FIRST LINE SUCCESS AT MOTORTEC

Borg & Beck Continues To GrowLast month’s Motortec Automechanika, Ibérica held in Madrid, presented the First Line team with a second opportunity to showcase its high quality product line up to trade visitors attending Spain’s premier aftermarket exhibition. Although product quality remains first rate, much has changed behind the scenes since the last show two years ago. The company’s export department has grown to reflect the increasing business that First Line is enjoying with its highly regarded Borg & Beck brand and a comprehensive range of braking products has been added to the

FIRST LINE SPANISH TEAM PROVING SUCCESSFUL

Malcolm Crosby and Antonio ArriolaFormer Quinton Hazell duo Malcolm Crosby and Antonio Arriola are the men on the ground that are spearheading the rapid growth of the Borg & Beck range within the Spanish aftermarket. Borg & Beck offers a variety of products including clutch systems, braking components and steering and suspension to name a few. Between them Malcolm and Antonio have 63 years of aftermarket experience and 43 directly within the Spanish market, which makes them a formidable team with a wealth of product and market knowledge. The pair complement one another very well as

NEW CLUTCH CATALOGUE FROM BORG & BECK

Revised Version Is Better Than EverThe latest version of the ever-popular Borg & Beck clutch programme is fresh off the press and will soon be available to First Line customers across the country. The new edition, designated 21e, is the fourth incarnation of the publication and contains components such as hydraulics and concentric slave cylinders (CSC’s) as well as traditional 2-in-1 and 3-in1 kits and the UK’s widest range of 3-in-1 CSC and solid flywheel dual mass flywheel (DMF) replacement kit ranges. As a result the publication now contains more than 530 new-to-range additions and

FIRST LINE SECURES SALES MANAGER FOR WESTERN EUROPE

Andrew McCluskeyIf there was any doubt that First Line is committed to its European expansion agenda, the appointment of Andrew McCluskey will dispel the notion as he joins the company as its export sales manager for Western Europe. Andrew is responsible for the company’s sales in a huge market that stretches from Scandinavia to Malta and from Portugal to Germany, but he has at his disposal some formidable brands, not least the highly regarded Borg & Beck brake and clutch programmes. Andrew joins the team after five years with ADL, where he began by providing market analysis of the

BORG & BECK EXPANDS BRAKING PROGRAMME

Braking Hydraulics Supplement Friction RangeThe ultra successful Borg & Beck braking programme is growing again with the addition of a top quality range of hydraulics to supplement its existing and highly regarded pads, shoes, discs and drums. The programme includes 104 brake master cylinder, 380 wheel cylinder and 1,224 brake hose references and in line with the company’s commitment to the use of quality materials and manufacturing processes, the new hydraulic components offered alongside Borg & Beck’s dry friction range, will provide factors and their workshop customers with the

FIRST LINE EXPANDS ITS EXPORT TEAM

Support Team In Place To Aid GrowthFirst Line’s sights are firmly set on overseas expansion after a foretaste of the rewards that lay outside UK borders after exhibiting in Spain, Russia and Germany during the course of 2012. As a result it has made a significant investment into its export sales department to gear itself for the increasing demand it is anticipating from a number of new markets. First Line began its concerted export campaign following the recruitment of Kevin Neaverson at the beginning of 2012 and during the year he has developed the company’s export plan and has begun

FIRST LINE LAUNCHES UPDATED CATALOGUE

Steering & Suspension Product InformationFirst Line is proud to announce the launch of the latest version of its renowned steering & suspension catalogue (7f) for car and light commercial vehicles. The comprehensive 1,308-page publication is the ultimate steering & suspension buyers guide and is packed with thousands of part numbers for hundreds of applications, all with the original equipment cross-references. As would be expected from the UK’s leading steering & suspension supplier, the revised catalogue contains a number of new and exciting additions including more than 1,100 new

FIRST LINE WHEELS KEEP TURNING

Rotating Electrics Programme Joins The Line UpThe speed of product development at First Line continues apace with the introduction of a range of more than 500 new ‘outright purchase’ alternators and starter motors. The range is not an exchange programme as the units are of brand new manufacture rather than being remanufactured from old core, so there is no requirement for the old unit to be returned and as a result, no surcharge is payable. This means that First Line customers can also benefit by selling the old unit for its scrap value. The initial range of 285 alternators and 231

