & JLR.
The company designs, manufacture and
tests water pumps and cooling pumps
for OE, OES & aftermarket applications.
In-house design, high-pressure
aluminium die casting, engineering,
manufacturing, assembly and testing,
plus a large stock facility are all located
on one site.
www.markwaterpumps.limited