Technology Newsmaker Q&A: Al Joyner

Jan. 1, 2020
Al Joyner is the director of data management at Federated Auto Parts.

Al Joyner is the director of data management at Federated Auto Parts. He spoke to Aftermarket Business World about data management challenges, and the company's new Enhanced Supply Chain (ESC) warehouse database system, which the company says will improve its category management, parts tracking and replenishment operations.

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What do you think is the most significant technology challenge facing the aftermarket today?

One of the biggest issues facing our industry is data management. Ever-increasing parts proliferation makes it a real challenge to have accurate, timely and synchronized data flowing to all the various platforms, departments, processes and audiences. Adoption of standards across the aftermarket is very challenging because what is important to who and why can make it difficult to align for a common goal. The integration of aftermarket standards into current platforms and processes requires significant time and effort.

What are going to be the key benefits of Federated’s Enhanced Supply Chain (ESC) system? How will you measure its success?

The Federated Enhanced Supply Chain gives our members and vendor partners the ability to use business intelligence data sets to drive business decisions in a variety of areas, helping them to grow sales, enhance customer service and increase productivity. As the process develops, we will create benchmarking capabilities to determine areas where attention is needed. Ultimately success will be measured with better operating results at all levels, including higher sales growth with more efficient inventory utilization and improved margins for members combined with reduced returns, fewer lost sales, lower warranty rates and improved inventory/production planning for our supplier partners. The use of data can improve virtually every measurable process in our businesses, and we anticipate continued improvement in all areas.

What sorts of concerns/questions have you heard from members about ESC?

The most common question from our members is about the anonymity of each member’s data, such as customer information and pricing. We have assured them that no one can access this data other than the specific member and Federated headquarters. Another question is about the time commitment and knowledge required to utilize ESC to its maximum benefit. Because ESC is an incredibly user-friendly system, there will be a learning curve upfront and then it will be very easy to use over time. We have also received inquiries about the new data, asking if it is different than the data accessed from current operating systems. In fact, ESC will provide our members with extensive, detailed data beyond what they are currently receiving. A vast majority of Federated members are very excited to have such a powerful tool readily available to analyze their business.

One element of ESC will involve forecasting — what type of groundwork will Federated and its partners have to do to improve forecasting? Are there new types of data elements you’ll need to make that possible?

I don’t think new data elements will be needed to improve forecasting, but rather the ability to have all the pertinent data elements readily available in a common repository and format, thus enabling the forecasting process itself to improve, becoming more timely and less labor intensive for both Federated and its vendor partners. By having all the data in one centralized database, we will significantly improve the entire process. As far as data elements go, one improvement is STD MFG (standard manufacturer) mapping so, regardless of line code assignments across all members and their operating platforms, the data can be normalized to a STD MFG and STD product category view for common analysis.

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