Hella’s Senior Head of Marketing and Communications, Helen Goldingay, explains how the company’s newly extended ignitions range can help motor factors boost their profits.
Hella claims to understand the importance of investing in range expansion as a means of servicing the ever-growing vehicle car parc, as well as keeping up with the needs of the aftermarket. As ignition and engine management is such an important category, the company is continually adding more references for its ignitions series – so far, this number has more than tripled since the inception of the range.
With 340 ignition coil references covering key applications such as BMW, Ford, Vauxhall and Volvo, the recently expanded range now also includes the BMW Roadster and Mini R5. Hella says that its ignition coils and modules are the original equipment (OE) fitment for almost 130 million vehicles throughout Europe, which, in the eyes of the company, is indicative of the range’s quality and vast potential for application.
Ignition coils and modules operate in an arduous working environment where they are subjected to high electrical, mechanical, thermal and chemical stress. Consequently, they need to be manufactured to the strictest standards using the highest quality materials, in order to work faultlessly and over a long life cycle. Insufficient output voltage or energy will cause misfiring and incomplete fuel combustion in the cylinder, which can damage the vehicle’s catalytic converter and increase its fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.
As a result, Hella aims to manufacture its ignition coils and modules to OE specifications using high temperature and high vibration resistant materials. These features allow for the optimum ignition voltage and spark energy to deliver the power output and fuel consumption returns demanded by vehicle manufacturers.
Helen Goldingay commented, “As vehicles continue to change, we work with vehicle manufacturers to develop the technology that is required. Ignition and engine management is a crucial element for the correct running of the engine, so to fully assist workshops, we transfer this OE knowledge and technology to ensure that the aftermarket has the best offering for its customers.
“The fact that we’ve tripled our range since its launch is testament to our commitment, and I am sure that we can continue to grow at this rate.
“However, this does present a challenge for motor factors, as we realise that keeping a comprehensive range in stock is sometimes difficult. We recommend keeping the most popular references on-site to ensure that customers can be served quickly and efficiently. Hella has a 90,000ft2 warehouse, allowing us to stock a wider range, and with direct shipment available from Germany, factors can be assured of always having access to all of our products.”
