In light of Excel Automotive Group’s two-year anniversary of trading, PMF speaks to the company’s owner Tony Bhogal about how things have gone so far and where the company is headed in the future.
Q. It’s great to speak to you again Tony. Please could you give us an insight into how business has been going at EAG over the last year or so?
Tony Bhogal (TB): Since taking over the Excel Automotive Group (EAG) business two years ago, Adrian and I have been busy getting the business back onto a solid footing. This has included significant investment in staff, stock and systems. In the first year, we relocated the business to 30,000ftÇ warehousing in Leeds, and we believed that this would be sufficient for a few years. However, we are already considering investing in additional warehousing due to the significant increase in stock, sales and customers in our second year of trading.
Q. In light of the celebrations of two years of trading, how do you feel about the company reaching this milestone?
TB: This could not have been achieved without the fantastic team that we have at EAG. Everyone has a desire both to succeed and ensure that we meet or exceed our customers’ expectations, which in itself has sometimes been a challenge as a consequence of our rate of growth. We have been fortunate that our customers have joined us on our journey and have given us considerable support and encouragement. In the current climate, the whole EAG family should be proud of our achievements, and we are looking forward to the future.
Q. What in particular has enabled EAG to get to this stage?
TB: As I mentioned earlier, the key to our success has been the team and the effort that every single member has put into achieving our goals. We have been continually investing in stock and have added some brilliant brands to our range, including Suplex, Brembo, Monroe, Rymec, Marelli, Trico, and various DRiV brands. In addition to this, we also of course have our own EAG branded components for product categories including steering and suspension, wheel bearings, strut top mounts, driveshafts, cv joints, and calipers.
We are also in detailed discussions with other brands that are keen to work with us and take advantage of our unique distribution solution for suppliers, as we can cover both local and national distribution.
In addition, we have been working very closely with MAM to improve and enhance the IT systems that we inherited. This has included the implementation of the MAM Warehouse Management System, which is already resulting in improved efficiency and accuracy of processing orders. This goes hand-in-hand with our ISO9001, ISO14001 and ISO45001 accreditations, which shows our commitment to quality and professionalism. It was important for the trade to see that the business was now operating at a different level.
Q. Last time out, we discussed your ambitions to grow EAG. How have these plans gone thus far?
TB: Our plans are progressing well and ahead of schedule, with significant growth in our second year of trading, which we have just now completed. This growth has come from our customers taking advantage of our growing range of part numbers and products. In terms of national sales, we have gained the approval of major factor and buying groups, and for local sales, we offer same-day delivery several times a day with our growing fleet of vehicles. Motor factors physically cannot stock everything that their customers enquire about and they need quick access to extended ranges, and this is where we can assist them.
Q. You also placed a huge amount of emphasis on the company’s desire to ensure availability. Is this still a goal for EAG?
TB: This is definitely still a goal for us, although if I’m being honest, we still have some way to go to achieve this. However, we are working on increasing our range and availability, in addition to improving cataloguing and pushing sales through our trade online portal and through TecCom. All products we sell are listed on MAM AutoCat.
Q. What ranges should factors look out for?
TB: Our EAG branded range of products has grown from the original steering and suspension line to include calipers, driveshafts and cv joints. These ranges and product lines will be extended over time, offering customers quality products at competitive prices. In addition, we have some well-established brands to give customers a vast array of products and we are also looking at some other brands for which we will have exclusivity.
Q. What does the next two years hold in store for EAG?
TB: We will be working to consolidate our position as a key supplier of parts into the automotive aftermarket. Chris Haw joined the business as UK Sales Manager and he is working hard to develop and grow our customer base. On top of this, Chris Burnside, ex- Livingston Autoparts, has joined us as Operations & IT Director, so we now have a very experienced team in place to continue our ambitious growth plans.
