By Jeff Sanford
Toronto, Ontario — October 29, 2015 — Every automotive part manufactured represents a wealth of data. Looking deeper, there has been a big push on the part of SEMA to create a stand-alone data repository for suppliers and buyers of parts.
The SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) is “an industry-owned and operated centralized data repository” of price and specifications of auto parts. The data co-op is designed to help manufacturers, distributors and retailers of automotive parts and accessories by providing an online set of data management tools. Participants can manage and utilize standardized product categories such as weights and measures, accurate descriptions, current pricing, UPC codes and application data. This allows business owners to manage inventory, distribution and sales.
The co-op was created in 2012 as a non-profit subsidiary of SEMA. The site is designed to bring full product data to participating suppliers at the lowest possible cost. Features include a secure, industry standards-based centralized data repository, extensive on-boarding tools, expert live training and technical assistance, and unlimited standard or fully customized data exports. According to SEMA, the SDC is the only industry data repository to fully validate all incoming data to the Auto Care Association standards of ACES and PIES. Data can be securely stored at the site. Customers have the ability to receive data exports in whatever format will power their internal warehouse, retail and Internet systems.
In the summer of 2015, SEMA added a search function to the catalog that makes it possible for industry salespeople to access product data from all SDC participating suppliers. Users also have access to comprehensive data and can quickly search by year/make/model, product category, engine, brand or keywords.
There are now over 385 Supplier brands and over 620 data Receivers registered in the system. The SDC provides a full-time data lab to assist suppliers in the on-boarding process, and provides validation services to assure standards compliance before the data goes into the repository. Today, the SDC also delivers thousands of free data feeds weekly throughout the industry. The co-op boasts over 4 million part numbers in the data repository, representing over 40 million vehicle application records. For those looking to learn more about the co-op, the 2015 SEMA Show is the place to be. SEMA runs November 3 to 6 at the Las Vegas Convention Centre, but the SDC Education Day takes place on November 2.
“At the SEMA Show, the SDC team will be onsite letting businesses know how data standardization will help their businesses and the industry. It’s such a valuable time for our SDC team to be able to sit down with the industry and explain to them how the SDC works,” said Della Domingo, a media contact for SEMA. “Data standardization can be such a foreign and hard-to-grasp concept, and being able to meet with the industry in person is a key factor to educating the industry about this initiative.”
The first session, “How Great Data Improves Your Business: Introduction to PIES & ACES” is at 10:00 am. That session is followed by a data quality discussion “How SEMA Can Help You Create Great Data to Sell More Parts” at 1 pm. Check out semashow.com for more information on the 2015 SEMA Show.
