b'Meet the Spare Parts Manager ON THE FLOORSPARE PARTS MANAGERTONY DUGGAN Tony Duggan has been Spare Parts Manager at Mercedes-Benz Parramatta for 23 years and, in that time, a lot has changed with the brand. Tony has never been busier in the spare parts department, and while the reasons may be surprising, they are definitely reassuring about the quality of the brand.WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB? best that it is and the result is six seasonsOne of the biggest areas of growth is parts on the trot at the top of the Formula 1 Driverfor accident repairs. Even though the vehicles I always enjoy going to work. Having a greatConstructor. The Mercedes-Benz brand is onthemselveshelptomitigateaccidents,the team is a big part of that, but its also becausea high at the moment. survivabilityofthevehiclesismuchgreater Mercedes-Benz is such a dynamic brand. Its constantlychanging,growingandevolvingWHATDONTWESEETHATMAKESthaninthepast,sotherepairsideofthe and has done so since I have been involvedMERCEDES-BENZ SPECIAL? business has grown significantly. Increasingly with it. Its gone from a relatively small playerthe vehicle is considered to be repairable rather Mercedes-Benzdoesntalwayscrowaboutthan a total loss, and thats got a lot to do with in the Australian market to a major force in thetheirsafetyrecord,buttheyfactorinthe prestige sector.Mercedes-Benz engineering and design. smallest detail which makes all the difference WHATHASCHANGEDFORTHEBRANDto help people endure their worst day. Its theHAVETHEREBEENANYCUSTOMER SINCEYOUJOINEDMERCEDES-BENZbest car that anyone can drive on their worstREQUESTSTHATCAUGHTYOUBY PARRAMATTA? day. Thats how they built their reputation. SURPRISE?Mercedes-Benz used to be almost exclusivelyThereareneverreallyanysurprises,but an elite purchase, with the price of entry outsometimes we can get requests for parts for of reach for most people. Probably the biggestclassicMercedes-Benzmodelswhichmake change came with the model expansion of theforinterestingconversations.Peoplehave late 90s and again in 2013 with a platform oftheir own reasons for restoring or repairing smaller cars. That helped grow the offeringolder models. It may be sentimental, although andstabilisedtheentrypoint,whichhasthats no different to spending money on a helpedmorepeoplebecomepartofthemuch-loved family pet. Some people will keep brands growth. classic Mercedes-Benz vehicles in their family for their own collections. It might be a car WHATMAKESMERCEDES-BENZSOtheyve had for a while but dont drive much, DYNAMIC? Tony Duggan but it may need to get it serviced or updated. Im really partial to Formula 1 racing and itsWe are fortunate in that we are able to source greattoseeMercedes-BenzachievingsoWHAT IS DRIVING SPARE PARTS GROWTH? many of those old parts through the Mercedes-much success on the track over a sustainedInevitably the growth of the vehicle range hasBenzClassicCentre.Theyofferasupport period. Mercedes-Benz initially came into F1led to greater demand. Because there is sofacility for a lot of the older components. We as an engine supplier and in the past eightmuch variety on offer now, so many differentcant get everything but we certainly can get ornineyearsasamanufacturer.TheyvestylesandversionsofMercedes-Benz,theyquite a few parts that maintain some of those worked very hard to make the product theall require support in parts and accessories.earlier vehicles.34SUMMER2019'