Automotive After Sales Market

New Aggression

NOVOALLY is a Bangalore based company committed to provide innovations into product

development for changing business dynamics and approach in Automotive and Aftermarket
business. We are a young company brining new model for delivery and pricing, for the changing
market needs, and first of the companies sharing the risk with our customer in the business. Our
employees are the best minds committed to innovation for impact and results, and just not to
deliver.
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Contents

1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 3
2 Global Overview............................................................................................... 3
2.1 Emerging Markets............................................................................................3
2.2 Western European Market..................................................................................4
2.3 North American Market.....................................................................................6
3 Stake Holders in After Sales business..................................................................... 7
3.1 Customer......................................................................................................8
3.2 OEM ............................................................................................................9
3.3 Dealers/Independent Workshops/Service Stations .................................................. 11
3.4 Supplier...................................................................................................... 13
4 Conclusion .....................................................................................................15

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1 Introduction
Global market can be broadly divided in three regions America, Europe and Emerging Markets (Asia, Eastern
Europe). Automotive industry has been in slump for last 4 years after a big sales period of 98-00 years. Today
all are facing with large overcapacity, reduced margins and losing customer confidence except some Japanese
OEM’s. Currently the automotive industry worldwide has excess capacity of some 20 million vehicles, or 45%
of current capacity. This overcapacity represents a huge cost affecting the profitability which is particularly
sensitive to levels of capacity utilization.

With these changing business dynamics, leading companies are forced to rethink their approach to the service
business (after sales business). Service business can be roughly segmented into warranty and non-warranty
services, by a proportion of about 1:20. Dealer 20% gross profit
depends on spare parts and 30% on service labor. For most Any Business usually follows the Path
manufacturers, sales of parts request represent 10-15 % of their
annual revenues as well as 20-30 % of their profits. In addition Growth Æ Maturity Æ Processes Æ
Æ Delivery Channels Integration (IT
today manufacturers know that service covering influences
initiatives)
customer brand choice and loyalty. Some automakers in US
estimate that they control no more than 20% of total service
business for their cars which is a painful state of affairs, since due to margins on spare parts the after sales
market is a highly profitable.

Today, auto dealers and automakers across developed markets make profits due to high margins on spare parts
and services that have more than compensated for the auto distribution sales inefficiencies. But, expected
market volume stagnates due to extended service intervals for new vehicles, improved vehicles quality, lower
parts price in new series, and decreasing annual mileage performance per car.

This paper highlights the changing business dynamics of automotive after sales business across the global
market. The changes expected in different business regions because of new regulations, growth/stagnation, or
consolidation among automakers, with focus on participating stakeholders, their future role and needs in future.

2 Global Overview
2.1 Emerging Markets

Currently American and European market stagnates on a high level, while emerging markets provides a long-
term productive growth. Rich opportunities exist in market where car density is low such as Asia, Russian and
Latin America. The expected cumulative average growth rates in the regions are 5-10 % in Russia and Latin
America and more than 10 % in Asia in next five years.

Currently emerging markets are operating disorganized, focusing more on the business of selling cars and
average growth. In last 4-5 years many global players have entered the markets alone or in partnership. It is this
potential growth prospect and fierce competition that raises challenge for OEMs and local players to start
focusing on synchronizing the business objectives and process across the market for a uniform brand
experience. Emerging markets usually have a Main Dealer supporting the group of sub dealers. The main dealer
works with OEM to achieve the distribution efficiencies. Main dealer have a market area and with help of
information technology stay networked internally (sub dealers) and to the customers.

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As growth and competition thrives, the focus will shift on productivity, distribution efficiency, cost control and
customer experience. The global companies bringing in their operational experience will also force local
automakers to fight back. Thus the whole industry is bound to transform and revolutionize the customer
buying behavior. In 1983 Suzuki Motors entered the Indian Market in partnership with Maruti Udyog (a
government enterprise). The new competition forced the incumbents to respond. Within a few years, eight new
Indian car models were in production, and all of them were of better quality than the care produced before
Suzuki entered the market. Nine additional automakers have entered. Since then labour productivity has
increased more than threefold and prices have fallen steadily by 8 to 10 percent annually in all market segments,
unleashing a burst of consumer demand. Suzuki today holds around 50% of the market share because of the
early entry and focus. It is the same in case in China where Volkswagen partnership with the Shanghai
Automotive Industry Corporation and Shanghai’s government, began in mid 1980’s and hence since grabbed
the dominant position in the Chinese automobile market.

