ICON: DPE Wheels
Customized Ferrari 599 with DPE Wheels.
Passion.
No matter how much money and resources you have, there is no replacement for true, unbridled passion. It’s the reason why the Wright Brothers succeeded in flight over their well-financed counterparts. It’s the reason Apple has become one of the best brands in the world.
It’s passion that gives a product or service that unmistakeable edge. You can’t quite put a finger on it, but you know when someone loves what they do.
Passion is also the reason why the guys at DPE Wheels have grown from an idea into a full-blown, successful company that is well respected by many within the industry (and ESM).
We had a chance to sit down with one of the owners, Jojo Cagungun to talk about what makes DPE tick as well as what got them into the business in the first place.
Aston Martin V8 Vantage with DPE wheels.
How did you and your partners get started with DPE wheels? When was the business established?
DPEngineering (more popularly known as DPE Wheels) founded in late 2002 by myself and Mike Li.
This all came about because I was sponsored by a very well known forged wheel company for my Supercharged BMW 3 series and had some issues with the quality after only 2 weeks. Needless to say when I told the wheel company of my quality issues, I was told it was my problem not theirs.
Appalled by their service, I began doing research online and discovered I wasn’t the only one that had experienced these problems. So after discussing my frustration with Mike, who I knew from a forum called E46fanatics.com, we felt if we could make a similar product with better quality and customer service, we could fill a niche in the forged wheel industry.
Having years of experience and knowledge gained in the aftermarket community through our own vehicles, we felt that we could make this idea reality especially since Mike’s family was in the manufacturing business.
After a year of research, financial & strategic planning, design, testing, and the right people on our staff… we created our first two sets of wheels … the R10 and R20.
White Porsche Panamera with DPE Wheels.
In early 2003, we brought in our mutual friend Manu Gill as an equal partner as he not only brought years of experience in the automotive industry as well, but he ran a Worldwide European Car Show Team called EuroProjektz. Soon after, we launched DPE on all three of our personal showcars, E46fanatics.com, and EuroProjektz.
That combined with our reputations as contributing members of the auto enthusiast community began our journey into the forged wheel market. What started out primarily for BMWs blossomed into a company that now manufactures custom, “made in USA” forged wheels for vehicles worldwide no matter the make, model, or year … the rest as they say is history.
Wasn’t that simple, but you get the gist of it.
Tell us a little bit about you and the other owners of the company. Were the three of you heavily involved in the automotive industry before you started the business?
None of us really like talking about ourselves like other wheel company owners so let me save everyone from those boring details.
You won’t see photos of us on our web site complete with our bios or dramatic videos featuring us telling our story. On web sites of some industries those are definitely needed and justified, but in mine it is unnecessary. We aren’t stars nor do we have aspirations to be.
The only stars are our wheels and we generally like to keep the focus on our product as it speaks for itself as I am sure our consumers would agree. As I alluded earlier, yes the three of us were heavily involved in the automotive industry early on prior to DPE in various ways.
One of the stars of the show, the S20 by DPE wheels.
To be quite honest if there was no DPE, I can guarantee that all of us would still be heavily involved because of our passion for cars.
There are not many people that wake up every day and get to talk about their passion. In our case we do … our passion happens to be wheels and cars.
We are big fans of your brand!
Thank you very much for the compliment. We strive to provide the highest quality product with the customer service to support it.
Someone said, “Once you think you’ve made it … you stop wanting to make it.” That will never happen with DPE because no matter what degree of success we have, DPE will continue to learn and find ways to improve our company as well as our product.
With all of the other wheel manufacturers out there, how do you differentiate yourselves from everyone else?
Wow that is a loaded question.
I can go on and on with what differentiates us from others, but for the sake of this interview, I will try to state the finer points.
First and foremost DPE is a grass roots company, meaning we genuinely care about the auto enthusiast community not because they are potential or current customers, but because we are enthusiasts ourselves and we know what we expect.
I think once a company, no matter what industry it is in, reaches some level of success … its quality and/or customer service is neglected for a variety of reasons.
So when we started DPE, we wanted to make sure no matter how small we remained or how big we grew, the three of us would be active owners overseeing our business daily. This insured that the foundation of DPE – our quality and customer service – would be upheld. In doing so, requires long hours.
It is not unheard of us pulling 18hr days. Definitely not complaining by any means.Awhile back there was a quote that read … “Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” I don’t know the author of this quote, but whomever he/she is nailed it …
DPE is grounded and in touch with the community attending car shows and meets since 2003.
Still to this day, we attend the very same shows we always have … both DPE staff and owners.Although we are much larger company now both domestically and globally, attending these events continually gives us the opportunity to meet and converse one on one with our customers.
It’s a win - win because as owners we get feedback that inspires us to create new designs or aids us in forecasting the latest trends. In turn, they get to speak to one of the owners of the company and how often do owners of wheel companies make themselves so accessible and approachable.
