Viewpoint: Erik Stålebo

Swedish spare part supplier LBM Autoparts is setting up in Germany in an effort to serve Europe’s minor transmission specialists and workshops. Since its establishment in 1991, Swedish company LBM Autoparts, with its head office north of Gothenburg, has evolved into a full-service supplier of spare parts for automatic and manual transmissions. For many years, Scandinavia has been the company’s main market. In recent years, LBM Autoparts has gained an increasing number of clients around Europe.

To meet demand and progress its market position even more, a long-term foreign expansion has been initiated. In a first step, a sales office with a warehouse has been established in Germany. LBM Autoparts’ business concept, offering alternatives to original spare parts of equal or higher quality, has been highly successful. LBM Autoparts currently holds a strong position, not least among minor transmission specialists and workshops. The company’s ambition, to facilitate the selection and purchasing of spare parts and remanufacturing and repair work, have been important success factors. In line with this strategy, LBM Autoparts has developed proprietary complete remanufacturing kits and a catalogue with over 500 spare parts for manual transmissions and dual clutch transmissions (DSG/DCT) for light vehicles, including those from Opel, VW, Renault and Ford.

Making it easier for minor companies to offer remanufacturing services
LBM Autoparts aims to increase its sales to various European countries considerably in a few year’s time. A step towards achieving this objective is the establishment of a sales office and warehouse in Velten, approximately 25 kilometres north-west of Berlin.

“This establishment is an important step in achieving our objective, to become a leading European spare part supplier in a few years’ time, primarily supplying small transmission specialists and car repair shops,” says Erik Stålebo. “One of our most important goals is to establish a presence near our customers in priority markets, and Germany is a very important market for us. We are therefore pleased to have inaugurated our new branch office, which allows us to support our customers even more actively.”

According to Erik Stålebo, the European market for the remanufacturing and repair of transmissions needs more players, also small ones. Many companies have very high technical skills, but they perceive the timeconsuming product selection and complex purchasing process to constitute a barrier to entry.

“We now have customers in Germany, for example, who – with our help – have taken the step and widened their range of services. While we view this as positive, we want to make things even easier for them by moving closer to our customers and becoming even more active in helping them develop good spare parts procedures. This will not only allow us to make deliveries even faster; it will also allow us to contribute our experience and expertise in the field. It is our ambition to be a comprehensive partner for minor companies that want to invest in the remanufacturing and repair of transmissions,” Erik Stålebo concludes.

For more information about LBM Autoparts new catalogue, please contact: Erik Stålebo, CEO, LBM Autoparts AB, Phone, direct: +46 705 333 717, email: erik@lbmautoparts.se

Facts about LBM Autoparts AB
LBM Autoparts AB in Stenungsund, just north of Gothenburg, was founded in 1991 and has since then evolved into a full range supplier of spare parts for manual transmissions, automatic transmissions and dual clutch transmissions (DSG/DCT). The company’s suppliers are leading quality-conscious companies in the US, Canada, Asia and Europe. The aim is to keep a complete warehouse that meets all needs of the company’s Scandinavian and European customers, focusing on small specialist companies within transmission remanufacturing and car repair shops. In addition to spare parts, LBM Autoparts also markets workshop equipment that simplifies and rationalises the work for these groups of customers.