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MILAN – We heard from Gilberto Guidi, Group Director Professional Coffee REPA, who spoke
to us from the Italian headquarters in Cesena, with offices and a distribution center that spans over more than 21,000 square meters. Guidi highlights the tireless activity of one of the largest European distributors of original spare parts for the coffee, vending, and foodservice sectors.
REPA, distributor of original spare parts: what is the added value for a manufacturing company to be supported in this operation?
“Our customers are manufacturers of professional coffee machines and grinders, specialized in the production, distribution, and design of finished equipment that represents excellence capable of conveying the passion for this beverage throughout the world.
However, every manufacturer knows that to create brand equity in such a multifaceted market, it is also necessary to offer prompt and rapid after-sales service, especially when it comes to original spare parts.
With its high availability of spare parts in stock and rapid delivery, REPA allows equipment to be repaired quickly, no matter where in the world it is needed. And the full restoration of the equipment’s performance, once the spare parts have been delivered by REPA, consequently generates profit for roasters, coffee machine distributors, or large chains.
All this, with rapid timing, which prevents customers from having to sustain the costs of a large and expensive warehouse dedicated to spare parts, especially at a time when the market tends to suffer from fluctuations and the number of brands is really high: it would in fact be unthinkable for our customers to have to manage such large warehouses.”
REPA does it for them and is therefore the ideal solution.
“At REPA and Parts Town, we have a network of advanced fulfillment centers throughout Europe (Italy, Germany, France, Spain, and the UK), in Australia, and the United States (Chicago and Phoenix). This logistical and technological structure allows us to deliver the right original spare part at the right price, in a short amount of time.
By “speed of delivery” we mean that it is carried out in a day within the European Union, thanks to the involvement of our headquarters, each with a specific area of expertise.
So, we were saying: delivery in about 24 hours from the moment the order is received, an average of 3 working days for Korea, 4 for the Middle East and 5 for a more distant market like India.
We have talked a lot about foreign countries, but within this global framework, how much does Italy count for REPA?
“Currently, Italy represents about 12% of our total turnover. It is a market that is difficult to scale in terms of growth, especially compared to abroad, which is experiencing a constantly evolving geopolitical situation and greater opportunities: however, we are increasingly trying to gain new shares in the Italian market by offering excellent service which is guaranteed by our logistics center of over 10,000 square meters in Cesena, equipped with 11 stacker cranes.
Our infrastructures are automated fulfillment centers that completely manage spare parts, from the arrival of the goods to quality control, from picking to packaging, all the way up to shipping. The efficiency and precision of each phase of spare part management allow us to deliver the right spare part to each customer.
Finally, once the requested piece has been delivered, our customers professionally manage its installation: roasters, for example, rely on their own internal technical assistance service. In Europe there are small independent centers that manage this operational part, while large chains rely on external companies that specialize in repairs.”
REPA’s new claim expresses all of this: find it, get it, fix it – fast!
Guidi: “And it tells the story of the possibility of finding all the original spare parts of the main brands on the market today, through a fun and intuitive purchasing experience.
Why choose an original spare part? At REPA, we explain it with the expression “zero worries”: the manufacturer, (OEM), also thinks about the type of spare part specifically needed to make the machine work in a certain way when designing a device.
This is even more true when considering coffee grinders: the original grinders have been calibrated for that specific model and to obtain a particular yield. Surely, therefore, a non-original spare part works, but without being able to guarantee the same output of grinding for which the equipment as a whole was originally created.
To make this concept clearer, REPA uses the terms uptime and downtime. The first describes the machine’s operability, as opposed to the second point, which defines the time the machine is not in use.
Putting ourselves in the shoes of a roaster and his customer, for example, a coffee machine first and foremost represents a source of profit, so the more it is in uptime, the higher the volume it records.
Conversely, in downtime, with the machine stopped, every minute causes a concrete loss of turnover. And here is where the original spare part comes in: it is the one that does not cause problems and that is delivered by us quickly, is installed with the guarantee that it is exactly the right one for the model, thus significantly reducing downtime, if not even eliminating it, thanks to our support.
The original spare part is less subject to wear, except of course for physiological wear, determined by the passage of water and steam and by mechanical friction, as it is characterized by intrinsic qualities in terms of material, and design, in line with the level of the rest of the equipment.
And when the time comes that something breaks, REPA guarantees the uptime.”
How does relying on a partner like REPA, with such a solid structure behind it, simplify the
activities of OEMs?
