As one of the founding members of the Original Equipment Suppliers Aftermarket Association (OESAA) and Lee Quinney sitting on its advisory board, Banner Batteries is a manufacturer committed and unequivocal about the importance of OE within the automotive aftermarket.
When Lee joined the company as UK country manager almost seven years ago, one of his priorities was to showcase Banner’s OE credentials in the aftermarket. Consequently, the Banner team delivered a number of different campaigns – all glued by its OE history.
Lee said: “A number of technicians are unaware that when they open a bonnet of a Golf or Mini, for example, they will find a Banner battery inside, hence the reason for bringing our OE pedigree to the fore and why it was one of my most important objectives.”
Step forward OESAA
The OESAA platform has proved a helpful tool – live training event, Autoinform Live, for example, has always been a highlight in Banner’s calendar – but Lee believes the organisation is about to take an important step forward, with its chairman Nigel Morgan steering the membership into a new and exciting chapter:
“We’re on the right trajectory, thanks to Nigel’s clear strategy of growing relationships with workshops across the country. The introduction of the garage forum has been an astute move, one that’s essential for OESAA members, so we can truly understand the needs and wants of the workshop.
“We actively promote and conduct workouts and training events, but, thanks to regular meetings between OESAA members and the garage forum, we are able to learn so much more; forum members produce quick feedback on their likes and dislikes, what they’re looking for from a supplier, what’s catching their eye in the workshop, and we can incorporate those findings into our own strategy – keeping us on the right track to achieving one of our goals in showcasing Banner as an OEM.”
‘I want to buy a Banner battery!’
Another one of Banner’s quests is to ensure the technician, when speaking to their distributor, seeks out a Banner battery. Lee acknowledges that price is likely to have a bearing on that decision, but, so long as the product is “priced competitively, there’ll always be a place for an OE supplier” in the aftermarket, and this is driven through an assurance that product quality and technical performance is guaranteed.
He continued: “If BMW or Aston Martin, for example, choose a Banner battery, there will be good reasons for that! It’s about the quality and development that an OEM can bring to the table. For the medium and long-term, that’s the message that we need to build on.”
Best year on record!
Despite the pandemic, 2020 was Banner GB’s best year ever! Therefore, the future is looking vibrant for the Austrian, family-owned business, and Lee revealed how the company is taking the next leap forward:
“We are constantly expanding our AGM and EFB battery programme and have recently introduced an AGM European first,” as announced in the September edition of Professional Motor Factor, “in a starter battery that is compatible across a raft of models, such as the BMW i8, Suzuki Swift/Splash, Vauxhall Adam, Hyundai Kona and Kia Stonic. We’re using the same line for aftermarket as we do for OE – that’ll never change.”
