Ford Motor Co. is expanding its customer service division with a new Omnicraft brand of aftermarket parts to cover non-Ford and non-Lincoln vehicles. It has been claimed that the addition will allow dealers to service between 85 and 90 percent of competitive makes, generating more business. It’s the first time the automaker’s service division has added a new brand in 50 years.
Now, owners of non-Ford vehicles have access to quality parts at a competitive price, backed by Ford and installed by Ford’s world-class certified technicians. Ford will immediately roll out about 1,500 parts numbers to roughly 500 Ford and Lincoln dealers nationwide. They expect all 3,200 dealers will be covered by some point next year.
The first wave of parts will include those most commonly requested, such as oil filters, brake pads, rotors, starters and alternators. Ford’s Quick Lane service centers have serviced non-Ford and non-Lincoln vehicles, but had to purchase the parts from third-party vendors. Ford would not say how much of the global market it wants to capture, but said that in 10 years the company would be pleased if 10 percent to 15 percent of its parts sales were from Omnicraft.
