How to Eliminate Your Auto Parts Inventory Spreadsheet

By Brian DunnAcumatica, Auto Parts Database Software, Automotive Aftermarket

Learn How to Reduce Your Reliance on Spreadsheets and Better Manage Your Business

Everybody loves spreadsheets, right?

Spreadsheets are cheap, easy, and convenient — and often frequently contain errors — from a miscopied formula (or a formula initially entered incorrectly) to simple typos. They also require a lot of administrative upkeep and endless formatting.

Perhaps worst of all is that frustrating spreadsheet issue where all the spreadsheets are accurate and well-formatted — but you look at the wrong version (or the correct, but un-updated, version) by mistake and act on out-of-date information.

It’s time to talk about how to get rid of your auto parts inventory spreadsheets forever.

ERP Can Help Reduce Your Dependence on Spreadsheets

Spreadsheet irritations are one of the biggest issues in growing companies. However, most business leaders are so used to dealing with spreadsheet hassles that they cannot fully imagine how much time and energy they could save if they simply replaced their spreadsheets with a better tool.

Most growing automotive aftermarket manufacturers and distributors choose to replace those pesky spreadsheets with an ERP solution.

Here is why:

Less error-prone manual data entry

ERP systems are typically set up to automatically integrate your auto parts inventory information from sales orders/shipping and purchase orders/receiving data. ERP users rarely have to manually update stock counts, which significantly cuts down on errors.

No formatting hassles

Modern ERPs are built to display your auto parts inventory information properly on any device: a desktop, a laptop, a warehouse display monitor, a tablet, a phone, or even a handheld scanner – with no formatting tweaks required.

Always up-to-date inventory data

With an ERP, you can trust that you, your staff, and your customers are seeing up-to-the-second inventory data at all times, whether they’re looking at your eCommerce store website, a computer in your brick-and-mortar locations, or a mobile device.

How to Choose an ERP

The best way to determine which ERP will meet your needs is to work with an ERP consultant who will help you perform a fair and balanced assessment of all your ERP options.

Here are a few pointers to help you start thinking about your needs before your ERP consultation:

Choose cloud-based ERP. The “new normal” of lockdowns and limited staff-in-person counts mean that you need a better way to ensure that your data is securely available to employees wherever they are. Cloud ERPdelivers that flexibility.
Select an ERP that integrates with your industry. There are a lot of cloud ERPs out there, but not many of them fit the needs of automotive aftermarket manufacturers and distributors. An industry-specific ERP is necessary if you truly want to get rid of your auto parts inventory spreadsheet.

Ensure that the solution you choose:

Integrates with vehicle classification data, including ACES, PIES, SEMA, and VIN Validation & Identification
Automatically updates ACES, PIES, and SEMA data for you, so you can reduce or eliminate your manual data entry and database lookup time
Filters auto parts inventory by year, make, model, engine type, color, etc.
Connects to your eCommerce storefront in real time, saving you the effort it takes to manually copy and paste data between your ERP and webstore
Is an all-in-one tool for your business to manage financials, inventory, logistics, sales, eCommerce, production, purchasing, costing, supply chain management, customer notifications, and service management

Start Your Search with AutoFitmentPlus Powered by Acumatica

AutoFitmentPlus powered by Acumatica is the automotive ERP designed by auto enthusiasts for auto enthusiasts – and it is also one of the most comprehensive automotive aftermarket ERP solutions on the market.

Developed by PC Bennett, the high-performance driving and motorsports team of Acumatica experts, AutoFitmentPlus is the right tool for the job when you’re ready to get rid of your auto parts inventory spreadsheet for good.

Schedule your consultation to learn more.

PC Bennett Solutions offers a personalized, full-service experience for customers by implementing business management technology. Through a hands-on approach, PC Bennett Solutions helps companies get the most out of their software system. The team provides training, implementation and customization of Acumatica. Headquartered in the Seattle area, PC Bennett Solutions is one of the largest exclusive Acumatica resellers. For more information, visit www.pcbennett.com.

February 1, 2021

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Why Acumatica Is the Best ERP for the Automotive Industry

By Patricia BennettAcumatica, Auto Parts Database Software, Automotive Aftermarket

Looking for the Best ERP for the Automotive Industry? You’ve Found It.

