Roadblock or Opportunity Results of Small Engine Survey By Polly Shea Editors Note: I’d like to express my appreciation to the rebuilders for taking time to fill out and return the survey. The small engine electrical business may not be for everyone, but there is a significant enough supply and demand that it may just be the ticket to additional profits for many shop owners. A special thanks goes out to Juan Grube for his expert help in assembling and evaluating the survey. Supplier information will be published in the June issue. We drew three main conclusions from the 20 survey questions. The obvious, but important if we call ourselves rebuilders or auto technicians, is that there is no core market for small engine electrical. In other words, nothing to rebuild. Small engine electrical is a parts distribution system, not a rebuilding system. On a positive note however, the num- ber of respondents who said, “I can help,” “Call me,” “Got questions, call me,” indicates that the industry has become much more willing to help now than in years past. Perhaps necessity has bred goodwill. The survey reinforces the thinking that for rebuilders to get involved in the small engine area (and this is all- inclusive with no exceptions) you must understand the following, as shared by Juan Grube of JIMCO, Inc., Raymore, Mo. “Tf you subtract from the method of regulation and regulator control, all alternators use the same operating system (all three-phase, rotating field systems). How the different voltage reg- ulators work is the only challenge. Once you are past that hurdle of fixing the alternator, everything is the same as it was 20 to 30 years ago.” Here’s the problem with permanent magnet charging systems in the small engine arena: There are too many con- figurations and too few are identified. Grube said he has identified 20 different stator and rectifier configurations, and that’s not the end of it. This exasperating situation can lead to wrong diagnosis and incorrect part replacement—in other words, a non-functioning system. Roadblock or opportunity. Your roadblock to this market is the unidenti- fied and uncataloged information. Your opportunity will be in the degree of suc- cess we have identifying and recording the different systems, and the inclusive availability of the information. Where do we get the information? There is no one answer, however, a con- stant underlying theme of the survey is that no one information entity is consol- idating all the technical data. For rebuilders to be profitable in this market, we need the data cataloged. There’s a misconception out there that AutoZone has the best technicians, but in reality, it’s whoever’s door the customer goes through first that is pre- sented with the opportunity. That’s why rebuilders must convey knowledge, authority and accuracy to the customer. Notable in the replies was that a fair amount of respondents answered many questions with “no idea.” That’s poten- tial for new customers for the suppliers out there. Are some suppliers protecting the information they do have? Hopefully the goal of the supplier is to assist the rebuilder. So who’s doing the best job? And based on your region in the country, is this even a market for you to get into? These are good questions that every shop owner must answer for them- selves. It’s at least worth looking into, because as Grube says, “There’s a never ending need for people to fix people’s problems.” See page 11 for response percentages to the survey. Read on for comments. Do we need one source for a com- plete line of parts at a reasonable price? “No one has everything.” Not good to put all eggs in one wallet.” “Make suppliers compete.” No competition for pricing.” Never rely on a single source.” Dealer may be too far away for quick UPS turn around.” “Multiple sources are always needed, single are always easy.” “Aftermarket is already doing it.” “Too time consuming to determine which unit is needed and to find parts.” “Dealer is a cost problem, will not give discounts for resale.” “ce “ce “ce “ce Does the small engine market have merit in your business? “Tf customers ask.” “T try to repair anything that comes in 42V and less.” “T buy new and re-sell if I can get.” “Tt would if the price of new units climb.” “Would like to expand.” “I work on all starters and 12-volt DC motors off anything.” “Stocking up now.” “As of now, we’ve had to turn work down due to parts availability.” “Extra needed work.” “This market is 90 percent of my biz in the summer.” “Have four marinas as customers.” “Would like to more but need better parts source.” “Tf there is a profit to be made, we will explore the possibility.” “Repairs are good margin—new units, low margin.” “We do everything that has to do with DC voltage.” “Business is good and we can compete with the dealers.” “They can use us to expand profit, services and sources.” “Good money.” “There is a huge profit in the rebuild- ing of RV and jet ski starters.” “No time, no help.”