A small user group is the do-it-yourself consumer, who repairs his own vehicles. The market for auto parts covers cars, trucks and related four-wheeled motor vehicles, but there is a wide variety of other transportation vehicles served by their own parts-producing and distributing networks, including golf carts and motorcycles, construction equipment and commercial vehicles, trains, ships, aircraft and mass transit systems.
In the United States, according to statistics compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau in its Annual Survey of Manufactures: 2005 and earlier editions, transportation equipment manufacturing, which included complete vehicles, aircraft, ships and railroad rolling stock, delivered a grand total of goods valued at $687.3 billion in 2005 and employed 1.56 million workers paid nearly $84 billion. These employees included 1.1 million production workers who earned more than $53.3 billion.
Within this Transportation Equipment Manufacturing Group, Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing, not including motorcycles, accounted for goods valued at more than $206.3 billion, employing 613,218 men and women, including 478,673 production workers. This represented 30 percent of the total value of goods shipped by transportation equipment manufacturers throughout the nation and 30 percent of that industry's total work force. Aerospace product and parts manufacturing, which includes guided missiles, produced goods valued at $137.1 billion in 2005, of which about $48.5 was for aircraft engines, engine parts and other aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment. Overall, that industry employed 382,660 workers, including 157,055 in engine, engine parts and other aircraft parts manufacturing. Railroad rolling stock manufacturing produced goods valued at $9.2 billion while shipments of ship and boat building manufacturers were valued at $25.5 billion. Those industries employed 25,853 and 140,627 workers, respectively. All other transportation equipment produced in the United States in 2005 had a total value of $16.1 billion and those transportation equipment manufacturers employed 41,025 workers.
The target markets for auto parts are clearly defined, the primary target being the vehicle manufacturers of the world who account for anywhere from two-thirds to three-quarters of all auto parts purchases. The balance of auto parts production enters the service/replacement parts distribution network with most (approximately 70%) destined for commercial installers-auto repair shops, gas stations, fleet operators, and car dealer service departments. The remaining 30 percent goes to the retail market serving do-it-yourselfers.
The retail market can be divided into four basic segments: hard parts, such as brakes, mufflers, batteries, starters, alternators and pumps; maintenance items, such as oil, oil filters, lubricants, additives, spark plugs, fuel injectors, lights wipers, paints waxes and hoses; tools, including diagnostic equipment, wrenches and screwdrivers; and accessories, such as trim, hub caps, audio systems, and navigation systems.
