If someone handed you a clean version of your parts list, which included a cross referencing of all numbers with OE/supplier numbers clearly matched and merged – and it provided the ability to ensure that only the parts specified on the list were to be ordered – what would it be worth to you?

Well, that’s what we wanted to find out, so we looked at new systems offered by Service Professionals Inc., which markets products designed exclusively for our industry. The company’s FleetCross is a Web-based system for determining proper part numbers and suppliers for “all makes” of vehicles and equipment. It contains the industry’s largest database of parts catalogs and cross references, boasting more than 425 million OEM and aftermarket crosses. Parts pricing is an additional option, along with data cleansing, VMRS coding and best-buy analysis services.

Recently, the company unveiled FleetWatch, a new product designed to assist procurement officers in obtaining and controlling best-buy opportunities in vehicle parts purchases. It also is a Web-based tool and, according to Jack Schickler, chief executive officer of Service Professionals, the most significant benefit is a feature that allows the procurement officer to define best-buy sources and prices to be used by all affiliated shops, with an automatic purchase order generator. This ensures that only the best-buy part is ordered at the point of repair. If a less desirable part must be used for expediency, that choice is flagged for later review. The system tracks every expenditure and reports every transaction by part number, source, best-buy price and actual price paid. The system also runs as a stand-alone Web program or can be integrated into an existing purchasing system.

FleetWatch is derived from the massive cross-reference database in FleetCross, which is capable of defining numerous sourcing choices for almost any part number, both OEM and aftermarket. The procurement officer obtains the negotiated best-buy prices, which are added to the cross-reference. Access to FleetWatch is confidential; a user name and password are required to gain access to the servers, which control the purchasing process.

Schickler also contends that FleetWatch is a major breakthrough in solving the dilemma of rogue ordering outside of prenegotiated arrangements between buyers and sellers of vehicle and equipment parts. “We look forward to making it a tool used by the entire parts-supply community to help them better serve their customers and to facilitate accurate and efficient repairs at the lowest cost,” he says.

A long-time user

Del Buser, fleet management and procurement for Masco Administrative Services, says, “I started working closely with the FleetCross staff in early 2005 (prior to Masco). The group helped me build the specifications for an inventory system based on maintenance and IT group input. We needed to include both groups, since maintenance provided information on the parts needed, and the IT group provided the business logic or rules.

“The FleetCross service has provided structured parts data, which has gone through a couple of iterations of master parts files – with 20,000 to 30,000 parts as the initial load. Then, it was expanded to between 60,000 to 70,000 parts. During this process, the FleetCross team would notice common denominators related to parts number – the theory behind the coding of parts. What drove that methodology were their systems, within which FleetCross can normalize or edit the part numbers without losing the manufacturer or supplier identification. This has streamlined the cross referencing significantly.

“The more we worked on rolling out the system, the more prudent it seemed that we develop and build a procurement engine. We figured, if we had the OE part numbers and the variance that they sold the parts under in all-makes parts, we could use the information to make the best parts-purchasing decision.

Buser explains that FleetCross provides the common basis to recognize the right part number. Each iteration of the part number has a different price – which helps the fleet select the right part with the best price from among a list of suppliers. For example, let’s say one supplier has a part made for a specific truck OE. The procurement engine validates the base number to make the best purchase, which is the correct part at the best price.

“When it comes to data cleansing, I think the FleetCross system provides an excellent methodology by which the database is cleansed,” says Buser. “Prior to using the FleetCross system, it would take me two to three weeks to cleanse a 100-part-number list. It was fairly involved, and it meant going back to suppliers to evaluate the proper cross reference. With the FleetCross system, I was able to send them a list of 2,000 to 3,000 part numbers and get a cleansed list back in 24 to 48 hours. FleetCross is Web-based, which means all data is in real time and easily accessible. They make updates and entries as soon as they have the part numbers.

“There are a limited number of companies that provide a master catalog for parts. FleetCross is one of these companies, and it has a comprehensive cross reference. The company uses a VIN-based as well as historical approach. I give them the parts numbers, and they do a list based on the historic cross-referenced or VIN information in a short period of time.

“This is a new version of the methodology used by FleetCross, and it is pretty exciting,” says Buser. “It does constant assessments and updating. It is a real-time resource that is perpetually updated with the latest parts-number information.

“All fleet parts managers have a certain base knowledge of parts. Some are good at knowing and retaining parts numbers. But, it is more expeditious not to rely on the memory of one or two people. While it is an expenditure to purchase a system such as the FleetCross system, it is well worth the cost. FleetCross brings a systems approach to parts management.”

Chuck Sowers, parts manager for the Tom Nehl Truck Center (Freightliner, Volvo, GM service center) says, “We’ve had the FleetCross system for quite a while, and it has been a tremendous tool. It has provided quick access to parts and allowed us to sell more parts. We actually started using it about a year and a half ago, before they partnered with Freightliner.

