Aisin Europe, a multi-specialist in conquest mode

“With double-digit growth in Europe at the end of November, Aisin has achieved its highest sales and profits in 15 years,” says Yoshitake Kazaoka, managing director of Aisin Europe. Although the group, which has been present on the Old Continent for some 30 years, suffers from a lack of brand awareness, it has been investing more clearly in the independent aftermarket for several years.

And it has pulled out all the stops! Having initially entered the European market gradually through its traditional product ranges, such as clutches and water pumps for Asian applications, Aisin has expanded its offering with seven product families, highlighting its OE expertise in automatic gearboxes (with an estimated market share of 30% of the equipped fleet in Europe!) to offer maintenance, repair and even remanufacturing solutions from its Belgian site in Mons, as well as braking systems through its Advics brand. This is a first step, as the Japanese equipment manufacturer can offer up to 70 product families in certain markets, ranging from EGR valves to batteries, windscreen wipers and tyres!

In 2022, the group created Asit (Aisin Shanghai International Trade), whose technical and quality teams verify the safety of products marketed by Aisin in the aftermarket for which it is not present in the original equipment market (sourcing). Today, Aisin has purchasing offices in Japan, China and South Korea; with more planned for Southeast Asia and the United States. "The global strategy since 2019 is to leverage the product knowledge of the group (and Toyota) to offer an ever-richer product portfolio. If Aisin already has a particular product in its global portfolio, why not eventually use it for the European market?” says Yoshitake Kazaoka, who plans to adopt the same philosophy in Europe within the next two to three years.

“Our expertise in original equipment (the group has four production sites and R&D centres in Europe) is aimed at newer vehicles, but we want to be able to cover all needs, especially for older vehicles. Our ability to source quality parts allows us to offer a range of products, with affordable but safe parts that are rigorously tested, for the IAM and even private brands," explains Fabien Vial, Aftermarket Sales Director at Aisin Europe.

Owing to its historical ties to Toyota, Aisin has been a pioneer in the design of hybrid and electric vehicles. Although it also has an offering for the aftermarket, Fabien Vial concedes that demand for applications on electrified vehicles is not yet strong in Europe. However, there is a buzz of excitement in the original equipment market! “We already manufacture cooling modules for electric vehicles and have doubled the size of our factory in Czechia in order to launch the production of e-Axles (electric motors),” continues the sales director. But the equipment manufacturer is thinking even bigger and is positioning itself in the EV battery market. After launching production in the United States, it has just announced a collaboration to start production in Thailand. This is a growing business for the aftermarket division. And here again, Asit should have a role to play... for batteries, and more besides!

To be as close as possible to its customers in the various European markets, the team is structured accordingly with a well-defined roadmap: previously based mainly in Belgium, the parts supplier’s European staff has now set up in Poland and, more recently, in France, with the appointment of a BOTG (‘boots on the ground’: country sales manager). Each time, this has had a significant impact on sales! "We will continue this new strategy to develop our market share with new BOTGs in Spain, Türkiye and Greece, while Aisin Europe is strengthening its position in Poland and Czechia. Strengthening our presence in the field, working more closely with distribution groups and developing our product portfolio all make up our roadmap for 2026. This should help us achieve our goal of doubling our turnover by 2030," says Fabien Vial.

“Over the past two years, we have planted many seeds in the aftermarket field. We hope that 2026 will be an even more fruitful year, with new flowers blooming. And we hope to present other projects, such as online commerce,” concludes Yoshitake Kazaoka.