Borg Automotive, a leading European automotive parts remanufacturer, decided to use our data management solution CCU to optimise data quality and tap the full sales potential of the automotive aftermarket. All product-related data is now managed within the PIM system, which can discover gaps in the product range in a very short time.
Borg Automotive is one of the largest European companies in the automotive parts remanufacturing business, producing more than two million remanufactured units per year. Under its four brands DRI, Elstock, Lucas and Re-Ex, the Danish company offers a global portfolio of quality parts for most modern cars and light commercial vehicles, available through distribution partners in Europe.
All products of their eight product groups are listed in the TecDoc Catalogue, one of the world’s leading replacement parts catalogues, and can directly be ordered via the B2B platform Order Manager. “Almost all our customers, i.e. wholesale dealers in Europe, do their business using TecAlliance solutions. It’s never been an option for our company not to be part of the system. It’s difficult to open a door and do business in the European aftermarket without TecAlliance”, explains Sten Højland, Purchasing Director at Borg Automotive. The company also relies on our OE Data and Vehicles in Operation (VIO) data for product portfolio optimisation and competitor analysis. VIO contains more than a billion registered vehicles from six geographical regions, including more than 60 identifying characteristics for the vehicles.
“We have been using CCU for one year now and we are still very satisfied. All the employees who work with the system are really happy. It’s really like the Information that is necessary to increase sales opportunities is now served on a silver plate.”
Sten Højland, Purchasing Director, Borg Automtoive
A well-considered decision
As a first step, the TecAlliance team in Maastricht invited Sten Højland to a two-day workshop to discuss the requirements in detail. “The Borg Automotive employees were incredibly well prepared”, remembers Robbert Lasoe, Product Owner Data Services at TecAlliance, who led the workshop. “They had a complete picture of all the business processes and their data quality was already at a very high level. That made our work easier because we shared the same understanding and could start with a very good initial situation”, he adds with praise.
“After the workshop in Maastricht we were convinced that CCU is really the best solution for us. All the discussions and information we got from the TecAlliance employees were very professional and helpful”, says Sten Højland. “They were so supportive and made every effort to find a solution for each of our requirements. It was and still is a pleasure to work with people with this attitude”, he says. After the thorough decision and preparation phase, the implementation project started in 2018.
An ideal solution for Product Information Management
“One of the biggest advantages of CCU is the direct connection to the TecDoc database. We no longer have to type and maintain our data twice. All product-related data is now managed in one system so that it can be used both for the TecDoc database and our own website. Because 98 per cent of our customers in Europe use TecDoc data, it is very important that our data be optimally represented in the catalogue. The product information must be as comprehensive and detailed as possible and our products must be correctly linked to all suitable vehicles”, Sten Højland emphasises.
But CCU is more than a data management tool to upload data to the TecDoc database. International car parc information (VIO data) and OE data are fully integrated into the system, which allows Borg Automotive to compare their data with OE data, analyse their product portfolio in comparison with competitors and identify potential gaps and sales potential at the product level.
During the implementation phase, data experts from TecAlliance went to Denmark twice to answer questions and help the data managers make the best use of the solution. “We’re always happy to support our customers with consulting services, whether they need our help before, during or after the implementation of our solutions. On site we explained all details of the solution under real working conditions”, explains Arvid Maas, Technical Consultant at TecAlliance. “It was evident that their data management was already very professional and it was a great experience for us to put it on an even higher level. We share Borg Automotive’s belief in the value of systematic continuous improvements as a foundation for success. On our common journey, we all did our very best to implement the solution to optimally suit the internal processes and requirements of Borg Automotive. And of course we are always available if there are any questions, even after the official go-live of the solution”, he adds.
“We have been using CCU for one year now and we are still very satisfied. All the employees who work with the system are really happy. If there are new cars on the market, they have the data available from day 1. They can see which of our products fit and directly link them to the vehicles based on the New Product Implementation Numbers (NPI numbers). It’s really like the information that is necessary to increase sales opportunities is now served on a silver plate”, Sten Højland sums up. “In addition, they can get a list of gaps and see where links are missing. We have to keep data up to date and make sure that our product range is always complete – for four to eight product groups. CCU makes this work so much easier”, he says.
Better data, happier customers
But not only Borg Automotive’s employees are happy about the many advantages and conveniences. Their customers also benefit from the introduction of the solution. “CCU provides Borg Automotive with a 360-degree view of the market”, says Product Owner Robbert Lasoe. “It enables them to check their portfolio for gaps and respond to their customers’ wishes before they have even been expressed. This is an enormous competitive advantage because customers can trust Borg Automotive to offer an all-encompassing product range at all times”, he explains.
“To increase data quality, we invest a lot in our data managers. In CCU we can add many additional details to our products. The more detailed and concrete the information, the better it is for our customers, i.e. the wholesalers. The mechanics often order replacement parts before the car arrives in the workshop. With the TecDoc Catalogue they can identify the correct part via the number plate or the VIN so that they can be sure that they order correctly. They don’t have to order several parts to select one, which means that there are fewer returns. This reduces resources and process cost for returns on the wholesalers’ side”, explains Sten Højland.