“It’s been a great tool. We currently have eight of our 16 counter people using it, so we are not even quite up to our potential yet, and it has still been great. Currently, we access information at least once an hour through the system.”

As for the FleetCross impact on the dealership’s vehicle service, Sowers says that, while it’s hard to measure success for the service side of the business, he does say that the cross-referencing capabilities have made a difference in procurement. “In the past, we had some difficulties finding parts and have actually ordered parts that were in stock because we were unable to identify the part number and locate the parts. That does not happen with the FleetCross system. In addition, we have been successfully using the all-makes feature and have been able to identify parts for servicing other makes of trucks.”

Coming onboard

Gloria Pliler, director of parts procurement for Swift Transportation, says the fleet is just beginning to work with FleetCross, and job one is a “data scrub.” According to Pliler, “I had been looking around for a resource that would help us clean up our parts list of 60,000 parts. FleetCross came to my attention initially as a company that offered cross referencing of parts. I subsequently learned that the company had the ability to do data scrubbing, and we hired them to do that recently.”

Pliler says that what she is expecting from the process is a clean list that can be used as an inventory master, which contains uniform parts numbers to be used at all of the Swift locations for more cost-effective parts inventory management and procurement. So far, things have been going well, but as with any changeover, there have been a couple of challenges. She says, “Even though we occasionally find there is a part missing from the system, the FleetCross software prompts us to file a report, and the FleetCross staff gets on it and builds the information into their system. They have been very prompt in their response.”

The goal for Pliler and Swift at this point is to clean the existing parts list and have FleetCross build a cross-referencing system for them that can match the Swift in-house part number to the Freightliner, Volvo and other supplier parts that they need.

Association provider

Don Christophersen, director of national fleet sales for HDA America, says, “I became familiar with FleetCross about three or four years ago when I met Jack Schickler, CEO of the company. He was offering a product, which at that time, no one had available, which interested me because it provided parts information from one source rather than a number of different sources and, unlike the different sources, the FleetCross information was correct.

According to Christophersen, the FleetCross system has been able to help fleets reduce inventory by 20 to 30 percent by eliminating duplication of parts. He says, “If I were a fleet manager and reduced inventory by that amount, I would be elated. But, more than just a tool to reduce inventory, the FleetCross cross-referencing system is a good resource to improve the parts-ordering process.”

The cross-reference system has been streamlined to the point that fleet managers can make the best-informed decisions on where to get the products they need at the best price available. This enables fleet managers to manage their resources, says Christophersen, and eliminates the need for them to do their own labor-intensive crosschecking.

Christophersen, who oversees all fleet sales for HDA, says that he has taken the FleetCross material and added it to customer programs offered by HDA. “We bring parts supply with cost efficiency to our association members. Offering lower parts prices is only one aspect of providing efficiency; the other is helping to reduce inventories and the process to improve the system for national purchasing. Everyone can offer some sort of price reductions, but not everyone can offer value.

“The important aspect of the FleetCross system is that you get the correct parts every time, with no misinformation,” says Christophersen. “By using the FleetCross system, you’re sure of the part you get; the system has researched the part, beginning at the maker, and tracked and updated the part numbers so there are no mistakes.

“We were pleased to be one of the sanctioned suppliers in the company’s new venture, FleetWatch, and cooperated in every way to make it a success. There is no other e-procurement tool with this power to save on parts costs while also making the entire transaction process more effective and efficient,” he says.

VIPAR Heavy Duty and its distributors have been using FleetCross for about 18 months. According to Jeff Paul, marketing and communications manager, “VIPAR Heavy Duty was looking for a comprehensive cross-referencing tool for our distributors to utilize at the local level and to use in support of our national account program. Many manufactures provide their own cross references, but we were searching for a third-party solution that brought all the information together in one place and also provided cross-references to OE equivalents. Our distributor sales and countermen are the front line of our distributors, so it’s important that we’re equipping them with valuable tools to better serve our collective customers.”

Paul says that using FleetCross allows the group and its distributors to help all customers, whether they’re fleets, owner/operators, or independent garages, by quickly and correctly identifying parts.

“FleetCross has been an invaluable tool for troubleshooting and problem solving, which ultimately improves our customers’ vehicle uptime by ensuring they get the correct part for their application the first time,” Paul says. “It also makes our customers more efficient by reducing the cost and time associated with dealing with incorrect parts.”

A better way

Streamlining parts inventory and procurement can save fleets thousands of dollars a year, reduce redundancy and error and help ensure that the parts needed to keep fleet trucks on the road are there when fleets need them. A clean, regularly updated parts list and a price-conscious procurement program can make all the difference.