Buying Genuine – Is the Price Really Worth It?

February 17, 2016

It’s an ongoing issue for fleet operators – do you buy genuine parts for your machines or do you travel down the aftermarket road?

Genuine refers to any original parts used by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (or OEM) when a machine is on the production line.

Genuine parts can equate to greater expense and for a business owner facing constant pressure to reduce operating costs, it can be all too easy to go with the cheaper non-genuine (or aftermarket) option.

Aftermarket parts by comparison, are those produced by a company other than the OEM. These parts can work out cheaper upfront than buying genuine, but for the lower cost you may also be inheriting associated quality issues due to the sheer number of suppliers (and therefore, production standards) in that space.

At LiftRite, we recommend investing in genuine parts for your fleet and here’s why…

1. Genuine parts are designed for the exact machine in question. They will fit easily and work perfectly every time, saving you time and hassle
2. OEMs spend millions on engineering research and development each year to ensure the genuine parts you buy today will perform to design specifications
3. Genuine parts have been tested to meet the OEM’s high standards of quality, safety and performance
4. They can often outperform their aftermarket equivalents, giving you extended value for your dollars
5. The risk of unplanned downtime can be minimised when you use genuine parts
6. Genuine parts are readily available, as the OEM has an obligation to support the equipment it has released to market
7. In most cases, genuine parts must be purchased from an authorised dealer, giving you access to the latest diagnostic equipment, service information and expert technical support if required
8. In an age where parts may be serial-number-specific, it could be quite possible that there is no true comparative specification or quality aftermarket component to suit your machine. Can your business afford to take the chance on a “near enough is good enough” part?
9. Aftermarket products are often sourced from the lowest cost supplier, meaning they are manufactured down to a price rather than up to a specification. While they may look like the real thing, they carry the risk of undetermined quality. Are you willing to take that risk?
10. The price difference between a genuine and aftermarket part will be miniscule when compared to the initial price tag of your machine. Can you really afford to risk your large capital investment for a small difference?

Ultimately, the decision to go genuine or aftermarket comes down to your own business preference and budget but the trick is to not let your short-term expenses cloud your long-term savings.

Like most things in business and life, you get what you pay for.