I like the concept of being able to search for everything at one time. We’ve had positive feedback from our managers; many of them like it and want to use it for other things. One of them has called me several times and said he wants to use it forever.

FB: What impact has PartsTrader had on your shop’s efficiency?

McDaniel: The program has slightly improved our efficiency. Without PartsTrader, we spend roughly 45 minutes communicating with suppliers and sourcing parts for every job. With PartsTrader, we have all the parts information we need within 30 minutes. We’re sourcing parts about 15 minutes faster with State Farm jobs compared to other work in the shop.

Hunsaker: It’s very difficult to quantify exactly, but it’s definitely been reduced. It does not speed anything up or make anything move more quickly. My staff is spending more time sourcing and receiving parts than they were before.

With other jobs, we send parts orders to vendors electronically the first time. It’s not a submission for prices; it’s an actual order. The vendor calls within an hour to set up a delivery time. That’s all that the process requires. It’s very efficient.

The introduction of PartsTrader has disrupted our standard operating procedures that we have refined over the years. As a result, it has slowed our production down. Jumping through all the hoops that PartsTrader requires are additional steps in the ordering process that we didn’t have to do before.

Huffstutler: PartsTrader has made our shop more efficient for two reasons. First, it’s eliminated multiple steps out of our typical parts procurement process. Typically, we have to contact several parts suppliers for order inquiries, which requires several phone calls and emails. We often sit on hold for up to 15 minutes. Sourcing parts can take up to an hour for large jobs.