KEM New Interactive Web Site Offers Online Parts Ordering

    FAIR LAWN, N.J.--April 30, 2002--With the proliferation in recent years of automobile manufacturers, brands and models, a logical by-product has been an exponential increase in the number of unique parts on the market.
    This can make it difficult for aftermarket auto parts jobbers to keep inventories balanced with demand, and to be sure they are supplying the correct parts to the installer. Now, with the launch of its new Web site, www.kemparts.com, KEM Manufacturing Company Inc. offers its customers unparalleled research, ordering, tracking and interchange options, product photos and real-time part availability, all easily accessed through any Web browser.
    KEM is the first aftermarket parts manufacturer to provide its customers with the option to order online - an important advance in an industry that has relied mostly on telephone and fax for placing orders, often without the benefit of seeing the parts that were being selected. Customers log on to the new site to search and order with ease, regardless of how much or how little information they may have on a specific part.
    A variety of different options make it possible to simply place a secure order; order by entering a competitive brand's part number from a list of 180 different manufacturers, which is then automatically converted to one of 20,000 corresponding KEM part numbers; view the complete list of all KEM parts for a particular make and model through its constantly-updated online catalog; or click the parts availability link to check which KEM warehouse has the part in stock.
    And perhaps most importantly, kemparts.com offers detailed photos of its parts - an important benefit to busy jobbers who stand to save money and time by knowing that they have ordered the correct parts, the first time.
    "We have found that using kemparts.com has already saved us significant time and money because, by seeing actual pictures of the parts we need and knowing if they are immediately available, we get our orders right the first time, saving ourselves and our customers lots of time. We don't have to worry about costly returns and multiple deliveries, which can virtually eliminate our profit on an order," said Billy Bastardi, president of B&B Auto Parts Inc., one of the first KEM customers to use the site. "Plus, being able to view our invoices and track orders online is a big timesaver. The services offered by KEM provide us with a strong advantage in a very competitive marketplace - our customers have many choices when ordering parts, and the kind of reliability and accuracy that KEM makes possible helps to keep those customers coming back to B&B."
    Other benefits for customers using kemparts.com include next-day delivery of most orders, the ability to download up-to-the-minute KEM price lists, six different interactive training programs with links to the technical service department, and online account management with various internal security and access levels administered by the jobber's management.
    "KEM has a singular goal in offering these innovative online services - to provide the best customer service possible," said Richard Brown, president of KEM Manufacturing. "By giving our customers full access to our inventory and their accounts, as well as the option to use our huge interchange database to conveniently find and order parts using competitors' part numbers, the customer is able to realize significant time savings and deliver faster, more accurate service to his customers. And all that's needed is a computer and basic Internet access.
    "Using technology to facilitate business processes is fairly new to the auto parts business, and KEM plans to remain at the leading edge of this trend," Brown continued.

    About KEM Manufacturing Company Inc.

    Founded in 1920, KEM Manufacturing is a major automotive replacement parts supplier, set apart by its commitment to customer service. KEM supplies nearly 20,000 parts to service engine systems for all domestic and import car and truck applications as well as farm, industrial and marine. Major lines include ignition and electrical, air & fuel management, emission controls, computerized engine controls, ECM computers, fuel injectors, fuel pumps & filters, plus friction products. Headquartered in Fair Lawn, N.J., KEM has 10 factory distribution centers strategically located throughout the U.S. and Canada, and distributes products to more than 75 countries worldwide. For more information, please call 201-796-8000 or visit www.kemparts.com.