Ford to launch Omnicraft parts brand for all vehicles

Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday it is launching a new Omnicraft parts brand that will allow its dealers to provide parts and service to vehicles made by other automakers.

The first new Ford Customer Service Division brand in 50 years, Omnicraft aims to help Ford and Lincoln dealers grow sales, Ford says. The Dearborn automaker said it will give owners of other makes to buy competitively priced and quality parts and have their vehicles serviced at Ford dealerships.

Other automakers also offer their own brands of parts to sell for vehicles that are not their own, such as General Motors Co.’s ACDelco brand.

Ford initially is offering about 1,500 Omnicraft parts such as oil filters, brake pads and rotors, struts, starters and alternators. That figure will grow to 10,000 globally within three years, said Frederiek Toney, president of Global Ford Customer Service Division.

Omnicraft parts will start arriving at Ford’s 3,200 Ford and Lincoln dealerships in the U.S. later this month, Toney said. Omnicraft joins Ford’s long-established Motorcraft brand of replacement parts for Ford vehicles.

“We want to be a bigger player in the overall industry,” Toney said. “We recognize that there’s a tremendous opportunity for us to do two things: one is grow our business, but more importantly retain our customers longer and also increase the touch points that we have (with) automobile owners ... that ultimately make decisions to buy new cars.”

Toney said Ford wants to grow its parts business 30 percent to 40 percent over the next five years. He declined to disclose how much money Ford makes now from its parts business.

Ford won’t build the Omnicraft parts themselves. Instead, it will work with suppliers to produce the parts for the automaker, Toney said.

Omnicraft parts and labor of those parts at Ford dealerships will include a 24-month warranty, the same warranty that is offered by Ford’s Motorcraft brand, Toney said.

mburden@detroitnews.com

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