OEC is excited to announce the addition of Tanya Sweetland, Senior Vice President of Collision, and Matt Curtin, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Sales, to the organization, strengthening the global strategic leadership team. Tanya and Matt join as OEC continues to expand our global market footprint to help all stakeholders in the automotive aftermarket industry streamline the repair and supply workflow. 

With a passion for innovation and a deep understanding of the collision industry, Tanya’s leadership and expertise will be invaluable. Bringing more than 30 years of experience to OEC, Tanya previously led OEC’s Advanced Repair Technologies division, bringing the RepairLogic repair planning platform from startup to its 2022 market launch. In her role as SVP of Collision, Tanya will oversee the company’s collision strategy, ensuring continued innovation, value delivery, and exceptional service to stakeholders, partners, and customers in collision repair. 

 “I’m rejoining OEC at a pivotal time for the repair industry,” said Sweetland. “And I’m energized to work with this talented team to address the market dynamics our customers and partners face daily – OEC is uniquely positioned with its solutions, technology and tenacious team to create value through innovation across our collision platforms to the benefit of a broad range of stakeholders.” 

 A highly accomplished software executive, Matt brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in go-to-market operations and scaling enterprise-class, high-growth software organizations, including previous experience in the automotive sector. With a proven track record in global sales strategy and a passion for delivering results to customers worldwide, Matt will help us expand our reach, strengthen our partnerships, and drive continued success for our global customers. 

 “I’m eager to contribute to OEC’s global success,” said Curtin. “With a strong foundation and a commitment to excellence, we have an incredible opportunity to expand our reach and deliver even greater value to our customers worldwide.” 

2025 marks OEC’s 25th anniversary. This significant milestone represents both the strong foundation the organization was built on, and OEC’s continued commitment to helping customers navigate the industry’s ever-evolving landscape in the years ahead. The additions of Tanya and Matt will only serve to strengthen our ability to deliver dynamic solutions to our growing customer base, including shops, dealers, alternative parts suppliers, manufacturers, insurers, and tire distributors. At the same time, the strategic insight and expertise provided by our newest executive leaders will position OEC for another 25 years of growth and success.  

For customers who recently became familiar with OEC and the many connections we create across the industry, it may be surprising that our original mandate was singular and direct: Help wholesale dealers sell genuine parts to shops. Why? Back in 2000, the automotive aftersales industry’s biggest challenge was the endless manual processes and inefficiencies needed to sell parts via phone and fax. This challenge ultimately led to the formation of OEC – known then as OEConnection – a joint venture between Ford, GM, Chrysler (now Stellantis), and Bell & Howell (now Snap-on Business Solutions).

Seeing how much we’ve grown over the years, our original mission seems simple. However, more than two decades ago, it was anything but simple and also had never been done before. OEC’s founding led to the development of the first online parts procurement tool designed to help shops order OE parts from dealers: CollisionLink. While the platform itself wasn’t necessarily an overnight success, its growth in the past two decades has created a robust network of 9,000+ dealers and 40,000+ shops with more than 26 manufacturers and 47+ special pricing programs. 

Following the launch of CollisionLink, OEC experienced true breakthrough success with our second solution, D2DLink, a dealer-to-dealer parts locator platform, followed shortly by D2D Express, a backorder fulfilment solution. These supply chain platforms made it easier for dealers to find parts they didn’t have on hand or were on backorder. By using the network’s expanded virtual inventory, dealers could now access the parts needed for customer repairs. The newly developed supply chain solutions, paired with the continued CollisionLink expansion, advanced our original mandate and allowed OEC to deliver its promise to help dealers sell more parts.

From there, our growth was driven by product expansion and enhancements with the development of our business intelligence solution, LinkIQ (later evolved into PSXLink). At that point, OEC also expanded into the mechanical market with RepairLink, the mechanical market’s counterpart to CollisionLink. The early and fast-paced innovation at OEC streamlined parts sales for OEMs​, making it easier for dealers and shops to buy and sell parts while establishing trusted relationships across the industry. 

Prior to the launch of D2DLink, the OEC dealer network only featured a few hundred dealers. Today, that expanded network includes:  

• 45+ OEMs 

• 30,000+ dealers  

• 135,000+ shops  

• 100+ parts suppliers 

• And growing!  

In 2016, the team diversified our product offerings to feature broader solutions and integrated new technologies to further support workflow efficiency and connectivity with our growing network of dealers, fleets, and insurers.​ From there, we extended our reach globally with major acquisitions in the UK in 2017 and 2018, allowing the value of our core platforms to be realized by customers worldwide.

As the industry continued to evolve in its complexity, OEC made the strategic decision to expand its collision repair service offerings beyond the ordering platforms that make it easier to find parts needed for proper repairs. OEC’s portfolio of collision solutions now includes tools that allow shops to quickly and comprehensively conduct repair planning research and build repair plans with RepairLogic, write and optimize accurate estimates by leveraging EstimateIQ, and enhance business and repair practices through OEM certifications with the Certified Performance Network (US) and Certified Collision Care (Canada). 

The move into these categories reflect OEC’s belief that the best way to serve our customers is by building connections across the aftersales industry, supporting efficient repair lifecycles, providing OEM parts and procedure solutions, and driving proper vehicle repair. Collision repairers are now able to further drive profitability, efficiency, consistency, and quality into their operations with a more robust set of offerings to address their most common challenges across the repair lifecycle. 

Even as OEC evolved beyond the original mandate to support the dealership wholesale business, the parts aftersales market remained a critical part of our solutions and network. In late 2021, OEC acquired Overall Parts Solutions (OPS) to provide additional parts sourcing and order management options to customers who can, in turn, offer improved customer service to the vehicle owner. The OPSTrax platform, an online parts procurement and order management solution, strengthens the parts supply chain and supports a consistent, accurate flow of all-part types across manufacturers, dealers, shops, and parts suppliers.

