Founded in 1927, Arnold Motor Supply/The Merrill Company, a Spencer, Iowa-based company, operates two distribution centers and 66 stores located in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and Illinois.
In July of 2018, Arnold Motor Supply completed a major operational change by converting its business system to Autopart by MAM Software. Utilizing point-of-sale, inventory management, warehouse management, reporting and accounting, it was ready to investigate its eCatalog options. It decided to explore Autocat, the web-based catalog solution by MAM Software.
Autocat is designed to use the same data formats that the manufacturers use to create the catalog data. It has an intuitive user interface that allows counter professionals to find parts and prices quickly and accurately. The application data is managed in a central database online, which allows for continuous data updates without any effort on the part of the distributor. Counter professionals are looking-up parts against the fresh data on average of 5-7 days from MAM Software receiving the files from the manufacturers, said the company.
“Manufacturers and distributors both appreciate counter professionals getting catalog information as fast as possible. Nothing is more frustrating for them than to know that the parts are on the shelf, but not appearing on the catalog screen and not being sold,” said Al Neal, VP of sales for MAM Software. “With current data at their fingertips, counter pros can spend less time searching manufacturer sites for the information they need.”
Arnold Motor Supply started by using Autocat at several branches to evaluate the line coverage and quality of the look-up process. After measuring the results and getting feedback from its team, Arnold Motor Supply made Autocat available in all 66 locations.
“Autocat provides us with access to the latest data updates from manufacturers and includes features that allow us to streamline our point-of-sale process,” states Eric Johnson, VP of Arnold Motor Supply. “Using Autocat with the Autopart business system has been a positive experience for our company.”
“Arnold Motor Supply is a widely respected company in the automotive aftermarket,” said Mike Jamieson, president and CEO of MAM Software. “Their success as a parts distributor and their willingness to collaborate has made them a great partner for MAM Software. We value them and the contributions they make in helping us develop strong business solutions for the aftermarket.”
