1970’s

It all began in July 1975, when a Honda Motorcycle dealership called Goldwing Franchises was acquired.

Within a few years, a wholesale automotive accessories division called Autoquip was started and proved so successful that the companies name was changed to Autoquip and the motorcycle franchise was sold off.

1980’s

In 1984, the company branched out into a different market sector with the establishment of Partquip. It was felt that the distribution structure already in place might be more effectively utilised by entering the replacement parts market. This also signified a shift in strategy, as we started moving away from promoting big brand names to developing brands of our own.

In 1987, Autoquip Group Limited was incorporated as a public company and listed on the J.S.E. Autoquip and Partquip formed the 2 main operating divisions of the Group. A couple of years later, a new division called Partco was formed and in later years would become the backbone of the Partquip division. Almost 10 years after forming this division, it was incorporated into the Partquip division, as there was considerable duplication of resources, customer base, etc, between the two.

1990’s

In 1999, Bridgestone and Firestone (BFSA) became one entity locally which was in line with their worldwide operations. As a result of this, considerably more distribution outlets were now available to the brands, which meant that the Autoquip division was required to discontinue the wholesaling of Bridgestone high performance tyres, of which we had been the sole importers and distributors of up until then and also become a distributor for both brands.

Around the same time as all of this was happening, BFSA also acquired a significant stake in the Group, the Partquip and Partco operations were merged and we opened a couple of specialist retail stores, one a motorsport outlet called First Race and the other a workshop called Suspension Solutions.

In order to secure a source of supply for part of the Autoquip product range, a new division called A-Line wheels was formed and has grown to be one of the largest distributors of wheels in the country.

2000’s

In 2002, we delisted, bought out the major shareholder Sabvest and were left with 2 shareholders of almost equal standing, the Coquelle family and BFSA.

In 2009, BFSA were bought out with the assistance of an injection of funds from one of our biggest suppliers in China as a result, they ended up as a significant shareholder in the business.

2010 – Today

In 2011, we acquired the business of Brake Part Distributors, which enhanced our access to a specific range of product we felt complimented existing product range within the Partquip side of the business. Once the final buy-out payment was made in 2014, we again incorporated this entity into the Partquip division, as had been the case with the Partco operation some years before.

In 2013, we decided to dispose of the Autoquip and First Race operations. These were done as M.B.O.s, thus ensuring that they could operate without the constraints of what had predominantly been a whole sales operation.

A year later, we decided it was time to elevate the Suspension Solutions operation and entered into a 50/50 joint venture with our main supplier for the entity, Ironman Australia. This not only exposed us to a much wider product range, but also a more expansive market, i.e Southern Africa.

From 1st December 2014, Partquip Group started a new and exciting chapter, when it became a proud member of the Hudaco Industries Ltd, under who’s ownership and guidance we continue to flourish.