CollisionLink Huge Benefits for Wholesale Dealerships. A green check the part number is

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1 Right part. Right place. Right time. Volume 10 Jan/Feb/March 2006 Messenger A newsletter for professionals in the original equipment parts business. CollisionLink Huge Benefits for Wholesale Dealerships Part Number Scrubbing Saves Time and Improves Accuracy CollisionLink has been redesigned and is better than ever! Now being used by dealers and thousands of body shops across the U.S., the most talked about feature is the parts scrubbing. When a counterperson opens a collision order, a visual symbol instantly displays part status. This feature can save dealerships hours each day by avoiding data entry and improving order accuracy. Each part is identified with one of the following: A green check the part number is accurate and fits on this make and model. An orange triangle the part number is correct, but there may be other parts that could fit. For example, if the car is a two door, and a four door part will fit, CollisionLink tells you that. Then, you can sell stocked parts, and not need to order another. CollisionLink even suggests other parts that will fit. A red X the part number is wrong, does not match this car, and was never used on this car s make and model. If you send this part it will be returned! Wow great info! continued on page 2 Right Part TELL YOUR SHOP CUSTOMERS: A normal shop parts order process from estimation to installation has approximately 32 identifiable steps. However, if a mistake like a wrong part is found, the number of administrative steps jumps to 99. * * Industry statistics cited by Brian Evison, collision industry consultant with Bemack Planning Services, Inc., Canyon Country, CA Check Part Number Mazda Dealers Nationwide to Use D2DLink Wrong Part OEConnection is pleased to welcome Mazda dealers to our growing list of over 12,000 D2DLink subscribers. Launched in January, Mazda North American Operations introduced D2DLink to their 700 dealers nationwide within a three-week timeframe. Implemented in phases, Mazda dealers sharing a parts counter with Ford, Jaguar, and/or Land Rover D2DLink subscribers were the first to gain access to the benefits of a Mazdaspecific D2DLink locator. These dual dealers represent approximately 1/3 of the total Mazda dealerships nationwide. All other Mazda dealers received D2DLink two weeks later providing franchise-wide penetration for faster, more efficient parts sourcing. In addition to D2DLink, Mazda dealers also received D2D Plus Idle & Reporting. In today s profitconscious environment, Idle & Reporting gives parts managers a tool to help market and move their idle and slow-moving parts through D2DLink. continued on page 2 1

2 In This Issue Page Topic 1-2 CollisionLink Huge Benefits for Wholesale Dealerships 1-2 Mazda Dealers Nationwide to Use D2DLink 3 LinkIQ Takes the Guesswork Out of Daily Order Process 4 Tire Distributors Who s Who 4 Tire Warehouse Distributors 4 Tire Search Contest 5 D2DLink How-To 5 D2D Plus StoreFront 6 Customer Profile 6 Tuesdays with OEConnection 7 OEConnection s Customer Care Earns Service Distinction 7 OEConnection Employee Profile Contact Us 4150 Highlander Parkway Richfield, Ohio phone: fax: toll-free: OEConnection@OEConnection.com For comments, feedback, or suggestions on this newsletter s content or value, and to submit product feature suggestions, please contact the newsletter editor: Janice Schenk, Product Marketing Manager , ext Janice.Schenk@OEConnection.com To subscribe to D2DLink, D2D Plus, D2D Express or LinkIQ for your dealership, contact: Kyle McChesney, Sales Manager , ext Kyle.McChesney@OEConnection.com To subscribe to CollisionLink, contact: Ike Herman, CollisionLink Implementation Manager , ext.1842 Ike.Herman@OEConnection.com CollisionLink continued from page1 CollisionLink benefits include: Reduce parts returns with more accurate ordering See aftermarket and salvage parts, so you can offer OE parts at competitive pricing Shops see VIN details, so orders are more accurate Faster order processing because data entry is eliminated with onscreen orders Our parts returns have decreased by 35% using CollisionLink. Mazda Dealers Nationwide to Use D2DLink continued from page1 Mazda also plans to introduce D2D Express, an emergency backorder solution in Designed as a tool to speed emergency backorder fulfillment, D2D Express searches in-channel inventory quickly locating potential dealer suppliers and facilitating next day delivery. For parts department convenience, Mazda has incorporated access to D2DLink from within its Mazda MXConnect web portal. We are very excited to be offering D2DLink and many of its companion products to our dealers, stated Rick Holderness, Manager of Mazda Service Marketing. Efficient dealer-to-dealer parts trade is vital to Mazda maintaining high customer satisfaction and peak dealership operations. With OEConnection s suite of parts productivity tools, we re better equipped than ever. Added Ted Fellowes, OEConnection Vice President, Supply Chain Solutions, Receive all parts orders on one screen Improve customer satisfaction by servicing your shop customers better and faster. CollisionLink is being used in select