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Source: TecAlliance announcement
ISMANING, Germany – The subject of “Globalization” is one of great interest to businesses worldwide, and particularly important for companies serving the transportation aftermarket. In this review we will cover this important topic from the perspective of TecAlliance and from that of one of its founding shareholders, TMD Friction, which is a global leader in brake pad technology, and where data quality is of strategic importance.
TecAlliance works continuously with industry partners to improve data quality in its global TecDoc Catalog, the world’s leading aftermarket catalog with more than 800 brands. The TecDoc standard has been recognized for more than 25 years because it ensures the highest data quality, comparability, efficiency and transparency in the global automotive aftermarket. In order to accompany parts manufacturers and dealers across borders in their digitisation programs, TecAlliance is well established in many international markets.
At TMD Friction
For more than 10 years, a specialized data team at TMD Friction has been continuously improving product and catalog data. It is a fact that increasing customer requirements and the growing complexity of the international environment continuously demand new solutions. TMD Friction relies on TecAlliance to help it ensure that optimal product and catalog data is available at points of service worldwide, thereby providing a foundation for sustainable, global business success.
High data quality eases replacement part identification and reduces returns costs
To be successful in the automotive aftermarket, replacement parts manufacturers must ensure that customers at points of service (PoS) have access to up-to-date and correct product information at all times. Customers have a positive shopping experience when they can reliably and quickly identify the right product based on the available catalog data.
In his role as Vice President at TMD Friction, Marco Loth is responsible for category management, global data management, pricing, sourcing and engineering. In addition, as Commercial Director MEAAP, he manages sales in the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific.
“Data quality is the guarantee of all important processes for TMD Friction. For this reason, it is a very important area, in which we have invested heavily in recent years. Catalog data quality is an important means for us to communicate with our customers,” explains Loth.
“It is important for us to make it as easy as possible for our customers. The customer should be able to enter his data or vehicle into the catalog or database, for example, and identify his parts directly,” said Loth. “In this way, we want to ensure that, on the one hand, the selection for the customer is reduced as much as possible so that he can assign the parts precisely.
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“On the other hand, we want to avoid customers ordering several parts because they are not sure which is the right one. Then, they have to send back the parts that do not fit. This is time-consuming for the customer and causes unnecessary costs for both him and us. Thanks to high data quality, a workshop can always offer its customers the right part and install it quickly in the respective repair job. This affects the workshop’s perceived quality.”
A detailed interview on the growing importance of data quality with Loth and Markus Leister, who heads the “Global Data” division at TMD Friction, is available by clicking HERE.
