Wholesale Auto Supply Co.

Posted: 12/21/20

OVERVIEW

Wholesale Auto Supply Co. (WASCO) in South Hackensack, New Jersey, provides new car auto dealerships with volume pricing discounts and product purchasing efficiency to more than 900 members in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Connecticut.

As a wholesaler, WASCO sells ASI Doors to its customers but is also an ASI Doors customer itself.

CHALLENGES

WASCO is headquartered in a 60-year-old, 25,000 square foot warehouse frequently visited by customers. Multiple trucks load and unload at its loading dock for several hours daily. Traffic is high. The demand on its loading dock operations, including its doors, is high.

Because the facility serves as a warehouse and a showplace for WASCO, the company determined it needed to replace its 1,000-pound wooden door at the loading dock, according to Michael X. Allen, WASCO president.

“It was only a matter of time before something was going to go wrong with that door,” Allen explained. “It was heavy and had a lot of parts. We were concerned about several issues, such as energy efficiency, aesthetics, maintenance costs, durability, and, quite frankly, noise.”

SOLUTION

The Marathon 209 Series door from ASI Doors fit the bill for Allen and WASCO. 

“We figured we should go with the same door we are selling to our customers,” he said. “It is very efficient and easy to use. Plus, it creates a very positive customer experience on the visit. It’s attractive, quiet, and has a very low profile which creates easy access by taking up very little space.”

Wasco had the door installed within less than two days. “We had a vendor do it. It was easy. In fact, our floor is uneven, but the adjustment made by adding some additional weather stripping was made with no trouble. The door is evenly sealed across the bottom,” Allen said.

RESULTS

WASCO has had a positive experience since installing the door in early 2020.

Energy Efficiency
“It has a very quick opening speed at 80” per second. That’s pretty important to us in the northeast because in the winter the environmental conditions can get pretty cold and slick,” Allen said. “The less time that door’s open, the less exposure we have. At our place, we can be loading trucks two to three hours a day. In a month like February, you can lose a lot of energy with the door going up and down so many times.”

Product Showcase
Allen said another important benefit is the door serves as a showcase for customers. “Having the door operable at our place makes it easy to demo for customers,” he said. “It’s fast, sleek and quiet. What more can you want for image and operations at a new car dealership? They get to see that in real-time at our place.”

Low Maintenance
Allen also noted the non-contact feature of the door. “Nothing touches. All of the parts are non-contact. It weighs less than most doors. So, there’s less wear and tear. That means it looks great longer. And, there’s really no need for maintenance,” he said.

Durable
“It’s also pretty durable,” Allen said. “We had a delivery guy accidentally bounce some pallets off it one day. You could hardly see a scratch. I knew where it got hit and even I could barely see the scratches.”

Quiet
“The quiet feature is ideal. I mean, it’s almost too quiet for me,” Allen said. “I kind of like knowing when it’s opening and closing because I can track trucks coming in. My office is 30 feet from the door and I can barely hear it open and close.”Allen said the 209 is gaining in popularity among his customers.
“Everyone we’ve shown the door to likes it.”

“Everyone we’ve shown the door to likes it.”