Case History - Data Management

Affinia Pioneers Digital Data Management in the Aftermarket
Integrated Systems Support More than Three Million Catalog Listings

Well-worn, grease-stained parts catalogs are rapidly disappearing from the aftermarket, thanks to the efforts of forward-thinking companies such as Affinia Group, a global aftermarket leader. Over the past five years, Affinia has reduced catalog printing by more than 60 percent as it deployed state-of-the-art digital systems capable of managing catalog listings totaling more than 3 million and growing by an average of 5 percent annually. 

 
This transformation from paper-based to digital systems is not only a sustainable practice good for the environment, but it is also a godsend for parts distributors, retailers, professional installers and consumers. Affinia’s systems are not only more accurate and up-to-date, but they also provide substantially richer detail, including access to 172,000 images that Affinia makes available online so that installers and retailers can double check that they are ordering the right part for the right vehicle.

“Affinia recognizes the incredible value of clean, accurate and timely information to support all elements of the supply chain, right down to consumers,” said Terry McCormack, President and CEO of Affinia. “Over the past five years, we have overhauled our complete data origination, maintenance and exchange organization while developing new process workflows. These processes include a product’s complete ‘birth-to-death’ life cycle.”

The central element in Affinia’s digital transformation is its Product Information Management System (PIMS), which the company developed from the ground up in support of brake and chassis replacement parts. PIMS has streamlined labor intensive activities associated with new product development and research, allowing Affinia to reduce operating costs while enhancing customer service.

PIMS incorporates data structures that support current and future industry standards and works in concert with Affinia’s award winning ElectriCat® catalog system. These integrated systems enable Affinia to bring new parts coverage to market quickly while reducing manual workloads, eliminating redundancies, reducing errors and increasing overall customer satisfaction, which has soared to more than 90 percent in recent years. Affinia’s advanced technology platform enables it to communicate parts information to channel partners in multiple languages and in any data format that’s required, all on a global basis. 

A growing number of Affinia customers are converting to totally electronic catalog functions. More than 10,000 current users obtain Affinia catalog information via CD and receive regular updates electronically online. Printed catalog information is provided to customers who require traditional media, including PDFs that are posted on-line and printed only as needed.

“Our use of technology has led to significant improvements for everyone in the sales channel in a relatively short period of time,” said Jeff Alexander, Director of Commerce Data Management for Affinia. “We expedite the delivery of data to our channel partners and points of sale much faster than ever before. Product related data created by manufacturers such as Affinia is intellectual property just as significant as our patented technology and product formulations.” 

One of the most important benefits of Affinia’s digital data management is the manner in which it speeds the availability of replacement parts for new vehicles. The system’s “Research-to-Release” capability features digital tracking for new parts, identifying components that have not changed from model year to model year, as well as those that require reverse engineering to create a new replacement part. This capability supports Affinia’s track record of leadership in offering first-to-market OE replacement products.

Affinia’s breakthroughs in digital data management have not only included advanced software and systems, but also changes in the organization that supports data management and interfaces with customers. Data is maintained in a controlled environment by cross-trained data managers and exchanged according to customer specifications in a variety of industry standard and proprietary formats.

Information on Affinia sites is synchronized automatically with that provided to channel partners, industry independent service providers, paper and electronic cataloging and internal support systems. Process automation allows Affinia to direct certain data processing activities to off-peak hours, which enhances systems performance during the business day.

“The secret to sound data management lies within business workflows and related organizations that must be up-to-date in their training and mindsets and supported by the latest technologies,” Alexander said.  “It begins with a commitment to do things the right way from the very beginning and progresses through continual performance measurements to ensure that customers receive the information they need easily, quickly and in the required format.”

About Affinia Group

Affinia Group Inc. is an innovative global leader in the design, manufacture, distribution and marketing of industrial grade products and services, including extensive offerings of aftermarket parts for automotive and heavy-duty vehicles. With $1.8 billion in annual revenue, Affinia has operations in North and South America, Europe, Asia and India. For more information, visit www.affiniagroup.com.