WIX Filters Takes The Lead In PIES Certification

Thursday, 17 June 2004

In business you either lead, follow or get out of the way, and recently WIX Filters has lead the way by becoming the first Aftermarket supplier to become PIES Certified.

A 2002 product data study conducted by the AAIA found that product data in the Aftermarket was neither accurate nor complete. The study also revealed that the Aftermarket is losing $1.7 billion annually due to data errors, and they concluded that something must be done to rectify this broken system.

Enter PIES, or the Product Information Exchange Standard – developed by a subcommittee of AAIA’s technology group. This standard is used to make all product-related data consistent, which is vital to all e-Commerce activities, has achieved broad support by manufacturers and resellers alike.

Based on the findings of the 2002 study, the AAIA determined that the first step was to establish a Data Audit and Certification Service. The Service is chartered through the PIES Certification Task Force of the AAIA Technology Standards and Solutions Committee. Its purpose is to develop enhanced PIES field rules, increase awareness and population of the critical fields, and to further refine the data quality provided to the Aftermarket.

WIX Filters registered its products under an audit line, which totaled up to 10,000 parts. The files initially were submitted, audited, compared against the PIES data file standard, and reported back to WIX for corrections. After remediation, the cycle would repeat itself until the data structure was perfect. At that point WIX Filters became the first Aftermarket supplier to achieve Data Audit Certification (DAC) in the first two categories:

Certification will help reduce costs and increase transaction speed. It will help insure successful, error-free purchase orders, ASNs, invoicing and all other electronic and paper documents.

PIES data categories three and four will be completed and passed by WIX Filters shortly and include:presence and validity of fields critical to packaging mandated or needed data fields required by key resellers

“WIX Filters has always been a pioneer in the Aftermarket, and this is yet another first for WIX,” said Barry Faile, product planning manager for WIX Filters. “This confirms our commitment to the Aftermarket and our customers – to provide them with the best products and services available in the industry.”

DAC certification is part of a PIES based automated trading project that WIX is participating in with O’Reilly Auto Parts. Results will be presented August 2-4 at the Aftermarket e-Forum in Chicago. For additional information on PIES, visit www.aftermarket.org.

Since 1939, Wix has been an innovator in filtration products. Wix designs, manufactures and distributes products for automotive, diesel, agricultural, industrial and specialty filter markets. Its product line includes oil, air, cabin interior, fuel, coolant, transmission and hydraulic filters for automobiles, trucks and off-road equipment. WIX is the # 1 filter in NASCAR and an exclusive NASCAR Performance Product. Wix Filtration Products is part of Dana Corporation's Automotive Aftermarket Group, one of the world's largest independent suppliers to vehicle manufacturers and their related aftermarkets. WIX Filter's Internet address is www.wixfilters.com.

Dana Corporation is a global leader in the design, engineering, and manufacture of value-added products and systems for automotive, commercial, and off-highway vehicles. Delivering on a century of innovation, the company's continuing operations employ approximately 45,000 people worldwide dedicated to advancing the science of mobility. Founded in 1904 and based in Toledo, Ohio, Dana operates technology, manufacturing, and customer-service facilities in 30 countries. Sales from continuing operations totaled $7.9 billion in 2003.