Jonathan Welch takes a look behind the scenes at Digraph, now part of the LKQ group of companies, to see how the specialist supplier is expanding and streamlining its supply chain
We all know how important it is to keep vehicles on the road, to keep wheels turning, and to keep customers happy, whether they’re the kind who sit behind the driver on a coach, or the kind who are sitting in an office waiting for a load to be delivered on the back of a truck. Having access to the right network of parts and equipment suppliers is a vital part of that. So if you’re a supplier whose website proudly proclaims that you’re a ‘leading aftermarket commercial parts distributor’ which specialises in HGV, coach and bus parts and possesses ‘unrivalled scale and expertise,’ you’d better be pretty sure that those are claims you can back up.
Many readers will likely have heard the name Digraph, some might also know the name LKQ, but what’s behind the names, and what can potential and existing customers expect? The business now known as LKQ Digraph was founded back in 1976 as purely Digraph, and the relationship with the LKQ group of companies dates back to 2017, when LKQ UK and Ireland made an initial investment, providing strategic guidance and support as well as working in partnership on procurement, before ultimately acquiring and integrating the business into the group in 2023. The Digraph business has humble roots, having begun operating from a single Portakabin located in West Hallam, Derbyshire, before growing into a company which makes almost 300,000 deliveries annually to over 4,000 customers via its network of 20 branches across the UK.
Whilst it remains a separate business within the overall LKQ group, the acquisition has presented Digraph with significant opportunities, both to grow its reach and to streamline its operations by taking advantage of LKQ UK and Ireland’s wider network of businesses, leveraging its enhanced buying power and financial strength. For LKQ, the acquisition presented an opportunity to further broaden what is already a diverse portfolio, which alongside its LKQ Leisure & Marine and LKQ Bodyshop businesses also includes LKQ Euro Car Parts, a very familiar name to many motorists. LKQ UK and Ireland is itself part of the wider US-based LKQ Corporation, which describes itself as the world’s largest car parts provider.
Most recently, in March in fact, Digraph opened its 20th UK site in Sunderland, where it will hold up to 2,600 stock items, and have access to a further 14,000 from LKQ’s vast T2 distribution hub in Tamworth. This is part of its plan to expand to 25 locations across the country by the end of the year, with further openings planned in the south and east of England, underpinning a desire to grow its HGV market and further expand its reach in the coach and bus sector.
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