No matter what happens with the economy, auto parts stores are going to prosper. People will always need transportation, and having access to an automotive supply retailer will make it possible for them to take care of the car they already have, rather than try to buy a new one they can’t afford. If you own or manage an auto part store, you can take advantage of this built-in customer base by making your store clean, organized, and accessible-in other words, an enjoyable experience for your customers! One of the best and simplest ways to do this is by choosing attractive and strong retail display racks.

Customers don’t usually notice retail store display racks, of course-but that’s a sign that the store fixtures are doing their job. Your new auto parts and other merchandise should be highlighted, encouraging customers to buy the things they need (and a few they just want) from your business. Retail display fixtures should be simple and high quality, and your supplier should make it easy for you to choose the right display fixtures for the job.

If you own or operate an automotive parts store, here are some of the best choices of retail display fixtures for your establishment.

Retail display shelves. Shelves are the backbone of all retail display units, the fixture around which all other fixtures are planned. You can install permanent shelves that will never move, or you can line your aisles with slatwalls, which will allow to you rearrange or or reorganize your shelves to meet your business’s changing needs. Rotating wire racks. These freestanding retail display units come in several different shapes and sizes. You can get a small rack to sit on your countertop for encouraging impulse buys, anything from candy to air fresheners. Taller racks can complement end caps, and can be bought with hanging baskets for smaller items, or hooks for hanging ones. Try setting up an automotive theme with these display racks-you might have an end cap with a travel emergency kit, and rotating wire racks stocked with atlases and travel mugs for anyone getting ready for a vacation. Plastic or acrylic bins. These transparent bins can be hung on a slatwall, or set side by side on a retail display shelf. Smaller, stackable bins can hold small auto part store items like tire gauges, air fresheners, key rings, or replacement air valve caps. Larger bins are perfect for spark plugs, gas tank caps, gloves, fuses, or light bulbs. Pegboards. Pegboards come with hooks as their primary accessory, and allow you to hang things either form the wall or from a freestanding display. This is the perfect store fixture for displaying individual tools or parts that come in boxes. Other miscellaneous accessories, such as inner tubes or bungee cords, can be hung from pegboard store displays. Retail display racks. These retail store display tools come in almost every conceivable shape and size, and can help you display anything you need in your auto parts store. You can line your space behind the counter with retails display racks filled with boxes of auto parts, so that your employees can find what they need easily. These racks also make great floor displays of every from candy to carbeuretors. An auto parts store is a great investment in this difficult economy, as long as you’re paying close attention to your retail fixtures and displays. Nothing increases sales more than a pleasant shopping experience, and having the right display fixtures is a huge part of what makes an automotive store so great.

By: Terry Keenan

About the Author:

An automotive engineer helps design, adapt and develop vehicles either for retail or for motorsport. He or she may specialise in a particular area e.g. in the development of parts such as the chassis, or may be an expert on electrical technology or aerodynamics or fuel consumption or thermodynamics. They usually work as part of a multidisciplinary team with members both in the UK and abroad.

Tasks undertaken by an automotive engineer include

o Using technical skills and computer design technology to find ways of building new systems and parts for vehicles, whilst being aware of environmental issues affecting the new designs

o Creating prototypes and find ways of testing new products both using computer software and physically testing them

o Managing and leading projects, including the work of other staff, and overseeing the budget during the production process, and being responsible for all quality control issues

o Attending meetings in order to discuss new technology and take into account others’ concerns or suggestions

o Keeping up to date with new processes and technology, and developing new ways of designing and creating change

o Solving engineering problems in all areas of vehicle construction including electrical, thermodynamic, fuselage, and aerodynamics

Automotive engineers in the retail industry are still primarily based in the Midlands which is where most car manufacturing takes place. Those working in motorsport may be based in the South East however in what is known as Motorsport Valley, which is where they tend to have their research, design and production facilities. Other smaller specialist firms are dotted around the UK and it is possible to find work with one of these.
The hours worked by automotive engineers is usually 9-5 in the retail industry, but will vary for those working in motorsport where weekend and evening work is the norm.

Starting salaries in retail are from ?25-?30,000 depending on degree grade and area of specialisation. Salaries rise with experience, and after four years should be around the ?50,000 mark. Salaries for those working in motorsport may be considerably higher. There is the potential for overseas travel in both sectors.

By: Jonathan E Richards

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As the parts cleaning industry advances in technology and application, standards are becoming tighter in all industries. Increasing expectations and accountability from automotive manufacturers have led to cleanliness specifications becoming more strict, resulting in cleaner parts. While clean parts are always good, diminishing returns are a concern with strict specifications. At some point, parts are “clean enough” for their designed use, and increasing cleanliness beyond this range raises costs significantly with little benefit.

