How one OEM is unlocking exponential growth through partnership and innovation with OEC
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With mechanical repairs often considered lower risk as compared to collision, repair shops have a higher tendency to order replacement parts through aftermarket suppliers – in fact, 98% of the time the aftermarket is their first call. These trends have historically made the mechanical wholesale sector difficult for vehicle manufacturers to penetrate and even harder for them to achieve true, sustainable growth. Difficult, however, does not mean impossible.
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Growth within the mechanical wholesale market remains a top priority for most manufacturers. In fact, many vehicle manufacturers are considering or have launched special pricing programs to support their mechanical wholesale business. Given the deeply competitive nature of the sector, these parts programs, like the ones powered by RepairLink, are now considered table stakes for anyone looking to gain market share. Through innovation and partnership with OEC, one OEM has committed to – and invested in – their existing RepairLink program, transforming their mechanical wholesale business at a faster clip than all of their peer brands.
OEM Growth Story
How one OEM boosted parts sales, improved dealer engagement and increased shop loyalty through data-driven promotions and strategic insights
New RL PMA Launched
OEM re-launched their PMA program to grow in Mechanical wholesale after 2 years of reduced investment.
OEM expands their coaching pilot to 5 coaches
Addition of more coaches leads to 14 consecutive months of double-digit YoY growth.
OEM becomes largest OEM on RepairLink
With the rapid growth from their PMA relaunch and investment in the coaching program, the OEM became the top OEM on RepairLink.
OEM introduces first cart promo and adds to coaching team
The OEM expands its coaching program to 8 coaches and sees 46% YoY growth. Introduction of the first cart promo builds continued momentum.
Launch of Gold, Silver, Bronze incentive program and Parts Accelerator
Continuing to iterate on dealer engagement and shop-facing promotions.
OEM sees 24% growth vs prior year
The OEM continues to outpace OEM growth in the mechanical market.
The following provides a blueprint for how to replicate success by implementing growth-driven parts programs with RepairLink.
The 3 Step Approach to Mechanical Wholesale Success
Given the challenges OEMs encounter in the mechanical parts sector, a cohesive strategy to engage all stakeholders, from field teams to dealers and parts buyers, changes the game for manufacturers looking to pace the market rather than chase it. As reflected in the performance of a leading RepairLink brand, these three keys allow an OEM to unlock and sustain consistent wholesale growth:
Establish Competitive Parts Program Rooted in Buyer Behaviour
Implement Strategies to Educate and Empower Dealers & Field Staff
Launch Shop-Facing Programs to Foster Loyalty & Engage Parts Buyers
Establish Competitive Parts Program Rooted in Buyer Behaviour
In mid-2023, the OE relaunched its RepairLink program, serving as the foundation to their mechanical wholesale business. The RepairLink parts order management solution allows OE wholesalers to manage parts orders and connect with the industry’s most robust network of mechanical parts buyers. It also provides turnkey support for managing promotional programs, facilitating dealer reimbursements, and regular performance reporting and monitoring to empower decision making.
Since relaunching the RepairLink program, the OE has experienced consistent, prolonged growth compared to similar OEs leveraging the platform. These results were supported specifically by driving dealer adoption and ensuring consistent program optimisation driven by data on buyer behaviour.
Implement Strategies to Educate and Empower Dealers & Field Staff
While relaunching their RepairLink program signalled a renewed investment in mechanical wholesale and acted as a catalyst for increased sales results, this manufacturer understood that the program is a foundation that needs to be built upon, not a silver bullet. The real power of these programs is in educating and empowering field teams and dealers to leverage the RepairLink platform and OEM reimbursement program to compete and capture all sales opportunities across all markets.
To do this, the vehicle manufacturer ramped up its OEC Wholesale Performance Coaching program, leveraging a cost-effective, feet-on-the-street approach to increase dealer engagement, win market share, and deliver increased wholesale results. They invested in Performance Coaching to support its dealers with RepairLink implementation and to leverage the full value of the program. OEC Performance Coaches also work with the parts teams to promote program best practices and execute strategies that drive part sales through the program.
“With the RepairLink parts program relaunched and an expanded coaching program in place, the OE set the pace in the RepairLink mechanical wholesale market for the next 14 months, growing at least 10 percent or more each month.”
By April, less than a year after relaunching the RepairLink program, the manufacturer experienced a 46% year-over-year increase in parts sales and added three additional performance coaches. With the expanded coaching program, mechanical wholesale operations hit an all-time high sales mark in October 2024.
“Less than a year after relaunching the RepairLink program, the manufacturer experienced a 46% year-over-year increase in parts sales.”
2025 kicked off with another record month on RepairLink, establishing a 23% year-over-year increase. This performance set the stage for three of the first five months of the year to achieve new mechanical parts sales records. At this time, the OE also launched a new program to incentivize wholesale dealers through a Gold, Silver, & Bronze Dealer Incentive Program. The program encourages best practices, including faster order response times, increased accuracy, and improved customer service, while allowing the manufacturer to invest in its high-performing dealers.
Launch Shop-Facing Programs to Foster Loyalty & Engage Parts Buyers
In May 2024, the OEM launched its first cart promo by offering money off certain-sized carts. In this instance, the promotion increased the value of each cart by $22 on average. The special cart pricing also created momentum for the following month when many peers returned negative year-over-year results.
In the following year, they implemented a Wholesale Parts Accelerator program to strategically message and further engage loyal shop customers, shops with decreasing orders, and reach shops who were not doing business with their dealers, providing promotional pricing on parts ordered through RepairLink. The 2025 Parts Accelerator program delivered a 24% year-over-year sales increase, driving significant lift and engaging both existing and prospective customers.
By investing in cart promos and Accelerators, the vehicle manufacturer demonstrated how shop engagement efforts drive incremental lift, incentivize the use of genuine parts, and create direct, sustainable relationships with shops. In this instance, all the buyer-focused efforts had a clear impact on the bottom line.
Empowering & Connecting the Network
While the mechanical wholesale market continues to provide a challenge for many OEMs, it is also clear that it’s not impenetrable. It does, however, require a strategic plan and follow-through. When the approach includes a strong foundation, specifically a parts program powered by RepairLink, and engages both shops and dealers, the mechanical sector remains ripe with opportunities. In this specific instance, the opportunity allowed the OE to set the pace in the RepairLink market for 14 months, achieve repeated monthly sales records, and deliver consistent year-over-year sales growth – all within two years of relaunching their RepairLink program.
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With the RepairLink parts program relaunched and an expanded coaching program in place, the OE set the pace in the RepairLink mechanical wholesale market for the next 14 months, growing at least 10 percent or more each month.
Less than a year after relaunching the RepairLink program, the manufacturer experienced a 46% year-over-year increase in parts sales.
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Whether you’re buying or selling OEM mechanical parts, there are a lot of moving parts in the procurement process: There’s availability & pricing, inaccurate orders & returns, and phone calls & faxes.