Sukhpal Singh - Euro Car Parts
Discussion
Just reading he's sold ECP to LKQ for £225m and the history of his company. He's not done half bad has he, credit where credits due he made it happen.
Quick summary :
Fled Uganda at 13 years old to the UK
5 years later he started his car parts business with a bank and family loan buying a bankrupt parts shop in Willesden. He then proceeded to build it up over 33 years to 3500 employees, 120,000 commercial customers and 114,000 components at 89 locations round the UK.
We need more immigrants like him and our car companies to get business men like him on board! Supply something at the right price quickly and easily and it'll sell. I curse when I have to visit a dealer for a part. Imagine how many cars have been kept on the road when they may have other wise died due to this chap.
Quick summary :
Fled Uganda at 13 years old to the UK
5 years later he started his car parts business with a bank and family loan buying a bankrupt parts shop in Willesden. He then proceeded to build it up over 33 years to 3500 employees, 120,000 commercial customers and 114,000 components at 89 locations round the UK.
We need more immigrants like him and our car companies to get business men like him on board! Supply something at the right price quickly and easily and it'll sell. I curse when I have to visit a dealer for a part. Imagine how many cars have been kept on the road when they may have other wise died due to this chap.
Well done to the guy - he has changed the car parts landscape.
http://www.tyrepress.com/News/business_area/25/235...
http://www.tyrepress.com/News/business_area/25/235...
It a great story, my parents are immigrants and built their own (albeit, lot smaller) business and its a testament to the guy what he has achieved.
Every country needs its population to have a proportion of this kind of spirit regardless of whether they are home grown or immigrants, they should be embraced.
And just look at how many Brits he has probably provided work for and taxes he has pumped back into the economy.
But give it ten posts and someone will be along to say how it only happened because they may have got a free house and a bit of a hand out when the family first got here, thats PH guys.
Personally, I applaud him.
Every country needs its population to have a proportion of this kind of spirit regardless of whether they are home grown or immigrants, they should be embraced.
And just look at how many Brits he has probably provided work for and taxes he has pumped back into the economy.
But give it ten posts and someone will be along to say how it only happened because they may have got a free house and a bit of a hand out when the family first got here, thats PH guys.
Personally, I applaud him.
MoonMonkey said:
Well done to him but the level of service quality is utter s
te in my recent experience.
It depends where you go. I visited a branch in Birmingham not too long ago and I nearly had hold of the tte in my recent experience.t behind the counter. My local branch is in Sheffield (and Manchester before that, when the firm was far smaller) abd they were/are both very good.I work for ECP in our midlands distribution center, and previously in Wembley. Sukhpals car was always there at the crack of dawn and still there when most of us left at the end of the day. He's a total workaholic. The original parts store "highway autos" still operates in Willesden and mantains a close relationship with ECP. Sukhpal will talk to staff of all levels and likes to be kept informed of every aspect of the business. It is a remarkable success story it's true.
Dave_ST220 said:
MoonMonkey said:
Well done to him but the level of service quality is utter ste in my recent experience.
+1 tried them once, never again. (failed to deliver completely messing an order up).te in my recent experience.On both occasions with the vehicles in bits on the drive I've got the old parts off, compared them to the 'new' ones only to find they're not the bloody same..!! Hence a 38 mile round trip on a Sat morning to replace them only in the case of the latter they couldn't get hold of any until the Monday. Utter feckwits imho..!!
MoonMonkey said:
Twice now in recent times I've popped into my local branch (near work) for front discs / pads for a mk2 golf GTI and front anti-roll bar bushes for a T4 transporter (not exactly uncommon and I would have thought were bread and butter for ECP).
On both occasions with the vehicles in bits on the drive I've got the old parts off, compared them to the 'new' ones only to find they're not the bloody same..!! Hence a 38 mile round trip on a Sat morning to replace them only in the case of the latter they couldn't get hold of any until the Monday. Utter feckwits imho..!!
Maybe it's the way I'm reading it - but it does appear that you are the utter fOn both occasions with the vehicles in bits on the drive I've got the old parts off, compared them to the 'new' ones only to find they're not the bloody same..!! Hence a 38 mile round trip on a Sat morning to replace them only in the case of the latter they couldn't get hold of any until the Monday. Utter feckwits imho..!!
kwit. I await to be corrected.
