JM Family Enterprises, Toyota's Largest Distributor, Awards Cambridge Technology Partners B2B and B2C Projects Based On Successful Digital Strategy Initiative
12 June 2000
Diversified Automotive Company Makes Cambridge Its Key E-business Partner
Cambridge Technology Partners, Inc., a global e-business services provider, today announced significant e-commerce initiatives with JM Family Enterprises, Inc., a $6.6 billion automotive company. It's the parent company to Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC, the world's largest franchised Toyota distributor.Cambridge and JMFE recently completed an eight-week digital business strategy initiative to help the company leverage the Internet throughout all of its businesses, which include World Omni Financial Corp., one of the nations' largest automotive related finance and leasing operations and JM&A Group, one of the largest independent automotive insurance companies in the U.S. As a result, the two companies now plan to work together through the design, development and implementation of multiple technology projects ranging from customer self-service and dealer portal capability to inventory automation and sales-process management.
"JM Family and Cambridge have combined our collective knowledge of the automotive industry and the Internet to determine how JMFE can rise to meet the complex challenges we face in the New Economy," said Jon Brilliant, director, Office of the Web at JM Family Enterprises. "While our competitors worry about disintermediation, JMFE is guaranteeing our continued success by creating even more value added services for our customers as our industry changes."
Cambridge and JMFE are now developing several Internet initiatives based on the digital strategy roadmap they recently completed. JMFE is taking a two-pronged approach that includes ways to streamline internal processes and techniques to better serve its external customers.
Externally, JMFE is working with Cambridge to develop applications that will enable self-service for consumers of JMFE's products and services, and to build functionality that could serve as the building blocks of an automotive dealer portal. "These first initiatives will provide dealers with the ability to share information about available vehicles, and automate many inventory and pricing-focused tasks," said Jim Williams, client partner at Cambridge Technology Partners. "In addition, consumer-facing applications will provide self-service capabilities that will allow customers to check lease payoffs, and loan balances, and warranty claims. JMFE customers now can spend more time focused on the vehicle, products and services they want to buy, instead of on administration of that purchase."
The internal initiatives include a corporate intranet and a direct sales manager (DSM) application. The JMFE Intranet will allow associates to communicate and disseminate information across JMFE's lines of business, and amongst its 3,000 plus associates. The DSM intranet application facilitates the selling of previously leased cars by tracking inventories, establishing vehicle pricing, and managing the sales process. This will enhance JMFE's ability to deliver best-in-class customer service.
JMFE's suite of Web-based applications will be available to its existing customer base, and also will be integrated into the offerings of JMFE's recently announced third-party servicing division, CenterOne Financial Services(TM). Cambridge also is working with JMFE to implement the underlying e-business architecture that will support these new tools, and is teaming with JMFE to develop its on-line content management and user experience approaches.
"Working with Cambridge, JM Family is moving quickly to embrace the new opportunities and efficiencies presented by the Internet, and as a result we are in a position to extend our leadership position in the automotive industry to the on-line channel," said Tom Maguire, executive vice president and CIO at JMFE. "We are taking our core competencies and extending them via the Internet. Our customers, partners, and associates all will benefit from our e-commerce efforts through better and easier ways of working with JM Family."
About JM Family Enterprises
JM Family Enterprises, Inc., ranked by Forbes magazine as the 18th largest privately-held company in the United States and ranked in the annual survey in Fortune as the 49th best company to work for in the U.S., is headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Its principal businesses focus on vehicle distribution and processing, finance and warranty services, and insurance activities. In addition to Southeast Toyota Distributors, World Omni Financial Corp. and JM&A Group, other JMFE companies include: Petro Chemical Products, manufacturers of automotive aerosol and liquid fill products; and JM Lexus, the largest volume retail dealership of Lexus vehicles in the country, generating the highest sales volume among the 100 plus Lexus dealerships in the U.S.
About Cambridge Technology Partners
Cambridge Technology Partners provides management consulting and systems integration services to transform its clients into e-Businesses. Working in collaboration with Global 1000, high-velocity middle market companies and dot-com companies, Cambridge combines a deep understanding of New Economy issues with integrated, end-to-end services, and a proven track record of shared risk and rapid, guaranteed delivery. Cambridge generated $628.1 million in 1999, with $243.3 million from its global e-Business solutions. Cambridge has approximately 4,000 employees and Cambridge has 53 offices worldwide.