brain@once
BRAIN Digitizing the Independent Automotive Aftermarket
To act more efficiently, more robustly and more cost-effectively and to react optimally and promptly to future requirements, the introduction of state-of-the-art IT systems and the digitalization of work and business processes is a necessary measure for all industries. These measures reduce the fixed costs enormously and thus increase the income.
Especially with regard to the changes in the framework conditions in the independent automotive aftermarket (OE raw data acquisition from 2020, data acquisition of connected cars, driving behavior and ownership relationships to the vehicle, etc.), the move into the digital world is essential. This is a necessary step to ensure competitiveness, generate advantages and thus secure and increase sales.
With brain@once segmeno offers a platform for the IAM industry in which product management, competition analysis, price management and vehicle live data analysis can be combined as independent modules. This allows the implementation of continuous work processes with only a few interfaces to external applications (e.g. accounting, warehouse management, industry catalogs).
A BRAIN installation consists of at least the BRAIN CORE and one of the following modules:
- BRAIN PARTS
- BRAIN SMART PRICING
- BRAIN CARDATA
- BRAIN GUIDE
BRAIN is the IT technical framework in which all modules can be integrated. It offers a secure 'login / logout' process for authorized users and regulates users' access rights to modules, functions and data.
BRAIN CORE
In addition to the system configuration and the administration of users and access rights, the CORE also includes the administration of the vehicle master data since this data is required in all BRAIN modules. The vehicle master data is saved in a higher granularity than the standard catalogs offer. This enables more detailed information about the vehicles to be obtained.
If modules such as PARTS or SMART PRICES are used, the OE part data for the vehicles are also stored in the CORE.
BRAIN PARTS
The basis data are the own products with all their relevant properties and links to vehicles or OE parts. Maintaining this data is the central task of product management. PARTS monitors price dependencies of products (e.g. mirror or peer group products), as well as an analysis of the price history. Thus, erroneous entries are almost completely avoided.
Export interfaces to catalog platforms - especially the industry leaders - as well as import interfaces for competitive data and other important data (e.g. amount of registrations) are provided or implemented on request.
This comprehensive database enables competitive comparisons (e.g. reference coverage), future forecasts (e.g. decreasing / increasing number of registrations) or recommendations (e.g. stock suggestions).
With a quality assessment of your products compared to the competition, a realistic determination of the market position is possible.
BRAIN SMART PRICES
After each price update, SMART PRICES analyzes own prices in comparison to the competition (OEM, IAM, Trader and ONLINE Trader) and thus enables quick reactions to price changes in the market. Based on the analysis results and an individually adjustable set of rules for pricing, SMART PRICES creates price proposals that can be accepted or modified. As additional information, SMART PRICES calculates the revenue for a given number of parts sold and vice versa, the necessary number of parts sold for a given revenue. In this way, the influence of price changes on sales and earnings can be simulated before the actual price adjustment takes place. Problems can be identified and resolved in good time before the price list is officially released on the market. The same mechanism supports the setting of targets for the coming year.
SMART PRICES ensures competitiveness and supports the achievement of sales targets.
BRAIN CARDATA
CARDATA covers the requirements resulting from the new data source 'connected cars'. Specific data sources are the devices installed in all new vehicles, dongles (retrofit solutions) that can be installed in (older) vehicles or diagnostic devices in a workshop. However, it can also be platforms that collect data from the sources and make them available (eg Caruso, Carmunication).
CARDATA takes the data from different sources, normalizes it to an internal generic format and saves it anonymously in a 'big data' database.
Daily analyzes provide up-to-date information, for example about failure rates of components (aggregated, based on OE reference, vehicle manufacturer, vehicles [model, type, K-type] own article number, regions, etc.).
This is important information to adapt the portfolio to actual needs.
BRAIN GUIDE
The work processes are mapped in digitized workflows. These guided work processes increase productivity and data quality. Multiple processing or incomplete processing are prevented. As a rule, many sub-processes can be automated. This relieves qualified employees of unproductive activities, optimizes resource planning, and increases per capita sales / earnings.
Since every process step is monitored and logged, bottlenecks are quickly identified and can be reduced accordingly and avoided in the future. GUIDE thus supports the planning of resources (employees) and process optimization
GUIDE holds all the information needed in the workflows. This means that information transfer via third-party channels is unnecessary in cross-departmental processes (e.g. file transfer, emails, physical forms).
Work processes are handled differently from company to company. GUIDE offers the framework to implement workflows. These implementations are offered by segmeno as a project.
Benefits
Alarming
BRAIN continuously analyzes all relevant parameters and alerts the responsible persons in the event of abnormal deviations. This allows an immediate response to critical situations. Optimizations and potential savings are recognized and can be implemented.
Monitoring
BRAIN is a web-based application with device-independent visualization technology. This enables worldwide access to BRAIN from a PC to a smartphone. In particular, management has access to all relevant data, everywhere and in almost real time.
Digitized Workflows
BRAIN supports and simplifies business processes and enables IT-guided end-to-end workflows. This leads to faster 'time-to-market' for new products and changed prices.
Data Integrity
All modules use a central database. This eliminates interfaces and data synchronization and several sources of error no longer exist. Data security, integrity and consistency of the BRAIN components is ensured.
Sustainability
In this fast-moving industry, new or changed market requirements are the order of the day. BRAIN offers a framework in which new requirements can be implemented quickly and easily or existing functions can be adapted. New features are immediately available at every workstation after installation on the server.
Modularity
BRAIN is designed modularly and can already be operated with the CORE and another component. Additional components can be added later. This allows a smooth transition from legacy systems to BRAIN.
User-Friendly
BRAIN serves as a central display device and thus ensures that all modules use the same controls and have the same 'look and feel'. This is particularly important when employees have to operate several modules or substitude other employees. The training of new employees is also made easier by a uniform user interface.
Future Visions
Catalogue
A catalog of your own products can be generated from the existing data base and published for customers (workshops, dealers).
Shop
The next step would be to expand the catalog to a shop that specifies the products with stocks and delivery times and from which the customer can buy directly.
Stock Control & Purchasing
Inventory control with suggestions for purchasing.
Visions, ideas, and new requirements are born in the market. We are keen to cooperate closely with our customers and to support them optimally through rapid, market-oriented further development.
Contact
E-mail to: info@segmeno.de