Spares Policy
One of the Club’s main objectives is to keep Lagondas on the road, and having a good spares supply is key to achieving this. The Board therefore attaches high importance to the Club’s spares policy, continually seeking ideas for improvement, which are welcomed from all members.
OBJECTIVE
The long run objective is to provide a comprehensive one-stop-shop for members’ spares requirements, covering all Lagondas up to the DB 3 litre, with most core needs being met by the Club directly. Where the Club does not supply parts (for instance, electrical parts, shock absorbers, fasteners) it should be able to point members to those suppliers who can best do so. Despite continuing improvements in our spares operation, we are still a long way from achieving this objective. The Club currently supplies some 1000 parts (excluding second-hand items) across most Lagonda models, from the 14/60 to the DB 3 litre. The Rapier Register offers an excellent service for all Rapiers.
ORGANISATION
The Club’s spares operations are governed by the Spares Committee, which is chaired by the Club’s Chairman. The members of the Committee are John Sword, Brian Green, Charles Atkinson, Colin Mallett. Martin Peters, Michael Nassim, David Bracey and Robin Cooke.
The introduction of new parts is very time-consuming, and with only the Committee members working on it in their (limited) spare time, progress in the past has been slow. In order to accelerate things, the Club has set up five Model Groups, aiming to involve a wider spread of members in new parts projects, who do not have to join the Committee.
Members of the Model Groups undertake the work required to introduce new parts and are generally enthusiastic and knowledgeable owners or those engaged in professional repair/maintenance of the relevant cars, who are willing to invest time and effort to help to bring new parts into the system. Further volunteers are needed.
Where possible each Model Group is led by a member of the Spares Committee. Each group reports to the Committee on a regular basis.
The Model Groups and their respective leaders are:
- Early Cars Mark Yeomans
- 14/60, 2 litre Vacant
- 3 & 3.5 litre Vacant
- 16/80 Len Cozzolino
- 4.5 litre Michael Nassim
- LG6 & V12 Charles Milne Atkinson
- 1945-1957 cars Martin Peters
Priorities for new parts:
- Top priority are safety-critical items, i.e. brakes, steering and suspension.
- Next are commonly required service items e.g. gaskets, springs, clutch parts.
- Next are wearing parts with high set-up costs (tooling, patterns, dies).
- Next are other wearing parts.
- Last are non-wearing parts.
In each category, high volume models take precedence, and proprietary parts that are available from stockists are last on the list.
In a further initiative to accelerate the widening of its spares coverage, the Club now includes within its range a large number of parts supplied via David Ayre. Other similar developments would be welcomed.
STOCKING AND AVAILABILITY
The Club’s stocks of spares are currently valued at over £400,000 and this investment will rise as new parts are added to the portfolio. In order to use its funds wisely, the Club needs to balance the desire for good availability (good stocks of every part, always) and for low parts costs (buy parts in large batches), versus the amount of members’ capital tied up and the need to cover as wide a range of parts as possible. To address this, the following policies are applied:
- We limit the number of parts which are ‘always in stock’, i.e. parts which are generally re-ordered before the stock runs out. The Model Groups are responsible for deciding what to recommend in this area, but service parts (No. 2 above) are always included.
- Other parts on longer lead-times (months) are re-ordered as soon as stock reaches zero.
- Other parts on shorter lead-times (weeks) are re-ordered only when a member places an order for a zero-stock part.
- Purchase orders are generally issued for the smallest batch quantity that is acceptable to the supplier. Only a substantial price discount will permit a larger batch to be ordered.
The Club’s stores at Robin Cooke’s establishment near Saxmundham have been expanded to give more space for the storage of both new and used parts. Robin aims to turn around all orders within 48 hours of receipt, when stocks are available, and we normally achieve a first-fill of over 95%. He is able to give an ‘emergency’ service for an extra charge.
PURCHASING
The Club’s spares operation is entirely dependent upon the excellence of its suppliers if it is to give a good service to members, and our purchasing policies are designed to achieve this. Some core objectives are:
- To have two suppliers for each commodity (commodities being, for instance, gears, gaskets, machined castings, springs).
- Suppliers should be equipped to make small batches (i.e. not to have high tooling/set-up costs if these require large minimum batch sizes, even though this might give low unit costs).
- All suppliers must meet quality standards that are agreed by the Club.
- Safety-critical parts must be marked and certified so as to ensure traceability to supplier and to raw material.
COMMERCIAL TERMS TO MEMBERS
PRICING
Spares pricing policy is designed to achieve an overall gross margin of at least 40% in order to cover the cost of running the service and to provide funds for expansion.
The price structure is reviewed from time to time to ensure that the objectives are being met. In addition, prices for parts held in stock for more than 1 year are normally raised annually (from 1st April) in line with inflation.
Members whose purchases exceed a certain amount each year will receive a credit note which is valid for 2 years against future purchases (see “Terms & Conditions”)and, at the discretion of the Committee, in order to help fund the introduction of major new items, a discount may be offered to members who pre-order from the initial batch.
PAYMENT
Payment is required in advance of despatch (or on collection from the spares office) for all orders unless special arrangements have been made with the Spares Officer and confirmed by the treasurer.
USED SPARES
Since 2008 the Club has built up a substantial stock of used spares. Most of these are not the same parts as those carried in the Club’s stocks of new parts. They are shown on the Club’s website, with photographs (this process will be completed in 2023).
The Club is keen for members who own used spares which they do not need themselves, to offer these to other members. These spares can be listed on the website alongside the Club’s own used spares. These parts can either be sold directly member to member, or, for a fee, can be held alongside the Club’s spares, with the sales process being handled by the Club.
WEBSITE
The Club’s website is a key part of the spares operation, and we are improving it continually. All spares items are listed on the website, in a structure that makes it easy to find the part that a member requires.
Parts are listed with a description, including the price, and a clear photograph. They may be ordered and paid for on-line 24/7. Lists of parts can be downloaded and printed by members.
The supply of spares is a key element of the service that the Club provides for its members and we need to make continual improvements to this service. This can only be achieved by the efforts of the members of our Model Groups – more volunteers are needed.