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The Heavy Duty Parts Report
In each episode, Jamie Irvine and his guests have conversations that empower heavy-duty people. They discuss tips, tools, and technology that help heavy-duty parts manufacturers and distributors sell the right parts to fleets, repair shops, and truck operators.
The Heavy Duty Parts Report
A Tour of SAMPA USA Ahead of HDAW
Episode 346: With HDAW 2025 coming up fast, we were thinking back to past HDAW trips. In 2023, while heading to HDAW, our host Jamie Irvine, was able to visit the headquarters of Sampa USA with a camera crew and interview some of their people as well as check out their warehouse. His interviews highlighted what makes Sampa USA stand out as well as their commitment to providing high-quality parts.
Show Notes: Visit HeavyDutyPartsReport.com for complete show notes of this episode and to subscribe to all our content.
Sponsors of this Episode
Heavy Duty Consulting Corporation: Find out how many “fault codes” your heavy-duty parts business has. Meet with us today. Visit HeavyDutyConsulting.com
Hengst Filtration: There's a new premium filter option for fleets. If you're responsible for a fleet, you won't believe how much using Hengst filters will save you. But you've got to go to HeavyDutyPartsReport.com/Hengst to find out how much.
Diesel Laptops: Diesel Laptops is so much more than just a provider of diagnostic tools. They’re your shop efficiency solution company. Learn more about everything Diesel Laptops can do for you today by visiting DieselLaptops.com today.
HDA Truck Pride: They’re the heart of the independent parts and service channel. They have 750 parts stores and 450 service centers conveniently located across the US and Canada. Visit HeavyDutyPartsReport.com/HDATruckPride today to find a location near you.
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You're listening to the Heavy-Duty Parts Report. I'm your host, jamie Irvin, and this is the place where we have conversations that empower heavy-duty people. Welcome to another episode of the Heavy-Duty Parts Report. So glad that you're here today. If you're like me, hdaw is a real highlight for you every single year, and right now, at the time of this episode going live in late November, we are really just under two months away from HDAW 2025. Now, over the last few years, I've had the opportunity to attend HDAW, and every time I go there I have really taken so much value from attending this show. In my opinion, this is the show for heavy duty parts. Right, it's all about aftermarket. It's about parts distribution. The suppliers are there, all the key players in the industry come together, and it really is an excellent week that can set the tone for your entire year.
Jamie Irvine:Now, a couple of years ago, I was able to go down to Texas a little early and spend some time at the US headquarters for Sampa, and it was such an interesting episode. We aired this a couple of years ago where I'm going to take you on the entire journey, so you're going to get a flavor for what it takes to travel from Canada to go down to Texas in the middle of winter and how that is awesome for us Canadians. We're going to talk a little bit about going to HDAW and then I'm going to take you on a tour of this facility, and I think that this is something that for me, it was just a special episode. It was one that I wanted to share with our new listeners. There's so many more thousands of people listening to our show today than there were a couple of years ago, so I want to share this special episode with you and take you on this journey. For those that have heard it before one more time and for those that are new to the show for the first time. So I hope you enjoy it. We're going to move away from our usual format because this is a little bit of a special episode, and so I hope you enjoy it. So get your bags packed, let's go. So I'm really excited about heading to Texas. It's not just getting a chance to visit Sampa, about heading to Texas, it's not just getting a chance to visit Sampa, but I'm really looking forward to going to HDAW this year and I don't know, as you can tell as a Canadian it is the middle of winter right now, so any chance to go south. I'm always excited to get away from the Canadian winter, so come with me on this trip and I can't wait to see what we learn when we visit Sampa.
Jamie Irvine:It's a two-hour drive to Edmonton International Airport. In the winter you do have to be careful on icy roads, but the drive gives me time to listen to my favorite podcasts and get caught up. From Edmonton I'm flying to Toronto. That's about a 2,100-mile trip, and then from there I fly from Toronto to Dallas, and that was a 1,400-mile trip. Dallas is a large airport, but I've been here before so I know my way around. Since I travel light, I don't have to wait for luggage. Actually, the biggest issue is usually finding the ride share location to get picked up by your Uber driver. So I've got my Uber driver and because I am going to be here all week and I'm also attending HDAW this week, I'm going to go get checked into my hotel. I'm going to head over to the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center where HDAW will be held, and in the morning I'm going to head over to Sampa's US headquarters. Looking forward to it. It's Monday morning and I'm really excited. Today I'm going to spend the day with the team at Sampa at their US headquarters. So I'm going to get ready and head over there now.
