North American Brakes Aftermarket: Sales of Brake Caliper and Hydraulic Components to Benefit as Consumers Keep Their Vehicles Longer

Research and Markets has announced the addition of Frost & Sullivan’s new report “North American Brakes Aftermarket: Calipers and Hydraulic Components” to their offering.

This service analyzes brake calipers and hydraulics in the North American automotive aftermarket. It includes unit shipment and revenue forecasts, pricing analyses, distribution channel analyses, market share analyses, and industry challenges. The base year is 2009. Forecasts are provided from 2010-2016, and historical data is provided for 2006-2008. Calipers are segmented into Loaded, Semi-loaded and Unloaded product lines. Hydraulics are segmented into master cylinders, wheel cylinders, brake hoses, brake cables, clutch master cylinders and slave cylinders. There are two companion services connected to this research. They are North American Brakes Aftermarket: Rotors and Drums and North American Brakes Aftermarket: Friction Parts.

This research service titled North American Brakes Aftermarket: Calipers and Hydraulic Components provides unit shipment and revenue forecasts, market drivers and restraints, distribution channel analyses and market share analyses. In this research, Frost & Sullivan’s expert analysts thoroughly examine the following markets: automotive brake calipers and hydraulic components.

Sales of Brake Caliper and Hydraulic Components to Benefit as Consumers Keep Their Vehicles Longer

The current economic environment is encouraging people to keep their vehicles longer and driving growth in the North American brakes aftermarket. Demand for durable brake components such as calipers, master cylinders, and hoses will also increase in the coming years, reversing a longstanding downtrend for many parts in this category. The result will be increased competition that drives some suppliers out of the market. The decline in vehicle sales has a corresponding effect on average vehicle age; today, the average vehicle age in the United States is about 9.5 years, notes the analyst of this research service. In two years, the average U.S. passenger vehicle will be over 10 years old, putting more vehicles in the prime replacement period not only for routine maintenance parts, but also for many long-lasting components such as hoses and master cylinders. These growth rates may not seem impressive on the surface. However, for some of these components, it is the first time since Frost & Sullivan began tracking the category that suppliers expect any growth at all. Unit shipment demand for semi-loaded calipers will increase by 3.7 per cent annually. Demand for master cylinders will grow at a rate of 0.3 per cent annually. Total manufacturer-level revenues will increase by 3.1 per cent each year from 2009 to 2016.

To take advantage of this opportunity, suppliers must carry all makes and models coverage. This includes approximately 3,650 calipers, 3,650 brake hoses, and 3,525 additional hydraulic components. Suppliers that cannot provide the entire product line are unlikely to win business with large distributors, limiting their ability to compete in this category. The high number of parts that the aftermarket requires makes it difficult for suppliers to plan production, manage inventories, reduce costs, and meet all customers needs in a timely manner, says the analyst. The high bargaining power of larger retailers and warehouse distributors (WDs) puts pressure on suppliers to cover all vehicles, maintain fill rates of at least 92 per cent, and offer the best price to win the distributors business.

Distributors usually source calipers and hydraulic components from different suppliers rather than from a single vendor because they require distinct specialization. As a result, suppliers should specialize in calipers or hydraulics rather than trying to sell all components together, or by distinguishing themselves as a remanufacturer or a re-packager offering sourcing, assembling and labeling services to a full-line brakes company. There are opportunities for suppliers to create niches in this market, such as developing a cost-effective line of new calipers to compete against the remanufacturers that currently dominate the category or focusing on high-performance upgrades rather than standard replacement parts. Suppliers can differentiate their products or services to develop competitive advantages.