Thomas Built Parent DTNA Launches One-Stop Parts Ordering Service

PORTLAND, Ore. — Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), parent company of Thomas Built Buses, has launched Excelerator, its next-generation e-commerce platform to streamline the parts ordering process.

With input on its design from over 40 dealer partners, Excelerator succeeds Pinnacle Truck Parts as DTNA’s one-stop parts ordering platform, according to a news release from the manufacturer.
Excelerator is the next step in DTNA’s digital transformation to deliver maximum uptime for its customers.

“As we continue our journey of digital transformation, it is critical that we provide cutting-edge solutions across all aspects of the customer experience that will take our business, and our dealers’ businesses into the future,” said Stefan Kurschner, senior vice president, aftermarket at DTNA. “Excelerator connects our customers to our distribution network in a revolutionary way that better enables them to get the right part, at the right place and time, which is key to achieving our purpose of 24-hour or less turnaround for vehicle repairs.”

Excelerator is designed to address the growing propensity for online parts ordering and establishes the infrastructure for future large-scale e-commerce growth. The platform employs a B2B structure to leverage the existing parts supply chain for scalability and preserves the relationship between the end customer and their local dealer. Excelerator can simplify the parts ordering process by providing an intuitively designed platform to address the four stages of the online ordering process: search, find, buy, and delivery.

Excelerator is a one-stop-shop solution, offering a robust catalog with detailed digital images and search functionality, including Vehicle Maintenance Report Standards (VMRS), Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), product name, or part number. To find parts across the DTNA network, the platform leverages the complete inventory of all Dealer Management Systems (DMS), including Alliance Parts stores and the manufacturer’s 10 North American parts distribution centers (PDC).

Because of the underlying connections to DTNA’s inventory network, when an online purchase is made, the order drops directly into the DMS, eliminating the lag time associated with additional data entry or part number input. The order is immediately visible to the dealer and reserved in their inventory for quick processing.

Order fulfillment is accelerated by the robust parts delivery network that DTNA has developed over the past five years. If a part is available at a local dealer, customers can leverage the dealer network’s 1,700 delivery vehicles for next-day delivery, or in some cases, same-day delivery, according to DTNA. Customers can also choose a will-call option to pick up parts in person, with curbside delivery available at most locations. If a part is not available at the local dealership, it can often be delivered in under 24 hours.  

Excelerator is currently in a phased rollout to DTNA’s 579 dealerships and will fully replace Pinnacle Truck Parts before the end of the year.

Registered users of Pinnacle Truck Parts will be auto-enrolled and migrated to the Excelerator platform by the fall of 2020, according to DTNA.