OEConnection® Is Finalist for Automotive Industry PACE Award

RICHFIELD, Ohio, Oct. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- OEConnection LLC, the leading online parts and service exchange for the automotive industry, has been selected as a finalist for the 2012 Automotive News PACE Award, the worldwide industry benchmark for innovation among automotive suppliers, for the second consecutive year.  The innovation from OEConnection, its OEM Parts Marketing Administration (PMA) technology, has earned the company a place among finalists for the Information Technology and Services category.  In 2011, OEConnection was a PACE Awards finalist for the development of FordParts.com, the first-of-its-kind OEM parts e-commerce portal.

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PMA technology has provided a cost-effective and efficient method for automakers and their dealerships to price-compete with aftermarket and recycled parts.  Built on OEConnection's CollisionLink® e-commerce platform, PMA is a rules-based engine that seamlessly automates an automaker's parts program, from identifying eligible program parts and re-pricing parts according to OEM guidelines, to tracking funds by dealer and managing dealer reimbursement.  

"We take great pride in having achieved this level of recognition for PMA, a technology that is rewriting the rules for automakers and their franchised dealer networks to compete and win collision parts sales," said OEConnection President & CEO Chuck Rotuno. "Not only is our PMA technology changing market behavior overall, but it is impacting every stakeholder in the value chain – dealership, collision repairer, automaker, insurer, and vehicle owner."  

Offering efficiency, flexibility, and ease of use for both dealers and shops, PMA has succeeded in seamlessly integrating automaker parts programs and real-time conversion opportunities into body shops' online parts ordering workflow.  Since the launch of PMA in June, 2009, seven automakers have signed on to use the technology to administer their individual parts programs, resulting in close to one million competitive sale conversions valued at $250 million.  

PACE is the acronym for the Premier Automotive Suppliers' Contribution to Excellence Award, and is often referred to as the "Academy Award for Innovation" in the automotive industry.  Established in 1994, the program is jointly presented by Ernst & Young, Transportation Research Center Inc., and Automotive News.  Winners of the 2012 award will be announced at the Automotive News PACE Awards ceremony on Monday, April 23, 2012 at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit.

About OEConnection LLC

OEConnection is the leading Online Parts & Service Exchange (OPSX) in the automotive industry and beyond, serving over 30,000 dealership and repair customers. Customers use OEConnection products over 5 million times each month to market, manage and move original equipment parts, facilitating an estimated $12 billion in annual replacement parts trade.  The company is headquartered in the greater Cleveland area at 4205 Highlander Parkway, Richfield, Ohio, 44286.  Additional information is available at www.oeconnection.com or by emailing Geo Money at [email protected].

SOURCE OEConnection LLC