What You Will Learn

✓  How vehicle and parts data quality is crucial in growing parts revenue
✓  How quality parts information can be turned in to revenue
✓  How providing OEM data may not mean lost OEM part sales
✓  How data can be shared securely without losing sovereignty

Background

Most Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) would agree that their vehicle and parts data is one of the most precious assets the company owns. When data quality is maintained at a high standard; it plays a vital role in supporting the manufacturing and post-sale supply chain.

However, this also means that it’s incredibly valuable in the hands of the independent aftermarket. If the aftermarket understands what the right part for a vehicle is, they know which part to copy and sell. This means that business falls directly into the hands of the aftermarket.  

The subject of data quality and sharing is a long-standing conundrum that OEMs have been confronting:

• How to protect VIN and part data whilst enabling safe and proper repair of vehicles by third parties?
• How to avoid sharing but feeling that there is a sense of losing something and gaining nothing?
• How to remain compliant with changes in legislation without damaging parts sales and margins?
• How to keep vehicle owners coming back to the franchise dealership for repairs rather than turning to the aftermarket when the warranty has run out?

Some OEMs are embracing the opportunity to leverage their data as a source of revenue: a ‘better to get something out of this than nothing at all’ scenario. Others are stuck knowing they need to do something but are looking for guidance. Many wait for hard facts before making decisions, and those continue to be in short supply.

As a data partner working on the OEM’s behalf, representing their interests, we encounter many third-party companies in search of better-quality OEM data. Many of these are start-ups looking to get clever innovations off the ground, others are looking to improve business efficiencies, and some are just concerned with improving vehicle safety. None that we have found are looking to sell more parts: they already have that covered. Operating between these two worlds, we want to share our thoughts and perspectives on the benefits of maintaining data quality whilst sharing data as a revenue stream, without losing sovereignty to the aftermarket.

Automotive Data Experts

David Loveday - Data Product Director - OEC (OEConnection)

David Loveday has been designing and building solutions for the automotive industry for over 15 years. A large part of his career was spent at CDK Global and was responsible for creating solutions focused on enabling centralised parts sales and service booking.

David is Product Director of OEM Data Services and EPC with the aim of leveraging OEC’s technical capabilities to focus on helping vehicle manufacturers solve complex data problems

Adrian Lewis - Global Product Manager - OEC (OEConnection)

Adrian Lewis comes with over 25 years of automotive experience. His industry wide knowledge has been gathered within BMW UK, AutoVHC from Snap-On, ALLDATA as Vice President, gaining a wealth of global knowledge of the independent aftermarket network.

Now at OEC, Adrian helps OEM partners create efficiencies throughout the entire supply chain by work closer with the full product offering from OEC.

About OEConnection

"OEC (OEConnection) was founded in 2000 as a joint venture of Daimler-Chrysler, General Motors, Ford and Bell & Howell. The purpose was to support the dealer network to sell more OE parts online to their customers and thus be more competitive against the aftermarket. We are proud to call ourselves true automotive data experts.

For over 20 years, OEC has been helping OEMs in all areas of vehicle and parts data. Our focus is on speed, accuracy, and flexibility and our goal is to ensure OEM, their dealers and garages have accurate part information when it’s needed.

Our solutions range from fully staffed tailor-made authoring systems to global helpdesks, API data access solutions and more. Using patent-pending technology, OEC also offers solutions that provide real-time, dynamic pricing, billing and inventory management for OEM replacement parts. We also boast unrivalled trade expertise and fleet & service software that streamline and consolidate all the information required into a few simple solutions."

Tags: OEM VIN data  |  Data access  |  Data quality  |  Data insights  |  Automotive data