Possible changes expected across the markets in future are:

1. OEMs buying out dealers and expanding the network. (Although building the networks will be
a massive job with a huge amount of investment and conviction.) This will also allow the
OEM’s to start putting in standard process and practices across the networks and markets
2. Move to adapt and change strategies and plans as per country in emerging markets (as each
country in the Asia / Eastern Europe behaves differently based on their culture, economy and
preferences. For e.g. In Thailand the pickup trucks are the highest seller, whereas in India
small fuel-efficient cars are biggest seller.)
3. Effort in training dealers the importance of processes and information along with introduction
and training on new systems to support the objective of gathering distribution and Point of
sales data, Installation of integrated order management in order to build up intelligent
forecasting.
4. Pressure on the auto delivery chain to compete and improve (or maintain) the margins,
pushing for efficiency and productivity improvement across the chain.

2.2 Western European Market

European manufactures haven’t been much inclined to undertake the performance improvements, because the
regulatory environment so far made them feel comfortable. The high margins on spare parts and services more
than compensated for the inefficiencies in delivery chain. But the new regulation (revised block exemption)
erodes the manufacturers control over car retailing. New regulation questions the control over the distribution
network of manufacturers; reducing the margins on new cars and gives new rights to independent repair shops
in the highly profitable after sales market.1

Before new regulation, automakers were allowed to grant their franchised dealers sales areas where nobody else
could sell their cars – an arrangement known as exclusivity rule. This regulation in effect made it difficult for
multi brand dealers or to sell cars through reseller like supermarkets that the manufacturer didn’t approve. In
case of after market, manufacturers were allowed to support their own dealership’s services centers and exclude
all other from any benefits. Taken together this created an integrated automobile chain with limited competition
for dealers and automakers. The after sales compensated for the inefficiency of the distribution and low
margins on the car sales, so there had been no pressing need to tackle the complex proposition of reforming
distribution. Instead automakers strengthen their brands, widen their car models and increase manufacturing
efficiency.

1
Today the average European dealer is only a fraction of the size of average US one.

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Post new regulation automakers have a huge opportunity to compensate for the falling revenues by improving
the performance of their inefficient distribution networks. Most important is that the new rules will make
automakers rethink their distribution strategy. Whether they go for exclusivity rule: Dictating sales territories
but allowing dealer to sell cars to unauthorized resellers, which in turn can sell the same anywhere in European
union. Or they go for selectivity rule: banning the non-authorized resellers, but allowing dealer to market the
cars to consumer directly anywhere in European Union and also from Oct 2005 onwards, to open new outlets
anywhere in it. Also the restriction on multibrand dealerships has been eased. The result, inevitably there will
be more competition among dealers selling the same brand and competition among brand may also heat up as
dealers can sell cars from different manufacturer in same showroom.

Even more critical is the threat to the after market margins. With new regulations
– Dealer will have choice to provide the service themselves, either at their sales point or
elsewhere or outsource the same completely.
– Furthermore the automakers will be forced to provide full technical information about vehicles
to independent service centers and also authorize those capable of meeting the certain
criteria.
– In spare parts business the supplier will no longer be forced to sell to manufacturer (which
typically marks the price and resell to the services shops qualifying them as original). They
would be able to sell directly without sharing their margins with automakers. But to enable this
suppliers have to build new skills to handle wider customer base and also manage more
complex relationship with automakers as they are and will be the biggest customers.

The European legislation also imposes the manufacturer the responsibility to follow its products:
– Making dealers and service centers competent on after-sales service (Manufacturer to take on
the various responsibilities imposed by the legislator)
– This implies competences and investments for automakers and service centers
ƒ In training (for more complex products)
ƒ In equipment (including high-tech repair equipment)
– This implies a geographically comprehensive service coverage
ƒ Traceability of the product and of the consumer (recall campaigns)

In all, the new regulations will disrupt the existing automotive retails value chain and raises the bar of customer
service and satisfaction. Automakers, Dealer, Supplier all face new challenge in redefining the business to work
under more complex relationship with reduced margins and revenues (especially for automakers) and higher
investment and commitment (for dealers and suppliers).

