GP Automotive: One Fifth Of Business Carried Out On-Line

Back in 2006, G. P. Automotive set out on a mission to create an industry-leading logistics infrastructure, capable of moving parts along the business to business supply chain quickly and efficiently. Central to this vision was the installation of a new MAM Autopart computer system and Autonet e-commerce portal that would help drive the business forward. A year later, this software is managing the internal operations of the business and supporting an e-commerce operation that represents 20 per cent of the company’s total business.

“Live day was our second busiest day of the year” recalls Terry Jones, G. P. Automotive’s Commercial Manager. “The system was 100 per cent accurate – everything was priced correctly and the stock figures were right.” Within just three days, G. P. Automotive had processed over 80 orders electronically via the portal. “We were extremely impressed by the amount of time we saved” explains Jones. “Normally it would take us three hours to book out all our orders, but with the new system it took us just 20 minutes.”
Remarkably, just a year after its launch, the online portal accounts for over 20 per cent of all orders received by G. P. Automotive. And this figure is steadily rising. “We’re on target to have 30 per cent of our orders received electronically by the end of the year” comments Jones. “Our objective is to reach the 50 per cent mark by the end of 2008. When you consider that we process 400-500 calls per day, the potential for time savings is tremendous. We’re already achieving significant reductions in time from order receipt to picking in the warehouse. It’s a fantastic improvement in efficiency that’s especially welcome at peak times between 3:00pm and 5:30pm.”