U.S. markets, and is now rolling out to additional regions! To learn more about CollisionLink, call us at , ext. 3. Kris Tucker, Sales Manager, Tonkin Parts Center, Portland, Oregon OEConnection is all about helping dealers obtain the right part at the right time. Mazda s choice to implement many of our powerful solutions will help its dealers quickly and cost-effectively locate and secure the parts they need to get the job done. With OEConnection s suite of parts productivity tools, we re better equipped than ever. Rick Holderness, Manager of Mazda Service Marketing Mazda marks the seventh automaker to select D2DLink as its dealers preferred parts locator. For multi-franchise parts departments, D2DLink has the added convenience of a pre-selected OEM locate default or choosing your franchises from a dropdown menu, as well as defaulting the locate to an ecommerce or quick locate part search. To learn how to save keystrokes and time in locating needed parts, see the How-To on page 5. For information about OEConnection for your auto manufacturer, call , ext Submit address, , telephone, fax number and parts manager changes to: ProductInfo@OEConnection.com or call , ext. 2 For product and technical questions, call Customer Care at , ext. 2 Contributors: Laura Jedacek, Sarah Truman, Christine Wellman OEConnection is a venture of DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and ProQuest. 2

3 LinkIQ LinkIQ LinkIQ Takes the Guesswork Out of Daily Stock Order Process Just about every parts manager has the routine task of going through their daily stock order report line-by-line and determining if a part should really be phased in now or if a certain quantity of parts should be ordered. Careful decisions ensure that parts are available when there is demand for them to minimize lost sales. In the past, parts managers used their own experience and D2DLink to see if local dealerships stocked the part. However, local dealers may stock a part, but they may not be selling it, so this method isn t the best way to help make a stocking decision. Part Analysis Report Parts managers can make better-informed stocking choices using OEConnection s reporting tool LinkIQ, available to GM and Ford dealerships. Just type in or import a list of parts you are considering stocking based on daily stock order reports, and you ll quickly see information on a part-by-part basis to help with stocking choices. LinkIQ information includes: Number of dealers selling the part regularly Estimated area sales Number of stocking dealers I use LinkIQ every day when I review my daily stock order. This quick and easy tool helps me choose the right parts to stock so I don t miss sales opportunities. Tom Marasco, Parts Manager, #1 Cochran of Monroeville, Monroeville, PA Number of times you didn t appear in D2DLink when someone located a part that you didn t stock. To take advantage of LinkIQ in your daily stock order process, contact OEConnection today at , ext. 3. Working with LinkIQ every day Use Case: Type in special order parts or parts recently purchased from other dealers to determine if they should be phased in to prepare for upcoming demand. Use Case: To determine what parts should be returned using return reserves, use LinkIQ to see which of those parts have area movement. Then determine if the part should be returned or kept based on LinkIQ s information and your own experience. Here s What LinkIQ Dealers are Saying I use LinkIQ to make changes to my inventory with the Part Analysis tool because it is so easy to use and quick to implement. This tool helps me evaluate which parts I should add to my inventory because it provides me with area part sales information. I can t get this information anywhere else! Doug Beasley, Parts Manager Burt Greenwald Chevrolet, Akron, Ohio I m very competitive, so using the Ranking Scorecard, I compare my dealer stats with other dealers in a 50-mile radius. We re number one, so this report keeps me on my toes I just can t slip. And instead of using up our 30-day return reserves for non-stock parts, I use the Area Performance Report to proactively sell idle to dealers in other areas of the country. Pat Adams, Parts Manager Sherwood Ford, Salisbury, Maryland 3

4 D2DLink D2DLink Tire Distributors Who s Who Across the Midwest, local distributors such as Conrad s, Pomp s Tire, Terry s Tire Town, Parrish-McIntyre, RHD and more are listing their OE-branded inventories in D2DLink. Tire Kingdom/NTB, Goodyear Wholesale Tire Centers, Kauffman Tire, McGee Tire Charter members of the tire program now have more than twenty participating locations across the Southeast and Midwest. Am-Pac Tire Distributors More than twenty warehouse locations across the South and Southwest. Am-Pac carries Michelin, BFGoodrich, Uniroyal, Continental, General and other OE brands. Capital Tire Six warehouse locations in Ohio and Michigan supply dealers with Goodyear, Dunlop, and Republic brand tires. Friend Tire With eight warehouse locations in the South and Midwest, Friend distributes Michelin, BFGoodrich and Uniroyal tires. In 2005, Friend launched a Mohawk brand program for Ford dealers. South Dade Automotive This Miami, FL-based distributor supplies dealers with Michelin, BFGoodrich, Uniroyal, Pirelli