Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) has launched Excelerator, its next-generation e-commerce platform to streamline the parts ordering process.
With input from over 40 dealer partners to its design, DTNA says Excelerator delivers an easy-to-use solution to succeed Pinnacle Truck Parts as DTNA’s one-stop parts ordering platform. Excelerator is the next step in DTNA’s digital transformation to deliver maximum uptime for its customers.
“Excelerator connects our customers to our distribution network in a revolutionary way that better enables them to get the right part, at the right place and time, which is key to achieving our purpose of 24-hour or less turnaround for vehicle repairs. The significance of our purpose has never been clearer than in our current environment. Our customers keep the world moving, and our digital tools must enable their mission,” said Stefan Kurschner, senior vice president of aftermarket at DTNA.
Excelerator addresses the growing propensity for online parts ordering and establishes the infrastructure for future large-scale e-commerce growth. DTNA says industry analysts MacKay & Company project that online parts ordering will grow to 15% of the $30 billion truck and trailer parts market within the next three years, and DTNA expects that Excelerator will account for 25% of the company’s total parts sales. The platform employs a B2B structure to leverage the existing parts supply chain for scalability, and preserves the relationship between the end customer and their local dealer, the company says, adding Excelerator provides an “intuitively-designed platform” to address the four stages of the online ordering process: search, find, buy and delivery.
Exceleratorparts.com offers a catalogue with detailed digital images and search functionality, including Vehicle Maintenance Report Standards (VMRS), Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), product name or part number. In order to find needed parts across the DTNA network, the platform leverages the complete inventory of all Dealer Management Systems (DMS), including Alliance Parts stores, as well as the company’s 10 North American parts distribution centers (PDC).
Because of the underlying connections to DTNA’s inventory network, when an online purchase is made, the order drops directly into the DMS. The order is immediately visible to the dealer and reserved in their inventory for quick processing.
Order fulfilment is sped by the parts delivery network that DTNA has developed in the past five years, and in which the company continues to invest, DTNA says. If a part is available at a local dealer, customers can leverage the dealer network’s 1,700 delivery vehicles for next-day delivery, or in some cases, same-day delivery. Customers can also choose a will-call option to pick up parts in person, with curbside delivery available at most locations. If a part is not available at the local dealership, that part can often be delivered in under 24 hours thanks to the strategic locations of DTNA’s parts distribution centers and a dedicated delivery service providing next-day delivery to 90 percent of the company’s dealer network, the company says.
DTNA’s current online parts ordering platform, Pinnacle Truck Parts, was introduced in 2014 and has experienced year-over-year sales growth of approximately 40% since launch, the company says. Excelerator is currently in a phased rollout to DTNA’s 579 dealerships and will fully replace Pinnacle Truck Parts before the end of the year.
Anyone can browse ExceleratorParts.com, and registered users of Pinnacle Truck Parts will be auto-enrolled and migrated to the Excelerator platform by fall of 2020.