KEEP COOL WITH FIRST LINE

New Products And Great Advice For WorkshopsCooling components from First Line provide factors and their workshop customers with arguably the largest and most accessible range of matching original equipment products in the country. The latest additions include 15 temperature housing units and almost 30 temperature sender units, which will provide the solution for most vehicles entering the workshop. Alongside a commitment to continuously expand its product range, First Line is also dedicated to support the workshop with sound advice to help them improve the quality of their work and their

FIRST LINE INTRODUCES KEY PARTS

Wheel Bearing And Water Pump AdditionsCore to First Line’s business principle is ensuring its customers have access to the largest possible range of high quality products, combined with the best levels of stock availability and superb customer service. With this commitment to its customers at the forefront, the company has responded to their demands and introduced two new product lines under the respected Key Parts label. The Key Parts wheel bearing range consists of more than 150 bearing kits and hub units and provides workshops with a high quality product at an affordable price.

FIRST LINE INVESTS IN PEOPLE

Apprenticeships Form Part Of The FutureFirst Line, the Banbury-based distributor of matching original equipment replacement products, has again showed its commitment to the future and to the local community, by introducing a number of apprenticeship schemes into its employment policy. Although the traditional apprenticeship has been side-lined by successive governments over several years, the current coalition has been much more in favour of apprenticeships as a common-sense way of giving young people practical skills that are valued in the workplace. As well as recruiting skilled

FIRST CHOICE FOR FIRST LINE

Highly Skilled Technician Joins The TeamFirst Line, the UK’s largest aftermarket supplier of steering and suspension components continues to invest in the quality of its technical team with the appointment of Lee Morris as the company’s new technical trainer. Lee has an impressive CV with almost 25 years of motor trader experience, some of which was in a small garage environment and some with two large franchised dealer groups and even a Formula 1 race team. As well as his obvious hands on skills, Lee is also able to lead and train others as is evident from his most recent post, which

AUTOMECHANIKA DELIVERS FOR FIRST LINE

Frankfurt Show A Great SuccessFirst Line put significant investment into its presence at Automechanika and has pronounced itself very satisfied with the sales leads and general enquiries that were generated during the course of the show. Naturally, the prime purpose of the trade fair was to raise awareness of both the First Line and Borg & Beck brands and the high quality products in their range. However, the company also brought out its product managers in order to meet with its many existing suppliers and see what other products were available from other suppliers attending what is the

ANOTHER NEW RANGE FROM FIRST LINE

Gear Control Cables Join The Line-UpFirst Line is already one of the UK’s largest aftermarket suppliers of matching original equipment (OE) quality cables, but the addition of gear control cables adds yet another string to the bow for this ever increasing range. First Line identified a requirement from the independent aftermarket for an OE quality replacement to service the gear control mechanism on the front wheel drive Ford Transit 2.0 TDCi Mark VI with a VXT 75 manual transmission, which was manufactured between 2000 to 2006. Until now, these cables have only been available from

A TOUCH OF FROST AT FIRST LINE

Keith Frost Joins First LineThe continuing growth of First Line has led to the appointment of another experience aftermarket professional to join the ranks in what is now one of the market’s most formidable sales teams. Keith Frost, who’s aftermarket career spans more than 30 years and includes a valuable blend of commercial vehicle and automotive experience is now representing the company for both the First Line and Borg & Beck brands in the Anglian area. From his first taste of the business working on the parts counter at his local Leyland Truck dealer, Keith’s impressive career is

FIRST LINE ON THE PODIUM

Everyone’s A Winner At First Line’s Classic Race WeekendSummer arrived in style as First Line welcomed almost eighty guests in glorious sunshine to the Castle Combe racing circuit in Wiltshire, for its second First Line sponsored race weekend last Sunday. The Classic 50 Race Weekend is a prominent event in Castle Combe’s racing calendar and it was First Line’s Borg & Beck brand that took prime position for this mainly historic meeting. The brand is synonymous with the motor industry and will have been the original equipment clutch system on many of the vehicles that were racing during

ANTI-ROLL BAR BUSHES IN PAIRS

FIRST LINE GETS TECHNICAL

TWO-YEAR WARRANTY ON BEARINGS

NEW GENERAL EXPORT MANAGER FOR FIRST LINE AND BORG & BECK

START-STOP FROM BORG & BECK

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VICTORY LANE FOR FIRST LINE