EXEDY Australia celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Rather than letting the pandemic spoil the celebration, EXEDY shares its history through the lens of how its customers have always been the cornerstone of its achievements.
Exedy has a long and successful history in the Australian Automotive Aftermarket. That history can be tracked all the way back to 1986 when Clutchco Pty Ltd was formed by Barry Davis, Ken Davis, Peter Marsh, John Ede with Bernie Solomons joining the team in 1992. Together they shared a vision, to deliver a superior quality clutch, have the largest range and set the benchmark for service.
The original founders worked around the clock to build the business from scratch. Based on their vision and dedication, Clutchco quickly became the preferred choice for the network of brake and clutch specialists and rebuilders as well as general automotive parts reseller businesses around Australia.
In 1995 the team engaged with EXEDY Corporation from Japan (then known as Daikin Manufacturing Co. Ltd). Established in 1950 in Osaka Japan, EXEDY Corporation began life as a clutch rebuilding operation but fast became a supplier of clutches to OEM’s around the world. Today, EXEDY has more than 44 operations around the world and employs more than 18,000 people in 25 countries.
Since those early days, EXEDY in Australia has expanded its range, distribution network, staff and reputation for quality to entrench itself as the premier distributor of clutch kits to the Australian & Pacific Island markets. The range has long progressed beyond standard OEM Replacement clutch kits to include an extensive range of performance clutches and more.
The business’ growth and success are largely due to the dedicated team of staff and loyal customers with which they have partnered along the journey.
In parallel to growing their core clutch kit business, EXEDY recently expanded its product offering with the introduction of the AISIN brand. AISIN is one of the world’s leading OE manufacturers for Japanese, European, and American vehicles with over $35 billion in global revenues and the OEM quality range is quickly gathering traction in the Australian aftermarket.
In 2017 EXEDY acquired Driveline Auto Parts. Driveline is a leading supplier of automatic transmission components; the acquisition allowed EXDY to expand their presence in the automatic transmission aftermarket.
The vision of the original founders of Clutchco to combine local expertise, networks and customer-centric focus with the brand strength, manufacturing, development and logistical capabilities of the global EXEDY business ultimately cleared the path for EXEDY to evolve and grow. Today EXEDY still have a razor-sharp focus on their customers that have been the cornerstone of their success.
‘We will continue to work on strengthening our existing partnerships with our customers while further improving our existing products. We see many future opportunities for our company and will keep our focus on manufacturing high-quality product and providing expert after-sales service based on a quarter of a century of experience” said EXEDY Senior Product Manager, Mark Davis.
“All our customers, and in turn their customers, would also be feeling uneasy and fragile at this difficult time. I firmly believe it is our responsibility to help them through it. Companies that can take their customer service to a new level at this time will flourish when things get back to some sense of normality. We continue to be the leaders in this field by making every aspect of our customers interactions with us an enjoyable and helpful experience.” said EXEDY National Sales Manager, Chris Philp.