For more than 80 years, Hollander has been the name of the game when it comes to identifying auto parts for cars. In the automotive recycling industry, Hollander (currently a Solera Company) is the main data aggregator for companies like Reitman Auto Parts & Sales to use when processing and placing used auto parts into inventory lists.
Formally called the Hollander Interchange, this system provides auto recyclers, collectors, rebuilders, and other professionals within the automotive industry the most comprehensive resource available for identifying interchangeable auto parts. Prior to the Hollander Interchange’s invention by its namesakes, Roy and Hildur Hollander, our industry had no reliable way to identify auto parts that could be used within multiple makes and models of vehicles. At the time of the Hollander listing’s first publication, most people working in the automotive industry made the assumption that most auto parts were one-of-a-kind, meaning each piece was specially designed for that specific make/model of vehicle.
The Hollanders realized that the truth was actually quite different: many vehicle parts were, in fact, interchangeable. As a result, the couple created a list of interchangeable parts across 125 pages of paper and immediately begin selling the listing as a valuable asset and resource to professionals in our industry. That initial listing eventually became known as the Hollander Interchange, and it remains the most widely used database for identifying interchangeable automotive parts.
What Roy Hollander understood so well about our industry is that if we do not have good information, we cannot run good businesses. For instance, if resellers of automotive parts do not know exactly where a car part can be used safely, they are not going to be able to supply the right pieces to the right customer when they need them.