Dorman Products Profile
Dorman Products, Inc. operates as a supplier of replacement and upgrade parts in the motor vehicle aftermarket industry. The company serves passenger cars, light-, medium-, and heavy-duty trucks, as well as specialty vehicles, including utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). As of December 31, 2023, the company marketed approximately 133,000 distinct parts, many of which it designed and engineered. This number excludes private label stock keeping units and other variations in how it markets, packages and distributes its products, includes distinct parts of acquired companies and reflects distinct parts that have been discontinued at the end of their lifecycle. The company’s products are sold under its various brand names, under its customers’ private label brands or in bulk.
The company is an aftermarket supplier of parts that were traditionally available to professional installers and consumers only from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or salvage yards. These parts include among other parts, leaf springs, intake manifolds, exhaust manifolds, window regulators, radiator fan assemblies, tire pressure monitor sensors, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) coolers, UTV windshields, and complex electronics modules. For fiscal 2023, approximately 78% of the company’s products were sold under brands that it owns, and the remainder of its products were sold for resale under customers' private labels, other brands or in bulk. The company generates most of its net sales from customers in North America, primarily in the United States. The company’s products are sold primarily through aftermarket retailers, including through their on-line platforms; dealers; national, regional and local wholesale distributors and specialty markets; and salvage yards. The company also distributes aftermarket parts outside the United States, with sales primarily into Canada and Mexico, and to a lesser extent, Europe, the Middle East and Australia.
Brands and Products
The company markets its products under the Dorman, Dayton Parts and SuperATV names, along with several sub-brands, which identify products that address specific segments of the motor vehicle aftermarket industry. Some of the company’s most popular brands include:
DORMAN – Reliable replacement automotive parts and components.
DORMAN OE FIX – Dorman products that are designed to be better repair solutions than the OE alternative. These parts are made to help save the service technician time and money, and increase reliability and serviceability.
HELP! – Parts and components designed to help the automotive do-it-yourself customer, or DIYer, save time and money. A fixture in auto parts store aisles for decades.
Conduct-Tite – Electrical tools, materials and accessories designed to help DIYers fix and customize vehicles. This brand includes the Builders Series line of premium wiring solutions.
Dayton Parts – An extensive product offering of heavy-duty commercial vehicle repair solutions, from cab to trailer.
SuperATV – UTV and ATV parts and accessories designed by riders for riders.
Keller Performance Products – High-quality ball joints for specialty vehicles.
Assault Industries – West Coast-style powersports products built for the cool factor and designed with an edge.
Gboost – Clutching products for specialty vehicles.
GDP – Premium quality transmission, portals, differentials and more for UTVs and ATVs.
The company offers bumper-to-bumper aftermarket solutions covering everything from engine, undercar, steering and suspension, body, electronics and hardware. The company’s engine products include intake and exhaust manifolds, fans, thermostat housings, and throttle bodies. The company’s undercar products include fluid lines, fluid reservoirs, connectors, 4-wheel drive components and axles, drain plugs, and other engine, transmission and axle components. The company’s steering and suspension products include control arms, ball joints, tie-rod ends, brake hardware and hydraulics, wheel and axle hardware, suspension arms, knuckles, links, bushings, leaf springs, and other suspension, steering, and brake components. The company’s body products include door handles and hinges, window lift motors, window regulators, switches and handles, wiper components, lighting, electrical, and other interior and exterior vehicle body components, including windshields for UTVs. The company’s electronics products include new and remanufactured modules, clusters and sensors. The company’s hardware products include threaded bolts and auto body fasteners, automotive and home electrical wiring components, and other hardware assortments and merchandise.
The company warrants its products against certain defects in material and workmanship when used as designed on the vehicle on which it was originally installed. The company offers a limited lifetime warranty on most of its products in the light- and medium-duty parts categories, with more limited warranties for its heavy-duty and specialty vehicle products. The company’s standard warranties limit the end-user’s remedy to the repair or replacement of the part that is defective.
Product Development
The company is committed to product development and innovation with a customer-first approach keeping owners and installers in mind. The company’s engineers and designers focus on solutions designed to help save repair technicians time, save vehicle owners money, and provide sought-after vehicle enhancements and differentiation.