Jamie Irvine:When I first arrived at Sampa's US headquarters, my video and audio crew hadn't yet arrived and so I was anxious to go inside, introduce myself and have an opportunity to just take a quick tour of the place so I could get a first impression. And I was kind of happy that the camera crew wasn't there because I got the opportunity to see what the place was like. You know, if I just walked in with cameras rolling, I don't think you get as much of an authentic first impression. But because I was able to just go in and introduce myself quickly to the office and then just walk around the warehouse they gave me access to it I got to see the whole team in action and honestly, I don't think they even noticed that I was there. So I felt like that was more of an authentic first impression of the actual reality of what it's like to work there at the US headquarters. Actual reality of what it's like to work there at the US headquarters. And I'll tell you that one of the first impressions that I had was how much inventory they actually have. The pallet racking is right to the ceiling. Every pallet rack is jammed full. There's inventory down on the floor as well, and I remember thinking to myself they're going to need a bigger warehouse pretty soon.
Jamie Irvine:The second thing that really struck me was I was there at just a few minutes past 8 am and the place was busy. The office was busy, the warehouse was busy. You could tell that people were on a mission, they had work to get done and they were moving, and so I thought that was a really good sign, because one of the things that Sampa has said in my previous conversations with them is how important it is to have inventory for their customers, and you know they have a big quality focus as well. But it really seemed to me like the things that they had said in previous discussions was actually true. I got the impression that this is the way it is every day and this is a place where they're getting things done.
Jamie Irvine:So after that, my audio and video crew showed up. We got set up and we wanted to sit down with each of the departments of the company to really get a feel from them firsthand. What are they doing to make them stand out as different? And the first person that I talked to was a member of the leadership group, and whenever I'm talking to leadership, especially when I'm talking to a global company that has come to the North American market, I'm always interested in understanding what opportunities they saw when they first came to the North American market and how are they capitalizing on those opportunities. And my discussion here with a member of their leadership group didn't disappoint.
Jamie Irvine:Listen into what they had to say. So you've been selling heavy-duty parts in the North American market since 2018. Your CEO said in a recent interview with us that they looked at the heavy-duty parts being sold in North America at that time and they saw a quality gap between OE and aftermarket parts that parts being sold in North America at that time and they saw a quality gap between OE and aftermarket parts that were being sold and they felt that the trucking industry really deserved better. So after hearing that quote, I was really curious From your perspective, jeff. Why do you think that gap occurred in the heavy-duty parts industry in the first place?
Jeff Williams:So essentially, it was a combination of two things. So, as these global manufacturers were looking to grow and they come into the North American marketplace to grow, at the same time, our customers were actually looking to differentiate themselves. The world was just becoming a little more competitive and they needed to do things in order to differentiate themselves. So they sought out suppliers and manufacturers that they hadn't traditionally done business with, and they requested certain things from them. So those manufacturers, in an effort to meet the requirements or the requests from the customers, sometimes they would have to manufacture a product and compromise a little bit on maybe the materials or the processes and to some extent, even the design, in order to be able to meet those requirements, to some extent, even the design, in order to be able to meet those requirements. And that's actually that combination of those two things happening is what led to the overall quality being a little less than what you might like in an aftermarket.
Jamie Irvine:I think that really resonates with me from my own experience as well, because I remember in the late 90s, early 2000s, there was all of this influx of overseas product coming into the heavy-duty industry and it was kind of like maybe it was a second wave at that point, but I remember, as a young man in the industry, kind of my first experience with it, and, yeah, we had a lot of customers who were not happy with the quality of that product. But then, in addition to that, I think as a distributor and I think of later in my career, that price pressure was really there and it was something that could not be ignored any longer. And so I think you're right, I think some people just maybe took a chance here and there, I cut a corner here or there to try to be competitive, and that created a problem. So, other than just the quality of the product, though, what other gaps kind of occurred as this situation matured over the last, let's say, 20 years?