Our growth has continued in 2025 with the acquisition of PartsTech, enhancing our support of the mechanical repair market. The PartsTech platform connects auto repair facilities to a network of more than 225 parts and tire suppliers across 30,000 locations. Like RepairLink, PartsTech provides repair shops with access to one of the industry’s most connected, accurate and efficient mechanical parts procurement systems. Together, RepairLink and PartsTech bring industry-leading fitment information to repair facilities, streamlining workflows for quoting and ordering to boost repair efficiency. 

While the origins of OEC begin with CollisionLink, a first-of-its-kind platform, 25 years later the OEC story is one about building connections across the parts and repair ecosystem and eliminating the pain in the vehicle repair process for all stakeholders. OEC solutions currently account for more than $14 billion in North American ecommerce transactions, $30 billion in annual trade facilitation, and continue to be the leading platforms for dealers and suppliers, repairers, manufacturers, insurers, and fleets.   

The OEC team is thrilled to celebrate 25 years of serving the automotive industry in 2025 – a milestone worth applauding! That said, we are equally excited about the opportunities ahead. We’ve seen firsthand how people across the industry evolve and grow with technology to provide stronger customer service, deliver safe vehicle repairs while adapting to evolving vehicle technology, and stay connected across an ever-expanding parts and repair network. While our 25th anniversary is special for us, it truly speaks to the growth and evolution of the automotive industry.  

As we celebrate this year, we remain deeply grateful to our partners, current and former team members, and especially to our customers – from the folks behind the parts counter and under the hood, to the countless individuals we connect with across the automotive ecosystem. Here’s to a quarter century of working to eliminate the pain in the vehicle repair process​! 

For more information on OEC or to check out all of our solutions and products, visit the OEC homepage.  

Customers expect their cars to look and drive like new while also wanting to get back on the road right away. At the same time, you’re likely facing overwhelming workloads, staffing shortages and training for new team members, delayed parts orders and shortages, and what feels like overnight changes in vehicle technology. Keeping up with it all feels nearly impossible. You want to stay on top of everything, but you’re not even sure where to begin.

The good news: one way to optimize your shop is to make sure you have the right products and processes in place. When you have the right solutions and setup, you not only keep up with industry demands, but you can also get ahead and grow your business. By leveraging advanced software solutions and expert training, your shop can consistently and efficiently deliver safe, quality repairs.

1. Implementing a Repair Planning & Documentation Process

Do you follow a standardized repair planning process in your shop? If not, here’s why you should: having a consistent repair process maximizes efficiency and can prevent time-consuming and potentially expensive rework. A standardized process helps ensure that every repair is done correctly, minimizes errors, and enhances overall productivity. This leads to higher customer satisfaction and a more profitable business, since doing it right the first time saves both time and money.

A standardized process helps ensure that every repair is done correctly, minimizes errors, and enhances overall efficiency.

A key to successful repair planning is using up-to-date, complete OEM repair procedures. Vehicles are highly complex, with numerous independent systems, making it essential to follow OEM recommendations. Consistently sticking to these guidelines means you minimize the risk of improper repairs, which compromise safety, lead to liability issues, and create costly rework. You’ll also feel confident that your team is producing high-quality repairs, maintaining or, better yet, boosting your shop’s reputation.

This is where repair planning tools add significant value. A comprehensive repair planning tool gives your team easy access to complete, up-to-date OEM repair procedures. These solutions can also quickly identify single-use parts, such as clips and fasteners, ensuring efficient disassembly and availability of necessary replacements. RepairLogic, for example, provides updates in active repair plans whenever OEMs publish changes or release new versions of repair procedures. By staying current with OEM updates through RepairLogic, you reduce the risk of errors and help ensure repairs are completed correctly the first time.

2. Accurate Estimates

Writing complete and accurate estimates is another important consideration for enhancing collision repair operations. It goes hand-in-hand with using the correct repair procedures, helping ensure all necessary labor operations are included in the estimate the first time. Some commonly missed operations, like seatbelt inspections, for example, are quick, easy, and required by every OEM, and can also add up in cost when they’re not included in the estimate. Your technicians may be performing all the required operations, but without the right tools, documenting them is easy to forget.

This is where estimating tools, like EstimateIQ, are extremely helpful. Estimating solutions are designed to help estimators write complete and accurate estimates from the start. By capturing all necessary work in the estimate, your team can improve profitability and support more efficient operations.

Commonly missed operations add up in cost when they’re not included in the estimate.

3. Parts Order Management

One of the major challenges collision shops face is inefficiency and inaccuracy in the parts ordering process. Efficient parts ordering ensures timely access to necessary components, reducing downtime and speeding up repair times. For example, imagine your shop needs a specific part for a repair. Your parts manager might spend hours calling multiple dealers or searching online to find the part, often encountering delays due to limited availability. When you’re looking at multiple parts needed for a collision repair, the process could take days. In that time, the vehicle sits idle in the shop, causing a backlog and customer frustration.

Utilizing parts order management platforms can transform how you place your parts orders. For instance, many parts ordering platforms address the common problem of limited parts availability. These platforms grant access to thousands of enrolled dealers and suppliers, helping create numerous options for parts sourcing and reducing delays caused by unavailable parts. Additionally, several platforms provide catalog images, which help ensure complete orders and verify that parts fit the vehicle, eliminating the risk of incorrect parts being ordered. Likewise, these solutions, like CollisionLink and TraxCollision, simplify the parts ordering process by offering upfront pricing and easy order tracking. This reduces the time spent on manual tasks, helps avoid errors, and ensures timely access to the right parts. By using these platforms, you can significantly enhance the efficiency and accuracy of your parts ordering process, leading to smoother operations and higher customer satisfaction.

