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In North America, automaker-authorized parts catalogs are a $150 million/year market.
Parts catalogs are essential to the maintenance and repair of durable goods – including cars –and all automakers publish parts catalogs. Once available as paper books and then as microfiche, automakers’ parts catalogs are now nearly exclusively digital – and are known as EPCs (Electronic Parts Catalogs). Automakers’ EPCs first appeared in 1985 on CD-ROM, then DVDs. Increasingly, EPC access is trending from local CD/DVD access to web access.
Very nearly all automotive dealerships in North America subscribe to the EPCs for their franchise(s).
Key providers of parts catalog services and solutions include SBS (Snap-on Business Systems), Infomedia, Lexcom, Enigma and Clifford Thames.
Several automakers, notably Chrysler and Honda, produce their own EPCs.
The processes and technologies related to EPCs are commoditizing – with a few important exceptions. As vehicle models and options proliferate, EPC publishing and retrieval systems must become more sophisticated to accurately filter the growing number of possible versions of a part to the single part number that fits a specific vehicle. Also, the shift to web-based EPCs that are fast and convenient (fully functional in common browsers, for example) runs counter to commoditization as does expanding end-user expectations to balance ever-greater functionality (some of it specific to an automaker’s unique parts catalog data structures) and end-user ease-of-use (think Apple and Steve Jobs).
Parts e-commerce is changing the face of automaker EPCs. For embedded EPCs to enable most consumers and independent repairers to accurately identify and order parts, new capabilities are needed. Not only must the EPC be web-based, it must be simple and intuitive to use – enabling effective use without training or knowledge of any automakers unique parts catalog structures or nomenclatures. The question facing the industry is whether existing EPC user interfaces will suffice or if a new/alternate user interfaces designed for non-experts will be essential.
Parts catalogs are a special type of technical document, designed to precisely inform the catalog user of the specific, unique “part numbers” assigned to service parts (also known as “replacement parts”).
For automaker specific programs, please see a chart of all automakers serving the U.S. with over 100 franchised dealerships and their EPC programs.