Factor & supplier news

The Parts Alliance has been enhancing its UK coverage with a number of branch openings.

Weston-super-Mare under The Parts Alliance brand and GSF branches in the Essex towns of Colchester and Woodford have opened for business.

BBC Superfactors opened an extra Blackpool branch in June, while branches in Middlesbrough, Croydon, Leeds, Newcastle, Indian Queens and Durham have all been added since January.

Standard Motor Products Europe (SMPE) has announced that it is developing a new ‘rapid prototyping facility’ at its Nottingham centre. The development forms part of a host of additional investments by the company into the centre, including doubling its engineering team and purchasing new testing equipment. SMPE said in a statement that the aim is for the site to become its engineering hub for product development, with the new facility enabling the company to ‘fast track’ new products and supply them to the UK aftermarket quickly.

Japanese Calsonic Kansei Corp. to take control of Italian component giant

Company is one of only two firms that can officially distribute the brand