4. Certifications and Coaching

Considering the competitive nature of the collision repair industry, maintaining high standards and differentiating your shop can be a real challenge. It’s essential not only to implement the right tools, but also to align yourself with industry-leading standards and earn OEM collision certifications so your business can continue to grow and profit.

OEM certifications address these challenges by establishing your shop as a reliable, high-quality service provider. Certifications serve as a competitive advantage, while instilling confidence in customers looking for high-quality repairs. For instance, imagine a shop decides to deviate from OEM repair procedures to save time and costs. If a repair is performed incorrectly, it could lead to vehicle malfunctions or safety issues. Imagine a situation where a critical component, such as an airbag system, is not replaced and restored according to OEM specifications. If the airbag fails to deploy correctly in an accident, it could result in severe injuries or even worse. Such an incident would not only harm the customer, but may expose the shop to significant liability, legal consequences, and damage to its reputation. By adhering to proper tooling, equipment, education, and utilization of OEM repair procedures, your shop can minimize risks and produce repairs that meet the highest industry standards.

OEM certifications address challenges by establishing your shop as a reliable, high-quality service provider.

The OEC Certified Repair Network (CRN) offers more than 35 certifications. Certifications can also open doors to referrals through OEM-certified shop locators, creating a stream of customers to your shop and driving business growth. Plus, certification verifies a shop’s investment in the tools, equipment, training, and business practices to provide safe and proper repair. To maximize the benefits of certification programs, your team can also consider consulting with an expert. On-site, in-shop coaching sessions are designed to cover critical areas, such as estimatics, repair quality, vehicle protection, parts storage, repair procedures, and workplace safety.

Bringing in an industry expert helps standardize your repair processes and improve overall shop performance. Data even shows that shops implementing coaching programs see tangible benefits, including increased revenue — on average, an additional $750 in gross dollars per repair order and improved cycle times, with an average reduction of 1.5 days per repair. In addition, you can be confident that your team is being coached by industry professionals to provide consistently high-quality and proper repairs.

Right Tools, Stronger Results

Staying ahead in the collision repair industry requires more than just hard work and dedication. You need the support of the right solutions and services to overcome the industry challenges that are likely preventing you from optimizing your repair business. The proper combination of these tools and certifications empowers your shop to meet (and even exceed) the high expectations of your customers, driving growth and profitability. By embracing these solutions, you can put your facility and team in position to become a model of consistency, efficiency, and quality.

Questions? Click here to connect with an expert and to learn about the OEC Collision Shop Solutions.

This leads to inefficiencies in current repair planning practices and increased supplements, resulting in a loss of 39 million man-days. That’s roughly equivalent to 1,337 individual lifetimes and about $1.5 billion in lost productivity – all in one year. This creates a lot of wasted time and, from the perspective of your bottom line, lost profits.

Today’s vehicles are equipped with sophisticated systems and components that require up-to-date tools and knowledge of repair procedures, a trend that’s only going to continue. From advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) to complex hybrid and electric drivetrains, vehicles demand a higher level of expertise for repairs to be completed safely and properly. This underscores the importance of standardizing a repair planning process and putting technicians in the position to make consistent, efficient, and quality repairs.

Breaking down the repair planning process

Standardizing and optimizing repair planning allows your collision repair facility to adapt to evolving vehicle technology and promotes consistent, efficient, high-quality repairs. Using a structured approach to repair planning helps enhance operational efficiency, employee productivity, and overall customer satisfaction. What’s more, repair planning removes barriers, improves collaboration, increases data access, and promotes accountability.

These advancements not only benefit individual repair facilities, but also contribute to the broader goal of standardizing repair planning across the industry, ultimately leading to safer, more reliable vehicle repairs for consumers.

Check out the following steps for implementing and optimizing a repair planning practice:

1. Customer check-in

The first step in your repair planning process should be to perform an active intake. This means walking the customer around the vehicle, identifying pre-existing damage, and collecting the collision details. This should always include written documentation and quality photos.

This check-in is your opportunity to ‘wow’ your customers. You also have a chance to learn the details of the collision from the vehicle owner first hand. Set expectations by giving clear information about what’s happening with their repair. Customers should understand when you’re going to reach out and how (text, email, phone calls, etc.), the complexity of their repair, and the approximate number of days you’ll have the vehicle.

It’s important to keep in mind, however, that every intake is different. Think about how you might adjust your wording and approach when speaking to customers with EVs or hybrid vehicles. What additional information do they need? When speaking to the customer, it’s important to break it down for them and ask, “do you have any questions about what we’re doing?”

The check-in is your opportunity to ‘wow’ your customers, setting expectations & providing clear information.

2. Pre-disassembly

Before any disassembly takes place, several steps need to be performed consistently. The first step is to wash the vehicle thoroughly. Thorough means cleaning mechanical components, the underbody, anything that could create uncertainty in the pre-diagnostic inspection process. The first part of the pre-diagnostic process is scanning. This is where the vehicle is inspected for prior repairs, and all damage is mapped and documented, including photo documentation. This aids in accurately assessing the extent of the damage and serves as a valuable reference throughout the repair process.

The first part of the pre-diagnostic process is scanning. This is where the vehicle is inspected for prior repairs, and all damage is mapped and documented.

3. Disassembly

Disassembly is where the rubber meets the road. You’ve probably heard different perspectives on what 100% disassembly means. Here’s what industry experts recommend: any part that requires removal or disassembly for repair should be addressed during this stage. This includes damaged wheels, fenders, doors, bumper covers, and grills—each should be fully disassembled for repair or replacement. Label the damaged parts clearly as “scrap” or “waste” to prevent them from being mistakenly reused.

