Founded in Taiwan in 1964, TYC began as a small manufacturer of motorcycle parts for the local market. By 1986, TYC geared up for the production and sales of automotive lamps to overseas markets.

"TYC began strictly as a lighting manufacturer, producing aftermarket headlamps. Through success and reputation, the company began branching out into cooling products - AC condensers, radiators, and the newest addition to the product line - cooling fan assemblies," explained Tommy Cheng, business development specialist for Genera Corporation, the North American distribution arm of TYC.

Genera Corporation was founded in 1991 to serve the North American market place. Genera, an ISO9001-2000 certified distributor, has grown to five state-of the art distribution centers for TYC products, located in Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Trenton, New Jersey, and Los Angeles, providing over 500,000 sq, ft. of warehouse space. This massive inventory is necessary to meet TYC/Genera's commitment to it customers to fulfill 90% of orders received before noon by the following next day.

TYC, however, has established its brand name by manufacturing aftermarket parts that are equivalent to OE parts in terms of fit, function, design and look. The branding goal is to create demand at the shop level and by all accounts, the company has been successful.

Trey Dalton, purchasing manager for Wholesale Parts Direct in Austin, Texas, described his experience with TYC/ Genera. "The company builds headlamps and fan assemblies that are closest in quality to OE parts. And TYC/Genera is so easy to work with. We simply e-mail our orders and the merchandise comes to our store within two days. We order 6 to 8 pallets a week and the ordering process runs very smoothly. The quality parts have helped us increase our business from a quarter million to a half million dollars per year, and we are still growing."

 

A new product every year

 

A further goal of TYC/Genera is to add an additional product to its line each year. Each new product line must meet rigid quality and fit standards, and are tested by Genera for fit and performance prior to market release. All products meet certification standards set by MQVP.

The newest product to be introduced is the cooling fan assembly. Most cooling fans are repaired by replacing its components. The TYC/Genera cooling fans come as an assembly that simply drops into the vehicle. Cheng continued: "By being the first to offer this kind of product, our goal is to expand the profit at the body shop level by making products easy to install, thereby saving installation and labor time. This particular product actually creates a new market. Now the cooling fan assembly is essentially 'plug and play.'

"This product can increase growth opportunities for the collision repair market, with the potential to put profits back in the pockets of shop owners."

Terry Stewart, owner of Hawkes Radiator, the largest cooling system distributor in Phoenix, was pleased to speak about his experience with TYC/Genera. "We specialize in cooling systems and have used TYC/Genera products since 1995. We purchase radiators, air conditioning condensers and cooling fan assemblies. Their quality is superior to many of the other aftermarket products.