Auto parts distributor runs lean and mean with DST and IBM

Slow yet steady growth is the characteristic business objective of PA Distributors, fueled by superior customer service, retaining competitive edge, and increasing revenue generation with high profitability.

With geographic reach being mandated and limited by ACDelco and Ford Motorcraft, maximizing penetration within the boundaries of a two-county territory (Montgomery and Frederick Counties in Maryland, encompassing an oval-shaped geographic area with a 50-mile radius) is the business challenge.

Formerly an Activant Prism user, PA Distributors now uses DSTWare—the comprehensive, modular business management system for taking, making and processing orders, managing inventory, accounting, and reporting—providing distributors with all the functionality needed to operate both single site and enterprise-level parts and service facilities. The system was installed in Spring 2004.

PA Distributors is also a user of DST's Internet-based parts ordering system, TurboParts, and has recently implemented DST's Warehouse Management System in to the company's operation.

Brad Whitener, General Manager of PA Distributors: "One of the biggest areas of improvement DSTWare has provided is on the purchasing side. The replenishment module is much more sophisticated and works dramatically better than our Activant Prism system did. It ensures that we have enough to sell without being overstocked. Our inventory dollar figure has not changed in the past year, but the breadth and product mix is much improved. We no longer have a six-month supply of "A" items laying around anymore, allowing me to buy other items which I previously would not have been able to afford. So we're making sales now that we never would have before."

According to Brad, "TurboParts is responsible for 21 to 23 percent of our orders, which occurred within three months of going live, mostly from our auto dealership customers. That took between 1,500 and 2,000 calls per month off my call center.

About DST's Warehouse Management System, Brad said, "The immediate goal of deploying DST's Warehouse Management System in our business was to get orders out quicker and more accurately. That's a competitive differentiator which means a great deal to our customers. Pick errors have decreased and incoming orders are checked in and handled much more accurately and efficiently. The time interval between when the incoming order is unloaded from the truck and made ready for sale has already been substantially decreased."

Auto parts distributor runs lean and mean with DST and IBM  (269KB)

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