During disassembly, it’s important to be methodical and consistent with your approach. Even seemingly straightforward tasks like bumper replacements require careful consideration of safety aspects, such as reinforcements, sensors, and identifying single-use parts. Newer vehicles often have clips, fasteners, and other pieces of hardware that can break during a collision or in disassembly. These small parts are easy to overlook, leading to delays if not ordered in advance.

During 100% disassembly, any part that requires removal or disassembly for the repair should be addressed.

You’ll need to separate reusable and replacement parts and organize them neatly for documentation purposes. There are software solutions that can be great tools for single-use part identification, helping facilitate communication between estimators and technicians, and ensuring the repair plan aligns with repair needs. According to data from an industry leading software solution, 42% of repair plans contain at least one single-use part.

During disassembly, you should review the most up-to-date OEM structural and procedural documents to help make decisions (store repair documents in a clear sleeve for easy reference). From there, complete measurements and perform pre-pulls as necessary and determine if a pre-alignment is required. Conduct R&I (remove and install) and triage damaged parts, storing them securely. Use sealable storage containers for clips, fasteners, and hardware. From there, complete any required measurements, pre-pulls, or pre-alignments to help determine both the extent of damage and repair verses replacement decisions. These practices help maintain organization and efficiency during the disassembly process.

Review the most up-to-date OEM structural and procedural documents to help make decisions.

Protecting the vehicle while in the care of the collision center is a top priority. This includes protecting electrical connections from weather, dust, metal shavings, and corrosion. Taking these protective measures is critical to maintaining the vehicle’s electrical viability. This can be achieved with indoor storage or by using protective coverings like CrashWrap (some shops even cover plugs and open fittings with balloons). Whatever measures you take to protect the vehicle, it’s important to inform the customer and document these measures to build trust with customers and insurers.

4. Estimate accuracy audit

Missed operations on the estimate lead to supplements and profit loss. Your shop can help prevent these issues by ensuring your estimate is accurate and complete the first time. The first step is one that you’ll hear again and again: documentation. All procedures must be thoroughly documented to provide a clear outline of the repair process. Next, labor operations without a valid labor time should be identified and addressed. Then the verification steps, including:

• Checking the correct labor profile.
• Confirming accurate coding of labor operations and parts (OEM, AM, LKQ, etc.).
• Verifying parts price differences and availability.

Additionally, it’s important to include consumables in the estimate, the items you use or that get damaged during the repair process (paint, adhesives, etc.). Plus, verify that outsourced repair estimates, towing, and storage are added. Last, but not least, remember to include correct taxes for all taxable items. These steps help your team write a comprehensive estimate that reflects the true cost of the repair, making sure you’re getting paid for all your work and the materials used.

Estimating solutions help:

• Reduce supplements
• Maintain compliance
• Improve cycle time

5. Collaboration

Be sure to involve and inform all relevant parties throughout the repair planning process. This leads to more accurate estimates, better decisions, and smoother operations. Key stakeholders include repair technicians, estimators, parts suppliers, insurance adjusters, and the vehicle owner. Or, in short, make sure everyone is on the same page. This includes reviewing required documentation to check that the necessary steps and procedures are followed. Each stakeholder brings unique expertise and perspectives that can help create a comprehensive repair plan and ensure the repair is completed efficiently and effectively, following manufacturer repair procedures.

6. Submissions and approvals

Now it’s time to submit the estimate and the repair plan for review and approval by the customer and (in some cases) the insurance company or a third party:

• First, the paperwork must be accurately prepared to maintain compliance with relevant laws and regulations.
• Next, contact the customer and/or insurance company to discuss the repair plan and get approvals.
• Once you have approval, the responsible party needs to agree to cover the costs associated with the repair plan.

Clear communication with customers and insurers during this stage supports a successful and compliant repair process.

7. Parts procurement

You’ve got approval, now what? Is it the ‘hair on fire’ approach to parts ordering, having a dealer fax over quotes or spending valuable time waiting on hold while a parts person “checks on it”? Or do you embrace a more efficient approach, using software that promotes more efficient parts ordering, provides real-time availability, and offers price matching?

Online parts ordering streamlines the procurement process, improves cycle time, and reduces errors. Then, once you receive the parts, it’s important to mirror match them with the damaged parts and discard the damaged ones properly. Lastly, minimize delays by preparing carts or storage areas to organize the necessary parts for a repair job.

8. Dispatching

This is the part where you assign the right technician to the job to optimize efficiency and deliver quality. Before you choose, ask yourself, ‘Does this team member have the appropriate skill set and workload?’ It’s also important to consider, before starting the repair, the vehicle’s placement in the shop’s production system. Is the vehicle in the correct location to carry out the repair process? If not, make the proper adjustments to promote a smooth repair process, reduce downtime, and help your team get the repairs done efficiently. Assign the right technician to the job to optimize efficiency and deliver quality.

9. In process & final QC

Quality control is critical throughout the repair process, ensuring the vehicle has been repaired according to manufacturer procedures. This helps you avoid expensive rework and meet (or exceed) customer expectations. This includes performing in-process quality control (QC) checks before advancing the repair process. Once the repair is complete, a final QC check should be conducted to verify that all the work is correct and meets quality standards.

At this point, it’s also important to check that the necessary paperwork is in order and ready for review by performing a file audit. This step is essential for invoicing and maintaining accurate records prior to returning the vehicle to the customer.

What’s next?

As you navigate repair planning and look to standardize and optimize the process, keep in mind that you should approach change strategically and incrementally to minimize disruptions. This is where you can take advantage of comprehensive solutions that encompass all aspects of repair planning. These solutions coupled with guidance from expert coaches and consultants provide ongoing learning and adaptation – all key to implementing a standardized (and optimized!) repair planning process. Give yourself a competitive edge with OEM certification programs and gain access to tools, knowledge, and resources to support your facility’s growth.

