Premier Autoparts Limited

Leading Irish automotive parts distributor Premier Autoparts Limited has implemented Autopart from Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS), the leading supplier of software solutions for the automotive aftermarket in Ireland. The suite of management software, product catalogues, ecommerce solutions, and tablet apps from KCS enable motor factors, distributors, and garages to manage their business operations effectively and efficiently. Autopart is the flagship ERP system from KCS for the automotive market. It offers a comprehensive range of features that help businesses track and trace their stock and communicate across all parts of their business in real-time.

With headquarters in Cork and branches across Ireland, Premier Autoparts has served the automotive industry for over 25 years. Their extensive range of parts for all makes and models, in-depth knowledge, and excellent customer service have helped the company stand out in a competitive market.

However, with success comes challenges. With over 55,000 stocking lines for body, braking, engine, filtration, garage equipment, steering and suspension, the company has many products split over multiple locations. As a result, gaining effective visibility and control over their stock drove them to implement Autopart. Furthermore, since implementation, the company has taken advantage of seeing which stock performs better.

'We're delighted,' explains Colin O'Herlihy, Finance Director of Premier Autoparts Limited, explaining the benefits of working with software that allows remote log-ins and updates in real-time. 'We used a previous ERP system before, but we moved to Autopart about two and a half years ago, and it's been a complete transformation. With the cloud-based system, it's like moving from night to day. It's a great system.'

With the day-to-day running of their automotive business transformed, Colin and his team then took the opportunity to integrate their Autopart system with Phocas, which provides real-time data and analytics about their business performance.

'From a finance point of view, it's being able to instantly take the data from our main system that is such an advantage, then drill down to the transaction level,' Colin explains before explaining how comprehensive the control systems are.

There's a lot of internal controls built into Autopart. Which, from an accountant's perspective, is great. We try to ensure we don't have a leaky bucket, so we need an ERP system like Autopart that produces reports for us and flags up any issues we have. So, from an internal control point of view, it's also a great system.

Colin O'Herlihy - Finance Director at Premier Autoparts Limited

But the benefits don't just end there. As Colin points out, they extend across the business, including into the sales and marketing departments. 'We can see customer drop-off, customer spins and so on, which is a real benefit,' Colin highlights. 'And similarly, we get the same level of detail with stock control. Ultimately, Autopart is a solid system, and by using it in tandem with Phocas, we can drill down into and analyse any product and sales data. Naturally, it's been a great asset and benefit to the company.'

We're delighted that Premier Autoparts have enjoyed such a positive transformation since implementing Autopart across their business. Comprehensive visibility and control over stock in real-time is just one of the countless benefits of using such a high-performance system. Plus, our partnership with Phocas is just one example of the best-in-class integrations we make with third-party providers for the benefit of our customers.

Mick Forrest - Director of KCS in Ireland