december2021 - 27

tion, the most random components that you would
never expect were experiencing a shortage. "
He said it's more than just semi-conductor
chips, but actually several parts.
" One little disruption in the global supply chain
has a ripple effect across the board, and it's not
just one disruption-it's multiple, " Findlay said.
" A return to the harmonic balance that we had
pre-COVID is going to take a
while, and in the meantime,
there's just a lot of chaos. "
Some of that chaos includes
commercial vehicles not as
well-maintained. He pondered
how quickly noncritical
preventive maintenance tasks,
which could turn into bigger
problems down the
road,
would be completed.
Solutions are becoming
more available. Parts provider
FleetPride recently came
out of beta on its ecommerce
site. This allows customers to
search for more than 176,000
parts on Classes 6-8 vehicles
and heavy-duty trailers.
Search fields include part
number, cross reference, year/
make/model/engine type, and
VIN. Alternative/associated
parts are also recommended.
FleetPride's SVP of sales
and operations, Mike Harris,
said the company is " not
immune " from issues, but
the company can leverage the
scale of its network-280-plus
locations and five distribution
centers-to have the inventory
" that customers regularly
ask for. "
Harris
said
if
a
part
cannot be found locally, a
parts expert on the phone
or webchat can " within just
a couple keystrokes, source
that part from a store nearby
or across the country, or a
nearby DC as well. "
Leading the way:
aftermarket angle
FinditParts' Seewack mentioned
how suppliers were
running low on a Hendrickson
part. Oliphant did acknowledge
supplying to the aftermarket
sector has faced
difficulties in the wake of the
COVID-19 plant shutdowns.
For one, OEMs take precedence
over
the aftermarket. And
along with the semiconductor
shortage, there have also been
material delays, such as with
rubber, because one supplier's
Shop thousands of parts
online at the new
FleetPride.com
FleetMaintenance.com/inquire
December 2021 | FleetMaintenance.com
27
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rubber compounding plant in Tennessee caught
fire last January.
" I am happy to say things are actually getting
better for us right now, " Oliphant relayed. " The
lead times are starting to shrink back a little bit,
so that's the good news. I think we may have hit
the peak and we're coming back down to reality
and normalcy again. "
Fellow suspension OE Link Manufacturing
has also expressed positivity, with aftermarket
lead times returning to normal after seeing
them expand from one week to four. Components
sourced from overseas had affected those.
" Link overall has been in pretty good shape, "
said Mark Molitor, senior product manager for
chassis at Link. " On the suspension part of it,
DIRECT SHIPPING IS
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http://www.FleetPride.com http://www.FleetMaintenance.com/inquire
december2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of december2021