The company has dedicated teams devoted solely to ideation and innovation in support of its objective to develop new products, many of which are first to the aftermarket. The company’s teams of researchers, field analysts, and product specialists visit repair shop technicians and spend time with customers to listen to and understand their repair challenges and vehicle needs.
The company categorizes its product development opportunities across three different spectrums: alternative parts - direct aftermarket replacements for factory parts, upgraded, or what it refers to as OE FIX parts – parts with enhanced design, functionality or features based on identifying what made original parts problematic and developing new solutions that address the original failure modes, and new parts - identifying parts that are not available from the OE or in the aftermarket that can enhance vehicle performance and user experience. Some of these opportunities are brand new to the aftermarket whereas others continue to expand the company’s current portfolio offering.
For the light-duty sector, in 2023 the company introduced several innovative first-to-the-aftermarket repair solutions designed to fit a wide range of vehicles in the light-duty vehicle sector. New products included a patent-pending OE FIX engine coolant thermostat housing assembly, an OE FIX intake manifold, and an OE FIX liftgate handle trim kit. In addition, the company continued to invest in its Emerging Technology solutions portfolio that helps support repair opportunities for complex automotive electronics components, as well as hybrid and electric motor vehicle platforms. In 2023, the company introduced several transmission control modules, variable geometry timing actuators (VGTA), and various other control modules and sensors. The company also introduced several new control arms, suspension components, door lock actuators and handles specifically designed for electric vehicles.
In the heavy-duty sector, in 2023, the company introduced numerous new products in categories, such as air tanks, shock absorbers, and air springs. Additionally, the company commercialized several new, aftermarket exclusive products across engine component, after-treatment, and the cab and body categories, further expanding repair options for both above and below chassis for Class 7 and Class 8 trucks.
In the specialty vehicles sector, in 2023 the company released many first to market solutions for 2023 model vehicles along with a new line of glass windshields. The company also completed a new turn signal kit line and focused on adding more break-fix solutions.
Sales and Marketing
The company markets its products to purchasers, many of whom in turn supply individual consumers and professional installers. The company’s products are available in its customers’ retail stores, on its website and its customers’ websites, and through dealers and warehouse distributors.
As of December 31, 2023, the company had a sales and sales support team of over 300 people selling its products either directly to its customers or, with respect to certain select customers, indirectly through independent manufacturers’ representative agencies worldwide.
The company’s sales strategy includes increasing sales not only by securing new customers, but also by adding new product lines and expanding product selection within existing customers in an effort to make its customers a destination for its aftermarket products.
Among other things, the company uses digital advertising, social media, email, catalogs and brochures to describe and promote its products. The company’s websites include DormanProducts.com, DaytonParts.com and SuperATV.com.
As of December 31, 2023, the company serviced approximately 10,000 active accounts. During fiscal 2023, three customers each accounted for more than 10% of net sales and in the aggregate accounted for approximately 44% of net sales.
Seasonality
Extremely hot or cold weather generally results in an increase in parts failure at an accelerated rate, which generally leads to an increase in the company’s sales for the duration of the extreme weather event.
Patents, Trademarks and Other Intellectual Property
As of December 31, 2023, the company held 107 patents and 72 pending patent applications worldwide. In addition, the company holds numerous trademarks in the United States and other countries. The company also has licenses to intellectual property for the manufacture, use and sale of certain of its products. The company obtains patent and other intellectual property rights used in connection with its business when practicable and appropriate. Historically, the company has done so organically, through commercial relationships, or in connection with acquisitions.
Competition
Due to the diversity of its product offering, the company competes against a large cross-section of aftermarket companies and brands, including, but not limited to, Cardone Industries, Inc., Standard Motor Products, Inc., Tenneco, Inc., Bosch Auto Parts, First Brands Group, LLC, Gates Corporation, Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (VDO), MevoTech LP, ACDelco (owned by General Motors Company), Motorcraft (owned by Ford Motor Company), Cummins Inc. (following its acquisition of Meritor, Inc.), Automann Inc., WARN Industries, Rocky Mountain ATV/MC and numerous category specific competitors.
History
Dorman Products, Inc. was founded in 1918. The company was incorporated in Pennsylvania in 1978.