and Hankook tires. S&S Tire Lexington, Kentucky-based S&S Tire supplies auto dealers with Bridgestone, Firestone, Goodyear and other OE brands from seven Southeastern warehouse locations including Birmingham, Alabama and Columbia, South Carolina. U.S. Tire & Exhaust One of the Midwest s leading tire distributors with ten locations supplying dealers with Michelin, BFGoodrich, Uniroyal, Continental and General. U.S. Tire is based in Wisconsin with additional locations in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri. Tire Warehouse Distributors on D2DLink to help sell more tires In the fall of 2005, tires arrived on D2DLink in a big way. More than forty tire distributor locations began posting program tires from manufacturers such as Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Continental, Hankook and Pirelli. The program was launched in the Southeast U.S. for Ford dealers and in the Midwestern markets of Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Columbus for GM and Ford dealers. Dealers have taken notice. Each month, more than 1,800 dealers are using D2DLink to search for tires they need to close sales that day. Work continues to bring additional tire distributors into the program. Expansion rolls to the Western states of California, Arizona and Nevada in January with additional roll-outs scheduled for later in the year. Then look for a practical and much-needed tire replenishment tool that links dealers with their tire distributors in a way that leads to quicker tire ordering and fulfillment. Everyone knows that keeping fast-moving tires in stock is the best way to grow tire sales. For more information on D2DLink and TRT, please call Steve True at , ext Coming Soon: Tire Replenishment Tool (TRT) Authorized tire distributors that post their tire inventory on D2DLink will be able to have their dealership customers set minimum stocking levels and purchase quantities for basic tires. This web application will automatically order needed tires when the on-hand level reaches or drops below the minimum stocking level. Tire Search Contest OEConnection employees Amy Kuntz and Steve True pulled the November tire contest winners. GM and Ford dealers in the Midwest, and Ford dealers in the Southeast earned a chance to win a gift card each time they searched for and/or purchased tires on D2DLink from authorized tire distributors. November winners were: Pietroske Inc., Manitowoc, WI Huntington Ford, Rochester Hills, MI Duval Ford, Jacksonville, FL J.C. Lewis Motor Co., Savannah, GA December winners were: Regal Ford, Inc., Winston-Salem, NC Kings Colonial Ford, Brunswick, GA Skalnek Ford, Inc., Lake Orion, MI Huntington Ford, Rochester Hills, MI

5 How-To Use the D2DLink Part Search Box and System Defaults for Easier and Faster Multi-Franchise Locates Set multi-franchise locates from one login Dealerships can search for parts for two or more OEMs on the same screen. Step 1: Enter part number in the part number entry box Step 2: Click on the quick locate icon, or the multipart/ecommerce locate icon Step 3: Click on manufacturer. With two or more manufacturers, one manufacturer can always default when you press enter for a part search Step 1: Click Setup Step 2: Click on Application Settings Step 3: Under Locate Settings, select your default OEM. Launch the quick locate or multipart/ecommerce locate when pressing enter on a part search Step 1: Click Setup Step 2: Click Application Settings Step 3: Under Locate Settings, make your selection. Parts Department Web Pages Now Available Get noticed by customers and let your parts department shine with a personalized StoreFront web page! OEConnection s newest add-on product, D2D Plus StoreFront, expands a dealership s webbased advertising by showcasing their parts department to other D2DLink subscribers. Personalize your StoreFront by choosing a page design, color scheme and add dealership name, address, phone number and logos. Help move idle inventory with a Clearance Rack, StoreFront Only incentives and other featured options. D2DLink subscribers can visit a dealer s StoreFront to search inventory by part number, part type or discount amount. The D2DLink locate screen flags StoreFront subscribers so web pages can be accessed from D2DLink. StoreFront shoppers can import parts lists to find and order needed parts to fill their entire OE parts order. Additionally, StoreFront shoppers can add a StoreFront to their list of favorites to buy parts at a discount to fill customer orders. As an added benefit, current D2D Plus Parts Matching subscribers can match their shopping lists to StoreFront discounted parts to fill orders for in-demand parts. To get started with your personalized StoreFront, enroll online at or contact an OEConnection representative at , ext. 3. Subscribe today to take advantage of limited-time promotional pricing. 5