The benefits of certifications include:

• Enhancing repair quality
• Optimizing estimatics
• Preserving vehicle integrity
• Ensuring structural repair integrity
• Adhering to OEM repair procedures

These practices also help improve job profitability and enhance repair outcomes without causing significant disruptions to your operations.

Questions? We’re happy to help! Click here to connect with an expert or to learn about all of the OEC Collision Shop Solutions.

Imagine scrolling through endless articles, videos, and advertisements, all promising the latest and greatest in electric vehicle (EV) knowledge and training. Of course, you want to ensure your shop is ready to handle EVs safely and efficiently, but with so many training and certification options, it’s hard to know where to start. In fact, it can be overwhelming.

The OEC Electric Vehicle Handling Qualified (EVHQ) training program is designed to provide technicians and shop owners with the specialized knowledge and skills needed to work on EVs safely and effectively.
Here are five reasons why EVHQ should be at the top of your list:

The EV market is growing

EVs have been steadily gaining popularity since around 2008, and there are more EVs on the road now than ever. According to Cox Automotive, EV sales in the U.S. saw an impressive increase of 60% year-over-year from 1 million in 2022 to 1.6 million in 2023. According to industry analyst IHS Markit, by 2035 45% of new car sales could be electric. At that rate, about half of the cars on the road would be electric by 2050. Your shop can’t afford to sit on the EV sidelines, and you need to be prepared to handle these vehicles.

As EV technology continues to evolve, so do the challenges associated with repairing and maintaining these vehicles. Understanding the risks involved in working with high-voltage components is vital to the safety of both your customers and shop employees. Whether you’re a collision, mechanical, glass, ADAS, or paintless dent repairer, you need to know how to safely handle EVs.

Since there’s an increased likelihood of unseen damage with EVs, even bringing them into your shop can pose safety concerns. This includes not only repairing them, but also just physically moving them into the building. Mishandling or accidental contact with high-voltage components can lead to serious injuries to your employees and damaged EV or hybrid batteries are a fire or explosion risk, putting your facility in harm’s way.

Enhanced safety practices

With the presence of high-voltage components, working on EVs requires heightened awareness of safety protocols. Anyone working on EVs should be able to identify potential hazards and mitigate risks effectively. The biggest dangers include:

• Risk of electrical shock
• Arc flash (produces intense heat & light) causing burns & other injuries
• Fires & explosions from lithium-ion batteries
• Chemical hazards from batteries
• Higher risk of being crushed due to increased vehicle weight
• Noise & vibration risks causing hearing loss or other problems

Sound intense? It is, but by identifying potential risks, using the correct personal protective equipment (PPE), and implementing effective safety measures, technicians can create a safer working environment for themselves and their colleagues.

Identifying potential risks, using the correct personal protective equipment (PPE), and implementing effective safety measures, creates a safer working environment for technicians and their colleagues.

Specialized knowledge required

You likely know that working on EVs requires knowledge that goes beyond conventional automotive repair practices. This means knowing where high-voltage components are located, the dangers of regenerative braking systems, what PPE is required, the one-hand rule, and much more. Plus, knowledge of the various types of batteries used in EVs and hybrids, as well as their charging systems, vehicle control systems, diagnostic tools, and built-in safety systems are all important for your team to understand. Luckily, all of this and more is included in the OEC EVHQ program.

Compliance & risk management

EV repair professionals must comply with various safety standards and regulations set forth by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). This includes guidelines for PPE, like insulated lineman’s gloves & hand tools, dry chemical fire extinguishers, and more. Guidelines for PPE are provided in the EVHQ program and can help you equip your team with adequate protection.

Additionally, proper disposal of EV components, especially batteries, is critical to minimizing the environmental impact of EV repair. According to the International Council on Clean Transportation, EV batteries that are improperly disposed of can cause fires or contaminate lands and waters with toxic chemical substances. By completing EVHQ training, technicians demonstrate a commitment to safety and compliance, which can reduce risk and liability issues.

Competitive advantage

Completing an EV safety training program demonstrates to customers and insurers that your team has the knowledge and expertise needed to handle these vehicles safely and effectively. It can also instill confidence in your technicians.

With EV market adoption expected to reach (or surpass) 50% by 2030, getting qualified prepares you for the increased business likely to result from this rapidly growing market. The reality is, unless you’re qualified to handle these vehicles, each percentage increase in the EV market is a percentage of business you may not be prepared to handle. By investing in OEC EVHQ training now, you can position your business to not only capture a share of this expanding market, but also prioritize the safety and satisfaction of your customers, enhancing your reputation.

As a bonus, the OEC EVHQ training program covers your entire shop, not just individual technicians. While each team member will need to complete the training, you won’t incur additional costs per team member.

Be prepared for the future

EV purchases are expected to continue to increase year-over-year for the foreseeable future, so unless you’re ready to handle these vehicles, you’re missing out on business opportunities or risking the safety of your employees and facilities. Getting qualified to handle EVs enhances your current customer prospects and prepares your technicians for future opportunities in the growing field of EV repair and maintenance.

EVHQ is more than just a training program, it’s a strategic investment. By prioritizing safety and staying informed, EV repair professionals can confidently navigate the challenges of working with EVs and contribute to a safer, more sustainable future of transportation.

• EV market is growing
• Enhanced safety practices
• Specialized knowledge required
• Compliance & risk management
• Competitive advantage

Questions about EVHQ? Click here to learn more or to connect with an expert!

When we talk about accuracy in the context of VIN decoding, we’re talking about the precision and detail available through a full VIN decode versus a VIN mask. That said, gaining access to the meaning behind each digit is a challenge because that level of insight and detail is tightly guarded information. This means complete accuracy relies heavily on the available solutions at the shop – and not all VIN tools provide the same, highly accurate vehicle information.