MoonMonkey said:
Utter feckwits imho..!!
Couldn't agree more. The Manchester branch used to be really good, now it is full of useless tossers who haven't the first idea what they are selling and supply the wrong part 9 times out of 10,then argue black is white that they are correct.let's hope the Yanks restore customer service.
He has done well for him self, no argument. I'm not sure though that companies like ECP do any good for the car parts industry or us as the consumer as a whole. I think that constantly competing & lowering prices of parts can have a negative effect for us & over the years I have seen a big influx of crap Chinese, Taiwanese etc. parts being sold which is no good to me & I think also these cheap parts are a false economy as many of them wont last as long as decent alternative parts.
I wont use ECP & not because a lot of their stuff is crap, but because of the three times I did place an order with them they failed each time to deliver in a reasonable time, in fact with my third order I had to phone up after ten days & cancel. Over the last year or so I have started buying a lot of parts from main dealers & although prices can be more expensive I can trust the quality of the parts.
Some prices from main dealers aren't as bad as I'd of thought either, although some are, things like service parts, discs/pads & perishables can be quite reasonable especially as the parts are better quality.
I wont use ECP & not because a lot of their stuff is crap, but because of the three times I did place an order with them they failed each time to deliver in a reasonable time, in fact with my third order I had to phone up after ten days & cancel. Over the last year or so I have started buying a lot of parts from main dealers & although prices can be more expensive I can trust the quality of the parts.
Some prices from main dealers aren't as bad as I'd of thought either, although some are, things like service parts, discs/pads & perishables can be quite reasonable especially as the parts are better quality.
Mikeyplum said:
MoonMonkey said:
Twice now in recent times I've popped into my local branch (near work) for front discs / pads for a mk2 golf GTI and front anti-roll bar bushes for a T4 transporter (not exactly uncommon and I would have thought were bread and butter for ECP).
On both occasions with the vehicles in bits on the drive I've got the old parts off, compared them to the 'new' ones only to find they're not the bloody same..!! Hence a 38 mile round trip on a Sat morning to replace them only in the case of the latter they couldn't get hold of any until the Monday. Utter feckwits imho..!!
Maybe it's the way I'm reading it - but it does appear that you are the utter fOn both occasions with the vehicles in bits on the drive I've got the old parts off, compared them to the 'new' ones only to find they're not the bloody same..!! Hence a 38 mile round trip on a Sat morning to replace them only in the case of the latter they couldn't get hold of any until the Monday. Utter feckwits imho..!!
kwit. I await to be corrected.
HairbearTE said:
I work for ECP in our midlands distribution center, and previously in Wembley. Sukhpals car was always there at the crack of dawn and still there when most of us left at the end of the day. He's a total workaholic. The original parts store "highway autos" still operates in Willesden and mantains a close relationship with ECP. Sukhpal will talk to staff of all levels and likes to be kept informed of every aspect of the business. It is a remarkable success story it's true.
Gon on then, as this is PH....what was his chariot?Herman Toothrot said:
Just reading he's sold ECP to LKQ for £225m and the history of his company. He's not done half bad has he, credit where credits due he made it happen.
Quick summary :
Fled Uganda at 13 years old to the UK
5 years later he started his car parts business with a bank and family loan buying a bankrupt parts shop in Willesden. He then proceeded to build it up over 33 years to 3500 employees, 120,000 commercial customers and 114,000 components at 89 locations round the UK.
We need more immigrants like him and our car companies to get business men like him on board! Supply something at the right price quickly and easily and it'll sell. I curse when I have to visit a dealer for a part. Imagine how many cars have been kept on the road when they may have other wise died due to this chap.
I met the guy in person and was invited to attend the Charity Shield in a box with him in 2010.Quick summary :
Fled Uganda at 13 years old to the UK
5 years later he started his car parts business with a bank and family loan buying a bankrupt parts shop in Willesden. He then proceeded to build it up over 33 years to 3500 employees, 120,000 commercial customers and 114,000 components at 89 locations round the UK.
We need more immigrants like him and our car companies to get business men like him on board! Supply something at the right price quickly and easily and it'll sell. I curse when I have to visit a dealer for a part. Imagine how many cars have been kept on the road when they may have other wise died due to this chap.
He was driving a top spec AMG Brabus edition ML on the day.
Very nice chap, and very down to earth..
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