Founded in 1927, Arnold Motor Supply/The Merrill Company, a Spencer, IA-based company, operates two distribution centers and 66 stores located in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Illinois. As an employee-owned business, they were founded on the principle that people would work harder as owners, and with that concept, they have grown to be a powerhouse in the Midwest United States.
In July of 2018, Arnold Motor Supply completed a major operational change by converting their business system to Autopart by KCS. Utilizing point-of-sale, inventory management, warehouse management, reporting, and accounting, they were ready to investigate their eCatalog options. They decided to explore Autocat, the web-based catalog solution by KCS.
Autocat is designed to use the same data formats that the manufacturers use to create the catalog data. It has an intuitive user interface that allows counter professionals to find parts and prices quickly and accurately. The application data is managed in a central database online, which allows for continuous data updates without any effort on the part of the distributor. Counter professionals are looking up parts against the fresh data on an average of 5-7 days from KCS receiving the files from the manufacturers.
“Manufacturers and distributors both appreciate counter professionals getting catalog information as fast as possible. Nothing is more frustrating for them than to know that the parts are on the shelf but not appearing on the catalog screen and not being sold,” said Al Neal, Vice President of Sales for KCS. “With current data at their fingertips, counter pros can spend less time searching manufacturer sites for the information they need.”
Arnold Motor Supply started by using Autocat at several branches to evaluate the line coverage and quality of the look-up process. After measuring the results and getting feedback from their team, Arnold Motor Supply made Autocat available in all 66 locations.
“Autocat provides us with access to the latest data updates from manufacturers and includes features that allow us to streamline our point-of-sale process,” states Eric Johnson, Vice President of Arnold Motor Supply. “Using Autocat with the Autopart business system has been a positive experience for our company.”
“Arnold Motor Supply is a widely respected company in the automotive aftermarket,” said Heather Preu, CEO of KCS. “Their success as a parts distributor and their willingness to collaborate has made them a great partner for KCS. We value them and the contributions they make in helping us develop strong business solutions for the aftermarket.”
Stop by our booth (#2267) at AAPEX on November 5-7, 2019, to find out more information about Autocat and how it can benefit your business.
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