Jeff Williams:Sure, so, in talking to our customers, the areas that they brought up that's important to them is actually the availability of the product, right, the serviceability of it, as well as the margins that you described. So they've been challenged with their downward pressure on their margins. So those two things really having the product in play in order to be able to service their customers and for their own business to be able to figure out ways to stop the downward pressure on their margins.
Jamie Irvine:So maybe give us a little bit of a behind-the-scenes, look at what was happening as the company was planning to come to market. You've identified these gaps, but what was going on? How did you prepare to enter the market?
Jeff Williams:Sure. So I would say one of the things that we did early on which, looking backwards, was so, so important to the success of our organization is we had the strategy where we wanted to actually promote and sell the products that we make in our facilities. So it's totally the product that we manufacture, that's what we brought to the North American marketplace. That was probably one of the early things that we looked upon doing. And then, in order to be able to take care of the availability and to do all those important things that are necessary to grow, we had to build a team. Right, we had to build a North American team. So we set up operations in the facility that you're in today in Frisco, texas. We brought in the engineering. We got great engineering. We've got sales and customer service and that team has continued to grow since the early days. But that was an important part of what we decided we needed to do so.
Jamie Irvine:Some pretty unprecedented things has happened since 2018. Since the early days, but that was an important part of what we decided we needed to do so some pretty unprecedented things has happened since 2018. Looking back now and hindsight's wonderful looking back, how have you seen that those early plans? Have they held true throughout these unprecedented changes in our world?
Jeff Williams:Yeah, that's a great question and I would say absolutely. So a couple of things is so. We always have the top quality of the product, so that kind of goes without saying. The fact that we've got the integrated factories was a really big help throughout all these unprecedented times in the pandemic and that we controlled all of the products. So we controlled all the materials in the process. We could control it all the way through. That really helped us make sure that we had product available for the customers. We actually were able to help customers who were having difficulties and really bring them on board.
Jamie Irvine:Everyone talks about manufacturing high quality products and yet in the aftermarket world of heavy duty parts it's highly competitive and I've noticed in the 25 years that I've been in the industry that the quality of products being manufactured has gone up in a lot of ways, especially in certain product categories. Now Sampa has come to the North American market. They talk about quality, but I wanted to understand from their engineering department what actually they are doing to make them stand out as different in the suspension, steering and fifth wheel categories. Listen to my conversation with their engineering department.
Bruno Scuracchio:Hello, my name is Bruno Scuracchio and I'm the engineering director in Sampa USA.
Jamie Irvine:One of the things, bruno, that I know from when I sold heavy duty parts is it can be difficult as a distributor to differentiate yourself on product alone. A lot of times there's distributors they're selling a lot of the same products. So I know that when a distributor starts to do business with Sampa they get access, obviously, to your product line. But what has Stampa done specifically to make its products stand out as different from the competitors?
Bruno Scuracchio:Well, first of all, we start with the business development and sales team right. We have to understand customer expectations and requirements right. Then we translate this into a product right. So, in a design procedure or a co-design or reverse engineering, we have a complete engineering and R&D team in Turkey, so it's more than 300 engineers with master degree, phd level professionals and we get those requirements and translate them to a product right. So we have multiple equipment, testing equipment for dynamic testing, durability, fatigue testing and also material characterization to compare and optimize these designs right. So we are able to come to the market with a product that is OEM level, quality right and with a much more competitive price.
Jamie Irvine:Okay. So I imagine that in the world of manufacturing, there's probably quite a few manufacturing companies that employ engineers and have a similar process. Now, when you said that you were trying to develop products to like an OEM quality level, what is it that you're aiming for? Are you actually aiming to make a product that's better than what's already in the marketplace?
