Omnicraft joins with automaker’s established Motorcraft that makes parts for Ford vehicles
Ford Motor is introducing a new brand called Omnicraft to offer parts to Ford dealerships and independent repair shops to repair rivals’ vehicles.
Frederiek Toney, president of Global Ford Customer Service Division, said the international business for automotive parts, which is now approximated at more than $500 billion, and service will broaden by 70 percent in the next 6 years.
Toney would not mention how much of the world market Ford wants to capture, however stated that in ten years the company would be pleased if 10 percent to 15 percent of its parts sales comes from Omnicraft.
Providers will make the parts, and Ford will offer them at a profit, but says they will be competitively priced, in part to draw in independent service center as well as its own dealers.
Having the parts for non-Ford automobiles will permit dealers to increase repair work and service business, as well as provide an opportunity to persuade owners to look over new Ford vehicles while they are at the dealership.
Initially, Omnicraft parts will be sold at Ford and Lincoln dealerships, there are 3,200 of them in the United States and 10,500 worldwide. Omnicraft will be active in Ford’s significant markets worldwide, Toney stated.
As the average age of automobiles increases, especially in mature markets like the United States and Europe, there is more of a requirement for automobile parts, said Toney, “which is clear. It behooves us to attempt to compete for the life process of ownership” and not to concentrate as Ford has on the early years of that cycle.
In the U.S. market, the average age of an automobile on the road is over 11 years.
