Who is MGTS
Mobivia is a group of European companies deeply involved in the automotive repair, auto accessories and auto parts sector. As the European leader in multi-brand automotive maintenance and equipment, with 9 brands and 25 start-ups, it has 2,060 workshops and automotive centers in 18 countries. MGTS is part of Mobivia, its international reference and sourcing center, focused on the selection, sourcing, design, qualification and shipping of automotive maintenance and equipment products, with a significant proportional share of the European and even global automotive parts market. The rich resources and strong strength bring MGTS a good reputation and competitive advantage.
First met
In general, product presentation is an essential part of most international sourcing companies’ business processes. In 2020, MGTS was upgrading and updating their product showroom to prepare for better product presentation. At that time, product showrooms were offline entities, and MGTS had a huge variety of products, so it was a challenge to rent a satisfactory product showroom for such a large volume of products. Moreover, each product showcase requires a very large number of samples for the customer to select one by one. Besides, it was also a headache to find the corresponding reference materials for each product. Under the purchasing model at that time, buyers had to match the samples in the showroom with the thick paper catalogs.
That’s when EEXAR met with MGTS.
Based on the problems mentioned above, we built a simple platform for MGTS similar to a product management system, where all information of each product can be uploaded to the platform. At the same time, each physical product has a QR code, which can be scanned to get the corresponding information on the platform. This initial system was simple, but it effectively solved the problem of difficult product information management.
At that time, we also developed a simple AR display function. When the MGTS manager saw for the first time that virtual products could be projected onto the table in front of him in AR view using a tablet, he exclaimed in amazement, “This is the future!” So, a display session that 3 months ago was manually selecting physical samples one by one, 3 months later can be done just on the screen. And that, is the prototype of EEXAR.
Problems that are not special
In fact, the earliest EEXAR was more like a project-based customization software. After finishing working with several customers, we found that the problems and needs that many B2B companies might encounter in their business process actually had some similarity, so we decided to turn online and create a universal yet customizable solution, and EEXAR took the road to SaaS.
In 2020, the covid epidemic began to break out globally. The epidemic affected not only the way people live, but also changed the way people think. One of the most immediate impacts was travel, and MGTS was plagued by this problem. Without travel, offline product demonstrations would not be possible, and normal business would be hampered. Moreover, even without considering the background of the epidemic, the traditional business model cannot be separated from the various paper catalogs, materials and forms and documents; many preparations need to be made for each project. This process not only requires a lot of human and financial resources, but also consumes a lot of time.
The restrictions associated with the epidemic forced them to find a new way to keep their business processes going. These problems are not unique to MGTS, but for most domestic and international B2B companies, the difficulties they face are somewhat similar.
Solving Problems with EEXAR
EEXAR provides a viable solution to the problem. Taking MGTS as an example, here are some common functions that have helped them.
Product Management: This is one of the most commonly used functions of MGST in EEXAR. Before this, it was difficult to manage data due to the large number of product SKUs, team members all needed to work on the same excel sheet, and changes to data were prone to errors. With EEXAR, they can manage all product data on the same platform, eliminating the hassle of working through excel-based tables. For managers, it is also possible to track data clearly and intuitively. On the other hand, the traditional ERP system cannot be connected to other external platforms, so when doing some data transfer and information sharing operations, you need to manually export and operate again. eexar is directly connected to the ERP system, so all kinds of information and data can be directly imported into eexar. this way, colleagues responsible for different tasks within the team can focus on what they should be doing instead of wasting time on excel and ERP.
Web Catalog: EEXAR’s online web catalogs can automatically generate customized product catalogs; MGTS procurement process requires buyers to make multiple rounds of product selection, each of which may involve thousands of products, and each selection requires the MGTS team to prepare and update the corresponding product catalogs. With EEXAR’s online catalog, MGTS can set the corresponding product information according to the situation, and buyers can see this pre-set information, generate product catalogs with one click, and make decisions in advance. This makes the whole purchasing process much faster.
Project System: The process of preparing reams of information for each project is also one of the reasons that slow down MGTS’ business process. With EEXAR’s project system, MGTS has been able to communicate directly with customers on a product-by-product basis. They can group customers into projects with similar products, eliminating the need to meet buyers individually, making it easier to expand offers and meet minimum order quantities. Business units can be contacted at any time on the platform to view products and quotes. “Communicating quotes to customers and business units has become very easy and fast.” is the intuitive feeling of Kurt Zhang, Head of Purchasing at MGTS.
Eric Daudet, General Manager of MGTS, shared his feelings about EEXAR: “EEXAR has been a game changer for our automotive procurement company. During the New Crown epidemic, it became very difficult to communicate with buyers throughout the process. Now, with just a few clicks of the mouse, we can show our customers purchased and in-development products and see their purchase intentions in real time all the time.”
New stuff
MGTS solves many practical problems in business processes, and EEXAR is constantly being improved and enhanced. We can say that MGTS and EEXAR have established a good partnership and truly progressed together on the road to digital transformation.
And we are not only satisfied with this. Together with MGTS and other customers, we have received feedback from the use process and have continued to make adjustments and upgrades to our features based on this feedback. In addition, in terms of product display, we are also actively developing AR glasses-related projects, hoping to combine advanced technology to take our AR display a step further. We hope to create more value for companies through our enthusiasm, practical work and innovative spirit.
The story of MGTS and EEXAR will continue.