6 Five Minutes with Butch Geringer OEConnection Customer Lou Fusz Pontiac, Buick, GMC Truck St. Louis, Missouri Butch Geringer, Parts Manager D2DLink D2DLink is the best locator out there. It s accurate and easy to use. We use it dozens of times each day to find and sell parts. It s a part of our everyday business that we can t be without. D2D Plus Idle & Reporting We don t have much obsolescence and it s partly due to this product. I can see how if you had a lot of idle this would REALLY help you, as well as help maintain low idle. D2D Plus Advanced Selling My idle rules are based on our Reynolds & Reynolds DMS Source IDs. So when parts fall idle to a 13-month bucket, they re discounted automatically. This tool does everything automatically for the dealership. It couldn t be easier. LinkIQ I like LinkIQ a lot and use it daily. Sometimes when I challenge our R&R phase-in parts, I enter them into LinkIQ to see if the parts are selling in our area. I ve actually NOT added parts to my basic stock DMS Source because of LinkIQ and that s a good thing. And on the flip side, looking for missed opportunities is wonderful. We ve started stocking a hundred parts or so and sold a majority of them. LinkIQ helps us NOT buy parts that might turn idle, and to BUY parts that sell. This product works! CollisionLink With CollisionLink we can compete against aftermarket parts! We match prices on a regular basis, and as a result, we sell several thousand dollars more OE parts every month. We would never see those aftermarket parts on a fax or phone order. And that volume increase is for just a few shops. I can only imagine how sales would increase if all our shops used CollisionLink! D2D Express D2D Express is great. Seeing part orders on screen makes it easy to accept, and any of our staff can access the software and commit to the order. And even if we don t agree to sell the part we can still see what parts are in demand elsewhere. Tuesdays with OEConnection 6 On the second Tuesday of every month, OEConnection now offers free 30-minute virtual product training. Sit at your computer, listen on your telephone, and OEConnection presents how dealerships across the country are using our online products. On training day, sit or stand back and learn. Miss a session? Visit our site to view the recorded training session. For additional information, contact OEConnection Customer Care at , ext. 2. To register Visit OEConnection s Virtual Training web page CustCare_Training.aspx Tuesdays, 2 pm EST Date January 10, 2006 February 14, 2006 March 14, 2006 April 11, 2006 May 9, 2006 June 13, 2006 Topic Online tools to help reduce idle inventory. (View the recorded session) How to buy and sell parts online. Learn how to reduce parts purchase costs by shopping for discounted parts. No commission or transaction fees for purchases using D2D Plus. Want to improve your wholesale parts business? Learn how to accept shop orders on your computer screen. No more faxes! See aftermarket parts on orders to help sell more OE parts. LinkIQ online tools help you see beyond your DMS. Learn which parts you should stock based on D2DLink missed opportunities and frequently-selling parts in your market area. (Ford and GM dealers only) Now search D2DLink for tire distributor s tires! Set tire minimum stocking levels for automated tire replenishment. (Ford and GM dealers only)

7 OEConnection s Customer Care Earns Service Distinction OEConnection s Customer Care organization was recently recognized for outstanding customer support as certified by the Help Desk Institute (HDI), the world s largest association of help desk and service professionals. We trust that you, our valued customers, also share this opinion regarding OEConnection s service responsiveness. As a young and growing organization, we always welcome feedback on new and innovative ways to serve your needs. Please feel free to contact Customer Care at , ext. 2, with any comments or suggestions. Q&A Employee Profile Erik Enright, Manager of Integration and Technology Frameworks Erik Enright, one of the first OEConnection employees, coordinates the company s technology efforts with external organizations to seamlessly integrate and access OEConnection web applications and software to and from other applications. Erik was recently recognized by CIECA s Board of Trustees at the Collision Industry Night of Achievement, receiving CIECA s 2005 award for Outstanding Dedication to the Facilitation of Electronic Commerce within the Collision Repair Industry. This prestigious award is a true tribute to Erik s perseverance and dedication in developing industry standards to accelerate ecommerce in the automotive industry and for OEConnection s e-procurement solutions. Q: What benefits do OEConnection customers see as a result of your department s efforts? A: Our focus is to complement customer workflow, not change it. If we do our job right, this automation has invisible results so customers processes are easier and faster. For example, we ve integrated the CollisionLink parts ordering process into the Business Management Systems (BMS) that are used today by collision shops. Orders are automatically submitted to the existing dealership suppliers set up in the BMS. The dealer s response is sent back and highlighted in the BMS so shops can confirm parts price increases, and see OE parts suggestions. For dealerships, we ve worked with EPC providers so counter people can determine parts in their EPC, then directly from the EPC locate those parts in D2DLink. Q: How can OEConnection working with industry experts help customers? A: Working with auto manufacturers, insurance companies, body