Parts Inventory & Invoicing

GM RIM integration
ARKONA is pleased to announce full GM RIM integration.  RIM is GM’s Retail Inventory Management system, a Web-based parts replenishment system designed to assist dealers to stock the right parts in the right quantities.  To accomplish this, the RIM system must receive demand history and daily sales and quantities on hand for every part numbers.  The ARKONA DMS automatically transfers daily sales and quantity on hand information to RIM and the RIM system analyzes the data and generates parts orders and material returns for the dealer based on a stocking policy agreed to by General Motors and the dealership.  The RIM generated order or return is sent to the SPO Central Order System.  The ARKONA DMS imports a copy of the order and returns from RIM and places them in the ARKONA DMS order and return processing areas already familiar to the dealer.

For more information, please see the ARKONA-RIM Integration User’s Guide at here.

GM Rapid Integration
ARKONA is pleased to announce full GM Rapid integration.  The ARKONA – GM Rapid communications allows you to send parts orders and returns directly from the ARKONA system to the GM Rapid system.  It also allows you to perform any of the GM Rapid transactions and receive answerbacks from GM.

The ARKONA server does not communicate directly with GM.  Instead, the ARKONA server communicates via ftp with a PC on the dealership local area network, and that PC communicates with GM via a PULSAT satellite system.

When you send a parts order or return or initiate any of the GM Rapid transactions from the ARKONA system, information is transferred to the local PC and stored on the hard drive in the c:\gmrapid folder.  The ARKONA GM Rapid Interface software monitors the c:\gmrapid folder and when it detects information in the folder, transfers it via the PC serial port to the PULSAT system which forwards the information on to GM.

When GM communicates information back to the dealership, it is received from the satellite and placed in the c:\gmrapid folder by the ARKONA GM Rapid Interface software.  This information is then retrieved by the ARKONA DMS when you request it.

For more information, please see the ARKONA GM Rapid QuickStart Guide here.

New Ford IMA Report
The Ford IMA report is being moved from the Internet to your Parts Department Reports menu.  To run the report, take the following steps:

1. Take option 35=Reports to Outside Parties from the Parts Department menu and take option 1=Select by Ford IMA Report. 
2. Hit F4 on the Stocking Group* field and take option 1=Select by the stocking groups you want to include in the report.  (This step is only required the first time through.)
3. Key in your date range and press [ENTER] to print the report.

Change: Previously this report could only be run from the Web.
Benefit: Quicker access to the report and the report runs faster.

New Hyundai SmartStock Monthly Report
The Hyundai SmartStock Monthly Report is being moved from the Internet to your Parts Department Reports menu.  To run the report, take the following steps:

1. Take option 35=Reports to Outside Parties from the Parts Department menu and take option 1=Select by Hyundai SmartStock Report. 
2. Key in your date range and press [ENTER] to print the report.

The parts manager’s name must be added to the Hyundai DCS Definition Record.  To do this, an authorized user can take the following steps:

1. Take option 6=DCS Definition from the System Environment menu and key in HY in the Manf field and press [ENTER].  (Or use function F6=Add if the HY code doesn’t exist.)
2. Key in the parts manager’s name in the Manager field and press [ENTER] to save.

Change: Previously this report could only be run from the Web.
Benefit: Quicker access to the report and the report runs faster.

Special order ship date
A new field has been added to the special order window for the ship date.  You can use this field to add an estimated ship date for special order parts.  A new column has been added to the Special Order Parts report for the ship date.

To use the ship date on a special order, take the following steps:

1. Take option 1=Parts Transactions from the Parts Inventory & Invoicing menu and key in a special order part.
2. If the emergency purchase window pops up:
1. Put the quantity requested into the Special Order field and press [ENTER] to display the S/O Priority* field and the Ship field on the right.
2. Select your special order priority and key in the Ship date without slashes or dashes and press [ENTER].
3. If you are in assume lost sale, assume special order, or assume negative on hand mode:
1. Change the part to a special order (if necessary).
2. Take option 2=Change by the special order part once it is billed to your screen.
3. Fill in the special order ship date at the bottom of the screen and press [ENTER] to save.

Benefit: You can now keep track of the date you promised to ship special order customers.

Negative on hand sales removed from repair orders on counterperson report
Part numbers that were sold to the negative on hand on a repair order and later removed from the repair order but not placed back in inventory on the system are now included on the Counterperson Analysis report.  They report shows them on the Returns Not to Inventory line.

Change: Additional information added to an existing report.
Benefit: Parts managers can closely track all parts that are returned without the on hand count being increased in the system.