If you run an automotive aftermarket manufacturing or distribution business, you deserve a better way to manage your inventory, operations, and financials.

Let’s face it: those homegrown systems and one-off spreadsheets are throttling your business growth – and those paper catalogs? Don’t even get us started on the time-wasting disaster they are.

By this point, you already know that a better ERP would help you grow your business, but you also know that finding the right ERP takes time to spare (which you don’t have). Wouldn’t it be great to learn about the one ERP that clearly stood out from all the rest as the best ERP for the automotive industry?

Let’s talk about Acumatica Cloud ERP.

What Is Acumatica?

A leading cloud ERP solution, Acumatica handles every aspect of your automotive aftermarket business from end to end.

From manufacturing to distribution to eCommerce to service and install, Acumatica is the one single system that houses all your data, reducing the effort it takes to manage your company. In other words, Acumatica provides the time-saving tools you need so you can focus on growing your business.

Watch Acumatica video

Like all ERPs, Acumatica streamlines traditional time wasters like financial reporting, inventory management, logistics, and sales. You expect that.

However, the reason why Acumatica is the best ERP for the automotive industry is because only Acumatica integrates with the one-of-a-kind automotive aftermarket management solution known as AutoFitmentPlus.

What Is AutoFitmentPlus?

Only available with Acumatica, AutoFitmentPlus is the automotive aftermarket management solution developed by auto enthusiasts for auto enthusiasts.

Watch AutoFitmentPlus video

Combined with Acumatica, this unique tool helps automotive aftermarket manufacturers and distributors:

Track, manage, and filter inventory searches for parts based on years, models, style, and color
Put the pedal to the metal on format and database lookup time for ACES, PIES, and SEMA data with automatic updates done for you
Save time on VIN Validation and Identification, with built-in capabilities
Access complete, real-time inventory records from anywhere at any time
Right-size inventory levels to meet forecasted customer demand
Set up optional alerts and purchasing recommendations that help you avoid “stock outs”
Sync up your eCommerce system and ERP for accurate, real-time part inventory data
Integrate all your databases, financials, and inventory into a single system that handles everything

Wait, Wait, How do I Get AutoFitmentPlus and Acumatica?

At PC Bennett, we’re auto enthusiasts. We’re big supporters of the automotive aftermarket industry. We’re also the developers behind AutoFitmentPlus and we’re some of the top Acumatica experts in the world.

We agree that you deserve the best ERP for the automotive industry, and that’s why we built AutoFitmentPlus for Acumatica Cloud ERP.

If you’re ready to grow your business with the best ERP for the automotive industry, contact PC Bennett today.

As soon as you’re ready to learn more, contact PC Bennett.

December 18, 2020

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Businesspeople celebrating a win at the office.

Best Way to Ensure Your New ERP System Succeeds

By Patricia BennettAcumaticaNo Comments

You hear the stats all the time – 50% or more of all ERP projects fail to meet their objectives. And the reasons are as varied as the people that use them. One area where many projects stumble is around user acceptance testing (UAT). It may seem like a small part when compared to the setup, configuration and deployment of a solution, but in fact, it is critical to the project’s success.

Communication

PC Bennett takes a very direct approach to communication with our clients, and we start every project kickoff with a thorough outline of the phases the team will need to go through. It includes a frank discussion about the potential pitfalls, including user testing.

Technology is only as effective as the people who use it. If your team doesn’t embrace the change, the project will never realize its ROI.

Auto Action Group

Established in 1978 by Bruce Cohen
Located in Kenilworth, NJ
60-65 Employees
Provider, distributor, and installer of automotive aftermarket & OEM products
Slogan – “Driving Your Lifestyle”

Executive Buy-in

One of the keys to helping users feel comfortable with testing and providing feedback on the new system is having complete support and buy-in from top management. It can come in the form of email communication, company-wide Zoom calls, enlisting department advocates to help reinforce the message, and even gamification with kudos and prizes for those who contribute the most.

Our Customer Auto Action Group, came up with a creative way to make sure their employees test Acumatica, their new ERP system. They started wearing badges to spark conversation about the user testing, “What have you done in Acumatica today?”

A man at an event with an Acumatica badge.