Bruno Scuracchio:Well, most of the times depending on the customer expectations, right? So there are a lot of designs. There are 20, 30-year-old designs that need some kind of update, right? So we bring that to our OEM and, speaking of this, basically our OEM customers and this ends up driving the aftermarket in the same direction, right? So most of the times, again, we have to meet or exceed the OEM requirements because of our OEM customers. But several specific projects are focused in certain product characteristics. For example, we have customers that have components that are subject to chemical attack during cleaning and maintenance, so we have to have rubber compounds that will withstand or will have a higher resistance to those chemicals. The same thing with temperature, Like applications where temperatures are very low. We have to develop rubber compounds that will withstand those low temperatures, like northern Canada or northern Europe. So there are some specific requirements that must be met and in the end, these are. Our flexibility with engineering and design give us this ability.
Jamie Irvine:Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. One of the things I know that does really make you stand out is the way that you control the manufacturing process. From your opinion, just from the engineering perspective, how important is it that you control every aspect of the manufacturing process? Because that does make you stand out as unique from other manufacturers? A lot of them are doing assembly components and things that they don't control every aspect like you do.
Bruno Scuracchio:So well. No supply chain system is perfect, right, and we know that just what happened in 2020, right, so the best supply chain management system would not be perfect. So having this subcomponent manufacturer in-house gives us the ability to control continuous improvement projects on this specific subcomponent, and our OEM quality system will be applied to even the simplest subcomponents that we manufacture, so that's a huge advantage. Right, we understand the product as a whole. We basically buy raw material, right, so we are specialists not only in assembly, right on the product itself in the end, but also in how we get there and we can optimize the whole structure. Right.
Jamie Irvine:Yeah, and you mentioned something about some of the designs Heavy duty a lot of the designs have been very similar for many, many years. Like you said, it could be two, three decades without updates. So I guess also, not only are you controlling the whole manufacturing process but you also have the ability to look at, say, well, where is the failure points? And because you control that, does that give you an advantage to be able to address those failure points and maybe enhance a product.
Bruno Scuracchio:Of course, of course. So we have our benchmark testing with products. There are successful products in Morocco, don't get me wrong. It's products that have been sold in the United States or North America for 30 years. But these products, they have certain failure modes that can't be attacked. And maybe 30 years ago the technology was not economically feasible, right? So today we can apply those new technologies into a product to make it better in that specific aspect but at the same time with reasonable costs, right? So in torque rods manufacturing, this is through rubber bushings like spring eye bushings. There are a lot of improvements on the last 20 years that can be applied to products that are 30 years old.
Jamie Irvine:Right, right, that makes sense. You know, I know the details matter in manufacturing. What are some of the details that you specifically focus on? And maybe what's an area that maybe people wouldn't think of as being all that important but your customers have really appreciated.
Bruno Scuracchio:For example, packaging. Our packaging is designed the same as everything that we do to meet or exceed OEM specifications right. So we look for the best customer experience with our products, not only using the product but also for the people who we're going to install the product right. So, for example, repair kits so we pack them in a way that we will maintain those, those components, like for a long time in storage. Right, and they keep the same characteristics as new. But at the same time, when they are unpacked, it must be easy and fast to install. Right, so we make in a way that it will be easier for the end user or the installer to to work with that kit right.
Jamie Irvine:So that that makes sense to me because there's a lot of steps between you, the manufacturer and the end user getting it, and it could be a truck owner operator who's buying it from one of your distributors, could be a repair shop, could be a fleet, and they all have different needs. So you've got to take into consideration all of those potential situations and make sure that every aspect of your product meets those needs.
Bruno Scuracchio:No, exactly.
Jamie Irvine:So, Bruno, one last question for you, Just from an engineering perspective. What's like one of the favorite things about Sampa and the way that they manufacture products? Like what's one of your personal favorite things?
Bruno Scuracchio:The R&D department and specific about product development, right has capabilities that I haven't seen in any other aftermarket and most of the OEM manufacturers I know all around the world, right.