“The management of after-sales and, therefore, of all the operations downstream of the sale of the equipment is particularly complex and costly for those who build equipment. When repairs are necessary, the delivery of the correct original spare part on the other side of the world in a short time means, for the manufacturer, having to structure itself with a dedicated warehouse of a certain size and with resources and personnel always available.
REPA provides all this to our manufacturing partners, guaranteeing a significant impact on their bottom line: that is why more and more manufacturers rely on our global organizational capacity for these operations.
REPA, as a group, is able to manage 250,000 items in stock and, as far as professional coffee is concerned, 50 brands and approximately 50,000 original spare parts including coffee machines and coffee grinders. It is easy for our customers to rely on us, as we guarantee professionalism and speed at low costs.”
REPA also offers the possibility of presence in its one-stop shop: what is it and how does it support companies in sales?
“We were talking about around 50,000 original spare parts and 50 brands of coffee machines and coffee grinders: this broad range, without the right tools to simplify the search, can create difficulties for repair technicians who have to work with a variety of brands and models every day that require large investments of time and resources.
Here, the REPA one-stop shop becomes essential in searching for and purchasing in a few clicks, through a platform dedicated to all the spare parts of the various brands. It is a single source from which to intuitively find the specific spare part of all models of coffee machines and grinders on the market.
Furthermore, for those who are always on the road and in contact with many customers, being able to purchase quickly and accurately is very complex: we help simplify the supply chain, and this supports a reduction in costs, human error and delivery times.
In case of problems or critical issues, our assistance team is always ready: the same platform is very intuitive and offers different search modes (exploded view, technical drawing, or text search). If further support is needed to find the right spare part, our Customer Care team, who speak over 20 European and non-European languages, assists the customer in finding the item. We never leave our customers to fend for themselves.”
What are the biggest difficulties in finding original spare parts in today’s global context?
“First of all, it must be specified that European legislation establishes the obligation to keep spare parts available in the catalog for ten years, but REPA even keeps parts for models that are out of production and therefore beyond this time frame. Having said this, our sector has a great strength – a broad range of brands and equipment models for the professional coffee sector.
But there is a downside: hundreds of thousands of codes, so many product serial numbers, exploded views, and numerous certifications required for export, especially in a period in which customs are more attentive to provenance. In this labyrinth, REPA has on its side the fact that it has already worked on the database and the catalog, reducing the sea of information down to a few clicks on the site in order to guide the customer to quickly find and obtain the original spare part they need.”
Where is the future of parts distribution headed?
Giberto Guidi: “Artificial intelligence is very useful, especially for customer management. We are moving in small steps, albeit increasingly faster. Even manufacturers are starting to use it in a predictive way. REPA is working to provide first-level assistance through chatbots, to assist customers in their search for spare parts, to develop macroanalysis, and in the management of a large amount of files in order to make collaboration with our partners even faster.
It allows us to improve processes and provide the customer with quicker and easier purchasing experience. This also applies to the post-sales phase, with constant tracking of the movement of the spare parts orders (when they were shipped, where they are, and any relevant information about the delivery). And we are only at the beginning: in the future it will help us even more in this sense.
As for the years to come, the future prospects for our sector play out primarily in service: the market today demands it. On one hand, this means collaborating with coffee equipment
manufacturers and contributing to the value of the brand itself with our high-level support. We are investing a lot in finding even faster solutions, as service remains fundamental. It is important to be serious, transparent, and able to keep our promises and uphold our standards.”
So, what awaits us at HostMilano?
Guidi goes out on a limb: “There will definitely be a large stand, an opportunity to meet all our partners and customers, as well as solutions for original spare parts and new technologies.”
REPA
REPA is Europe’s leading distributor of spare parts for foodservice and refrigeration equipment, coffee and vending machines, and a trusted partner to OEMs, delivering the right part at the right time.
With the world’s largest inventory of in-stock original and universal spare parts, consumables and accessories, and a state-of-the-art network of automated fulfillment centers across Europe and beyond, REPA ensures the fastest delivery times in the industry.
AI-powered tools, 360° images, detailed exploded views, technical manuals and other search features available on its eCommerce platform and mobile app make part identification and ordering seamless. A team of industry experts speaking more than 20 languages helps customers find the perfect solution for every repair.
With REPA, keeping foodservice equipment running at its best every day has never been easier. REPA is the European division of Parts Town Unlimited.
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