When it comes to vehicle repairs, getting the right part at the right time is critical. Parts On Demand is a solution that connects your dealership to a vast network of parts sources and automates much of the parts sourcing process, drastically reducing repair delays due to parts issues. It ensures that whether a part is on your shelf, at another dealership, or at a local warehouse, you can find it and get it fast—keeping your shop moving and your customers happy.
Through one unified platform, your parts department and service advisors can search for needed parts by part number, keyword, or VIN-specific fitment. The system instantly checks your own inventory and integrates with external catalogs (OEM and aftermarket) to show where the part is available and how soon it can be delivered. For example, if you don’t have a certain brake caliper in stock, Parts On Demand might show that another dealership 10 miles away has it, an aftermarket supplier can deliver it by this afternoon, or the manufacturer’s distribution center can overnight it for morning delivery. You see all options in one screen with availability and cost.
Ordering is just a click—no phone calls, faxes, or logging into separate vendor websites. Place the order through the platform, and it sends an electronic order to the chosen source. Many times, this can be arranged for courier or hot-shot delivery automatically. The system updates expected delivery times, and can even alert you if a part is delayed en route.
Parts On Demand also features smart recommendations. If an OEM part is backordered, it can suggest an equivalent aftermarket option (if you choose to allow that) that you can get sooner. It may also bundle frequently bought-together items or recommend related parts based on the repair job (for instance, if you search for brake pads, it might remind you to consider sensors or hardware kits).
For parts managers, the platform provides transparency and efficiency. It tracks what parts were sourced externally, from whom, and the costs, all in one report. This makes it easier to analyze lost sales or to potentially stock those high-demand parts in the future. It also automates updating the RO with the specialorder part information and cost, so service advisors have real-time info to relay to customers and there’s no double-entry.
By speeding up parts sourcing, you reduce the vehicle’s downtime and eliminate unnecessary rental or loaner days. Customers get their vehicles back sooner, which improves CSI. Technicians aren’t left waiting around for parts as often, boosting productivity. And because you can compare sources and prices quickly, you might even improve gross by choosing the best-cost option when appropriate.
In short, Parts On Demand keeps your parts pipeline flowing smoothly, so your service department can operate at full speed. It turns what could be a tedious hunt for a part into a quick selection process—fewer delays, fewer upset customers, and more completed jobs (and thus profit) per day.
In a typical dealership, when a needed part isn’t on the shelf, the parts counter person starts making calls— calling nearby dealers, checking multiple vendor websites, maybe waiting on hold with a warehouse. This can take considerable time, and meanwhile the car sits on a lift. If it’s late in the day, missing the cutoff for an order by just minutes can mean a car stuck overnight that could have been done. Lack of visibility into parts availability often means defaulting to ordering from the manufacturer’s depot (which could be slower or costlier) simply because you didn’t realize a dealer across town had stock available.
There’s also the challenge of maintaining accurate special order records. How often has a part been ordered and delivered, but the advisor wasn’t notified promptly, or the customer wasn’t called, resulting in a delay or frustration? Without integration, tracking these orders and their status is manual and things slip through cracks.
On the profitability side, always buying from the first source can mean you’re not getting the best price or you’re paying for overnight shipping when a local source could have delivered the same day. And without aggregated reporting, parts managers may not realize how many sales they lost because they didn’t have the part in stock or how much they spent on emergency orders.
Parts On Demand addresses these issues by centralizing and automating the search and procurement process. It gives immediate visibility to multiple sources and handles the communication and tracking for you.
Multi-Source Parts Search
Instantly search OEM parts availability across your dealer network, OEM distribution centers, and participating dealers, as well as aftermarket suppliers and salvage inventories if configured. All sources return results in a single consolidated list.
Real-Time Availability & Pricing
View on-hand quantities and pricing from each source. Know if the part is available now, how far it is (for dealers), or the cut-off time to order for same-day shipment from a warehouse.
Electronic Ordering
Place orders to external sources directly through the platform. For example, send an electronic parts order to another dealer (with maybe pre-arranged pricing terms) or trigger a PO to an aftermarket vendor without separate emails/faxes.
Delivery Logistics Coordination
Integrate with courier services or internal driver dispatch. If you’re sourcing a part from a nearby dealership, the system can help coordinate a driver pick-up. For warehouse deliveries, it gives tracking on when it will arrive.
Order Status Tracking
Monitor all outstanding parts orders. See whether each one is pending, en route, or delivered. The system updates the status (e.g., “Shipped – arriving by 10 AM tomorrow” or “Out for delivery”). It can notify the parts dept and advisor automatically when the part arrives.
Special Order Integration
Automatically tag ROs with special ordered parts and update the service department when those parts are in. Link the part to the customer and RO so that no one forgets to schedule the customer back in when it’s available.
Alternative Suggestions
If a searched part is not found or on backorder, the platform can suggest alternative solutions. This could be a supersession (new part number), an aftermarket equivalent, or checking if the part can be remanufactured.
Demand & Stock Analytics
Capture data on parts you frequently have to source externally. Provide reports on most commonly externally sourced parts, average fulfillment times, and fill rate (how often you could fill from stock vs had to order). This helps identify stocking opportunities to improve fill rate.
Integration with Repair Order & Inventory
Deduct sold parts from your inventory if applicable and add externally ordered parts onto the RO automatically (with cost and selling price), maintaining proper records in your DMS. Also, if desired, create a pending special order record tied to the customer for follow-up if the job isn’t completed same-day.
Service Suite/RO Management: Tie directly into your repair order system so that needed parts trigger a Parts On Demand search with one click from the RO screen. When the part is ordered, the RO is automatically updated.
Inventory Management (DMS): Update your DMS parts inventory records when you source and sell an externally ordered part, maintaining accurate on-hand counts and financials.
Technician Tablets (Inspection): If a technician marks something in an inspection that requires a part you don’t have, instantly initiate a parts search/order from the inspection result. This bridges the gap between discovering a needed repair and getting the part on the way, all while the car is still on the lift.