”Auto Action, a lot like other companies, get caught up in the day-to-day challenges business presents. We try to find ways to reinforce the need to focus continuously on things outside this daily scope. The badges help us give friendly reminders each day that Acumatica testing needs to be part of those daily tasks.
Jared Cohen (shown here wearing the badge)CEO / Owner, Auto Action Group

I love their creativity and can’t wait to see them live on the software so they can experience all the benefits of running their business on Acumatica Cloud ERP!

Project Snapshot

Auto Action Group started this project right at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, which presented its own challenges. But we approached it with a plan to document their processes with flowcharts and swim lane diagrams, videos of their day-to-day activities, and collaboration tools to keep everyone in sync.

The Project Team

Auto Action Group involved several key team members, including the CEO, from the beginning in the project, which has enabled the success to date. Involvement and buy-in from top management is essential to manage the change that is required of an organization when they upgrade to any new ERP solution.

Key Drivers for Change

Auto Action Group was on a very old DOS-based system, DB3, that just could not keep up with the demands of today’s business, particularly timely and accurate reporting. They also wanted to be on a modern system.

In addition, they were using a home-grown web application for job management.

New System Requirements

The team at Auto Action Group agreed that what they needed was something packaged that could run their business from end to end. A configurable, off-the-shelf application, as they were tired of depending on one person to maintain their legacy system. In addition, they wanted:

A solution able to support formal processes and procedures – in order to see operational efficiencies, they needed to improve their day to day processes and wanted a system that could help them stay true to those processes.
An intuitive interface that is easy to learn – they wanted to minimize the learning curve for their team.
A scalable, secure and accessible – they needed a true cloud solution that would enable their teams to work efficiently from anywhere, including the field. They also wanted to be able to add staff without adding technology costs.
Robust, native reporting capabilities – possibly the most critical requirement they had was for management to have a 360-degree view of the business health and profitability through dashboards, alerts and KPI monitoring.
Field service management specifically for automotive industry to replace their custom job management system, which PC Bennett brought to life with AutoFitmentPlus.
Streamlined CRM capabilities.After failing with many off the shelf products such as salesforce, they found they needed the CRM to be embeded in the solution to achieve better company buyin.

Now that Auto Action Group is in the final stretch of their Acumatica deployment, they can see the benefits on the horizon, and are diligently testing and trying out the features.

Keys to Success

Now that the bulk of the project is in the rearview mirror, they had this advice to anyone looking to update their systems.

Keep it simple, streamline, and eliminate special needs wherever possible
Focus on the why and not the how
Crawl, walk, run
Prepare well and communicate often
Pick your partner wisely; it’s a relationship you’ll have for a long time
Know that it will involve change and growth, which will be challenging
Try to have a little fun with it

Considering an update to your legacy software? Read
5 Critical Considerations When Selecting Software for Your Business.

December 13, 2020

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Automotive Aftermarket Parts Management — AutoFitmentPlus

By Patricia BennettAcumatica, Auto Parts Database Software, Automotive Aftermarket, Cloud ERP

PC Bennett Announces the Automotive Database Management Solution: AutoFitmentPlus.

On September 15, 2020 we announced our automotive database management solution: AutoFitmentPlus. In an effort to better serve automotive aftermarket customers, we developed this comprehensive tool that combines fitment tracking and parts lookup with ACES and PIES reference specification data, packaged into an award-winning ERP system.

AutoFitmentPlus builds on the Fitment functionality that we released earlier this year, and is 80% through Phase I development. You can currently look up fitment for auto parts by year, make, model and other filters, ensuring that they get the right part, every time.

Save Time on Data Entry

When we asked our customers what they wanted most from a fitment solution, we heard many of them lament having to enter in parts data at least twice, often more than that. Then at the end of the month some of them needed to manually create an Excel spreadsheet to send to SEMA in the PIES format. It was a huge drain on their time each month. AutoFitmentPlus allows customers to enter data ONCE, and then click a button to generate the PIES file they need, in the right format, in minutes.

Quickly Find The Parts You Need

The expanded AutoFitmentPlus tool has the go-to reference specification tables: ACES (Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard) and PIES (Product Information Exchange Standard) built right into it, allowing fast, easy file preparation and transmission and seamless direct access to the data.

“We wanted to help our customers eliminate manual lookups and have an easy way to quickly find parts that match their customers’ requests,” says our Founder, and CEO Patricia Bennett. “Integrating it with ACES and PIES just made sense, and saves our customers so much time and effort. Before AutoFitmentPlus, one customer spent upwards of 12 hours each month preparing their data file for upload to SEMA. Imagine getting that time back every month.”

