Southeast Toyota Selects OEConnection's Online Collision Parts Ordering & Fulfillment Technology

RICHFIELD, Ohio, Aug. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- OEConnection LLC, the leading online parts and service exchange in the automotive industry, announced today that Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET), the world' s largest independent distributor of Toyota and Scion vehicles, has selected OEConnection's CollisionLink, an internet-based parts ordering and fulfillment solution, for its dealerships and collision repair facility customers throughout a five-state region.  As part of the agreement, Southeast Toyota and its network of 174 independent dealerships will have the opportunity to utilize CollisionLink's Parts Marketing Administration (PMA), a technology that automates and manages OEM parts programs designed to help dealerships better compete with aftermarket collision parts.

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Introduced in 2001, CollisionLink is an all-makes, all-models, online part ordering and fulfillment solution used by more than 75% of large wholesale dealerships and thousands of collision body shops nationwide.  Dealers using CollisionLink see complete repair estimates from collision shop customers, allowing them to provide quotes for originally-specified non-OE parts.  In addition, CollisionLink's automated communication features and VIN-scrubbing technology help to improve parts ordering accuracy, resulting in less returned parts.  

Southeast Toyota joins six automotive companies already using OEConnection's PMA technology to manage their parts marketing programs through CollisionLink: American Honda, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Chrysler, Nissan North America, and Volkswagen of America. SET's dealerships and their collision shop customers will have access to Southeast Toyota's discount parts program through CollisionLink.

"We are excited and pleased to be working with Southeast Toyota to provide solutions that support their wholesale parts marketing goals," said Mark Tomasetti, OEConnection Senior Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer.  "With CollisionLink and our PMA technology, Southeast Toyota has chosen a parts sourcing and fulfillment solution that gives dealerships greater opportunities to improve efficiency, increase customer service, and sell more OE parts."  Tomasetti added, "Industry-wide, automakers and their dealers are capturing up to 70% of OE parts sales that once went to aftermarket or salvage suppliers with the help of automaker parts programs available through CollisionLink."  

Wayne Crater, Assistant Vice President, Parts Supply & Distribution at Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC, said OEConnection's web-based solutions complement SET's initiatives aimed at protecting and extending replacement parts profitability throughout their dealer network.  "As the leading distributor of Toyota parts in the United States, we are committed to giving our dealer partners the tools they need to satisfy their customers and compete head-to-head with the aftermarket," Crater said.  "We know that vehicle owners want Genuine Toyota Parts, and body shops prefer to use them; OEConnection has a proven track record for helping to facilitate the transaction between dealer and shop with a streamlined, efficient workflow," he added.  

CollisionLink will be implemented later this month to SET dealers, and the company's parts program, PartsEdge, will launch in October.  At that time, enrolled dealers in the Southeast Toyota network will have an opportunity to earn reimbursements when selling select Genuine Toyota Parts to body shops as an alternative to originally-specified aftermarket and salvage collision parts.

About OEConnection LLC

OEConnection is the leading Online Parts & Service Exchange (OPSX) in the automotive industry and beyond, serving over 20,000 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.

About CollisionLink's Parts Marketing Administration (PMA):  Parts Marketing Administration (PMA) is a CollisionLink capability that executes OEM discount parts programs based on OEM rules and guidelines.  It was designed to help dealers sell more OE parts and, at the same time, allow body shops to better manage their average repair costs.  

About Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC is the world's largest independent distributor of Toyotas and Scions.  The company distributes vehicles, parts and accessories to 174 Toyota dealerships in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and North and South Carolina.  Southeast Toyota dealers sell approximately 20 percent of all Toyotas sold in the country.  Headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Fla., its vehicle processing facilities are located in Jacksonville, Fla. and Commerce, Ga.  Southeast Toyota is a subsidiary of JM Family Enterprises, Inc., a diversified automotive corporation ranked by Forbes as the 33rd -largest privately held company in the United States.  JM Family is also ranked No. 16 by FORTUNE® as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, its 13th consecutive year on the list.  

SOURCE OEConnection LLC