Aftermarket Insider - March/April 2010 - (Page 18)

iNSiDE TECHNoLoGY ex aMpLe: iMc ACES: A Case Study BY: B RIAN GR IFFIN, IM C Brian Griffin, III, IMC, shares the challenges and rewards of transitioning his huge catalog database from the 1990s to the ACES catalog technology. Most of us have had the pleasure of migrating from one catalog standard to another. And if you haven’t yet, you almost certainly will! The Sunset Date for the AAIA Legacy Vehicle table follows closely to the end of the Mayan calendar (December 2012). Coincidence? I think not. And while developing a project of this magnitude may seem like the end of the world, the end result will be well worth it. As some of us have seen, using a conversion process to export Legacy data to produce ACES can be time consuming and not always representative of your source data. So really, what better way is there to create a catalog that truly represents your source data without becoming totally ACES native? At IMC, the timely adoption of the ACES standard was necessary for creating a more robust database for our in-house point-of-sale and data entry systems. And, more importantly, to actively become part of the industry solution. Together with the design team at the Solenium Group, we developed an IMC-specific solution. We have implemented a Top Down Project Management methodology ensuring that each aspect of the project is well documented with buy-in from all relevant departments and stakeholders. It wasn’t always that way. Initially, fears and doubts were the norm. Why would we fix what isn’t broken? ACES? We just finished migrating to AAIA! While warranted, this apprehension had to be met with effective and honest communication. It would be unwise to sugarcoat it. Buy-in from your catalog team is critical. Positive involvement of key personnel from other departments is very important. And, Executive 18 | AFTERMARKET INSIDER | MARCH • APRIL 2010 http://www.aftermarket.org/technology/aces

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Aftermarket Insider - March/April 2010

Aftermarket Insider - March/April 2010
Contents
President's Message
NCCM 2010: A Slam-Dunk Opportunity for the Aftermarket
AAHIP: Just What the Doctor Ordered
Association News
Learning to DRIVE
Member Profile
Toolbox
Market Research
Inside Technology
Association News
AAPEX News
Company Profile
Market Research

Aftermarket Insider - March/April 2010