In addition to parts lookup, the AutoFitmentPlus solution includes:

VIN validation and identification
Vehicle Classification data (Year, Make, Model, Engine Type, etc.) maintained and cross-referenced against your Part SKUs to establish Fitment Application.
Industry-standard ‘ACES’ (Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard) Vehicle Classification data automatically loaded into the ERP database and automatically updated at regular intervals.
Parts Fitment used to filter available products on Sales Orders and Service Orders. Fitment will also integrate with your eCommerce website.
Industry-standard ‘PIES’ (Product Information Exchange Standard) Product Categorization data automatically loaded into the ERP database and automatically updated at regular intervals.
PIES data used to provide information about your Parts in an industry recognized manner, including Attributes and other specifications.
Sales and Service performed on vehicles tracked by VIN, including Warranties on parts and service.
On-demand export of data in the ACES, PIES, or SEMA prescribed formats with no manual data manipulation or intervention on your part, providing you with seamless integration to your trading partners and the SEMA Data Coop.

For subscribing members of the Auto Care Association, AutoFitmentPlus will also ensure the data you have in your ERP system is always up to date.

You can learn more in our AutoFitmentPlus blog post.

“We couldn’t be happier that PC Bennett is developing this automotive database management tool for their Acumatica audience. It speaks to their commitment to the automotive industry, and their depth of knowledge and passion for the fastest growing cloud ERP solution,” — Geoff Ashley, Vice President, Partner Strategy & Programs at Acumatica.

October 12, 2020

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A mechanic works underneath a car at a car dealership.

AutoFitmentPlus — Your Automotive Aftermarket Auto Parts Database Software

By Donna KrizikAcumatica, Auto Parts Database Software, Automotive Aftermarket, Cloud ERP

When we started down this Automotive Aftermarket road, we had no idea it would lead to the creation of a custom solution like AutoFitmentPlus. But we are happy it did – it is helping our clients have an edge that no other companies have.

How It Began

While working with customers, we realized a major struggle for them was centered around parts database management. Order departments were relying on paper catalogs or were looking up parts on multiple websites, which was frustrating and time-consuming. Not only were they spending more time taking orders, but they ran a bigger risk of selling incompatible parts to their customers. Which at a minimum disappoints the customer and results in costly returns. At worst, it can cost them their business. There had to be a better way.

The Birth of Fitment for Acumatica

As you know, managing fitment information is an ongoing process. Vehicle standards change often. Without an integrated solution, you are left to manually maintain your database. Not only is it a huge task, but it is prone to errors and creates a lag in accurate data, paving the way for a bad customer experience.

Additionally, customers often search for parts by brand, not realizing that there can be parts that fit multiple brands of vehicles.

We realized an integrated fitment lookup that connects to your web store would allow you to educate your customers on how to search and serve up more compatible options. This also keeps them on your site, buying parts from you instead of your competition.

We developed and launched our fitment solution earlier this year, which allows you to quickly and easily look up fitment data by year, make, model, and other filters like trim and engine type. And did we mention that it connects to shopping cart? You can also quickly create new items with images, color options, finishes, descriptions, specs and manufacturer’s data with just a few clicks.

The Evolution to AutoFitmentPlus

We know there’s always room for improvement. So, we took our Fitment product to our clients for testing and recommendations. They did not disappoint. We came away from those meetings and conversations with a host of recommended features. And we got to work.

How Good is AutoFitmentPlus?

When we talk about the features with any current or potential client, you can feel their interest grow. It’s no longer an ERP solution and our knowledge around how to implement. It’s a passion for the automotive industry that has resulted in a truly unique offering, designed from the ground up to save you time, money, and frustration.

