In this video, you’ll learn about the commitment that AP Exhaust makes to its customers and the entire industry.
Episode Recap:
• AP Exhaust has coverage for modern vehicles as well as vehicles nearly 40 years old. (00:23)
• Multiple brands cover heavy- and medium duty trucks, light vehicles and performance applications. (00:43)
• AP makes more than 6,000 miles of tubing each year, enough to surround the United States. (01:03)
• The new product development process involves collaboration between multiple departments at AP. (1:16)
• Because of the extensive array of OE parts, AP strives to consolidate components as efficiently as possible. (1:38)
• AP’s vertically integrated manufacturing structure means raw materials go in one door, completed assemblies come out the other end. (2:07)
• Customers expect exceptional fill rates and delivery from AP. (2:56)
• AP Exhaust has been in the marketplace since 1927. (3:09)
• AP’s greatest asset is the people who support the customers. (3:33)
• CEO Vange Proimos is focused on doing what is right for AP’s employees and customers, which is always right for the company. (4:24)
Vange Proimos – CEO:
Our commitment here at AP is quality coverage delivery.
Gary Nix – President, AP Emissions:
We’ve got very extensive product line. Generally it’ll range from 1985 up to current, close to, current model year. It’s going to be across the exhaust program as well as catalytic converters, both EPA catalytic converters, and carb catalytic converters, which are really important for the marketplace today.
Henry Hippert – VP Sales:
We have a plethora of brands we go through. DuraFit and DieselTech cover our heavy and medium duty vehicles; AP and Eastern brands cover all of our light duty emissions; as well as Cherry Bomb covers all of our performance products. AP is one of the largest tubing manufacturers in the country. We manufacture 6,000 miles of tubing each year, enough to cover the perimeter of the United States.
Gary Nix:
We have a very robust new product development process. There’s a lot of collaboration between our product management department, our cataloging team, our design engineers. They work hard in defining exactly what coverage we want for each model year and then essentially it’s a reverse engineering process from what the OE platform has presented. It’s extremely important for the automotive aftermarket to have consolidation in parts. There’s just too many OEM part numbers.
A lot of the exhaust systems are welded assemblies, which are very large. It’s important for us to break these systems down. It makes it more manageable for the installation, makes it easier to ship, easier to stock and store. And it also presents opportunities to do a lot of consolidation, which is really important so that we can get the fewest number of part numbers with the maximum amount of coverage.
What really sets us apart here at AP is the fact that we’re a vertically integrated manufacturing company. And by that basically we start with a foil of steel and from that component, all of the other component parts and finished goods are produced. Very few products are sourced from the outside. We control the entire process here within the factory. Across the manufacturing plant, we do our own tube milling, our cutting, our pipe bending, muffler manufacturing, catalytic converter manufacturing, welding operations, stamping operations and obviously at the end of the day, you have a finished product.
Jayme Farina – Executive VP:
Completely vertically integrated. The rolls of steel come in one side of the building and complete product goes out the far end of the building.
Gary Nix:
At the end of the day, it’s all about having the fill rate our customers expect and the delivery of the products as quickly as they can get them. Being vertically integrated, it gives us that opportunity to fill that need.
AP Exhaust has been in the marketplace since 1927, and with that comes a tremendous amount of experience. Our workforce today and all of our manufacturing plants is very seasoned. When you look at not just the Goldsboro (NC) operation, but our Langhorn (PA) facility and our Hobart (IN) facility, we have hundreds of employees every single day that are working as hard as they possibly can to produce the best quality parts to deliver on time.
Vange Proimos:
Here at AP, our greatest asset is our people that are committed in supporting the customer at every aspect.
Glenn Barco – VP Sales:
We love our customers. We’ve put together a tremendous sales force out there with technical knowledge. We have people in place in every part of the country to be able to help our customers pull through sales.
Jayme Farina:
Customers are so important to us here at AP. We value their opinion and we always are listening to what they have to say.
Steve Nuneviller – Exec VP of Finance:
It’s very clear to me that the reason we’re here is to support our customers. Our customers are why we come to work every day.
Jayme Farina:
The vision of our company is really clear. We have a visionary leader in our company. Vanage Proimos, the owner and CEO of our company, he really keeps the company focused on doing what’s right for our employees, for our customers, which is always right for our company.
Vange Proimos:
We as a company have no limitations. We have worked to get the best management team and the best employees to focus on our customers need at the right time period.
For more information, visit our website at apemissions.com or visit durafit-exhaust.com.