Practicality and function take a backseat, and the outcome is higher costs, more time, and wasted resources for all parties involved. To combat this wastefulness, it is necessary to craft a cleanliness specification and process that achieve a quality standard without overreaching and becoming inefficient. There are five steps and issues to think about when designing a specification: part size, contamination, necessary cleanliness, the process, and validation.

Part size is the basic first step in designing an efficient cleaning process. The washer manufacturer works with the customer and knows the exact part dimensions and material composition. This includes what type of metals the part is constructed of, which is helpful in determining the tolerance of the part to various processes that may be employed for cleaning. The material cannot be overlooked, as dimensions of the part can be changed due to heat expansion, or erosion caused by the cleaning chemistry or material handling method used.

After the specifics of the part have been accounted for, the next issue is the contamination that will be cleaned. The full nature and quantity of contamination are important variables. The part should be tested, with a method such as gravimetric testing or laser particle counting, to determine how much contamination is present before the cleaning process. If the correct amount is not accounted for, the washer will have difficulty handling the part. For instance, a washer with a 50-gallon wash tank will become over-run with soluble coolant in less than 1 hour if each part is contributing 1 measuring cup of coolant at a cycle time of 10 parts per minute. Knowing the amount of contamination will prevent this problem, as the washer can be designed with a larger tank in order to avoid immediate saturation.

Determining exactly what types of contaminants are present on the part is vitally important to the outcome of the process. If the cleaning chemistry does not take into account all contaminants present, it may not provide the necessary surfactant package required to break the surface tension between the part surface and the soil resulting in performance issues. For example, chlorinated paraffin is a waxy lubricant that is used to protect metal during deep stamping and metal forming so the metal does not tear.

The surfactant package necessary to release that waxy paraffin lubricant from the part needs to be both extreme in its composition, yet also must be able to handle very high temperatures without breaking down and losing their effectiveness. Knowledge of the contaminant also helps in the maintenance of the cleaning system. When washing off organic oils a manufacturer should know that since this product can separate from water it is possible to remove the soil from the cleaning solution while in operation.

Conversely, washing off synthetic coolants which do not separate from water requires larger tanks in order to expand the length of time between when the entire system needs to be taken down to dump and recharge each tank. If this is correctly designed for in the beginning, it will save headaches, money, and maintenance down the road.

After these issues have been resolved, it is time to determine the benchmark levels of cleanliness. Absolute clean is usually not necessary. Automotive parts do not need to be cleaned to the same level as surgical tools. Figure out at what point does contamination begin to affect performance, and work from there. Setting a specification a little higher than the point where contamination becomes a performance issue is not wrong, but setting it too high is inefficient. Keep in mind the diminishing returns of cleanliness past a certain point. The cost of increasing cleanliness is not linear but rather it is exponential.

If the part performs admirably with 1mg contaminant per part with no particles greater than 120 microns, there is no plausible reason to require a cleaning specification that requires less than .2mg contaminant with no particles greater than 50 microns. While the part would be very clean at that standard, the increased cost with no real benefit to performance makes it wasteful.

With benchmarks established, a cleaning process can be designed that accounts for part dimensions, contamination, production rates and specifications. Three things are critical to determining the proper process: mechanical action, chemical reaction and material handling. Find a washer manufacturer that has a wealth experience and it is likely they will have worked on a part very similar to yours in the past, which will make the design process much smoother.

The mechanical action used on the part is determined by machine design that is determined by production rate as well as cleanliness specifications. Some parts respond better to direct impingement methods, others to submersion in chemical baths and most respond well to a combination of the two. Chemical reaction between the part material, the cleaning compound and the soil must be tested in order to make chemical blends are not created that will create safety hazards or maintenance nightmares (i.e. excessive foaming). The material handling aspect must be designed to ensure no damage occurs to the part during transport.

Finally, it is time for validation. A cleaning process will be tested, which ensures that the machine achieves its goals and causes no damage to the part. Then, the part should be tested using the same methods that were used to determine the contamination levels of the part during the design process. The testing will make sure that the part meets the benchmarks that have been set. After testing, run the part through the entire production process with the washer included, making sure that the washing does not adversely impact the subsequent step in the production line.

By following these steps and working closely with a qualified manufacturer, you can be assured that your parts will be cleaned and fall within a reasonable specification. Reasonable, practical cleanliness standards will save a company money and time in the production process, avoiding the wastefulness of unnecessarily harsh restrictions and maintaining quality.

By: Jamie Knapp

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