G. P. Automotive

G. P. Automotive is a unique car parts distribution business offering a reliable, next day delivery service nationwide. Located in Kidderminster, the company has 5,300 square metres of modern warehouse facilities dedicated to stocking a wide range of manufacturer-branded aftermarket products. Chosen from carefully selected manufacturers, this product range includes some of the best known and trusted brands in the UK including Gates, Bendix, Purolator, Sachs, Trico, Suplex, Fister, Brembo, Farecla, SKF and our their own brand, Veco.

Situation

In 2006, G. P. Automotive set out on a mission to create an industry-leading logistics infrastructure, capable of moving parts along the business to business supply chain quickly and efficiently. Central to this vision was the installation of a new computer system. "Our previous software was limited in its capabilities" explained Terry Jones, G. P. Automotive's Commercial Manager. "In order to fulfil our mission, we needed a system that would not only support the internal operations of the business, but also provide us with the infrastructure to introduce new facilities for online ordering."

Solution

G. P. Automotive approached MAM to discuss replacing their aging software in the spring of 2006. "It was important for us to find a partner that we could work closely with" explained Terry. "Replacing our 17-year-old system was a big step for us. Not only did we have to choose the right software, we had to find the right people too. Having worked previously with MAM, I was confident that we could build a strong relationship that didn't just serve our immediate needs, but supported our ongoing business requirements too."

MAM worked closely with G. P. Automotive to develop a solution that met the specific needs of its distribution business. MAM's fully-integrated management application, Autopart, was installed as the backbone of the solution. This would control the daily operations of the business, handling sales, stock control, purchasing and accounts. Many of Autopart's dedicated warehouse features were implemented, including location tracking, quarantined stock, logistics partner management and a new express shipping interface.

The next phase was to install MAM's e-commerce connector, Autonet, to provide a secure platform for online trading. This would enable connectivity with a variety of trading platforms including TecCom, e-Parts, Aconnex and G-Net. It also facilitated the development of an Autonet Online e-commerce portal. This website would give customers the ability to check prices and availability via an interactive web-based catalogue. Registered users could place orders, print invoices and track parcel shipments.

Benefits

Following a period of implementation and training, G. P. Automotive's new system went live on Monday 2nd October 2006. It made an instant impact. "Live day was our second busiest day of the year" recalls Terry. "The system was 100% accurate - everything was priced correctly and the stock figures were right."

Within just three days, G. P. Automotive had processed over 80 orders via the portal. "We were extremely impressed by the amount of time we saved" explains Terry. "Normally it would take us three hours to book out all our orders, but with the new system it took us just 20 minutes."

One of the biggest benefits of the new system is the improvement in customer service. Richard Shearing, owner of Thetford Autoparts, Norfolk, is one of many advocates of the portal. "Online ordering is so easy. I no longer have to pick up the phone to check price and availability – everything can be done at the press of a button or two. The VRM lookups have made my life much easier as I can now identify the right part, first time. What's also great is the fact that we can order any time of day or night – even over the weekend."

Looking to the future

Remarkably, just a year after its launch, the online portal accounts for over 20% of all orders received by G. P. Automotive. And this figure which is steadily rising. "We're on target to have 30% of our orders received electronically by the end of the year" comments Terry. "Our objective is to reach the 50% mark by the end of 2008. When you consider that we process 400-500 calls per day, the potential for time savings is tremendous. We're already achieving significant reductions in time from order receipt to picking in the warehouse. It's a fantastic improvement in efficiency that's especially welcome at peak times between 3:00pm and 5:30pm."