Going Paperless
By Jim Beach, Contributing Editor
We all have received those emails with the little tagline at the bottom urging us to think about the environment before printing that message. But why worry about paper? While "going green" and reducing paper can be good for the environment, it can also help improve the bottom line.

"Our customers want to cut down on how much paper they generate, but they also want to cut down on how much they store," says John Lebel, chief technology officer with Karmak, Carlinville, Ill. "If you think about the paper they have to store in filing cabinets, it's not just the thousands of invoices they may generate each month....

Inventory Control: High-Tech Ways to Manage Parts Flow
By Jim Beach, Contributing Editor
For anyone selling truck parts, managing inventory is the most basic part of the business. Automated inventory systems have been in use in the aftermarket business for years, but today they are incorporating new technology such as smartphones and Web-based software.

These systems can tell you things such as how many units you have in stock, what items are selling and which ones are collecting dust, how much you paid for the parts, and which vendors supplied the parts.

For repair/service shops, inventory systems should tell you what parts are on hand or need to be ordered for each job. If the parts are not in stock, many systems will generate a purchase order for that part and automatically place an order for the part.....

Why You Need a Great Website
By Jim Beach, Contributing Editor
Why is a website important? Because if you don't have one, you don't exist to a very large number of potential customers. A website is one of the things you absolutely must have if you are in business today, just like a business card or phones any piece of office or shop equipment.

"A website is mandatory," says Tom Marx of the Marx Group, a marketing communications company that has worked in the automotive and heavy-duty aftermarket for more than 25 years. "It's no different than a business card."

In today's world, he says, businesses have to depend on digital marketing for people to find them and understand the personality of a company.....

Five Tips For High-Tech Communication
By Diana Britton, Managing Editor
Before W.W. Williams adopted a customized version of the Decisiv Service Management Platform, the Detroit Diesel and Allison Transmission distributor would keep repair quotes in an Excel file or on a Post-it note. This caused a lot of confusion among technicians when there was a shift change, as no one else knew what was originally communicated to the customer.

Now, the company uses Decisiv's Web-based system for creating service estimates quickly and accurately. Through the online system, both the repair facility and the customer can access the entire repair process and see the threaded dialogue between both parties.

Fleet customers can now push the repair information to them. They send W.W. Williams an "instant message," so to speak, through the system, requesting a repair. At W.W. Williams, the service advisor gets notification of the request and can start estimating the parts and labor needed even before the truck arrives on site. "It has opened up a whole chain of communication," says Eric Ostrowsky, vice president of service operations at W.W. Williams.

Ostrowsky says this allows the distributor to present an estimate for the repair up front, so there are no surprises. The price has already been negotiated, so it cuts down on the time spent trying to get in touch with the customer. Now, it's just a matter of accepting or rejecting repairs that are pushed to them. "The whole transaction has become more efficient and quicker," he says.

"We have promised to fix vehicles right the first time, keep [customers] informed every step of the way and ensure their vehicles are back on the road quickly," says Wally Williams, operations analyst. This technology has helped W.W. Williams accomplish that.

This is just one example of the array of new technologies distributors can choose from that will not only help their business run smoother, but also give the customer more accurate and speedy information.....

Hybrids Explained: HDAW Looks at the Technology
By Steve Sturgess, Executive Editor
Diesel-electric hybrids are increasingly popular in vocations such as utility trucks and pickup and delivery. But a session on hybrids during HDAW highlighted two other types of hybrids: Eaton's hydraulic hybrid system and a "dual-mode" ArvinMeritor concept that may put hybrid savings into over-the-road trucks.

Eaton's hydraulic launch assist (HLA) is beginning to make inroads in the household refuse industry. The technology was initially launched in cooperation with Peterbilt in its Model 320, and Eaton is looking to move into retrofit partnerships in the future with qualified aftermarket service providers.....