The possible changes expected in markets are:

1. Automakers concentrating on selling more cars i.e. concentrating in volumes by making car
widely available at competitive prices while maintaining reasonable margins. (To execute
automakers would need to redesign the manufacturing and distribution strategy for low cost
structure.)
2. Automakers acquiring dealer or controlling the retail network in selected markets to maximize
the margins on its cars, and to protect the share of service and spare parts market. (Although
the competing service networks and availability of alternative parts will still reduce margins in
after-sales market). The only advantage could be consolidation of dealership, as significant
scale advantage by spreading the cost over a larger volume of sales. But since purchase of
dealer involves a very large capital, only manufacturers with financially strong brands but also
owing much of the dealer network would be best suited for this strategy.

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 3. Change in the business to maintain and improve the margins, focusing more strongly on
distribution in order to reduce their costs, maintaining the competitiveness and also pushing
the efficiency improvement across the dealership without having a direct control over them. 2

2.3 North American Market

The US regulatory system was build to favor dealers rather than manufacturers, which have therefore done their
best to tune the economic performance of the existing structure. For manufacturers in US the challenge is to
find new ways to go on improving the performance of the exiting networks and structure.

Auto dealers in US are making profits due to high margins on spare parts and services that have more than
compensated for the auto distribution sales inefficiencies. Expected market volume stagnates due to extended
service intervals for new vehicles, improved vehicles quality, lower parts price in new series, and decreasing
annual mileage performance per car. Also after the cover period of 1-2 years, light car maintenance and service
is often transferred from the franchised dealer system (with heavy infrastructure) to light maintenance market
(Fast fit chains). In 2001 in US dealership had sales of $690 billion. Total service and parts sales of dealership
were around $80.1 billion. For most manufacturers, sales of parts request represent 10-15 % of their annual
revenues as well as 20-30 % of their profits. In addition the manufacturers know that service covering
influences customer brand choice and loyalty (Source: NADA).

In US, automakers rely on dealers to distribute their wares. They also depend on their dealer network to provide
the after sales service.3 State franchise laws and other regulations protect dealers. In some states direct
ownership of dealership by automakers is prohibited; in others manufacturers cannot close or reallocate poor
performing dealerships. In few cases where there is a possibility of direct or joint ownership, automakers have
tired to reshape the markets by purchasing underperforming dealers. But due to missing entrepreneurial skills
and lack of local market knowledge the same has not worked out very well. Ford has to rethink its Ford Retail
Network strategy after losing millions of dollars that was intended to consolidate dealerships. Now the idea is to
deliver a different and common process to the customer across the dealership rather than owing dealership
100%.

Some automakers in US estimate that they control no more than 20% of total service business for their cars
which is a painful state of affairs, since due to margins on spare parts the after sales market is a highly
profitable.

The choice today with manufacturers is that they must play the role of developer, conceiving and encouraging
dealerships to improve the overall performance across the chain. The ideal situation is to re-look and build a
better network of delivery. It has become important to have optimum sales point within an area based on
projected sales data, demographics and market trends along with financial health of each dealership (for its
appetite for growth and long terms strategies). Saturn has build up an integrated retail network despite of
limited number of models. Saturn's approach has helped it build strong and cooperative retailer relationships
that end up providing the high level of customer service in after sales business which few others companies can
match. The company adopted and continues to refine the concept of jointly managed inventory, a variant of
vendor-managed inventory that involves sharing inventory risks with Saturn retailers (dealers).

2
The hope, that under the new Block Exemption, the independent repairers would increase competition and reduce prices
for consumers, and have a better opportunity to gain new business, currently is not being realized. Automakers appear to
be setting standards, which most independents find too difficult to satisfy raising the cost for them to be profitable.
3
Mckinsey Research also shows that about 20% of a typical purchase decision is linked to the perceived level of service in
the market

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The possible changes expected in the markets are:
1. OEMs working through dealers and service centers to forge a consensus that benefits both
them and the manufacturer. Although restructuring networks still remains a massive job with a
huge amount of investment and conviction. (Among the Big Three, Ford and DaimlerChrysler
each have more than 4,000 dealer locations in the United States; GM, more than 7,500.
Evaluating the performance of each dealership, setting its goals for the future and its active
role in the value chain, and overseeing the necessary change can be a rigorous three- to five-
year process.)
2. OEMs convincing dealers to share information and then possibly setting up of integrated
system to gather distribution and point of sales data (integration order management), to build
up intelligent forecasting in order to meet the objective efficiently and effectively.