Bruno Scuracchio:So this is very, very special for you to be able to control the technology, all this equipment. They are all available in universities or research centers or third-party laboratories. The technology, all these equipment, they are all available in universities or research centers or third-party laboratories. But when you give these recipes or these technologies to a third-party laboratory or a university, that technology becomes public right, and it's important for us to keep our knowledge inside the company. So being able to have an R&D department that complete with that kind of equipment both, again, dynamic and static and materials characterization, makes us very, very different than everyone else in the market. I can guarantee that, being in the industry for like quite some time already, I know manufacturers in Europe, in Asia, south America, and it's very difficult to see all that equipment in the same place, under the same roof, being operated by the same team, right. So that's very special and that that's something that is one of my favorites.
Jamie Irvine:Thank you so much, thank you very much.
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Jamie Irvine:I took some time to visit with the people in the warehouse and they showed me some of the steps and procedures that they do to keep track of their inventory. It seems like their took some time to visit with the people in the warehouse and they showed me some of the steps and procedures that they do to keep track of their inventory. It seems like their inventory management system and the way that they process orders is very well organized. I also wanted to learn a little bit more from the warehouse department about how they handled the pandemic, how they handled supply chain disruption, what they were doing to make sure that they were able to keep as much product as they were on the shelves and to make sure that it got into the hands of their distributors in a timely fashion during, you know, arguably a once in a generation or once in a lifetime, very challenging situation. Listen to my interview with the warehouse department.
Gunes Inanc:Hello, my name is Saira Karayan. I'm Logistics and Warehouses Director at Sampa.
Jamie Irvine:So the pandemic created a lot of problems with supply chain. I think it really showed us some vulnerabilities in the global supply chain that maybe we didn't know before the pandemic, but now we're painfully aware of it. What steps did Sampa take to be able to ensure that you were able to get product to customers?
Gunes Inanc:Actually, global logistics industry went through a very hard time during the pandemic, such as the port operations, ocean freight operations and also the global container flow affected very badly. Strength of Sampa is coming from production and R&D. Those never stopped during the pandemic. But on the other hand we saw that the real problem is on the supply chain part. If you cannot combine the production and R&D power with a well-working supply chain, so the whole system fails. That's why we reorganized all the demand supply calculations and ocean freight services adaptation. Also we strengthened the inland transport operations as well.
Jamie Irvine:One of the things that I saw when I saw your warehouse today was how much inventory you actually have. Your warehouse is filled with inventory. How important has that been to your distributors?
Gunes Inanc:Actually, it is quite important. We had to increase our inventory levels around $7 million level for each warehouses. By the way, we opened a new warehouse in Chicago last year in order to be more close to our customers. So, besides of seeing the market as holding back or watch and see strategy, we oppositely invested on the business more in order to be more close to our customers. We put our customers to the center and shaping Sampa around it.
Jamie Irvine:Right, right, yeah, that customer-centric approach is something that is definitely needed, especially distributors, because they need support from their manufacturers in order to be able to serve their customers. Sometimes you've got to get an order out quickly. What steps do you take when a customer maybe it's a part that's not that common they've got a truck down, a customer with a truck down and they need that part quickly. So how does that work when a distributor needs something on a rush order?
Gunes Inanc:We use SAP MRP systems. Also, we are manually collecting the customer orders as well, via phone line, via email, whatever it is, whatever convenient to our customer. In a case that our customer has a vehicle on the road case, for example, they are immediately placing their orders, whatever the transaction method is. So we take it as an emergency case. Whatever we are using as a standard step, like SAP MRP system, etc. We are putting customers to the center, as I said. So that's how we are taking this emergency case and then evaluating accordingly.
Jamie Irvine:Okay, that makes sense when distributors are placing stock orders. I was talking earlier with your customer service department and they were talking about how Sampa Connect allows them to order online. Can you just give us a little bit of insight into how you process your stock orders and how you do that in a way that supports your distributors' needs?
Gunes Inanc:As I said, during the pandemic circumstances we increased our stock levels as much as possible. We are trying to complete their orders from stock directly. When we receive stock order, we immediately start to collect it and then make it ready for the shipment. Our target starting to collect it and then making ready for the shipment Our target. Because of the pandemic circumstances we are not at that level, maybe, but our target is to fulfill the orders in the same day and then provide in the second day to customer.
