Service Parts - Acronym Glossary


AAIA
Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association
AAPEX
Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo
All-Makes
Make identifies the manufacturer brand - for example, Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota are "makes".  The make can be a subset of the automaker - for example, General Motors now has four makes in the U.S. market: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC.
The term "all-makes" denotes a solution or service that applies to all (or at least many) franchise's vehicles.  The initial navigation for a parts catalog (including an EPC) is: Make; Model; Year (range) - for example, Ford Freestyle 2006.
AM
Aftermarket – Parts supplied outside the OEM channel; competes with OEM and Salvage / LKQ parts
B2B / B2C
Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer
BMS
Definition 1: Business Manage Management System - shop equivalent of DMS
Definition 2: Business Message Specification, a CIECA term for the exchange of collision industry messages and data across multiple organizations and networks.
BSL
Best Stocking Level
CES
Collision Estimating System
CIECA
Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association - a not-for-profit organization that develops industry standards, assists in developing national standards, and provides implementation support, guidelines for electronic commerce related to the collision repair of cars and light trucks.
CSI
For Fixed Operations (Parts and Service) does not mean Crime Scene Investigator.  CSI has two definitions both popularized by JD Power and Associates: (1) Customer Satisfaction Index and (2) Customer Service Index.  CSS is a related term meaning Customer Service Satisfaction.
ecat (or eCat)
Electronic Catalog - a term coined in 1984 by CCI/Triad (which became Activant and is now Epicor) to mean a text-only (or nearly text-only) parts catalog - that is, a parts catalog without exploded-view illustrations.  An ecat is typically used in AM rather than OEM parts operations.  OEM parts ecats have been generated and are used when automakers have not licensed their full OE parts catalog data and graphics for an initiative.
DCS
Dealer Communication System
DIFM
Do-it-for-Me
DIY
Do-it-Yourself
DMS
Dealer Management System - Franchised vehicle dealerships (automotive, commercial truck, power sports including motorcycle as well as wheeled-and-tracked heavy equipment such as that from Caterpillar or Komatsu) rely on a specialized ERP system to process dealership sales (new/used vehicles and parts), inventory (vehicle and parts) and service.  In the U.S., the leading providers (DSPs) to franchised dealerships of their DMS are: ADP's Dealer Services, Reynolds and Reynolds, DealerTrack and AutoSoft.
Distressed Parts
New OEM parts can be distressed due to: (i) a lack of sales (idle or excess inventory); (ii) weathering or blemishes; (iii) a configuration that is no longer (or has never been) sold such as an engine with non-standard mounts perhaps for a vehicle model variation that was not launched.  Distressed parts that are not idle, once made ready for sale are said to be "recovered" by some automakers.
DRP
Direct Repair Program
DSP
Dealership Systems/Service Provider
D2D
Dealer-to-Dealer (sometimes used as short-hand for parts locator)
EDI
Electronic Data interchange
eFiche
Electronic Microfiche - a digital, but paged-based version on a parts catalog - differentiated from an EPC because eFiche includes little or no intelligence in the content beyond the document structure - no filtering on the vehicle configuration and the exploded view-diagrams do not include live links for call-outs.  eFiche is generally produced as a pdf file now.
EOQ
Economic Order Quantity
EPC
Electronic Parts Catalog - a digital parts catalog implementation - the term is generally reserved for OEM parts catalogs.  The application contains the parts text, associated exploded-view illustration, live links between the illustration call-outs and the parts text, catalog navigation and vehicle/equipment built databases.  The EPC application filters the text (and often illustrations) by the vehicle configuration so the user is presented with a small fraction of the parts information compared to a comparable look-up in a paper or microfiche (or eFiche) version of the parts catalog.
ERP
Enterprise Resource Planning
FRFT
Fixed-Right-First-Time is a measure of the percentage of consumer visits for maintenance/repair, that the vehicle leaves with all the work completed successfully.  A FRFT failure results in the vehicle being returned for additional service (a "Come Back").  FRFT is a key metric in service parts CSI.
IMT

Independent Motor Trade - the European term for IRF (see below)

