Since its foundation, the Austrian company SHAFER has specialized in filtration systems for various industries. The topic of the production of car interior filters became a logical continuation. And not so long ago, the company entered the more fundamental business of auto components and now, in addition to a wide range of automotive filters of all kinds, it also offers suspension, brake system and even engine parts. The company's strategy involves finding niches in which there is a shortage of certain high-quality spare parts in the middle price category
The company SHAFER is a family business with headquarters in Zattendorf, Austria. Since its founding in 1947, the company has been engaged in the development and improvement of filtration systems for industry, ventilation and air conditioning of office buildings, as well as the development of sterile room and clean room technologies. The main production facilities are located in Brunn am Gebirge, not far from Vienna. The second production is located in Székesfehérvár, Hungary.
Since the 80s, in connection with the boom in the machine-building industry and the development of logistics services, the company decided to apply its existing competences to the development and production of filter elements for cars. First of all, attention was focused on products for post-warranty maintenance of commercial vehicles. This market is quite large, given the high mileage of trucks and local distribution machines. And at the same time, he is more professional.
For more than 20 years, the company has developed more than 300 models of filter elements for cars and special equipment. Initially, the main sales markets were Austria, Germany, Hungary and Poland.
Gradually moving forward in the development of the assortment from its initial competences, the SHAFER company first offered the market the popular cabin filters. At that time, there were few high-quality and at the same time affordable alternatives to brands from OE suppliers in the countries of Central Europe. Then came the turn of other types of filters. And later, as the clientele in the business of spare parts and car service increased, the company also engaged in other components, in particular - details of the suspension and braking system.
SHAFER's first experience in the automotive field was, as already mentioned, cabin filters. In essence, their technology is not much different from filters for clean rooms. When analyzing the market, it became clear that there was a shortage of certain items of filters for such models as Renault Trafic and Volkswagen T4 in the assortment of the industry's leading brands. In particular, there was an increased demand not for simple dust filters, but for carbon filters - car drivers who spend a lot of time in heavy traffic were very much looking forward to their appearance.
Also, SHAFER has mastered the production of cabin filters using a special filler - the so-called hypoallergenic or eco-filters. They are distinguished by a higher degree of filtration - 2.5 PM, that is, they catch particles 2.5 microns in size and smaller. The fact that this level of cleanliness is really achieved in the outgoing air stream is verified by special equipment well known to SHAFER specialists - sawmills that show how many solid particles are contained in the volume of air. By the way, today there are also inexpensive household sawmill meters, which can be used to check whether the products of one or another manufacturer meet the stated characteristics.
Eco-filters are extremely popular among allergy sufferers and people with respiratory problems - clean air in the car cabin is vital for them. Especially if it is a driver of a commercial vehicle, who gets tired after spending many hours in the car, so it is not just a matter of comfort and well-being, but actually a matter of road safety.
In general, at first, SHAFER did not intend to expand the assortment in the direction of other categories of filters, except for salon ones. In this niche, the company felt very confident - with the task of creating an inexpensive and high-quality carbon filter with a good absorbent filling, a high level and a long period of odor capture, SHAFER coped perfectly. High-quality carbon filters, for example, on the Volkswagen Transporter T5 were offered at a price 30% cheaper than the nearest competitor (from among trusted manufacturers), not to mention premium brands, where the difference was three times or more. In terms of hypoallergenic filters, SHAFER had a unique position.
Optimization of the cost price was achieved due to the fact that in some countries there are government programs to support certain types of products. In particular, those, the release of which does not cause environmental pollution. And the production of filters, the construction of which does not contain metal components, is precisely one of those that is supported by financing and exempted from taxes. SHAFER is well-versed in this area and cooperates with such manufacturers. The fact that the company has large volumes of contracts with suppliers of filter materials for the production of filters for household and industrial use contributes to the reduction of the cost price.
However, over time it turned out that the company can enter other segments of the filter market with similar attractive offers. Fortunately, many types of filters, especially for commercial vehicles, do not have metal housings, which puts them in the category of environmentally safe products in production. Of course, the company had to later develop body filters as well - such market requirements in terms of assortment policy.
It cannot be said that the company has not faced difficulties. The main one is that it is most difficult to promote a product that is in the middle price group. And it's really true - the cheapest product comes at a price. And expensive - a world-famous name that gives confidence in quality even to an inexperienced consumer. And in the case of a product in the middle price category, you need to prove that it is worth the money and allows you to save without compromising on quality. Therefore, the company focuses, first of all, on those market niches where there is a more pronounced demand for economic solutions.
Gradually, the company's policy of looking for gaps in the assortment of other manufacturers, combined with the fact that its authority among spare parts distributors was strengthened, allowed it to go beyond the filter business. In particular, thanks to feedback from partners, the company assessed the demand for reliable suspension parts in countries with bad roads, which prompted the development of alternative designs for some particularly vulnerable components. Several years ago, after discussing prospects with distributors in Ukraine, Belarus, and the Russian Federation, SHAFER began filling the assortment for these countries with suspension parts, primarily stabilizer struts.
Indeed, on many models, the stabilizer struts were not strong enough for road conditions in the countries of the former USSR, on whose markets SHAFER had already entered at that time. The company produces four types of reinforced stabilizer bars: for Volkswagen Caddy, T5, Trafic and Skoda Fabia (applicability also for Volkswagen Polo). These spare parts are quite in demand, for example, only through one of the Ukrainian distributors, 250 racks of the SM6774 stabilizer are sold every month, and the demand is maintained, and there have been no cases of real complaints (that is, due to a factory defect) so far. And although this part is in the middle price niche, it has a resource at the level of the best models in terms of reliability on the market, and even more.
Naturally, working in the direction of suspension parts, SHAFER supplemented the assortment with other components: steering rods, ball bearings, etc. These parts are produced in the same factories as the racks, with the same level of quality, but in the usual version, not in the reinforced one. Since not all parts can be strengthened, for example, in the ball bearing on the Sprinter, it is impossible to increase the balls. The maximum that can be done is to use high-quality materials and good lubrication - and its 60-80 thousand props go on commercial transport, which works most often with overload, even on Ukrainian roads. Which is a good indicator.
In general, SHAFER continues to focus mainly on the needs of customers in spare parts for commercial vehicles in this group: FIAT Ducato, Volkswagen Transporter T5 and Volkswagen LT, Renault Trafic and Opel Vivaro, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Vito.
In addition to filters and suspension, the company's assortment also includes brake pads, hub assemblies and bearings - also for commercial vehicles.
New product group - crankshaft pulley (dampers of rotational vibrations). It already has more than 35 items in its assortment. The need for inexpensive products of this type for commercial equipment is obvious - there are very few affordable and high-quality analogues of products of OE brands on the market. Given that SHAFER managed to arrange deliveries from the manufacturing plant of one of the most authoritative brands in this segment, the price is almost twice as low - a real gift for owners of new "workhorses". Several batches of these pulleys have already been sold in Ukraine without complaints.