3 Stake Holders in After Sales business

The expected transformation in the after sales business will be brought about with changes in business objective
and processes, with the help of information technology enhancing the ability to understand, communicate with
and evaluate the markets; to anticipate and respond to the customer needs as never before.

Every stakeholder will have a role to play. By every one today, we can categorize them as:

- Customer
- Manufactures (OEM’s)
- Components Manufacturers (Parts Supplier)
- Retailers and Distributors
o Independent Dealers
o Company Owned dealers
o Independent or Franchised Service center
o Mobile service center

The traditional relationships between each of the above stakeholder are of a disintegrated player supporting the
bigger business objective. The players do not have collaboration in terms of common framework of sharing
same information to make better decision. Each entity uses a part of information in combination of individual
experience and gut feeling, for production, demand forecast, customer needs, new potential services etc. The
need today is to redefine the roles of each player in the delivery chain and bring them to a common platform to
share information and resources, along with personnel experience across the domains.

Below is the overview of stakeholders: their role, responsibility and challenges along with the vital information
blocks required by each to meet their business objectives. “RPA (Requires-Provides-Analysis) Grid©” is used
to illustrate the information blocks4.

4
RPA Grid© is a High-Level Information and Data Relation of Internal system with allied trading systems. RPA Grid©
helps to relate information with business processes and to define the objective and purpose of each IT systems in the
integrated delivery chain.

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3.1 Customer

Customer is been considered as the most important stakeholder of after sales service because of the change in
its fundamental buying behavior. Today, customer has more information about products and services available
along with financial information. The supply exceeds the demand and hence to attract and retain customer the
right process and approach is required. There could be a change in the relationship in the coming decade and
the primary economic relationship can be between Customer and Dealers and not between Dealers and
Manufacturers.

Customer expects responsibility for the brand from OEM and service experience from dealer’s network. It is
this expectation that is changing the auto industry to more customer-centric rather than manufacturing centric.
Top concerns for the customer today are

– Delivery promptness
– Complaints handling
– No repeat jobs for the vehicle
– Visible uptime of vehicle

These results into following expectation from the customer

– Reduction in time of vehicle in workshops

– Reduction in costly repairs
– Improve visibility of vehicle usage and uptime
– Lower repair/maintenance cost per km

Below is the suggested “RPA Grid” for the customer5.

Stakeholder Requires System Provides Information Analyzed

– Booking service – Mileage run – Parts life based on Mileage
– Job card status – Warranty cost – Vehicle life: based on
– Delivery time and status – Repair and Maintenance mileage and usage
– Vehicle Repair history Revenue – Pre warning of failures in
– Cost per Km (running – Parts and Vehicle Usage vehicles
expenditure or Maintenance – Condition of usage – Warranty cost projections
cost) (driver/driving area, load etc) – Supplier status: Quality and
– Residual value of the vehicle – Insurance revenue satisfaction
– Pre-warning of Defects – Repair type information
– Recall information (normal, accident, warranty,
breakdowns, service
agreements)
– Customer complaints:
feedback
– Customer Satisfaction info

5
Logically there may not be any system for customer but a web portal can be designed for customers convenience
interfacing the dealer system about service options and delivery

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3.2 OEM

OEM responsibilities in automobile chain are innovation, design, manufacturing, sourcing, marketing, logistics,
warranty and quality of products and services. OEM’s makes vehicles and dealers sell them. The excess
capacity6 today represents a huge cost and affects profitability to all automakers. Continuing effort to save cost
and extent the productivity will lead to further consolidation and merger activities. It is expected that
independent operation OEM’s will remain only 10 by year 2005. These remaining will each manage a volume
of more than $ 80 billion a year.

Changing Trends Business@Future

– Less number of produced cars per model
– Increasing customization of cars/vehicles
OEM’s
– Concentration and consolidation
– Competition within/ between models
Figure 1 Changing Automotive Business
– Requiring faster response to markets
– Faster feedback from markets for new
models (to OEMs and Supplier)
– Supply chain Pressure – Under addition
cost saving
– Improving Inventory visibility
– Maximizing profitability per customer

To improve customer retention and maximize profitability automakers are also looking for another sources of
revenues like finance, leasing, insurance etc along with providing other premium services (as per customer
need) for an superior brand experience7. But the problem is access to operational information. The information
gathered at front end is an ownership of dealer in case of independent dealerships, and most of them dealers do
not share the detailed information about sales with OEM’s but only basic information such as customer name
and the sales done8. And in case of company owned dealer network, the same information is scattered across
applications and regions. Another daunting challenge for OEM’s is handling of complexity in models and
production. Globalization has resulted into enormous supply, production and distribution networks.

