WIX Filters First Supplier to Become PIES Certified

WIX Filters has become the first aftermarket supplier to receive certification under the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association's (AAIA) Product Information Exchange Standard (PIES). PIES was developed by a subcommittee of AAIA's technology group following a 2002 product data study conducted by AAIA that found aftermarket product data was inaccurate and incomplete. The study revealed that data errors were costing the aftermarket $1.7 billion annually.

GASTONIA, NC — WIX Filters has become the first aftermarket supplier to receive certification under the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association’s (AAIA) Product Information Exchange Standard (PIES).

PIES was developed by a subcommittee of AAIA’s technology group following a 2002 product data study conducted by AAIA that found aftermarket product data was inaccurate and incomplete. The study revealed that data errors were costing the aftermarket $1.7 billion annually.

The PIES standard was developed to make all product-related data consistent. Based on the findings of the 2002 study, AAIA determined that the first step was to establish a Data Audit and Certification (DAC) Service. The service is chartered through the PIES Certification Task Force of the AAIA Technology Standards and Solutions Committee. Its purpose is to develop enhanced PIES field rules, increase awareness and population of the critical fields and to further refine the data quality provided to the aftermarket.

WIX Filters registered its products under an audit line, which totaled up to 10,000 parts. The files initially were submitted, audited, compared against the PIES data file standard and reported back to WIX for corrections. After remediation, the cycle repeated itself until the data structure was perfect. Filters became the first Aftermarket supplier to achieve Data Audit Certification (DAC) in the first two categories: key fields required for successful, error-free purchase orders, invoicing and data matching with resellers; and enhanced pricing records.

PIES data categories three and four will be completed and passed by WIX Filters shortly and include: presence and validity of fields critical to packaging, and mandated or needed data fields required by key resellers.

DAC certification is part of a PIES-based automated trading project that WIX is participating in with O’Reilly Auto Parts. Results will be presented August 2-4 at the Aftermarket e-Forum in Chicago.

For additional information about PIES, visit: www.aftermarket.org.

Find WIS on the Web at: www.wixfilters.com.

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