Brakes Plus Streamlines Operation with ShowMeTheParts

DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS – Brakes Plus, an installer, with 43 local repair facilities has consolidated multiple vendor catalogs into one in an effort to streamline pricing and product information for all of their locations with Vertical Development, Inc.’s ShowMeTheParts. The implementation of this new program is in line with Brakes Plus’ goal to supply their shops and retail customers with updated application, pricing and product availability information for over 50,000 part numbers from 12 different vendors in a timely manner.

Founded in 1990, Brakes Plus has grown a single facility into a regional network of service shops located in major metropolitan areas throughout Colorado, Wyoming and Arizona. In addition to repairing and replacing brake pads, rotors and calipers, they offer alignments, shocks and struts, scheduled mileage maintenance packages, coolant and air conditioning, and other minor repairs.

Previously, Brakes Plus relied on their primary distributor’s electronic cataloging to manage product and pricing data. As they expanded their capabilities, they also began purchasing from additional vendors, making the previous system inefficient. To help them create a system tailored to their needs, they contracted the same firm that their vendors use – Vertical Development. Using its ShowMeTheParts software designed especially for installers and distributors, VDI loaded over 50,000 part numbers from files supplied by Brakes Plus’ 12 primary vendors, consolidating and linking the data to create a single application lookup system covering vehicle applications from 1942 to 2007.

With ShowMeTheParts, Brakes Plus has also overcome one of its major challenges – being sure each location offers consistent pricing for parts and service, including discounts and specials on repair services. “Our stores now have a single source for pricing, enabling them to pull up an estimate on the spot,” said Brakes Plus Vice President of Operations R. J. Pisciotta.

Having data centralized also makes it easier for Brakes Plus to make product updates. “Our goal was to disseminate product and pricing information quickly,” added Pisciotta. “We already accomplished that when we changed rotor pricing and got the new data to every location in a day.” Ultimately, he hopes to use the system for generating automatic invoices, eliminating manual data entry.

Making the job easier for Brakes Plus was the support they received from VDI. “Whenever we have questions or goals, they’re part of the team to help you get the job done right,” he added. Agreeing with Pisciotta is Brakes Plus IT Director Marvin Parris. “VDI has been excellent to work with,” he said. “They have addressed all of my concerns, and even offered enhancements above and beyond my requests to make it a better product. That’s hard to beat.”

Vertical Development’s ShowMeTheParts program is ideally suited to all types of distributors and installers, including regional repair chains like Brakes Plus. It consolidates part numbers from multiple suppliers into a single user interface, giving distributors and installers immediate access to product and pricing information that can generate additional sales.

A leading provider of content management systems, Vertical Development, Inc. offers systems that support simultaneous publishing to print, web and CD-ROM formats from a single data source. Designed for distributors and installers, their ShowMeTheParts system is dedicated to publishing interactive application catalogs. Founded in 1983, the company has offices in Downers Grove and Huntley, IL, and Fremont, CA.