Special Report
By the (Online) Book Generational changes in technology are slowly but surely reshaping parts ordering and inventory processes in maintenance shops
WRITTEN BY ERIC WOOLSON T
he sight of a grease-under-the-nails, rag-in-the-back- pocket, seasoned mechanic leafing through the stained and dog-eared pages of a parts catalog is an enduring image for anyone who has spent even the shortest
amount of time in a bus garage. While it’s one that could become a distant memory with the adoption of online ordering and parts management software, equipment suppliers want to make sure they continue to deliver information in the form customers prefer. Technology is leaving its mark in a slow and seemingly unstop- pable march that mirrors its adoption throughout society. “Te day of the grease board and ‘tracking bus No. 2’ on it are essentially gone,” said Scott Latimer, aftermarket parts manager for IC Bus. But Latimer and others on the supplier side acknowledge that march isn’t over yet, thanks in large part to a number of Baby
Boomers still in the picture. “We have different generations—Millennials and Baby Boomers.
We have to cover that multigenerational span and make it easy for everyone to order,” said Ken Zagroba, product support manager for IC Bus and Navistar’s integrated parts catalog and online parts sales. “With Millennials, everything is online. You see them with their heads down, looking at their Smartphones and tablets. It’s the way the future is going. On the Baby Boomer side, many will order online, but they’ve built a relationship with their salesperson over many years and they still like that face-to-face contact.” While still sensitive to the preferences of old-school mechanics and fleet managers, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), parent company of Tomas Built Buses, began to hasten the online transition more than a decade ago. “Everything of ours is online. It’s just a sign of the times,” said Brian McCool, Tomas Built’s manager of parts marketing and
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24 School Transportation News • FEBRUARY 2017
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CELEBRATING25YEARS 9/11/13 12:0
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