Despite the larger economic trends, the need for vehicle repairs and replacement continues to mount, according to Richard Shiozaki, senior vice president, DENSO Sales California, who adds that the company’s aftermarket sales division posted gains of more than 20 percent last year.

Shiozaki, who discussed some of DENSO’s latest product lines and additions – like fuel injectors, platinum TT spark plugs and compressors, among other products – sat down for an interview with searchautoparts.com at the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) in Las Vegas.

What do you feel has been DENSO’s greatest accomplishment this year?

Richard Shiozaki: If you’re talking about the DENSO aftermarket, our sales have continued to grow. We’ve seen more than double-digit growth in the sales of our products. Our customer expansion: we’ve had a 71 percent increase in new customers from a year ago. So despite the economy, our aftermarket program has continued to be successful and grow. DENSO worldwide is still struggling, like many OE suppliers, but the aftermarket segment for us has been going very strong. And we’re excited this year because we’re launching several new products and we’ve made enhancements to some of our existing programs, like our air conditioner program, our wiper blade program. So we’re expecting some good things.

At this year’s Town Hall, the panelists discussed how new vehicle technology would lead to parts proliferation. With this line of thinking, how do you think new technology will impact DENSO in upcoming years?

RS: I think it’s going be great for DENSO. DENSO is a leading-edge company, and with many of those advanced technologies, we’re already supplying it from an OE perspective. So once those components and systems start going into the aftermarket, we feel we’ll be well positioned to supply those kinds of parts to the aftermarket.

How do you feel that DENSO’s training programs differentiate you from your competitors?

RS: Training is important for us because many of our customers have asked for it. I think there is a mixed feeling if you ask installers what they want and what they don’t want. Our training program seems to be on the right track because we don’t use any sales techniques. It’s exclusively to offer training that the technician wants. And we measure customer satisfaction after each of our seminars. (Does the level of service we provide meet their expectations?) That’s how we try to build on it for the future. This is how we decide on new subjects and how to enhance our program. But we’re always listening to the installers, because that’s who we’re here for.

In your press conference, you mentioned an increased online presence. In what ways do you feel that online marketing and outreach affect distribution of your products?

RS: It allows us to talk about it from the installer’s level to be able to go on the system and get technical support, 24/7. This is a program that’s new for us, and we’ll continue to expand it by listening to the installers. Sometimes they don’t have time to pick up the phone and call our 800 number, or they may not feel like calling the manufacturer. They may call the distributor and may not get a quick answer there. But if they have a place to go on the Internet, we feel that this is a channel that gives us another opportunity to support the end-user.