Sales

+
Maintenance / Repairs
Brand Identity
+
New Services

Figure 2 Revenue divisions in Automotive Business

6
Some 20 million vehicles, or 45% of current capacity, principally comprising 3.1 million units of capacity in North
America, 6.7 million in Europe and 8.7 million in Asia
7
SOFRES Survey revels that customer places his trust in the brand, including new services.
8
A survey done by EDS suggest the inclination of sharing the information if OEM’s pays for it and they don’t use it to
make direct sales to customer.

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Ironically as OEM focuses more on after sales business, investors think otherwise. The top three strategies by
investors9 for automakers are; Improve product development, improve control over the cost and close plants,
ranks well a head of the highest ranked strategy of reducing capital expenditure. A strong message from large
investors for auto vehicle firms to focus only on core operations connected with selling new vehicles. (As
investors are trying to enforce the lessons learned at Ford, Nissan and Fiat where strategies, operation and cost
structure swayed too far from the core automated market)

Thus current and future strategies of OEM seems to revolve around the following

1. Concentration on core competences

2. Vertical cooperation
3. Customer orientation
4. Customer relationship management
5. Entering new regional markets
6. Full product range
7. Platform – strategy
8. Common parts strategy
9. Niche strategy
10. Product lifecycle management
11. Brand strategy
12. Technological Leadership
13. Flexible production technology

The current transformation along with consolidation requires a new perspective for the business process. To
extent the efficiency and speed to all ends, would involve a commitment and support of robust IT systems and
in some cases new IT solutions. The old traditional solutions will phase out due to their incompatibility to
support new (transforming) business processes.

Below is the suggested “RPA Grid©” for OEM.

Stakeholder Requires System’s Provides Information Analyzed

From Dealers For Dealer Active Æ Proactive

– Purchase Orders info – Claims Payout info – Growth and Market Trends
– Parts Sales Statistics – Parts and Product supply – Product and Consumer
– Inventory status visibility Tracking
– Warranty failure info – New parts info – Customer segmentation
– Vehicle Repair history – Replacement part info – Inventions for Markets
(Models, Type, Usage, – Price changes (requirement for new
Repair category) – Defective parts info: - Action models)
– Account Payable: Warranty instructions – Supplier creditability
or Service contract payouts – Product Recall info – Parts/product usage/ failure
– Product updated Technical – Vehicle actual cost and
From Supplier information revenue realization
– Suppliers Inventory, – Annual Warranty costs
Production/Supply visibility For Supplier Projection
– Logistics tracking and costs – Parts Usage Info
– Parts Quality/ Failure time
– Warranty receivables and reasons

9
Source: What wall street wants from Auto Industry by Sean P. Mcalinden, David J. Andrea: Center for Automotive
Research Altarum Institute

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 – Warranty failure statistics
– Growth / demand visibility

For Legal and Regulatory

authorities
– Vehicle’s Repair History:
data to be made public
– Updated Technical
Data/Repair info – (Model
wise): Public (European
regulation)
– Annual Warranty Reserves
figures

3.3 Dealers/Independent Workshops/Service Stations

In North America due to regulations the OEM’s have no or bare minimum saying in the dealers operations.
Dealers work independently (smaller ones having 15-20 dealers under them), selling multi brands under one
roof. In Europe the current situation is bound to change because of new regulations and may ultimately follow
the US model of operations. Only in Asia and other developing countries the OEM’s have largest authorized
dealerships networks than any other geography.

Dealers in matured markets (US and Europe) are making profits due to high margins on spare parts and
services. But today the expected after sales market stagnates due to extended service intervals for new vehicles,
improved vehicles quality, lower parts price in new series, and decreasing annual mileage performance per car.
Also, after the initial cover period of 1-2 years, light car maintenance and service is often transferred from the
franchised dealer system (with heavy infrastructure) to light maintenance market (Fast fit chains) or
independent service centers.

