Clifford Thames Inc, CT’s operation in North America, has been awarded the Ford Data Distribution contract.
The contract is strategically very important to both Ford and Clifford Thames. The intention is to have one supplier globally to house and distribute aftermarket data to support e-commerce strategies. Initially the first phase of the project encompasses all US Ford aftermarketdata covered by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association(AAIA).
This specifically relates to 21 product categories of data covering areas such as batteries , spark plugs etc. authored to the Aftermarket Catalog Enhanced Standards (ACES) in addition to Product Information Exchange Standard (PIES) data which covers more technical specifications for the top selling parts.
Brian Tatum, who heads up CT’s operations in the US, said: “Having the aftermarket data at our fingertips will allow us to apply our OE experience to help look for data discrepancies and also allows for us to put processes in place that ensure this data remains accurate.
“Our solution, fully hosted at Chelmsford, will allow for the upload of source files from designated administrators, the handling and validation of user accounts and license agreements through to the handling of security in terms of which users are allowed access to which data sets.”
