Activant, R. L. Polk & Co. to Offer New Parts Demand Intelligence Solution for Aftermarket Manufacturers, Distributors

Activant Solutions Inc. and R. L. Polk & Co. are collaborating in the development of the aftermarket industry’s first parts demand intelligence solution featuring vehicle data integrated with daily electronic catalogue transactions. The new Activant Vista Replacement Rate Analysis will be available beginning this fall to aftermarket businesses seeking to optimize the efficiency of their manufacturing, marketing, inventory, and sales practices.

“A distributor or jobber using this new solution will be able to make stocking decisions taking into consideration not only which parts are being looked up and sold in their market area but also the size of the sales opportunity given the number of corresponding vehicles registered within their market,” said Tom Aliotti, senior vice president of the Activant automotive business. “This solution helps users make fact-based inventory decisions rather than educated guesses before deploying precious capital.”

The companies will integrate Polk’s National Vehicle Population Profile (NVPP) and Trucking Industry Profile (TIPNet) data for class 1 through 6 vehicles with the Web-based Activant Vista market intelligence solution, which captures and analyzes an extensive nationwide database of daily electronic catalogue lookups by part number and vehicle platform. The new Activant Vista Replacement Rate Analysis will be the industry’s first independent solution offering detailed regional and national views of parts consumption within a given application and corresponding vehicle population.

“This new solution will help enhance supply chain efficiency at every level of the industry,” said Mark Seng vice president, aftermarket sales and client services, R. L. Polk & Co. “Manufacturers and their customers will be able to make faster, smarter decisions about which parts to offer, and in which quantities, to help increase their share of the market.”