The pressure to reduce cost, maintain margins and retains customer is increasingly more on the dealer networks.
Dealers have approximately 20% margins on Parts and 30% on Labour and the repair ratio of warranty/non
warranty is 1/20. Since dealer is the window for the service and brand experience for the customer dealer
business has transformed from Product Centric -> Service Centric. The idea today is to manage the customer
lifecycle10 rather than the product lifecycle, maximizing profitability per customer and improving customer
retention and loyalty. Today it has become imperative for the dealers to know their customers, based on model,
model age, component types and part numbers rather than just knowing the customer by name and size. The
customer categorization has changed from just size to need. The need today is for defining the services offered
to customer. These differentiated service offered, provides the right opportunity for premium margins and
customer loyalty.

It is this transformation that is forcing dealers to become Digital Dealers to access and utilize all possible
information.

This digital transformation is been brought about by information technology: computers, software and the
networks that tie it all together. And the key point is, this time the transformation is being driven from within the
industry, not by outsiders.

10
Refer novoally approach paper:: Customer Life Cycle Management: Changing dynamics of after sales business.

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 How well a Digital Dealer converts data into information and information into knowledge -- and then interprets
that knowledge to satisfy the needs and wants of customers -- will define the quality, strength and growth
characteristics of his Service Business.

Despite these high expectations, dealer’s biggest worry is about the increasing technology, complexity and
systems delivering inaccurate or incomplete data. Some responses from dealers are11

– Folks who work at car dealerships are not computer-savvy. OEMs keep throwing new technologies at
us without providing enough training. We’ll sit through some goofy Internet class, but no one takes it
seriously because the systems are not user-friendly and they keep changing.
– System integration is not proper. Dealers in some cases publish the wrong information. This
misinformation leaks back to other dealers.
– The only way I can search the inventories of other dealers is if they post their products and prices on
their Web site. We happen to post our entire inventory, but not all dealers do.

Below is the suggested “RPA Grid” for the dealers12.

System’s Requires System’s Provides Information Analyzed

Vehicle related For OEM’s Active Æ Proactive

– User Manual – Parts Usage – Parts Quality /Life
– Technical Manual – Vehicle Repair history – Warranty Failure analysis
– Repair and Training Text – Warranty Data and projection for costs
Customer related – Customer usage Pattern – Critical failures /recalls
– Kind/Type/Category (complaints/needs /request) – Profitability per
– Discount/VAT configuration – Tools Dealer/Market
– Account receivable/Payable Management/Life/usage – Parts Sales: Usage, Demand
– Fleet info – Critical info and Growth patterns
Parts related – Campaign Sales and – Labour productivity and
– New and Latest Parts info Statistics efficiency
– Inventory Status and Management – Promotional Activities and – Tools and Repairing
– Pricing info and calculation tool planning data Instruments: Info / Quality /
– Ordering based on – Sales: Internal and external usage / Life
Need/Automatic replenishment sales statistics – Campaign/Promotions:
– Stock transfer and search within a – Cash flow status (invoice Success and Failures
group of dealers lead time) – ROI per Dealer
– Stock adjustment/Stock taking – Other Financial Data – KPI’s Measurement
– Sales Statistics Æ Need and Reporting
Projections (planning)
– Tools Management
– Replacement and refurbished
parts
– Accessories info /data/ stock
Labour related
– Optimization /Utilization
– Time Recording (Productivity and
Efficiency)
– Bay utilization and Planning
(scheduling of vehicles,

11
Source: Forrester Research.
12
The dealer system can be just one DMS or a collection of systems integrated tightly.
Refer novoally approach paper: “Automotive After sales service – An IT Road Map” for more details.

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 associating mechanic to the
vehicle)
Work order creation related
– Vehicle Repair history
– Warranty and Service contract
info
– Diagnostic tools
– Appropriate delivery time
– Discount/VAT (based on work
and customer)
– Campaign Sales/Management
– Stock info
– Reservation/Quotation options
– Automatic seasonal discounts
– Customer service reminder
Other Areas of Interest
– Return Management
– Insurance Info
– RTO
– Financial systems integration
– Accessory Management
– Logistic Tracking Systems (S-O-
D)
– Used Vehicle Sales
– Integration with central vehicle
repair history
– Market trends
– Residual Value Measurement
– Sales/Finance/Insurance/Tax/RTO
– Competition analysis
– Sales leakage/ lead and loss time
– Inventory status across the dealer
group

3.4 Supplier

OEM’s no longer has the resources to handle complete development and testing need for their growing vehicle
ranges. Manufacturers are looking for competent system partners to develop and test larger and more complex
systems. In creating they require supplier to take responsibility for managing interfaces with other component
suppliers. Automotive manufacturers want to be more focused on brand management, distribution channels’
management and marketing. This has set in motion the transformation of auto supplier trade. Tier-1 (direct)
suppliers are assumed to bear more risks and responsibilities for manufacturing, technology and specially cost
controls. Also because of the increasing complexity of modules used in a vehicle assembly (modularity)
consolidation and globalization of suppliers is expected to control and manage costs.

