Abe Shokai Co., Ltd.
(From left: Mr. Aiso, Mr. Iinuma, Mr. Nagaoka)
Since 1948, Abe Shokai Co., Ltd. has been a bridge between overseas manufacturers and the market, between the world and Japan, as a trading company specializing in auto parts and accessories.
The company offers a vast lineup of products and sells to more than 6,000 companies of all sizes, including repair shops, tire stores, car accessory stores, used car dealers, and agricultural machinery stores. However, the demand for consumables such as oil, batteries, and tires will never disappear.
Until now, the company has created paper catalogs and distributed them to customers, but in order to improve the efficiency of both the company and its customers, the company introduced our electronic conformity system.
We interviewed Mr. Iinuma of the Sales Promotion Department about the deciding factors and changes since the introduction of the system.
Q: What challenges did you face before introducing EBIS services?
As an import agent rather than a manufacturer, we have handled a wide variety of products, but we had to rely on the manufacturers to provide us with a "compatibility chart.
However, as more and more manufacturers stopped providing paper media due to cost reduction, we could no longer receive them, and as a result, we could not provide our customers with conformity charts either. As a result, we could not provide our customers with the conformity list.
We have been urging the manufacturer, but they have decided not to publish the conformity list. We have decided not to release the conformity list, so we asked the manufacturer to please check their website.
However, we cannot do business without a compatibility chart.
In particular, when it comes to matching wheels for imported cars, unlike domestic cars, the compatibility is complicated, and a compatibility catalog is considered essential as a sales tool.
We had been unable to distribute paper battery compatibility charts to our customers for years because the manufacturers no longer provided them, and it was during this difficult time that we received a proposal for an electronic compatibility search, which led us to introduce the system.
Q: What kind of results have you seen since the introduction of the system?
With the paper-based system, some manufacturers only updated their data once every four years, and some customers complained that the updates were slow.
In terms of cost, printing and shipping costs were a major issue, but we were able to significantly reduce these costs as well.
In terms of the system, by adding an inventory check/order button to the match search results, we were able to reduce the number of phone and fax inquiries from customers, saving both parties a lot of time and effort.
Customers have also commented that they can search for matches not only on their PCs but also on their smartphones, saving them the trouble of having to search for the appropriate book for each manufacturer.
Furthermore, we are able to know what our customers are searching for, which is helpful for our future sales activities.
In another case, when we made a proposal to a major foreign chain store, we were able to close a business deal with them because of the advantage of the electronic conformity search.
Q: Are there any items you are considering introducing in the future?
We would like to introduce an electronic calibration system for all consumables that require periodic replacement, such as windshield wipers, engine oil, oil filters, and air filters.
Abe Shokai, thank you very much for your cooperation!
Summary
Abe Shokai's initiative is an excellent example demonstrating that DX closely aligned with on-site challenges yields significant results.
By introducing electronic compatibility searches, they simultaneously achieved operational efficiency, improved customer satisfaction, and strengthened sales capabilities.
We will continue to support “truly usable DX” in the field going forward.
Abe Shokai Co., Ltd.
