According to Tom Woods, Senior Automotive Product Marketing Manager for Epicor Software Corporation, it is a necessity. “The difference it makes for an automotive jobber is between simple survival and a thriving business.” The traditional technique of inventory evaluation involved calculating the turns per year of industry averages. With parts proliferation becoming more prevalent in the automotive industry, manual inventory management does not seem like a viable option to Woods. “We have been able to improve turns beyond the stale industry averages by innovative new techniques. It could have never been achieved by looking at what was moving at the jobber store. We look at so many factors, techniques and formulas to forecast better.”

Several jobbers, like service providers, are currently buying parts as they need them. “The inventory management systems have access to multiple suppliers, keeping parts readily available. If you don’t check the individual suppliers, then you can lose,” says Worts.