So there I was, sitting in my car at a local quick lube establishment, trying to stay awake, when I remembered I needed new wiper blades. I asked the attendant, who checked his stock and sadly told me he did not have blades that would fit my car. WHAT? How could that be? Sure my car is 12 years old...and a model that is no longer being built...by a brand that no longer exists. I still have the car and I still need to maintain it. I need this car, because I’m about to pass it down to my son as his first car. But I digress.
So why didn’t this oil change place have my wiper blades? They should know that there is a 12-year old Geo Prism in the area. It's basic parts and service etiquette! As a Polk employee I was curious to see what our vehicle population database said. So I did some research and there are 1,178 '97 Geo Prisms in the Detroit DMA. And nobody has a wiper blade for them?
But, maybe I'm being too harsh. The idea of stocking up for one specific vehicle is probably unreasonable, especially with all of the automotive industry challenges the aftermarket is currently facing. Yet, inventory efficiency is critical for automotive aftermarket companies. I know because I’ve been very fortunate to have met several companies that have implemented exceptional inventory management systems. These are the winners of Polk's Inventory Efficiency Award. How good are they? Check out their award-winning projects at: http://usa.polk.com/Industries/AfterMkt/videos.htm.
Want a deeper dive? Check out this case study about Uni-Select, a large automotive parts distributor who worked with Polk to develop an e-modeling tool to save their customers time and money. I think you will be impressed.
And hopefully the next time you need a car part—it will be in stock!
Posted by Jeffrey Stone, Senior Marketing Specialist, Polk (11.12.2009)
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