shop repair facilities, information technology providers, and of course organizations like CIECA, helps bring unified technology standards to customers. So many vendors provide such different applications. Working together, we all help organizations in the automotive industry become more efficient, more profitable, and increase customer satisfaction. Remember the days of waiting for a letter in the mail? Then the fax came along, and now everything is instantaneous. OEConnection is helping improve technology, while focusing on complementing the customer workflow. Q: What projects are you working on now? A: One project is working with shipping carriers to create bidirectional data, so a D2D Express send-to dealer can automatically pass to the shipper website, and a shipping confirmation number can automatically pass to D2D Express. This project is planned for 2006 completion. Q: What one last thing would you like to tell OEConnection customers? A: Thank you for using our products and continue to provide feedback on how to improve your everyday processes. OEConnection is leading the way with technology for auto manufacturers, dealerships and collision shops. Our customers may not realize they need technology until they use it. And then they may think, How did I ever live without it? What is CIECA? CIECA, the Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association was created in 1994 to assist auto physical damage repair professionals in the use of information technology for electronic commerce. Through member committees, CIECA develops industry standards, assists in developing national standards, and provides implementation support/guidelines for electronic commerce. CIECA is composed of members from all industry segments including repairers, parts and materials suppliers, insurers, information and software providers, general service providers, and related segments/industries. 7

8 OEConnection Products Fast, easy, and accurate online parts locating and fulfillment to help dealerships buy and sell more original equipment parts. Dealership inventories help fill a manufacturer s emergency-needed backordered parts. Products and services to enhance D2DLink. Idle & Reporting: Online tools to help reduce idle inventory. Parts Matching: Sellers and buyers find bulk parts at a discount. Advanced Selling: Daily, automatic idle inventory sales offers to potential shoppers. Inventory Updating: Mid-day and Saturday updating. Bin Labels: Receive bin labels monthly for D2DLink parts. StoreFront: Dealership-customizable web page showcasing complete parts inventory. Fast, easy, and accurate online fulfillment of collision shop wholesale parts selling and parts orders. Internet-based data analysis tools to help dealerships and auto manufacturers drive increased sales. Hello, Parts Managers! Every once in a while I ll get a fax from someone and have to retype their information into my computer. Of course my first thought is, What a waste of my time move into the 21st century! Online is where it s at. Can you imagine life today without the Internet? Without e-bay or amazon.com? Without yellowpages.com or mapquest.com? Neither can I. And that s why these are truly exciting times at OEConnection as well as for our customers! We re moving full-steam ahead with CollisionLink online parts ordering. If your dealership runs a wholesale business, and you re getting fax orders from your collision shop customers today, you should seriously look at the CollisionLink benefits. Saves time? You bet. Helps you sell more OE parts? Of course because you see aftermarket and salvage parts on orders. If I ran my own business, I would enroll on the spot. So please, when an OEConnection representative stops in or calls to talk about CollisionLink, explore the opportunities! On another note everyone here at OEConnection is energized by additional dealerships enrolled in D2DLink. Welcome Mazda, Saab and Canadian Jaguar and Land Rover dealers. Over 150,000 times each day, our dealership customers search D2DLink to find needed parts at other dealerships. And thousands of dealers are finding great value in our LinkIQ and D2D Plus products to help increase parts department productivity, reduce idle, and see parts movement in their market areas beyond their DMS. Please remember there is no charge for contacting our Customer Care team. They re available Monday through Friday, 8am-8pm, (EST), and Saturday 8am-5pm (EST). Whether you need ten minutes, or several hours, they re here to help. If you re not yet embracing technology now s the time. OEConnection products can help make your job easier, help accomplish tasks faster, and make your business more profitable. Want to learn how? Just ask our territory representatives at extension 3. Now s the time to ask OEConnection for tools to help you solve your business challenges. And as usual, call me directly with any questions! Janice Schenk Product Marketing Manager Janice.Schenk@OEConnection.com ext Have a suggestion? us at ProductInfo@OEConnection.com. If we publish it, we ll send you OEConnection caps for every member of your parts department team! 4150 Highlander Parkway Richfield, Ohio PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLEVELAND, OH PERMIT NO. 2385