Additional cost saving pressure is also demanding changes in the existing business process of supplier.
Suppliers are expected to focus more on the following along with transforming and growing their business.

– Reducing Order time

– Reducing inventory level
– Lowering logistic cost
– Improving inventory visibility

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Suppliers are required to undertake heavy investment to acquire and develop these expanded system
capabilities, raising the cost and risk of participation as well as the opportunities.

OEM ------------------------- Relationship Pressure -------------------------------------- Supplier

– Pressure to interface with all other supplier systems
– To own large and complex systems
– Take ownership
– Merge and Grow (all design and manufacturing activity to be done by supplier and
OEM concentrate on the main task of selling vehicles)

As a result
– Some component companies have revived their long term commitment to the sector (and hence supplier
financial strength become increasingly important)
– Smaller players are looking for new partners to acquire breadth of know how needed.
– Some big players have existed, as stakes have been raised.

The big change underway is, the first tiers are requiring restructuring, the second tiers companies are having to
shift their manufacturing and engineering resources to support first tier supplier who are assuming an
increasing role in sourcing decisions.

Below is the “RPA Grid” for the Supplier13.

System’s Requires System’s Provides Information Analyzed

Parts Usage / Failure – Quality
Parts Requirement (Purchase
order)
Sales: Project growth and demand
Distribution and logistic info
Warranty payouts: Reasons
Inventory and Supply visibility Parts Usage /Quantity
Product Pricing Research and development data
Product defect info: Early New product inputs per market
warning Profitability (warranty payouts)

13
In most cases the supplier may be running the SCM or ERP solution. The RPA grid in this case can help to decide on the
information exchanges between Suppliers, OEM or Independent workshop systems.

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4 Conclusion
Raising revenues from after-sales services ought to be at the top of the management agenda for companies in
maturing industries14 including Auto industry. The immediate necessity for automakers is to devise a strategy
for the Customer life cycle Management comprising of Sales and After Sales cycle with a holistic viewpoint.

These two parts of the product traditionally have been dealt and thought separately, but these today need to be
integrated with the common objective of building customer base, increasing market share, improving after sales
margins and maximizing revenue during the complete life cycle of the product.

In terms of IT investments companies’ have/are generally concentrated in business process automation

(production side) and sales/ marketing improvement. Service side of business is underinvested resulting in the
imbalance in service been provided to the customers. It is estimated that 4-5 times of IT spending is made on
delivering product as on delivering services. Today, it has become imperative for companies to look at their IT
spending and balance the investment to improve competitiveness and customer satisfaction.

Across industries, the service business contributes to 20%-30% of revenue, but the profit from the same is
disproportionately earned at 45%-50%, as compared to 55%-50% from new product. Any increase in service
revenue even marginally (10%) and reduction in service cost (10%) can increase the service profits by
approximately 40%. It is these figures, along with the other competitive benefits that justify the required
investment in service part of business.

The choice is clear-cut – focusing and investing on service business in right way can dramatically improve
profitability and bottom line driving customer loyalty while gaining competitive advantages.

14
Source: The Mckinsey Quarterly: How to make after-sales services pay off (Russell G. Bundschuh and Theodore M.
Dezvane)

Approach Paper : Novoally Research Group Page 15 of 16

For more details on IT initiative and trends in after sales business please refer other approach papers by Novoally
– Automotive After Sales Industry- IT Strategy and Road Map;
– Customer Lifecycle Management- Changing business dynamics of Aftersales business

For other discussions and inquires: Gaurav Jain gaurav.jain@novoally.com

For more info: info@novoally.com

Novoally Software Development Pvt. Ltd.

Bangalore, India.
Ph: +91 9880124741

Approach Paper : Novoally Research Group Page 16 of 16