Who are Durite?

Today we are going to take a closer look at our brand partner Durite. Well known for manufacturing and supplying high quality parts to the automotive aftermarket, Durite has been trusted by at-home customers & professionals for 85 years. 

Their affordable products are all manufactured in Durite owned factories worldwide, providing them with global expertise whilst maintaining their high standards. Durite has become best known for its affordability and service which are at the core of the business. 

With their vast knowledge of the automotive market, Durite has been able to create a range of products that provide simple yet effective solutions for customers and have quickly become the UK’s leading brand in auto electrical parts for the commercial and general vehicle aftermarkets.

We sat down with Chester Chung,  Marketing Executive at Durite, to ask a few questions.

12 Volt Planet: Hi Chester. Thanks for joining us today. Firstly, I wanted to ask you to explain who Durite are?

Chester: Thanks for having me. Well Durite are a part of the Safe Fleet brand, specialising in the auto electrical &  safety market for commercial and leisure vehicles. We're celebrating our 85th year this year so we have a vast amount of experience and our goal is to become the one-stop brand for all electrical products. 

12 Volt Planet: Brilliant. So in terms of product development, what are the things you look towards when researching future products?

Chester: Well I can't speak for our Product Development Manager, but we look for innovation & quality. We try to aim to offer products with longer warranties than other brands as we know the importance of trusting the products. We will also aim to have products certified as we know this is very important, especially to the commercial sector. 

12 Volt Planet: So is your R&D based in-house then?

Chester: Our Product Development Manager works with our technical team to look at what is out on the market and what we might be able to achieve, whilst not compromising on quality and keeping the product affordable. They'll then work with our engineers and design teams to start bringing the product to life. 

12 Volt Planet: I know you've mentioned affordability. Some customers may see this as an indication that your products aren't as high quality, but you say this is something you actively try and achieve as a business

Chester: Absolutely. We know for businesses and consumers prices need to be fair, so we work hard to create the best products at the best prices. 

12 Volt Planet: So with your range of products I know you do a lot of work with vehicle safety kits. Do you feel this market is branching out from the commercial sector?

Chester: We've finally seen an uptake in sales especially in the private sectors from campervans and even horse boxes, where they are used to monitor the horses. I know from articles I've read also that telematics is going to grow over the coming years, allowing you to track your vehicle in real-time & dash-cameras are becoming more of the norm in vehicles. These systems are being seen as helping combat road accidents and insurance claims, so we'll continue to look at how these types of products can help customers.

12 Volt Planet: So we know from our experience that your technical support is superb and the availability of datasheets & documentation is something we like. What made you decide to make this available to your customers?

Chester: Well we started as a family run business so we treat our customers like friends & family and why wouldn't you help friends & family? This is core to what Durite stands for & we understand we need to offer a full service, including back-end after sales support. This is very important to us so we have recently taken on new members of staff to make sure we can support the new customers coming to Durite. 

12 Volt Planet: That's great to hear. I know from our experience that if we're looking for products or support it's great we can reach someone quickly and easily. 

Chester: Yes, and touching on that we also offer bespoke systems, so if a customer has a unique challenge we can work together to see if we can develop a solution for them. 

12 Volt Planet: Wow! We didn't know that but will keep it in mind for any future requests. I think a lot of companies like Durite aim to become OEM products; is this something you're looking into?

Chester: Of course! We already have several originally fitted products which is great as it showcases how much trust there is in our products and we're working to develop more, so watch this space. 

12 Volt Planet: So last question in regards to your products. Design and quality are important, but how much do they factor and what impact can cost have? 

Chester: We always aim to design a product so it appeals to customers; some like a modern look whilst others favour a more classic look, so we work hard to make our products suitable for both markets if possible. Of course, quality is important and we take this into account when looking at costs. With changes and competition, we need to make sure we're fluid so when we look at creating new products all these aspects are taken into account. 

12 Volt Planet: Well thank you for speaking with us Chester! It was very insightful and we look forward to seeing what new products Durite have for 2022. 

Chester: Thank you very much. 

To see our full range of Durite products click here