Scott Sutton is a marketer with Standard Auto Parts in Baltimore, Md. He spoke with Aftermarket Business World about new company developments.

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Standard Auto Parts just opened a new warehouse. Tell us about the fast delivery, high-inventory model you are using.

Baltimore has known and trusted Standard Auto Parts since 1945 because delivering the right part in the right time is what we’re all about. I knew from the start that if we opened a new warehouse, it would have to uphold that philosophy. Our new 11,000 square-foot warehouse represents our values and provides a new level of service to the Owings Mills/Reisterstown area that dwarfs the inventory of our local competitors. But even that is not enough. We know that if our parts don’t get to our customers quickly, having it in stock doesn’t make a difference. Our abundant inventory and over-sized delivery fleet are performing amazingly well. This summer, we even delivered a part in six minutes! The customer called back to say, “Heck, I just hung up the phone and your truck pulled up!”

How does this compare to what your competitors are offering?

Our new store is in a different market from the rest of our company. We’ve always geared our service toward our Baltimore customers. Now we’re bringing our city-paced service to Maryland’s suburban and rural areas. Our competitors typically have smaller locations and delivery services that meet the needs of those same rural and suburban populations. Having just enough supply to meet the demand of these customers is a business practice that’s been around since the dawn of time because it makes sense. Standard Auto Parts chooses to be a disruptor of this status quo by offering far more inventory, quicker deliveries and great prices.

As a family business with four generations of experience, what are the main challenges you face against the bigger auto parts companies?

The free market is not only good for consumers, but for businesses too. Competition only makes companies stronger. I’m happy to thank our competition for making us a better company. If we didn’t have the “Wall Street” auto parts stores drowning the market in advertisements, Standard Auto Parts wouldn’t need to be as creative as we are today. They talk big, and, as a small business, we don’t have stock market financing to support that kind of megaphone. So we have to perform big. To compete with their advertising and size, we’ve changed the game and choose to compete with more than catchphrases. Standard Auto Parts competes with results for our customers.

What is ahead for the future of Standard Auto Parts? More expansion?

Absolutely! Expansion of inventory and warehouses are defining pillars of our company. Even though Standard Auto Parts already has the largest inventory in Baltimore, we’re talking about a massive expansion of the quantity and breadth of inventory in our existing warehouses. We operate with the final consumer in mind. I know that the service Standard Auto Parts provides gives people the one thing they can’t get enough of — time. If we can deliver our part to the repair shop faster than our competition can, we may have just given the final consumer that much more time in their day. You must have the part IN STOCK to provide such service. Expansion is in our future. You can count on us to add new warehouses, service more repair shops and save more time. We want to continue to improve the quality of life of more people.