AED: US dealers retain 80% of parts customers

Fork Talk
- 30 Sep 2004 ( #177 )
1 min read
The just-released 2004 AED Product Support Best Practices Report found dealers, on average, had 1057 parts customers on their books, and the best dealers retained 92.5 per cent of them year-to-year.

The Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) says typical US equipment dealers keep more than USD2.2 million in spare parts in stock, and retain 80.6 per cent of their parts customers.

The survey found that typical "heavy dealers" were those whose major sales were in equipment greater than 100 horsepower and maintained a parts inventory of USD2,223,123.

There was a huge gap between heavy and medium-class dealers (those who sold mainly equipment of less than 100 horsepower), who maintained an inventory of just USD413,965 - more than 80 per cent less than heavy dealers.

The Product Support Best Practices Report is based on in-depth surveys of AED members' parts, service and product support departments, and is designed to allow dealers to benchmark against the operating results of other dealers in specific segments.

For more information, or to order a copy of the report, see www.aednet.org.
Also Read:
A fork(lift) in the road: why the future of “machine vision” is multi-sensory
Murray Cox
2 minute read
A fork(lift) in the road: why the future of “machine vision” is multi-sensory Your Focus - 9 Oct 2025 (#1251) Murray Cox is principal engineer at Speedshield Technologies, where he seamlessly connects cutting-edge research with real-world industrial mobile equipment and applications. Here he looks at why the future of machine vision is multi-sensory.
Enhancing industrial safety: the power of context-aware mobile technology
Tejal Ranjan
2 minute read
Enhancing industrial safety: the power of context-aware mobile technology Your Focus - 18 Sep 2025 (#1248) Tejal Ranjan is the vice president of global marketing at JLT Mobile Computers, a leading provider of rugged computing solutions for demanding industrial environments. Here she looks at screen blanking technology.
When warehouses go dark: protecting connected material handling operations from cyber threats
Ellie Gabel
3 minute read
When warehouses go dark: protecting connected material handling operations from cyber threats Your Focus - 11 Sep 2025 (#1247) Ellie Gabel, a North Carolina-based freelance writer, looks at how to protect your business from cyber security threats which come with connected and smart materials handling equipment company.
For more unique stories and expert insights: read our industry blogs
Blog articles provide perspectives and opinions and therefore may contain inaccurate or incomplete information. Forkliftaction Media accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions. If you feel that significant facts are overlooked, or have a different viewpoint on a topic addressed, we invite you to open a conversation in our Discussion Forums.

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

Inside The News
In this week’s Forkliftaction News , we report on the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index which shows Asian supply chains are at their busiest since June 2022 while the US and Europe’s supply chains remain under-utilised. One of the report authors describes the situation as being “as stable as it’s going to get”... Continue reading
Upcoming industry events …
November 11, 2025 - Sydney, Australia
November 26-27, 2025 - Budapest, Hungary
May 20-22, 2026 - Jakarta, Indonesia

Are you recruiting? Find your ideal candidate among a diverse range of materials handling professionals:

Forkliftaction's JOB MARKET

Inside The News
In this week’s Forkliftaction News , we report on the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index which shows Asian supply chains are at their busiest since June 2022 while the US and Europe’s supply chains remain under-utilised. One of the report authors describes the situation as being “as stable as it’s going to get”... Continue reading
Editorial calendar - planned features
CONSTRUCTION FORKLIFTS
HANDLING GOODS IN THE COLD
LOADING/UNLOADING FREIGHT
BROWNFIELD AUTOMATION
FORKLIFT ATTACHMENTS
BATTERY AFFORDABILITY AND LIFETIME
FORKLIFT SAFETY
Upcoming industry events …
November 11, 2025 - Sydney, Australia
November 26-27, 2025 - Budapest, Hungary
May 20-22, 2026 - Jakarta, Indonesia
Inside The News
In this week’s Forkliftaction News , we report on the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index which shows Asian supply chains are at their busiest since June 2022 while the US and Europe’s supply chains remain under-utilised. One of the report authors describes the situation as being “as stable as it’s going to get”... Continue reading

PREMIUM business

Yale Lift Truck Technologies
Yale offers a full line of forklifts to help customers adapt to today's demanding supply chain.