The campaign aimed at highlighting the benefits of Original Equipment automotive components in the aftermarket is gathering momentum after attracting several more big names to its ranks.  OESA (Original Equipment Suppliers Association) now has sixteen members and organisers say more are to follow.

The suppliers have come together under the banner of ‘Our Quality – Your Reputation’. Newest members of the action group are, Federal-Mogul, Mahle, Corteco, Yuasa, Bosch and TMD Friction. The commercial vehicle spares market is also now well represented by new members Wabco and Knorr-Bremse, both renowned suppliers of OE components to leading truck and bus manufacturers.

These leading brands have joined the group to help increase awareness regarding the false portrayal of some components being sold as ‘OE quality’ to unsuspecting workshops. In many cases these are inferior products that have not been tested to the vehicle manufacturers’ exacting quality standards and are not produced from comparable materials.

The group is about to launch a new advertising campaign following the success of the ‘horsemeat versus beef’ related launch at Manchester Mechanex in May. At this event a constant stream of visitors compared a wide selection of OE components displayed next to their ‘matching quality’ equivalents with many dismayed by some of the more blatant examples of poor quality. One mechanic commented, "I always ask for OE quality parts, so if it looks good when I take it out of the box I will fit it. It is only when you see them side-by-side that you can see that there is an obvious difference”.

Group Chairman Nigel Morgan, Managing Director of Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket says that the only way to be certain that you are fitting OE quality components is to fit parts from brands that supply parts for original fitment. He comments, "The overwhelming majority of components produced by the members of the group are destined for the vehicle manufacturers’ assembly lines. The fact is that we also supply these exact same parts to the aftermarket in our own boxes, so you know that they have been designed, manufactured and tested to the exact demands of the vehicle producer.” He adds, "When you are talking about safety critical components it could be your customers’ lives at risk, not just your reputation”.

The group is currently working on enhancing its online presence at www.oe-suppliers.org with the addition of technical videos and literature for download. An improved stand is also being planned for Mechanex at Donington in September with a larger range of OE v Matching Quality product comparisons available for visitors to examine.