Jamie Irvine:Right and quick access to inventory and being able to get the parts that you need is essential to keeping trucks and trailers rolling. Thank you so much for taking some time to talk with me. I appreciate it. Thank you, companies, that is doing that.
Jamie Irvine:The reality is, things sometimes don't always go as planned, and one of the departments that I was actually really looking forward to speaking to was the customer service department. I wanted to understand what they were doing to stand out as different, not just from a perspective of processing orders and getting inventory in the hands of their distributors, which is, of course, very important but how do they handle situations when things don't go well? My conversation with Ganesh she was a little nervous, but once we got talking, I think she really touched on the culture of the company and where they're coming from and their approach. One of the specific things she said I found very interesting was how they're listening to their customers. So listen in to my conversation with their customer service department to get a better understanding of how Sampa is handling their customers and how they're providing them with really exceptional service.
Sayra Karayigen:Hi, I'm Ginesh. I'm Sampa, usa customer service manager.
Jamie Irvine:People want to have access to good information. What aspects of your website do customers particularly appreciate?
Sayra Karayigen:Sampa website has a name, and this name is Sampa Connect. Okay, so our customers have an opportunity to place their orders whenever or whenever they want, and they can also check our whole product range, our prices, stock and availabilities, and also they can review their invoices and back orders, so all related information about their accounts. So SampleConnect saves time and energy.
Jamie Irvine:I like that because some companies they have a website, but it just sometimes is lacking some of that functionality that you just described. So it's really great that you have a website that provides distributors with the opportunity to get everything they need in one place. What happens, though? When they have a problem or they have some information that they need, they can't find it on the website. How important is it that they can call and talk to someone?
Sayra Karayigen:Sure, of course, communication is the most important thing in business and also human relations, and whenever our customers have any issues or any problems, or if they need to ask some questions, of course they can call our Sampa USA customer team. It will give us a good opportunity to solve their issues or answer their questions just in time.
Jamie Irvine:And what I like about that is when you have a great website with lots of good information, like Sampa Connect, and then you have the ability to actually phone and talk to someone. That's a really good experience for the customer Now as good as we all are. Sometimes there's problems, and when a problem does occur, how do you handle it in customer service? How do you make sure that you take care of the customer when a problem does arise?
Sayra Karayigen:Actually, whenever a customer has an issue or any problem or any questions, of course firstly we listen to them and then we understand their problem and we use our all sources to fix this problem as soon as possible. Solving problem, of course, is very important, but we also describe the problem and inform related departments and then we have action plans and we take actions to avoid these issues or problems from happening again.
Jamie Irvine:Right. You don't want to just solve it once and then have another customer have the same problem later, so you want to solve it permanently for everyone. I think your distributors would really appreciate the efforts that you put into solving those problems, and I love what you said about really listening to the customer. I think that is absolutely important. It's probably one of the best fundamentals of customer service. Yes, well, thank you very much for taking some time talking to me and explaining how your customer service department operates. I really appreciate it, thank you, thank you.
Jamie Irvine:At the end of the day, the department that I got to speak to last was the sales department, and, as someone who has spent a fair amount of my career in sales, I was looking forward to this conversation as well.
Jamie Irvine:I think what I took away from my conversation with their sales department was that they had a plan, that they understand what it takes to help their customers grow and that's really what's leading to their growth, and I also think that it was interesting to learn a little bit more about what the plan was for their customers. They've got a plan and, if you interesting to learn a little bit more about what the plan was for their customers, they've got a plan and if you want to become a distributor of Sampa, you're going to go through a process and they have a methodology in place. They've got a plan for you on how you're not just going to take their line and sell their products, but you're going to expand your business, you're going to grow yourself, and I felt that that commitment to the mutual beneficial relationship where both organizations, both the manufacturer, sampa, and their distributor, are going to benefit, was highlighted in my conversation with sales. Hi, I'm Pete.
Peter Caloia:Colloy, a regional sales manager for Northeast for Sampa USA.
Jamie Irvine:So, pete, I know that you've had some distributors who've experienced some really phenomenal growth in the last couple of years. What role did Sampa play in helping them achieve that?
