The Importance of Choosing Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Parts

When choosing spare parts, the only way is OEM

True products are supplied with an extended 5 years parts & labour warranty as standard, ensuring that any valid equipment issues which do arise within this period will be repaired at no additional cost to the operator. However, properly maintained, the service life of a True refrigerator can easily be three times this coverage period.

Therefore, there might come a time when replacement parts are needed to refurbish the equipment back to efficient operation, at your cost. In this instance you might be tempted to consider non-OEM parts, which are typically cheaper.

In this article, we explore reasons why the use of non-official or third party parts is a false value.

It should also be highlighted that some parts, such as door seals (aka gaskets) are classed as consumables, since they naturally receive wear during use. Consumable items are typically not covered as part of a manufacturer’s warranty.

The Facts

Replica parts may claim to correctly fit a specific product, and even make statements of equalling or exceeding the quality of official parts, but the fact is they offer no real assurances.

Often the origin of these parts is vague, and they do not have the required CE marking that indicates conformity with health, safety, and environmental protection standards for products sold within the European Economic Area.

They might be cheaper, but there are also reasons for this.

At best, the unit might not function as efficiently as it should. At worst, using non-OEM parts could cause further damage to the equipment or even endanger the safety of customers and staff members.

In all cases, it is very unlikely that third party parts have undergone the same development, testing and quality procedures that official OEM parts must.

Even a part as seemingly non-vital as a door gasket, for example, can have a significant impact on the operation and service life of a refrigerator. If the door seal is not as strong as was intended by the manufacturer, due to a poorly fitting or inferior quality replacement, this can cause the unit to struggle to achieve the requirement temperatures, icing up the evaporator and causing the compressor to run for extended periods. Not only does this impact the energy efficiency of the unit, but the additional strain on the compressor may reduce its operational lifespan, eventually leading to a complete failure of the unit, requiring extensive service work or complete replacement. And all for the sake of saving a small amount on the cost of a door gasket.

When is it time to replace a door gasket?

Any signs of gaps, hardening, brittleness, cracking in the material, or color fading can be a sign that it is time to replace a deteriorating gasket.
This part helps performs the important job of keeping the cold air in and the warm air out of your cooler, but will naturally degrade with time and use, requiring replacement.

Another example could be the replacement of a thermostat with a non-OEM part. It is later discovered that the thermostat does not work correctly or reliably, exposing food to unsafe temperatures and potentially resulting in cases of food poisoning, for which your business is liable.

Only genuine OEM parts, supplied by an official wholesaler of the manufacturer can guarantee full compatibility with the intended product, and assurances of reliability and durability which ensure the most efficient operation of your equipment.

Some parts, such as door gaskets are easy and safe to install by the operator, but in most cases, replacement parts should be fitted by a qualified service professional.

The True Difference

At True we manufacture a lot of parts ourselves, in-house at our production facilities in Missouri USA. Our reputation for durability is, in part, as a result of this vertically integrated approach to commercial refrigeration manufacturing.

We are able to offer extended warranties as standard, and even lifetime guarantees on some aspects of our products, such as T-Series door hinges or Spec Series door handles, precisely because we have direct control over the full manufacturing process of our products.

The fact is, you can’t buy our heavy-duty shelving from anyone else. We manufacture them ourselves.

This is why we say that True products are designed for energy and environment conscious operators who are serious about food safety and quality, and understand that refrigeration equipment is a core investment of their business.

Each product is the result of extensive testing and development, manufactured using the highest quality materials and components, to provide you with the most consistent product temperatures for exceptional food safety, highest durability, low utility costs, for the overall best value in the professional refrigeration marketplace.

This is the “investment” we speak of. It is our promise to operators, the proof of which is evidenced by our continued success.

Protect your Warranty

The use of non-OEM parts will invalidate a manufacturer’s warranty on any piece of kitchen equipment. This will mean that the cost of any future service call-out, parts and labour is chargeable directly to the operator.

True’s 5 Year warranty especially is a benefit worth protecting.

For more information about OEM parts supply and warranty coverage, please get in touch.