CarParts Technologies Launches Enterprise Channel

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Oct. 26 -- CarParts Technologies, a leading provider of enterprise management solutions for the automotive aftermarket, today announced it has launched Enterprise Channel Master(TM), a scalable enterprise application system which allows Automotive Aftermarket manufacturers, program distribution groups and warehouse distributors to manage and operate their distribution channels with greater ease and with far more efficiency.

ECM, which will be demonstrated at this year's AAPEX show in booth 5516, is already certified by two aftermarket trading networks and has received Frost & Sullivan's prestigious Market Engineering Leadership Distribution Strategy Award, a prize globally recognized as a standard for engineering industry excellence.

``CarParts Technologies is leading the automotive aftermarket in the development of highly effective distribution channel management solutions,'' said Inge Matthey, Frost & Sullivan's automotive aftermarket industry research manager. ``In one of the world's most competitive industries, CarParts Technologies is allowing manufacturers and re-manufacturers to see real-time inventory levels throughout the distribution channel leading to decreased operational costs.''

ECM is a powerful and highly configurable software system that allows Aftermarket trading partners to quickly connect with customers via an easy-to-use web interface. The product was developed specifically to meet the needs of Aftermarket businesses and features a complete suite of tools for parts location, ordering, returns processing, warranty management, rebate management, national account management, and reporting functions.

With ECM, Aftermarket trading partners can provide customers with an easy to install browser-based tool that enables customers to check product availability and pricing at their convenience. Customers can place orders and request return authorization at any time, day or night. ECM automates special order processing and also enables a company's customer service team to quickly access inventory information from multiple company locations, improving customer service.

CarParts Technologies CEO, Alan Bennett, said ECM can give Aftermarket businesses specific and measurable costs reductions. It can also increase the opportunity for sales growth among new and existing customers by providing increased inventory for a company.

``Manufacturers and distributors need to focus on integration among themselves to access the operational costs saving and inventory reduction opportunities,'' Bennett said. ``A product like ECM provides immediate and substantial ROI in this area for our customers.''

ECM allows a manufacturer, PDG or WD to quickly and easily define a distribution channel by creating its channel customers (buyers) and channel partners (sellers and/or buyers). ECM manages one-to-many or many-to-many relationships among trading partners, reflecting the complex relationships of many enterprises today.

Additionally, ECM allows the enterprise to automate routine transactions with trading partners including parts catalog lookup, inventory and price inquiry, parts location, order placement and order status checking.

    Product Highlights
    ECM provides bottom-line benefits to Aftermarket manufacturers, including:

    -- Customer inventory visibility across multiple locations, resulting in
       quick, real-time and accurate response on availability to drive loyalty
       and repeat purchase
    -- Downstream inventory visibility enables true demand forecasting and
       improved product efficiency
    -- Manufacturers allocate orders to participating distributors for
       improved production and distribution planning as well as responsiveness
       to customer needs
    -- Automates special order processing. Special order handled directly from
       customers provides quicker turn-around time on inquiries and reduces
       special order processing costs
    -- Highly configurable to meet individual manufacturer's needs.
       Manufacturers can easily offer ECM to customers and warehouse
       distributors to collaborate and develop their own private, secure
       supply chain network.

    WDs and Program Distribution Groups gain invaluable benefits from ECM:

    -- WDs and PDGs can equip their CSRs with an inventory verification tool,
       including home location and distribution partners
    -- CSRs can effectively answer customer inquiries by quickly locating
       hard-to-find parts. WDs can offer their customers browser-based tools
       to help answer parts availability and price inquiries 7 days a week,
       24 hours a day.
    -- WDs can ease their counter workload by extending POS systems to the
       field. CSRs can spend time servicing critical customer needs, upselling
       or pursuing new accounts.

About CarParts Technologies

Founded in 1997, CarParts Technologies, Inc., is a leading provider of integrated supply-chain solutions for the automotive aftermarket. Our proven systems enable aftermarket businesses to optimize their operations, sales, and shipments and to manage customer and supplier relationships for bottom-line benefits.

More than 2,500 aftermarket customers including tier-one manufacturers, program distribution groups, warehouse distributors, jobbers and service dealers have already selected CPT solutions. Our leading products include Enterprise Resource Planning Master, Enterprise Channel Master, and Shop Manager Systems.

CarParts Technologies' solutions manage all mission critical functions from order processing to inventory management. Its comprehensive and intuitive suite of enterprise management solutions provides customers with a broad range of functionality to maximize the return on investment. CarParts Technologies decision-support applications provide customers with superior tools to manage their business and achieve lean operations, including lower inventory investment as well as increased inventory turns and fill rates. (www.carpartstechnologies.com)