Accessing the VIN

While repairers and shops take different approaches to getting accurate insights into vehicles, especially for parts orders, when it comes to accessing VIN information, there are a few primary approaches:

• VIN Mask: A VIN Mask is a partial VIN that consists of the first 10 characters of the 17-character VIN. The 9th character in this sequence is a check digit created when the complete VIN is assigned. The VIN Mask doesn’t provide full details about the vehicle because it does not include the last 7 characters, which contain specific information about the vehicle’s assembly plant, serial number, specific configuration, options, and exact build data.
• Full VIN Decode: This involves using all 17 characters of the VIN. The last 6 characters are especially crucial because they provide the vehicle’s unique serial number. With a full VIN decode, you can access detailed information into the vehicle’s specifications, options, and build data. This level of detail is necessary for ordering the correct parts the first time around.

Why this matters

If you’re in the repair business, you already know that accuracy is critical – and it’s been repeated time and time again. VIN decoding proves that, when it comes to ordering parts, accuracy really matters. With the seemingly endless amount of sophistication in vehicles, minor inaccuracies have significant downstream effects. Accuracy in vehicle identification & repair is essential for several reasons:

• Complexity: Vehicles are complex with numerous variations in models, trims, and components. Accurate identification of these specifics is needed to ensure that the right parts are ordered and installed.
• Safety & liability: Using the correct parts is necessary for the safety and performance of the vehicle. Incorrect parts compromise vehicle integrity, leading to potential safety hazards and increased liability for repair shops.
• Efficiency: It’s no secret the industry – across the board – is facing labor shortages, making efficiency more important than ever. Accurate parts orders minimize delays and rework, allowing shops to maintain high throughput and customer satisfaction.
• Returns & rework: Ordering the wrong parts not only causes delays but also increases the likelihood of returns and rework. This damages the shop’s reputation and profitability. If a customer needs to bring a vehicle back because the wrong part was installed, the shop didn’t just lose one customer, it lost all the customers that one person tells.

The advantage of the right parts ordering platform

Most parts ordering software only allows users to input the first several characters of the VIN, limiting access to specific data, like whether the car is a hatchback or a sedan, if it’s the sport model or hybrid with different engine specifications, and so on. As a result, the shop team often needs to gather all the detailed information from the customer. This creates extra paperwork, additional back-and-forth communications, and other steps that slow things down. Without built-in precision and accuracy, shops may even start the process by ordering every version of the part for the vehicle repair, using the correct one, and then returning the others, creating an inefficient and costly process.

Repairers are better served by a parts ordering platform that allows for full VIN-based parts lookup and ordering, meaning the full 17 VIN characters and access to comprehensive vehicle data.

Fortunately, a few parts ordering platforms, like RepairLink, offer this level of detail, allowing users to quickly and easily order parts based on data from the full VIN. These platforms streamline the parts ordering process while reducing returns, saving time and money, and supporting a smoother workflow. By leveraging detailed VIN decoding and accurate parts data, repair shops can navigate vehicle complexity and, ultimately, drive customer satisfaction and shop profitability.

Does your shop leverage accurate, precise vehicle data?
Interested in leveraging a full VIN decode in your facility? Click here for more insight and how to get started.

What are some of the current trends affecting the mechanical repair industry?

One of the most significant trends we’re seeing is that people are holding onto their cars longer than ever. Consumers are stretching the lifespan of their vehicles, and at the same time, many of these same people own more than one vehicle. We’re seeing car sales return to pre-pandemic levels, but inflation and economic uncertainty, especially with the upcoming election, really impact whether people spend on repairs, including routine maintenance.

How has this trend impacted both mechanical and collision repairs?

Year-over-year repairs have decreased for many repairers, causing a significant impact across the industry. This slowdown really started around mid2024, and it’s part of a larger overall trend. Customers are definitely becoming more price-conscious, and shops have to adjust. OEM promotions are becoming more important too—they help shops offer quality parts at better prices.

What are some of the biggest challenges repair shops are facing when it comes to sourcing parts?

Sourcing parts affordably has become a real challenge for shops. They’re trying to maintain high-quality work but have to juggle that with finding parts that won’t break the bank. A lot of shops are
saying that they’re relying more on promotions and discounts—whether that’s from OEMs or suppliers—so they can continue providing top-notch repairs while keeping costs under control.

Sourcing parts affordably has become a real challenge for shops.

How are shops adjusting their marketing strategies to deal with the decline in service volume?

Marketing has become even more critical now. Shops are really working hard to attract new customers and retain the ones they have. For example, RepairLink has been a big help to shops by providing access to discounted OEM parts through special promotions. Those deals allow shops to stay competitive, all while ensuring customers are still getting quality parts for their vehicles.

What strategies do you recommend for shops to overcome these challenges?

Shops need to take advantage of OEM parts promotions and loyalty programs. They should look at what’s available through leading parts ordering platforms, where they might, as an example, get something like $50 off a $250 parts cart. These kinds of promotions help shops keep their costs down but also ensure they’re still using quality parts, which is important for maintaining safety.

Shops need to take advantage of OEM parts promotions and loyalty programs.

How are dealerships adjusting to the decline in parts sales?

Dealers are facing the same struggles. Parts departments have seen sales slow, so they’re turning to new marketing solutions to try and re-engage with repair shops and customers who haven’t
made recent purchases. They’re using marketing campaigns to get those customers back by offering promotions and encouraging repeat purchases.

What advice would you give to repair shops dealing with these market conditions?

Stay focused on customer satisfaction. Even with the slowdown, it’s crucial to continue delivering high-quality service. Customers remember that, and when the market picks back up, those relationships will be more important than ever. Shops should also take full advantage of available promotions. With these promotions, they can navigate these challenges successfully by keeping costs down without sacrificing quality.