Include charge customer name in payment method
The charge customer name has been added to the payment method printout on invoices.

Benefit: Easier to identify the charge customer when the customer number is unknown.

Add stocking status selection to Sales Source Analysis
You can now run the Sales Source Analysis for active parts only, non-stock parts only, or all parts.  To select by stocking status, an authorized user can take the following steps:

1. Take option 20=Transaction Analysis from the Parts Inventory & Invoicing menu and take option 1=Select by Sales Source Analysis.
2. Hit F4 on the Stocking Status* field and take option 1=Select by the stocking status you want to use.
3. Press [ENTER] to display the analysis.

Benefit: Makes the valuable Sales Source Analysis information available for only your active parts.  This option also satisfies reporting requirements for ADMI.

Add sale type selection to the Demand Fill Analysis report
You can now run the Demand Fill Analysis report for repair orders only, counter sales only, or both.  To run the report with sale type selection, an authorized user can take the following steps:

1. Take option 24=Reports from the Parts Inventory & invoicing menu and take option 1=Select by Demand Fill Analysis.
2. Hit F4 on the Sale Type* field and take option 1=Select by the sale type you want to include.
3. Press [ENTER] twice to run the report.

Benefit: Makes the valuable Demand Fill Analysis information available by sale type: counter or service.  This option also satisfies reporting requirements for ADMI.

Allow parts retrieval by OEM code
This preference lets the system automatically search for parts in more than one manufacturer when billing parts on the Parts Transactions screen.  A new field for OEM code has been added to the Manufacturer screen that specifies a link between two manufacturers.  For example, if you have Ford parts in manufacturer FD (primary manufacturer) and F1 (secondary), you can set the OEM code in the F1 manufacturer to be FD.

Note that the primary manufacturer must be an ARKONA-supported manufacturer code for parts price update purposes.

When you are billing parts in the FD manufacturer, the system will automatically check manufacturer F1 if it is unable to satisfy the quantity requested in the FD manufacturer.  If a part is retrieved from a manufacturer other than the active manufacturer at the bottom of the invoicing screen, the bin location on the screen will turn blue to indicate it’s from a different manufacturer code.

Another aspect to this change is that the parts locate features, F5=Locate and LC, will look for parts by part number in the same company under a different manufacturer code in addition to looking in other companies.  The manufacturer code has been added to the Parts Locator screen to show the part may be from the same company but a different manufacturer code.

An authorized ARKONA Customer Support representative must create the link between a primary and secondary manufacturer code by setting the OEM code.  Once this is done the option may be activated by an authorized user as follows:

1. Take option 50=Application Environment from the Parts Inventory and Invoicing menu and take option 1=Select by Preferences.
2. Take option 1=Select by Initial Values and set Parts Retrieval by OEM Code = Y.
3. Press [ENTER] to save.

Benefit: For dealerships that store parts in different physical locations, this feature will eliminate the need to key parts in under both manufacturer codes to check the quantity available in both locations.

Hyundai parts order/return automation
A new program has been developed that will automate the entry of your parts stock orders and returns into the Hyundai parts order system Web site.  Along with the Hyundai Parts Order & Return software, a free ftp server must be installed on the PC of the person that inputs the stock orders.

The ARKONA system transfers a parts order file to your local PC.  You use a Web browser to get to the Hyundai parts ordering system.  The ARKONA Hyundai Parts Order & Return software reads the order file on your PC and transfers it to the Hyundai parts order system Web site.

For assistance installing the ARKONA Hyundai Parts Order & Return software and the ftp server, contact ARKONA Customer Support.

Benefit: Increases the accuracy and efficiency of ordering and returning parts over the Hyundai parts order system Web site.

Changes to the Ford Wholesale Compensation report
The following changes have been made to the Ford Wholesale Compensation report:

1. All Motorcraft parts that are eligible for wholesale comp will be marked at the time of sale as potential parts that may be included on the report.  Previously, no Motorcraft parts were marked to be included.
2. A new option has been provided to include Motorcraft parts on the report.  When you print the report, you will be presented with the prompt Include “Motorcraft Y/N.”  It is up to the user to include the Motorcraft parts.
3. More sophisticated analysis is now being made of the part numbers to ensure that all Motorcraft parts are included when requested.
4. The Dealer to Dealer percent was raised from 3% to 10% to meet Ford specifications.
5. If a customer has a wholesale comp type of X, parts eligible for wholesale comp sold to that customer will be counted in the “Fleet” column.

Benefit: These changes bring this report in line with the most current Ford specifications.  The dealer can choose whether to include Motorcraft parts in the report.