IRF
Independent Repair Facility
Idle Parts
Parts are defined as idle by varying criteria - most often OEM automotive service parts are judged to be idle in dealership inventory if no sales for that SKU has occurred in 12 (or more) months
JIT
Just-in-Time - for automotive service parts this has meant reducing captial investments in parts inventory stocks while maintaining fill-rates through better forecasting and supply chain logistics
KPI
Key Performance Indicators (for service parts, examples include fill-rate, back-order lines, average back-order duration, Months-No-Sale, ...)
LKQ
Like Kind and Quality – refers to salvage parts (recovered from used vehicles) – also the name of a Salvage Parts Business
LSD
Last-Sale-Date - this metric or MNS (Months-No-Sale) are used to identify whether parts inventory is "idle"
LTG
Labor Time Guide
LTL
Less than Truckload
MF
Microfiche - a common medium for parts catalogs and other technical documents in the 1960's through the 1990's
MNS
Months-No-Sale - this metric or LSD (Last-Sale-Date) are used to identify whether parts inventory is "idle"
NACE
(Inter)National Autobody Congress & Exposition
NADA
National Automobile Dealers Association
NOS
New Old Stock - NOS parts are genuine new OEM parts (despite being old - perhaps very old) that have not been sold at retail nor are they used or weathered/damaged.  There are a few dealerships of each franchise, a few (typically all-makes, but not always) independent warehouses and Ship-Direct suppliers that specialize in providing NOS parts for vehicle repair and restoration.  NOS parts are by nature obsolete, vintage or restoration parts.
NPL
National Parts Locator - both a generic term to denote an automaker's sponsored dealer-to-dealer parts locator and the product name of ADP's orginal all-makes DMS-based parts locator
OE / OEM
Original Equipment / Original Equipment Manufacturer – examples for automakers would include Ford, GM, Toyota, ...
OE / OEM Parts
OEM parts are those replacement parts (as well as tires and accessories) sold/installed (after the vehicle has been sold) that pass through automakers' authorized distribution channels. In the U.S., franchised dealerships make up the primary channel and may be supplemented by Ship-Direct suppliers and other participants in OEM programs for parts, tires or accessories.
PDC
Parts Distribution Center
POS
Point of Sale
RFID
Radio Frequency Identification
RIM
Retail Inventory Management - a "Managed Inventory" solution to optimize the stocking and replenishment of parts inventory by dealerships.  RIM solutions are franchise specific - that is, the RIM program for GM (named RIM) is distinct from Chrysler's RIM (named ARO).
RMI
Remotely Managed Inventory
RSG
Recommended (Required) Stocking Guide
RTR
Right-to-Repair - legislation and/or regulations defining the obligations of automakers to provide vehicle service and maintenance information, tools and other IP to independent repairers consistent with what is provided to franchised dealers.  RTR is not currently the law in the U.S.; a form of RTR is in effect throughout Europe.  Opponents of RTR argue that the automakers already provide the vast majority of the vehicle service information to independent repairers (or their II suppliers). Also, the meaning and likely impacts of RTR varies significantly.
SEMA
Specialty Equipment Market Association
SKU
Stock Keeping Unit – Unique Part #
SP or SPG
Service Pricing or Service Pricing Guide – app to quickly identify labor and parts for service operation(s)
SPL
Spare Parts List
SPO
Service Parts Operations
STAR
Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail - considered the IT standards organization for the retail automotive industry.  The goal of STAR (a non-profit organization) is to use non-proprietary IT standards as a catalyst in fulfilling the business information needs of dealers and manufacturers.
T1 (T2, T3 ...)
T1 = Tier One parts supplier; T2 = Tier Two; ...
TL
Truck Load
TSB
Technical Service Bulletin
WD
Warehouse Distributor
VIN
Vehicle Identification Number
VMI
Vendor Managed Inventory
VOR
Vehicle-Off-Road, that is, the vehicle is not safely drive-able
WIS
Workshop Information System
Alternatively, Warranty Information System
3PL
Third-Party Logistics
Third-Party Locator (variant of parts locator that allows a 3rd-party such as automaker regional/field personnel to search for inventories near to a location entered by the user for one or more part numbers.

 

Last Updated: January 12, 2012.