What’s funny is those wheel companies that seemed almost untouchable or too big for forums, car shows, or meets in years previous are now at every one we are at because the industry has changed.
Ferrari F430 with DPE wheels.
DPE possesses integrity, honesty, and ethics.
These things may seem like obvious qualities with any business, but as cutthroat as the wheel industry is it is definitely rare.
With new companies sprouting up like weeds literally overnight and some failing only to re-invent themselves with a different name, the industry is saturated by those that are motivated solely by money and doing whatever it takes to obtain it by any means necessary.
Don’t get me wrong every business is established to generate money, but the manner you do is equally important and why you do it. Times have drastically changed and these three qualities have almost become non-existent.We are in a culture that is very forgiving.
One in which it is ok to attribute lies as growing pains and continue to do business under a new name.
Some may call it creative thinking or marketing, while I call it propaganda that packages things so beautifully that even Charles Manson could seem like an angel.
But for the same reasons that sex sells so does propaganda that utilizes controversial crude/lewd marketing.DPE has not nor will it compromise our values for any amount of money. Some things are priceless.
DPE has unparallel customer service and truly sets us apart.
Don’t take my word for it. Research DPE online and you will see that our reputation also speaks for itself.Problems do occur and mistakes are made … DPE is no exception, but the true test of a company is if they identify those problems/mistakes and what they do to resolve them.
Lastly, DPE has the most comprehensive wheel line up around from 1 piece, 2 piece, and 3 piece custom forged wheels for all makes and models and budgets.
Our sizing ranges from 17″ to 30″ depending on wheel series (15″, 16″ in development), reverse to steplip, concave (shallow and super) to flat to big lip forgings.It’s like a wheel buffet with all the different custom trimmings … something for everyone.
Who’s hungry?
When you first started out, how did you do your marketing to get your brand out there?
Our marketing was on the forums, car shows/meets, and magazine covers and features. From there it was word of mouth.
Everyone shared their experiences and it snowballed. Hasn’t let up since.
McLaren SLR with DPE wheels.
Essential Style for Men is all about style and a man’s lifestyle. What is your personal philosophy on men’s style?
All the attributes of a man’s style dictate his overall lifestyle.
From his choice of clothing down to his belt/shoes to his choice in watches and latest electronic gadgets … the events he attends to the restaurants he chooses to the wine or liquor he puts in his glass .. to even the women he dates down to his home and the furniture, stainless steel appliances, to even his bedding and the thread count within it.
Of course you can’t forget his cars and the modifications that make them unique … to other not so “manly” things like masseuses and manicures/pedicures. Some may call it a bit metro-sexual. I call it all part of a man’s style.
In your opinion how does car personalization, especially with upgrading your wheels, reflect someone’s personal style?
Car personalization is just one of the many factors that reflect someone’s personal style.
It is all about taste. Anyone with money can buy the most expensive wheels, parts, or things … but one thing money can’t buy is taste.
We have all seen many exotic cars with very expensive wheels, but terrible choices in brand, design, and finish color. I would give examples, but I’m sure my competitors would be irate so we will leave it at that.
Ferrari 599 GTX: SP Stage One Package from SP Engineering on Vimeo.
What advice would you give someone looking to personalize their exotic or high end car with aftermarket wheels?
Research, research, research. Many companies make false statements even to go as far as “inventing” certain technologies in the wheel industry that have been used for decades. So while some claim to have invented, DPE perfected it.
Don’t just buy what is the most expensive, shiniest wheel or what you saw on a rapper’s car in a magazine or video. Oftentimes, the cars you see in those magazines aren’t even owned by them, but rented.
Know what you want and make a intelligent decision. Aftermarket wheels and parts are meant to accentuate the lines of the car … not redefine it.
With every personal project vehicle of mine my blueprint is always the same: create a vehicle that looks as if it came off the assembly line from the car manufacturer, but on steroids.
Just like how clothes can make or break a man … wheels can make or break a car.
So don’t be “that guy” that didn’t visit www.essentialstyleformen.com. Be the guy that did and have all the essential tools to put together a great style and lifestyle that works for you. Good luck!
After this interview, I made one stark realization: Jojo and I are brothers from a different mother. He is on point with everything he had to say from how to customize a car to how to run a business.
For more information about DPE Wheels and their products/services, you can visit them online at http://www.dpe-wheels.com/. You can also check out Jojo’s blog at http://dpewheelsusa.wordpress.com/. Finally, make sure to fan them on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dpewheels and follow their Twitter page at http://www.twitter.com/dpewheels.
Also, keep posted for our new weekly article series titled “Run DPE”, where we feature a high-end car or exotic running DPE wheels (among other things).
To create Essential Style for Men, mix 2 parts petrol, 1 part secret agent, 1 part rock and roll, 1 part hip-hop and a shot of tequila in a shaker with ice and vigorously shake for 20 seconds. Pour into a martini glass rimmed with explosives and have a supermodel serve for all your friends to enjoy.
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