By Ashley Reyes
SEMA's Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) has named Rare Parts, Inc. as the council's newest spotlight member. Get to know the company's story in the SEMA News interview with Rare Parts' president Danny Burgess below.
SEMA News: Tell us the story of your business. How did you start?
Danny Burgess: It all started with the voice of the customer back in 1981. Customers were lining up at their local alignment shop only to learn that the worn-out parts on their vehicles were no longer available. Rare Parts was created by the customers' demand for obsolete chassis parts. The goal was clear: to manufacture all obsolete chassis parts. "Making obsolete, obsolete."
Today, approximately 44 years later, Rare Parts has grown year over year with our Diamond Series and Fab Series lines. We have become very diversified across all segments of the automotive industry, supplying chassis parts to multiple markets for classic cars, daily drivers, motorhomes, trucks and Jeep/off-road.
SN: What was your breakthrough moment?
DB: In the late '80's Rare Parts started purchasing their own equipment and began manufacturing in-house, no longer needing to depend on other manufacturers and local machine shops. This allowed us to control production and increase quality by setting our own standards and manufacturing procedures.
SN: Tell us about your business now and the projects that you are working on.
DB: Rare Parts is proud to call itself a Lean manufacturer and prides itself on a culture of continual improvement and growing our people. We have been practicing Lean since 2020, allowing us to reduce waste in processes, continue to create standards and focus on the voice of the customer, delivering quality products at a fair price.
SN: Tell us about a particular project, product or build you are proud of.
DB: Rare Parts has multiple new products designed, prototyped and produced monthly. One being an all-new steel-on-steel heavy-duty idler arm bushing for the late '60s early '70s Ford Econolines. This is just one of many obsolete parts that we are making available to the aftermarket, and it is proudly manufactured here in our U.S. facility, holding true to our motto, "Making obsolete, obsolete!"
SN: What advice do you have for young professionals contemplating a career in the automotive restoration segment?
DB: Be passionate about your job and make sure you enjoy what you do. Always be willing to grow, listen and try new things. And most importantly, be curious!
Fill out an ARMO-member spotlight form to highlight how your company is contributing to the specialty-equipment industry. Selected candidates will be featured on ARMO's social media, SEMA News and future ARMO-member updates.