Can you share a customer success story related to these strategies?

One great example is a partnership between RepairLink and Shopmonkey. Through their integration, shops can pull OEM parts information directly into their shop management systems with just a click, eliminating the need for manual data entry. This has helped shops improve efficiency, reduce errors, and still offer customers the high-quality parts they need. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

Meet the Expert

Stephany Love, OEC Senior Product Manager, Mechanical, has 12+ years of software and automotive wholesale experience. Stephany oversees RepairLink, the OEC mechanical parts ordering and order management platform, driving platform enhancements & strategic development. Throughout her career, Stephany has established strong relationships with both shops and dealers, providing her with invaluable insights into both sides of the parts procurement process and positioning her as a mechanical parts wholesale expert.

OEC plays many different roles for many different people in the automotive industry – we want to take a moment to share our story: 

Back in 2000, OEMs faced a huge hurdle selling parts into dealerships, mechanical shops, and collision shops. Every transaction was handled manually, by phone or fax, creating a real need for an efficient way to do business. This is where OEC entered the market. Several major auto industry players, including GM, Ford, Chrysler, and Bell & Howell, formed OEConnection (OEC as we’re known today) to help facilitate part sales between dealers and repair facilities.  

Like the automotive industry itself, growth was not inevitable but essential for keeping pace with customer needs within an evolving market. OEC continued to develop and acquire key software solutions to better manage every aspect of maintenance and repair. By strategically growing the business, the OEC customer network expanded to include aftermarket parts suppliers, MSOs, fleets, insurers and, of course, dealers, collision & mechanical repairers, and manufacturers.  

Now customers throughout the industry and around globe use OEC technology and data services to connect with each other and get vehicles back on the road safely. From our early focus on parts to our now expanded solutions and customers, OEC connects those involved in the vehicle parts and repair ecosystem so they finally have an easier way to get their job done. 

There’s a story about a parts manager who one day noticed a once-reliable customer stopped ordering parts. Confused, the parts manager called to see why. “You stopped ordering,” the parts manager said. “Why didn’t you tell me?” The shop owner replied: “I’ve been telling you for months.” The parts manager returned to his books, spreadsheets, and POs. He noticed the shop had slowly but surely reduced order volume over time, and eventually stopped ordering entirely. The parts team never saw the trend because it happened gradually and, like most customers, the shop didn’t just say: “I’m buying from someone else!”

Here are 3 ways business intelligence (BI) helps parts managers access customer trends and growth opportunities through insights into their wholesale parts business:

1. Understand the message behind customer data

There’s no doubt most parts departments know their customers well, with most completing hundreds of transactions with these shops. However, if the data is inaccessible, then much of the critical information is an untold story. When parts managers adopt business intelligence tools, like PSXLink, they can easily access sales trends, specific segments of their wholesale performance, and customer behaviors (like when a customer reduces parts spending). By unlocking and presenting data using interactive dashboards, parts teams can easily identify changing trends, both abrupt & incremental, and get a clear look at what customers are telling them.

2. Strengthen your customer relationships

It’s easy to think of these tools as numbers, spreadsheets, and long arrows that go up and to the right (great) or the opposite (time to act). But what’s at the core of business intelligence tools (beyond the ability to track behaviors, trends, & performance) is the ability to foster customer relationships. This depth of analysis provides hard data and objective information required for real, productive customer conversations. For example, if a parts manager can see a shop’s trends and think, “Woah, he’s spending less and less,” it’s clear that it’s time to pick up the phone or swing by for a visit.

3. Identify strategies & growth opportunities

BI tools do more than serve as preventative solutions to guard against lost sales. The analytics allow parts managers to easily monitor all aspects of their wholesale business – providing actionable insights for growth strategies. When you are able to monitor the segments of your business you deem most important, the sales team easily identifies customers presenting growth potential. This allows the parts manager to pinpoint opportunities, make informed decisions, track sales activity, and view follow-up progress. All of which can be managed though an integrated customer relationship management (CRM) tool.

Take control of your parts business

Missing growth opportunities and losing sales is never good for any business and will quickly impact a parts department. With enhanced access to customer data, you can see what customer behaviors and trends tell you. BI tools, like PSXLink, are designed specifically for wholesale parts and provide insights that help accelerate growth. Customers are always conveying a message to your parts department – even when they’re not “saying it” out loud – and now, more than ever, you need to make sure you’re receiving the message clearly.

The current availability of parts and repair data for collision repairers and parts dealers seems unlimited and easily accessible. That said, not all data is the same. Much of the parts and repair data currently available to repair customers comes from ambiguous or unofficial sources, including third-party suppliers. These data sources often lack quality assurances and affect parts accuracy, repair quality, and even pricing information.

When accessing parts data, it’s critical that the parts buyers and sellers consider the source of the data. Having information is good, of course. But when it’s unclear where the information is coming from (or if it’s reliable), it creates adverse, downstream effects, including inaccurate parts numbers & orders, outdated pricing, and unnecessary returns & delays.

For parts & repair information, OEM data is the clear source of truth. This is why the OEC solutions, supported by data direct from the OEM, deliver high-quality parts and repair information that is reliably accurate and consistently up to date. The OEC solutions, including CollisionLink & Trax, provide shops and dealers with the ability to:

• Validate each OEM part number to increase order accuracy by confirming (at the VIN level) whether a part is correct, incorrect, or if additional parts may be required. This level of accuracy streamlines the ordering process and promotes a stronger customer experience starting at the beginning of the process.
• Access an OEM parts catalog to identify and order the right parts – and all necessary parts – the first time, reducing the hassle of returns and the need to order additional parts that, with accurate data, could have been identified and procured at the beginning of the repair process.
• Receive recall notifications when the VIN on the order has an open recall, creating an opportunity for the shop and the dealer to promote proper vehicle repair and demonstrate expert awareness of vehicle safety for the customer.
• Access full option codes for visibility into vehicle options to ensure accurate parts orders for the shop based on the specific vehicle’s model and features. This is a significant advantage given the complexity and variation in vehicles on the road.
• View OEM price tapes that feature accurate parts numbers for up-to-date pricing, including current promotions, parts programs, and opportunities to price match, allowing for the creation of accurate estimates and invoices.