Peter Caloia:We help provide greater availability with the products. We utilize an integrated manufacturing process on our plants in Turkey that allows for greater availability through greater efficiencies. And we also help customers get into categories they weren't already selling that way. So we had customers who would start with air springs and then they would realize that we had fifth, wheel, top plates, repair kits, kingpin kits, and from there they would grow. They didn't have a supply in some of the other categories, so we were able to step up and fill those voids.
Jamie Irvine:Yeah, I know, when I sold parts, one of the things that was really important is being as a distributor. You kind of have to be everything to everyone, right. You don't know what they're going to need next and you have to have that inventory ready to go so I can see how, by expanding the products that they could sell, that that would definitely help them to grow. You talk about inventory and every time I talk to someone from Sampa, they either talk about the quality of the product or they talk about your inventory. How did you see that as really impacting the trajectory of their growth?
Peter Caloia:It allowed them to rely on the supplier to actually have the product when they needed it, where the whole industry was experiencing hardship with that at the time. So we were able to provide the product when they needed it. As you know, there's no time in this business. Everybody needs the part yesterday. So we were able to meet those demands and offer, like you had mentioned, top quality, oe quality at the right price a very competitive price when it was needed.
Jamie Irvine:Yeah, it's a recipe for success. Yes, so in the sales role, one of the things you're responsible for is being able to evaluate someone when you're onboarding them. What steps do you take to make sure that, before you onboard someone as a new distributor, that they're going to be successful?
Peter Caloia:We have to analyze their market, make sure that we're competing in the right place. That whole Wolf of Wall Street line remember selling me this pen? What he didn't tell you, Jordan Belfort, was that if the customer doesn't use pens, they only use pencils. Well, you're not in the right market, right? Right, we like to analyze the marketplace, get to know where the customer is selling what they're up against. Have a conversation like we are right now. So really just sitting there, learning from the customer what their pain points are, what they've been experiencing, what their challenges are, what their growth goals are. And if they could give us what an ideal supplier would look like, we could go from there to say well, in the perfect world, what were the top three that you need? So, what are your expectations? And just make sure we're able to align with them and meet those expectations.
Jamie Irvine:Yeah, I mean, alignment between manufacturers and distributors is as important as alignment on a semi-truck.
Jeff Williams:Yeah, there you go.
Jamie Irvine:So what are the things that you do for the distributor after you've onboarded them as a new customer, so they've become a distributor. Now what are the specific things you do to ensure that that onboarding process is something that is a good experience for them?
Peter Caloia:So we get them set up on Sampa Connect, our B2B site, that way they can check availability pricing interchanges. We get them set up on Sampa Connect, our B2B site, that way they can check availability pricing interchanges. We get them set up and introduce them to their inside customer service representative. Make sure they have all the contact information they need. We work with their sales teams and their counter teams to make sure that they're fully trained and comfortable selling the products, and then we work with them on, as far as a point of sale material goes, sell sheets, whatever they need to actually sell the product and educate their customers, including co-branded sell sheets and materials. We just have to make sure we have a high resolution image, as I'm told.
Jamie Irvine:Yeah, from a marketing person, I can tell you that is very, very important. So if you were to lay out for someone who's thinking about becoming a distributor of Sampa they want to become a distributor of Sampa. If you were to lay out for someone who's thinking about becoming a distributor of Sampa they want to become a distributor of Sampa. If you were to lay out kind of like a three-step plan, what would that plan be for them to get them from where they are to becoming a distributor and selling your product? Research, the product.
Peter Caloia:Do your market research Peer research, I should call it. Talk to the other customers that are in your group, that are currently buying the product from the prospective supplier, in this case Sampa, and get to know the product, what they're experiencing, quality, availability. Second step would have to be to set up a meeting with the supplier or prospective supplier, with Sampa. Get to know us, talk about what we're able to provide, learn our pricing structure, quality how we achieve the quality we achieve, how we achieve the superior availability that we've been able to achieve. And then step three is just constant contact. Fill out the credit application, of course, but constant contact with us, making sure we always stay in touch, quarterly business reviews, or it could be more field work going out in the field. And that's a big step three, I know, but that's when the real relationship forms and we start working together to ensure a mutually beneficial relationship.