We are 80% through phase I of development, so we are still a bit away from launching, but this product builds on a solid foundation of the fitment functionality we already created, and promises much more, including:

VIN validation and identification
Vehicle Classification data (Year, Make, Model, Engine Type, etc.) maintained and cross-referenced against your Part SKUs to establish Fitment Application.
Industry-standard ‘ACES’ (Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard) Vehicle Classification data automatically loaded into the ERP database and automatically updated at regular intervals.
Parts Fitment used to filter available products on Sales Orders and Service Orders. Fitment will also integrate with your eCommerce website.
Industry-standard ‘PIES’ (Product Information Exchange Standard) Product Categorization data automatically loaded into the ERP database and automatically updated at regular intervals.
PIES data used to provide information about your Parts in an industry recognized manner, including Attributes and other specifications.
Sales and Service performed on vehicles tracked by VIN, including Warranties on parts and service.
On-demand export of data in the ACES, PIES, or SEMA prescribed formats with no manual data manipulation or intervention on your part, providing you with seamless integration to your trading partners and the SEMA Data Coop.

Why Did We Focus on the Automotive Aftermarket?

We have a passion for classic cars, fast cars and the racing industry. This love of cars and racing started a generation ago and it continues with me, my brother and my son. It’s one of the reasons people choose us over anyone else. It’s why we find it easy and actually fun to help automotive aftermarket industry. It’s why we’re continually updating and improving our solution to make sure it provides everything our clients need.

Get to know us a little better…peruse our gallery of photos, and lots of other handy resources on our Acumatica Automotive page.

Stop “Getting By” with an Outdated Fitment Process

And start using a solution that eliminates errors and takes guesswork out of fitting parts to vehicles. A solution that won’t cost a fortune, take forever to deploy, or be hard to use. A solution that:

Helps sell the right part
Reduces research time
Improves customer service
Drives up repeat business
Eliminates silos of information

Take a tour of our fitment module, and let us know what you think! Your comments could lead to an even better solution!

See Fitment in Action

September 15, 2020

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A disassembled race car in a racing garage.

Sell More Parts and Reduce Your Costs: Fitment for Acumatica

By Patricia BennettAcumaticaNo Comments

The Cost of Inaccurate Fitment Data

How many times have you had a customer order the wrong part? It sounds like a small thing. But if your order department is relying on paper catalogs or is looking up parts on multiple websites, not only are they spending more time taking orders, but you run a bigger risk of selling incompatible parts to your customers. At the least, it disappoints the customer and results in costly returns. At the worst, it can cost you their business.

As you know, managing your fitment information is an ongoing process. Vehicle standards change often. Without an integrated solution, you are left to manually maintain your database. Not only is it a huge task, but it is prone to errors and creates a lag in accurate data, paving the way for a bad customer experience.

Customers Don’t Realize They Can Search by More Than Brand

Additionally, customers often search for parts by brand, not realizing that there can be parts that fit multiple brands of vehicles. With an integrated fitment lookup that connects to your web store, you can educate your customers on how to search and serve up more compatible options. This will keep them on your site, buying parts from you instead of your competition.

Our fitment solution allows you to quickly and easily look up fitment data by year, make, model, and other filters like trim and engine type. It can be linked to ACES (Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard), as well. And did we mention that it connects to shopping cart?

You can also quickly create new items with images, color options, finishes, descriptions, specs and manufacturer’s data with just a few clicks. This will integrate to your shopping cart.

How Good is Our Fitment Solution?

We were demoing the software to a prospective customer last week. You know how those go, you can read the room, even if it is virtual, and feel how interested the audience is. We sensed that they were going through the motions, and hoping to get this final bit of research done so they could go with another product (for whatever reason). That is, until we showed them our fitment feature. Suddenly the energy of the room changed and the engagement level shot up. They were asking questions left and right and wanted to see more of the screens and options. They chose our solution over the rest.

Why Did We Focus on Fitment?

We have a passion for classic cars, fast cars and the racing industry. This love of cars and racing started with my father and it continues with me, my brother and my son. It’s one of the reasons people choose us over anyone else. It’s why we find it easy and actually fun to help automotive aftermarket industry. It’s why we’re continually updating and improving our solution to make sure it provides everything our clients need.

Get to know us a little better…peruse our gallery of photos, and lots of other handy resources on our Acumatica Automotive page.

Stop “Getting By” with an Outdated Fitment Process

Helps sell the right part
Reduces research time
Improves customer service
Drives up repeat business
Eliminates silos of information

Take a tour of our fitment module, and let us know what you think!

Patricia Bennett at SEMA 2018 Booth

See Fitment in Action (video)

May 18, 2020

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Automotive ERP Archives - PC Bennett

Why Acumatica Is the Best ERP for the Automotive Industry