Spare parts to order from Europe and the USA: how to deliver fast when machinery is standing idle

When downtime costs more than freight

For a truck fleet or agricultural machinery, downtime caused by one missing part costs more than the difference between freight tariffs: a truck without the right assembly earns nothing, and a combine that stops at the height of the harvest risks missing the weather window. In such cases speed matters more than price, and the delivery mode is chosen by how many days the machine can stand idle.

We source to order parts for trucks — MAN, Scania, Volvo Trucks, DAF, Iveco, Renault Trucks — and trailers — SAF, BPW, Schmitz Cargobull, Krone; for agricultural machinery — John Deere, CLAAS, Fendt, Case IH, New Holland, Massey Ferguson, Deutz-Fahr; and for cars and motorcycles, from Europe and the USA. We also source components from original-equipment suppliers: Bosch, ZF, Sachs, Lemförder, Mahle, Mann-Filter, Hella, Valeo, Brembo, SKF, Schaeffler, Knorr-Bremse, WABCO.

We are not an official dealer of these makes; we work through suppliers in Europe and the USA, so price and lead time are calculated per order. Often the enquiry names an assembly rather than a brand — air suspension for a semi-trailer or a hydraulic pump for a tractor. Then we pick the component maker (SAF, BPW, Bosch, ZF) by comparing several suppliers on price and lead time.

Sanctions screening comes first

We only handle goods that are not subject to EU, UK, Swiss or US sanctions. Before we quote, we check the HS code of every item and screen all parties to the deal; if a product or a party is restricted, we decline the order, whatever the route or the price.

Selection by VIN and part number

The buyer sends the VIN or serial number of the machine and the part numbers. If numbers are not at hand, a description and photos of the assembly are enough to identify the part in manufacturers’ and OE suppliers’ catalogues. For old equipment or rare variants that no longer appear in catalogues, a photo of a legible number on the casting or tag usually lets suppliers identify an equivalent.

We then check availability and price with several suppliers at once, agree with the customer whether to take the original or an OE-supplier equivalent (for example Brembo brake pads instead of the vehicle brand’s original — often faster and no worse in quality), pay the order and, if parts come from different suppliers, consolidate them into one shipment. For scheduled fleet maintenance this lets a list of items from several makers travel together; an urgent single part goes separately, without waiting for the rest.

Three delivery speeds

The choice comes down to one sum: compare the cost of downtime over the expected transit time with the tariff difference between the fast and the slow option.

Documented import for scheduled maintenance

For planned, non-urgent purchases a documented import makes sense: import in the name of the buyer’s company or a contract holder, a customs declaration and closing documents with VAT. This matters to companies that expense parts and claim VAT deductions on regular purchases.

Some components — for example brake systems and suspension elements — require conformity assessment under TR CU 018/2011 “On the safety of wheeled vehicles”, the same regulation that applies to tyres. We arrange it as part of the documented import. The HS code for parts is selected before shipment: in this category the code strongly affects the duty, and a classification error can cost more than the part itself. Accurate part descriptions and technical data from you make this step fast.

Harvest season: why speed decides everything

A typical harvest situation: a header or hydraulic assembly fails on a CLAAS or John Deere combine, and the weather will not wait. Cargo from Europe in 5–7 days or air freight from the USA in 5–10 days is the sensible choice even if it costs more than a planned sea or road shipment — the freight difference is almost always smaller than the cost of lost harvest days.

Good preparation means listing critical assemblies for each machine in advance (headers, belts and chains, hydraulics, transmission parts) and checking their availability with suppliers before a breakdown. The same logic applies to trucks: a MAN or Scania standing with a loaded semi-trailer costs more per day than express delivery of a part.

Example: one part from the USA, faster than it seems

Hypothetical case: an electronic control unit fails on a John Deere combine at the height of the harvest. The original part is available from a US supplier; it weighs a few hundred grams and is the size of a palm. Air freight is charged by chargeable weight (1 m³ = 167 kg), and for such a small, light part the bill is almost always the €200 minimum rather than a per-kilo rate — so the freight price is predictable before the part is even found.

Transit from the USA is 5–10 days, which is almost always better value than waiting for the part to arrive by sea or with a planned order. For a single urgent part from Germany or a neighbouring country, cargo in 5–7 days is faster than waiting for warehouse consolidation, which pays off for planned multi-item lots.

Payment and export clearance

Payment to a parts supplier is arranged under an agency agreement: via our partner company in the EU, paying your invoice in euros (from 5%, paid by the buyer), or via a Turkish company where the buyer pays in roubles (from 3%). If you prefer not to handle export clearance yourself, the EX1 can be lodged remotely by a customs agent: you only provide the invoice, packing list and company details.

Questions and answers

Related pages

More in this section

Request a quote

Reply within 2 business hours