“All shops across the country now have the ability to start purchasing parts or requesting live quotes from suppliers. There is nothing to install, no training and very minimal impact to a shop’s existing process,” says David Boden, Vice President of CCC’s Parts Services Group. “It is completely optional; however, early results of the CCC TRUE Parts Network are very positive and show that parts suppliers are benefitting from an integrated channel to parts buyers and repairers are seeing parts performance improvements.”
CCC customers write millions of repair orders each year and purchase billions of dollars in parts annually. The CCC TRUE Parts Network is the first in a suite of offerings that will be developed by CCC for auto parts suppliers.
“The dialogue around auto parts has commanded a lot of attention from all corners of the industry,” Boden says. “As we listened to what was being said, it became clear that convenience, control and choice were shared concerns. Because CCC already connects repairers and insurance carriers, supporting millions of claims-related transactions, the CCC TRUE Parts Network is a natural extension of our core business, and one that can create additional value for our existing customers, while creating new opportunities for parts suppliers.”
CCC is very committed to the supplier market and will be making heavy investments going forward, Boden says.
From a repairer perspective, obtaining quotes and purchasing parts has never been easier. “I logged into CCC ONE and the parts quoting and electronic procurement function just appeared – I didn’t have to do anything to instantly start buying the parts I need, when I need them,” says Michael Castillo, manager of Auto Art Collision Specialists in Escondido, Calif., and an early user of the parts procurement functionality. “My Keystone sales rep has been great and is still there if I need him and my guys are saving time since they no longer have to fax or phone in any orders or follow-up on delivery status.”
The United Recyclers Group (URG) was an early participant in the program, and has integrated its recycled parts data listing service, which includes data from more than 500 auto recycler members, providing users of CCC ONE Estimating with direct and immediate access to comprehensive recycled parts inventory, availability and pricing.
“Since URG members began displaying their recycled parts inventory within CCC ONE, we’ve seen more of our members’ recycled parts being added to repair estimates. We’re excited with the early traction we’ve had and look forward to future integration with CCC,” says Don Porter, URG executive director.
Another early program participant, LKQ/Keystone Aftermarket Parts, has been working with CCC to introduce real time quoting and electronic parts procurement of its salvage and aftermarket parts with repair facilities across the country. According to Terry Fortner, Vice President, Industry Relations and Market Development for LKQ, “Participation in the CCC TRUE Parts Network has put LKQ’s salvage parts and Keystone’s aftermarket parts directly in front of repairers as they are making parts purchasing decisions. Because the parts quoting and procurement are integrated functions within the CCC ONE Repair Workflow solution, we’re already seeing more parts orders and fewer parts returns.”
CCC first launched the TRUE Parts Network through a pilot program with 20 southern California shops in April. The company planned for a 90-day pilot in which to ensure functionality and data sharing. After only six weeks, the program was ready for a national rollout. The network is now available in all 50 states.
The TRUE Parts Network is the next step in achieving CCC’s corporate focus of boosting efficiency in the repair process. “Our core platform is called CCC ONE because it embodies our philosophy — to eliminate the fundamental flaw of needing different applications to get the job done,” Boden says. “The CCC TRUE Parts Network integrates into CCC ONE and offers suppliers a direct channel to an active network of parts purchasers.”
Get quoting, procurement in your shop
Integrated parts quoting and procurement are available now, free of charge, to CCC ONE Repair Workflow customers with the Control, Optimize and Innovate product packages. No setup is required.
“Historically, a shop has an account with suppliers and they get a statement at the end of the month for parts ordered. Shops locate the parts needed through the systems they have, and when it comes down to purchase, they can make a phone call or send a fax or email,” Boden says. “We’ve eliminated the need for the manual aspects of this process. Now, repairers can click to buy the part. They still have an account with the same suppliers, CCC is just enabling their commerce.”
Repair facilities interested in learning more about the integrated parts procurement within CCC ONE Repair Workflow, can visit: http://www.ccc-one.com/parts/moreinfo.
Joining the Network
Participation in the CCC TRUE Parts Network is open to all parts suppliers. The current offerings of the CCC TRUE Parts Network include the ability to display parts inventories, provide real time quoting of parts pricing and the ability for suppliers to sell parts electronically.
“It is a fairly simple enrollment process,” Boden says. “We need to make sure our systems work together, and then suppliers go through a quality assurance process in which their data is evaluated for any inconsistencies or inaccuracies. We’ve done a lot of research to make sure all of our suppliers are genuine suppliers, and the quality of our data is of the highest integrity.”
Parts suppliers interested in becoming part of the CCC TRUE Parts Network can visit
www.ccc-true.com.
About CCC Information Services Inc.
CCC brings together what matters most - insight to make the best decisions, connections into the industry’s leading auto claims network and superior productivity through an innovative single platform. Founded in 1980, CCC is the nation’s leading provider of advanced software, workflow tools and enabling technologies to the automotive claims and collision repair industries. Its client base includes more than 350 insurance companies and more than 21,000 repair facilities. CCC also delivers the most comprehensive, best-in-class industry insights by leveraging data captured from the millions of transactions processed through its network, and the forward-looking, trusted advisor perspective of its people. You can find out more about CCC Information Services Inc. by visiting the company’s web site at www.cccis.com.
