It is not easy to always be up to date. For part manufacturers and traders in the automotive replacement part market, current, complete and correct article, price and logistics data are extremely valuable. If business partners use obsolete data they can easily lose both time and money. TecCom GmbH from Ismaning near Munich, Germany, has developed its TecCMD solution to ease the exchange of data between industry and traders in the automotive aftermarket and substantially improve data quality. The solution for master data management is already being used by Continental Teves, Hella, Magneti Marelli, Mahle, TMD Friction, and Tenneco as well as the wholesalers Göhrum, Trost, ATR, Hengstenberg and Winkler.

Better together
CMD stands for Collaborative Managed Data. The part manufacturer delivers his data to TecCMD. There the data is processed through a battery of form and content checks, ensuring a high data quality. Only correct information is then approved for inclusion in the database. This database is the heart of TecCMD because manufacturers and traders can access it, download data and then process it automatically.

New version
Just in time for Automechanika in Frankfurt a new version of TecCMD has been prepared for presentation. Full SAP integration is now possible and universal interfaces for all ERP systems are ready for use. The development of TecCMD was completed in close cooperation with TecCom customers. “In workshops with traders and manufacturers the requirements were set so that they could be directly integrated into the product,” explains Herbert Karle, TecCMD project manager for TecCom GmbH. “Before this the manufacturers distributed their information however they wanted - by CD-ROM, e-mail, fax or paper lists. Everyone was different, but now all the data flows into a single database. Each user can access the material he needs there,” says Karle.

The advantages for traders and suppliers are clear. The exchange of article, price and logistics data has now been standardised and automated. Maintaining master data is much less work, which saves a lot of time and money on both sides. Employees have time for more interesting and more profitable activities. Calculations show that the investment pays off within about two years.

Automatic und flexible
Although data preparation has been automated, the processes can be suited to individual requirements. “We can decide when we add data and when we activate them for traders,” confirms Frank-Michael Kothe, manager of Information Management Aftermarket for Continental Teves. In addition the uploaded articles and prices are automatically checked for completeness and logical consistency in order to avoid errors. “That is an extremely important function for us because errors can be recognised during data transfer – and not after a trader sees them,” adds Kothe.

Traders can also use TecCMD flexibly. If price and article data are updated he is notified automatically by e-mail. He can then decide when and how often he adds them to his own system. “By harmonizing processes and synchronising data we save time, reduce costs and avoid discussion and complaints,” comments Joachim Wagner, IT project manager and i5 programming for Göhrum GmbH & Co. KG. An additional plus: because changes in article and price data are passed on directly, fast reaction to changes in market conditions is no problem.

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