Woodley Engineering Blog

Why Buy Replacement Parts From A Third Party Manufacturer?

Posted by William Karslake on Nov 20, 2018 9:33:00 AM

Why Buy Replacement Parts From A Third Party Manufacturer

When you need to get replacement parts for your equipment, you will have a choice between using a third party and going back to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

A third party or aftermarket manufacturer takes the specification of the original equipment and creates a copy of the product accordingly. An OEM produces original parts according to the specifications worked out by its own team for its own equipment e.g. when you order a Ford car bumper directly from Ford.

Many production managers choose OEM parts to avoid the risk of part incompatibility. However, there are many reasons why an independent parts manufacturer may be a better choice in some circumstances.

Quality And Precision

Machine manufacturers can copy a part from a pattern to match exactly the part you need. However, they can also modify original parts to overcome production issues and speed up processes. They don’t need to search for specs or make guesses about your requirements if they have the original parts to copy from. Production managers can explain which part they need and whether any modifications are required, or they can request exactly the same as before.

A third-party manufacturer may have problems reproducing the details unless they have top-quality equipment. However, there is no reason why a well-equipped third party can’t create high precision parts as well as the OEM – and they can usually do it at a lower cost for small volume orders. At Woodley Engineering, we have everything necessary to recreate the specs of the spare parts, achieving the same results as your OEM.

Warranty And Support

If your equipment is still subject to a certain manufacturer’s warranty, installing a part made by another company can invalidate it. If the system fails due to an improper or non-compliant part replacement, it may not be possible to get it fixed by the manufacturer under a warranty claim. A third-party supplier can’t provide a manufacturer’s warranty for the equipment you purchased from another company. However, it can offer parts that are much cheaper, available in smaller quantities and on a much faster turnaround once a machine or part is out of warranty. Acquiring OEM parts can work out be expensive, both in actual costs of parts and in machine downtime. It is often more cost effective to seek out third party components

Availability And Distribution

Large OEMs have established networks of factories and distribution centres. So long as your equipment is in warranty OR you order in volume, the majority of small parts such as bushings, pistons and housings are most likely readily available upon request.

A third-party manufacturer may not be able to provide consumables or small parts as quickly as the OEM. However, they are likely to be able to produce larger or more complicated parts, especially those that require modifications or changes to the original specification more quickly and cheaply, as well as smaller quantities of run of the mill bushes, bearings and housings.

At Woodley Engineering, we have a team of experts ready to complete even the toughest precision engineering project as quickly as possible. We pride ourselves on our ability to manufacturer parts quicker than most OEMs.

Longevity And Security

Buying a part from an OEM may give a feeling of security. Large companies with an excellent reputation are likely to produce high-quality products. Meanwhile, third-party suppliers can be an unknown quantity.

At Woodley Engineering, we care about our reputation. In over 30 years, we’ve collected numerous customer reviews about the quality of our products. All our clients feel secure when purchasing our parts for a variety of OEM manufactured equipment. Each of the items we make is of high quality and has impressive durability.

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