Manufacturers and dealers using IT to forge closer links, says Pinewood

13 May 2008

 

Motor manufacturers and dealers using IT to pull closer together is the key post-credit crunch trend emerging in the dealer management systems market.

 

DMS specialist Pinewood says that manufacturers are requesting that their own central IT systems are integrated with dealer management systems to an increasingly high degree.

 

Managing director Neville Briggs said: "This trend is being driven by manufacturers who want increasing levels of real time information from their dealerships which more accurately allows them to gauge the effects that the credit crunch is having on all the different areas in which dealers operate.

 

“It is also being prompted by dealers who, in the face of tougher economic conditions, want to ensure that they maximise every opportunity and are looking to their manufacturer and their dealer management systems to help them do so.”

 

Briggs explained that the amount of IT integration between the two parties was growing rapidly. A few years ago, the only IT links between dealer and manufacturer were purely practical – such as enabling a dealer to order parts from one of their manufacturer’s IT system direct from their own DMS.

 

He said: “We are now seeing information of all kinds flowing both ways through system integration – examples being customer profiling, CSI, model recalls triggered by the vehicle registration, menu pricing, sales leads linked to a particular model and more.

 

“Additional levels of integration are being created all the time that benefit both parties and, crucially, customers too. All kinds of processes are becoming faster and easier.”

 

Briggs added that growing integration allowed manufacturers and dealers to access precise and wide-ranging information about their businesses instantly.

 

He said: "IT can now provide accurate, real time snapshots of what is happening in a business so that decisions are based on high quality information rather than old data or guesses.

 

“Manufacturers who would a few years ago have only a rough idea of how many vehicles they had sold until the end of the month can now have accurate figures within moments.”

 

A further trend emerging as a result of greater integration is that dealers are starting to move away from standalone, single purpose systems, Briggs added.

 

He said: “Worthwhile system integration relies on dealers being able to consolidate information in one place. Using a variety of standalone systems makes this difficult, so we are seeing more demand for core DMS systems that can handle any task that a dealer may need to undertake.”

 

 

For further details please contact Simon Wells at
Paperchase Public Relations on 01283 711311
or e-mail simon@paperchasepr.co.uk