Jamie Irvine:Yeah, and as someone who was working for a manufacturer at one point and I worked for distributors, I can tell you that that relationship, that third step, is so critical. To, like you said, it really makes the relationship more concrete. To like you said, it really makes the relationship more concrete, it allows both the manufacturer and the distributor to kind of understand each other's needs, and what I've seen anyway is that manufacturers that take that step and really support their distributors in that way, they are very successful and so are their distributors.
Peter Caloia:We definitely have to work together and make sure there's open lines of communication. Honesty should go without saying, but everybody has to be upfront with their capabilities, what you can and can't do. So we don't want to promise the world an under-deliver, of course, and that comes from distributor or supplier. It works in both directions. And again, working together, truly partnering up I know it's a buzzword in the business world, but truly partner with your customer and your supplier. I mean that's going to get you the success that you're looking for and you're able to work on those tough areas where you're actually having hard time and challenges to try to get over those obstacles.
Jamie Irvine:Yeah, well, if it was easy, everybody would do it right. So there's going to be some bumps in the road.
Peter Caloia:But the easiest thing is to have the conversation, and I think we're all very great at that.
Jamie Irvine:Well, that's fantastic. Thank you for taking a few minutes and explaining to me, from your perspective in sales, what those steps are, what you're doing for your distributors, and I wish you and your distributors all the success in the world. Thank you, jamie. So you've had a chance now to listen in to all of the interviews that I conducted and to take this trip with me to the US headquarters in Dallas, texas, of Sampa. It was a great day. I really enjoyed myself. I felt that they really opened the place up to me. I got a behind-the-scenes look of what's really going on and I wanted to make sure that I captured how I was feeling in the moment. I was a little tired because it was a long day, but I think these concluding comments here that we recorded right there at the? U the US headquarters while we were still on site captures how I was feeling at the end of the day. So listen into those concluding comments.
Jamie Irvine:The trucking industry is the backbone of society. We need the trucking industry to give us everything from the necessities of life to the things that make life a little more enjoyable. In order to keep the trucking industry rolling, we need distributors and manufacturers who are dedicated to providing high quality products that maximize uptime, prevent downtime, and we need distributors that are there to support the trucking industry when they have challenges with their equipment. After spending time here at Sampa's US headquarters, I've really gotten a better understanding of what they do, as not only a manufacturer, but also as someone who is supporting the trucking industry through their distributors. They're empowering their distributors, they're providing them with high quality products, they control the manufacturing process and, as you could see, they have more than enough inventory to support their distributors. Sampa also provides their distributors. Sampa also provides their distributors with a level of customer service that empowers their distributors to take care of their customers fleet owners, repair shop owner, operators, the people who are relying on these distributors to keep their equipment rolling. And, as you saw in past interviews of Sampa's customers, we've also seen that Sampa is positioning their distributors in a very unique way that provides them with the ability to be competitive in a space where, as we mentioned before, there is a real race to the bottom on price. So everything that Sampa is doing from manufacturing to warehousing, to customer service, to support it all makes distributors more competitive, which makes them a better option for the trucking industry. Spending time here at the US headquarters of Sampa has really given me the confidence to be able to say you can expect more from Sampa.
Jamie Irvine:Well, I hope you enjoyed listening to this special episode and taking that journey down to Texas to visit Sampa. I hope that you are going to attend HDAW 2025. If you are, we're going to have a booth there, as we have had in years past. We're going to be doing interviews right on the show floor. We're going to be having meetings. So if you want to chat with us, make sure that you reach out to us and we will do our best to schedule you in. I look forward to seeing you at HDAW 2025.
Jamie Irvine:Thank you again for listening to the Heavy Duty Parts Report. If you haven't already, head over to our website. Hit that follow button and subscribe to our email. If you like the audio version, you listen to a podcast player hit the follow button for free. Give us a five-star rating and review. If it gives you that option. It helps us with reach. And finally, if you like watching the video version, make sure you hit the subscribe button to follow on the platform of your choice. As always, I want to end this episode with encouraging you to be heavy duty. Thanks so much for listening. We'll talk to you again soon.