When shops and dealers take advantage of solutions that leverage OEM data, daily tasks are easier and performed with greater efficiency. Simply put, shops and dealers can:

• Work together effectively & productively
• Promote proper parts ordering & vehicle repair
• Experience streamlined workflows
• Increase profits & reduce costs
• Return the vehicle to the customer in a timely manner

More than that, though: the real value of leveraging OEM-sourced data is keeping the customer safe by ensuring the right parts go into the right vehicle for the right repair. This is why leveraging solutions, like the OEC platforms that feature OEM data, ensure customers always have accurate, up-to-date parts and repair information. When the repairer and dealer can trust the data, they can make – or guide – the correct part choice for the proper repair and deliver safe, efficient results for the vehicle owner.

Unfortunately, when your parts solutions don’t work together, your team loses time on admin work instead of focusing on parts sales and customer service. A quick example: The average estimate contains 40 lines, but if your systems don’t communicate with each other, it’s 40 lines of manual reentry that could otherwise be handled with one click. That’s just one scenario but demonstrates why it’s best to leverage solutions that make your behind-the-scenes processes smoother.

Here are three benefits to enabling your parts department platforms to work together:

1. Efficiency
   We’ve all heard “time is money” (many times), right? Despite how often we hear the saying, it’s not as easy to calculate time savings as it is with other types of ROI. But having more time presents its own type of ROI: the ability to get more done. So, when your dealership’s systems work together, it eliminates tasks that slow your team down. This means you can save time, grow your sales, and, most importantly, provide better support for your customers. Products that allow your DMS to communicate with parts department solutions, like collision and mechanical parts management solutions or supply chain and backorder fulfillment tools, add efficiencies to your day by:

• • Simply saving the parts team time
  • Eliminating the need to verify customer selling prices
  • Reducing errors caused by manual order re-entry

2. Accuracy
   When you eliminate frustrating administrative processes, like manually checking prices & re-entering orders in your DMS, you also improve order accuracy. That’s a bonus and solves two issues: In addition to streamlining your parts operations, connecting systems within your parts department improves the overall quality of the information that you provide to customers. By reducing the error-prone manual tasks through system integration, your parts team can:

• • Provide real-time information
  • Display accurate inventory
  • Develop a reputation for dependability

3. Profitability
   Efficiency and accuracy gains allow your team to focus on more meaningful tasks, like increasing sales. This is where you see the more expected type of ROI: healthier profits and growth. Solutions that create connections between your systems allow you to put your people in position to leverage their expertise and insights to support customers. When your parts management platforms communicate directly with your DMS system, you can experience a streamlined, accurate process to support your bottom-line by:

• • Avoiding pricing mistakes
  • Minimizing costly returns
  • Improving customer satisfaction

Too many tools, too little time
Your parts team likely uses many systems throughout the day. With so many tools and processes, it’s easy to get bogged down. When the team can zero in on customer-focused work, it benefits your shops & your parts business. This makes it worth your time to find new ways to streamline admin tasks, improve the customer experience, optimize your parts department.

For many parts departments, the idea of customer retention marketing is met with: “we don’t have time… we’re too busy!” With many struggling to find enough hours in a day to manage orders and inventory, it’s understandable that marketing doesn’t fall at the top of the to-do list. This creates the challenge parts departments often encounter: the need to meet parts revenue goals with limited resources.

By understanding which customers offer the most value to your bottom line, you can position your parts department for success by using deliberate, targeted, and cost-effective customer retention strategies. This approach is backed by data – part sales data shows that engaging existing customers offers the strongest returns while requiring fewer resources.

Customer retention by the numbers

According to 2023 OEC eCommerce data, a loyal shop spends an average of $34.6K annually – that’s 5.2 times more than a new customer. The numbers speak for themselves, but the underlying point needs to drive parts department marketing strategies. $28K in potential sales is a sizeable number – the difference in annual spend between existing and new customers – that can be the difference between hitting your goals or falling short.

Cost of new customer acquisition

With part sales growth strategies, your instincts likely lead you to focus on new customers. Targeting new business seems intuitive, but a closer look reveals a different story. It costs five times more to acquire a customer than to reengage an existing shop. When you add up the cost of acquisition, you see how many resources go toward new shops that may never order parts. The math is clear: it is more cost effective & profitable to engage existing customers and promote loyalty.

Be strategic & deliberate

While data shows customer retention provides the most upside, this does not mean new customer development should stop. It just demonstrates that you want to allocate resources to your strongest opportunities. Customer retention efforts are proven to be more successful and require fewer resources. Why? Because you know your existing customers. You have a relationship. You have sold them parts before. There is a level of familiarity with each other. Engaging this audience requires less from your team and a little nudge or friendly reminder can yield solid results. Simply put, customer retention gets more bang for the buck.

The value of shop retention, a recap:

• Existing customers spend an average of 5x more on parts annually at $34.6K
• New customers spend $6.9K on parts annually ($28K less per year on average than existing shop customers)
• New customer acquisition is 5x more expensive than customer retention OEC recently launched

OEC eMarketing, an efficient, turnkey solution designed to support dealerships with targeted marketing campaigns that retain shop customers. To learn more about the power of shop retention here.