After you have bought your forklifts, things just don’t end there. There will be times when you will find that you need to maintain your forklifts. Not every forklift seller provides maintenance and spare part supplies. However, there will be spare part suppliers made just for forklift owners.
Not every forklift spare part supplier will have what you want. However, there are some aspects and criteria you should look into to determine that it’s a good one you can trust. Here are some criteria you should consider.
1. Genuine forklift spare parts suppliers
There are genuine parts and there are OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts. For maximum operation, we’d obviously advise you to go for the genuine parts by your forklift manufacturers. We are sure that you will want only the best spare parts for your forklift. Generally, there are authorized dealers and distributors of forklift spare parts around the country you can easily access. Their prices will definitely be more expensive than your OEM parts too.
OEM parts, on the other hand, function the same way as genuine spare parts too. They will also serve the same purpose an original part can do. However, it’s the performance part that may make a difference. It may not work or function as well as the genuine spare parts. However, it still helps your forklift function.
The leading difference between original spare parts and OEM parts is the safety aspect. Original spare part producers often excessively test their parts to make sure that it is fail-safe. OEM may or may not have similar extensive testing.
2. Efficient delivery and turnaround times
One good way of telling a good forklift spare parts supplier from one that’s not good is its efficiency. The spare part suppliers should not have any problems in delivering the spare part to your workplace to fix your broken down forklift. Neither should it have too much problem in fixing your forklift at their factories.
However, if they have a long line of clients to help service, then it is only natural that you will be put on a waiting list. Use your judgement in these areas to see if the long turnaround time is worth the wait.
3. Workmanship
Look into the workmanship efforts put into repairing your broken forklifts. Having spare parts is one thing, but the workmanship is another area that can make or break your already rickety forklifts.
You wouldn’t want to pay for the forklift repair and servicing only to find that your forklift still won’t work, will you? Or that it breaks as soon as you get your forklift back. One way to know if the forklift spare part supplier is a good one is to check their online reviews and see what kind of public feedback they get. However, if the public feedback is not that good, you can search for one that is better. Alternatively, you can ask around in your contacts to see if there are any good forklift spare part suppliers around.
4. Availability of forklift spare parts supplier
We understand that some forklift spare part suppliers do not have some of the rarest parts. However, if it’s a common spare part they shouldn’t be out of it for too long. If they are out of the most common spare part for just a couple of days, it’s still all right. It’ll be best that they order ahead when they know the most common and popular parts are about to run out.
Again, this is one of the factors that you can get from public reviews and opinions. Having said that, make sure to check ahead (call, email, etc) to see if the supplier has what your broken forklift needs.
5. Are warranties provided?
What’s the point of getting a spare part for your forklift repair only to find out that it doesn’t come with a warranty? It’s bad customer service if no warranties are provided. Imagine if the spare part fails the forklift midway through a workload. Wouldn’t it endanger the people surrounding it? And bring damages to its surroundings that can get very costly.
A good spare part supplier will give warranties for the spare parts installed on your forklifts. It can be anywhere from 6 months to several years depending on the significance of the spare part. Some warranties are only applicable for 1 month or less. Again, this is something that you should check with the spare parts supplier. It is important that you have a clear-cut understanding between you and the supplier to avoid any misunderstanding.
6. Forward thinking
If you have been visiting spare part suppliers for many years, there is one thing the supplier should know. They should be able to pick up on what you need for your forklifts. It’s similar to visiting a doctor. If you have been visiting the same one for many years, they will know what you need.
At the same time, they should also be able to provide seasonal discounts on top of their off-season items. Periodically they can lower the prices for some of the items they know are in demand. It’s one great way to draw in more clients, including you!
7. Online ordering made available
Sometimes you wish you didn’t have to make that phone call to your spare part supplier. At times, you don’t feel like going all the way to the supplier’s store to pick up just that one spare part. Sometimes you just want to look through their spare part catalogues online and make a decision from your own office.
If the spare part supplier is willing, they can take into consideration starting their own online catalogue for clients to check their items out. It’ll be a win-win situation for both the customers and the supplier themselves.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that it’s critical to check up on whether the forklift spare parts supplier has most (if not all) of what was listed above. We are sure you do not wish to have too many problems with a forklift spare parts supplier, will you?