How has the economy affected your overall business plans?
Bruce Hartin
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The catastrophic decline in new car sales this year will have repercussions throughout the automotive industry. One can only
assume that this will ultimately increase repairs on existing cars since new cars are not replacing older vehicles. However,
fears about the economy and recent job losses will probably slow repair and maintenance cycles.
At Allpart Supply we sell repair parts for garage equipment, primarily automotive lifts. Just as the economy has slowed new
car purchases, it has also slowed new equipment purchases for automotive shops. We feel we will benefit from garage equipment
being repaired instead of replaced. In fact, we just purchased Haweka USA, a supplier of repair parts and tooling for wheel
balancers to supplement our line.
Haweka USA, is the exclusive distributor of Haweka branded cones, shafts, quick nuts and mounting tooling for the U.S. This
German manufactured tooling allows a shop to increase the accuracy of existing wheel balancers by providing new shafts and
cones. More importantly, Haweka offers patented mounting tooling like the Duo Collet and Quick Plate that substantially increase
the accuracy of existing balancers through proper wheel mounting. A balancer, new or old, inexpensive or top of the line, cannot properly balance a wheel if it is not properly mounted. The
Haweka Quick Plate and Duo Collet reproduce on a wheel balancer the same mount as the wheel has when mounted on the hub of
a car. It eliminates the use of cones and the terrible practice of front-mounted cones.
How has wheel servicing equipment changed over the past five years? How do you foresee it changing in years to come?
Even though gas prices have recently come down, the importance of fuel economy will continue. A properly balanced wheel not
only improves the ride of the car and increases tire life, but it also improves fuel economy. Car owners will continue to
look for ways to increase their MPG.
Wheel balancers will need to be used more accurately to provide for the demands of customers and the changes in the design
of wheels. Larger wheels and alloy wheels are more difficult to balance correctly. They require tape weights to be hidden
in order to maintain the appearance of the wheel. Most modern wheel balancers accommodate the hidden and split weights required
by these wheels. However, this manner of weighting a wheel is much more difficult to get right. It simply cannot be done without
mounting the wheel on the balancer correctly. This requires special mounting tooling to get right. So often I hear that a
balancer will give "double zeros," but the customer still complains about the balance. A balancer will always tell you where
to put the weights on the wheel, but it cannot adjust its readings for an improperly mounted wheel.
How much of your balancing components line accommodates tire pressure monitoring systems?
The tire pressure monitoring systems present a new challenge for wheel balancing. However, with proper equipment and training
these can be balanced as well as any wheel.
What's the biggest obstacle your company faces in '09?
The biggest problem we face in 2009, and the years to come, is education of shops about our products. The Haweka product line
is standard tooling for all wheel balancers in many places around the world. In the U.S., most shops do not realize how important
proper mounting of the wheel on the balancer is to getting accurate results.
Many shops are content with putting a cone in front and letting the balancer "do its job." I am reminded of the saying "garbage
in...garbage out." If the wheel is not properly mounted, the newest best balancer cannot determine the correct placement of
the weights. The Haweka Duo Collet and Quick Plate system replicate the hub pilot and lug nuts of the car. This assures the
wheel is mounted on the balancer just as it is mounted on the car.
What was your greatest accomplishment in 2008?
Without a doubt our greatest accomplishment in 2009 was the acquisition of the Haweka product line and the HAWEKA USA warehouse
for U.S. distribution. Haweka's patented products are unique in the industry and fill a need in the tire service industry
that has never been met. With Haweka products, a shop does not have to purchase the "latest new machine" to finally end the
revolving door of comebacks from improperly balanced wheels. With the Haweka Dou Collet and Quick Plate system, an existing,
and paid for, balancer can give stellar results.
