Volvo Cars introduces inventory management platform with Manheim

In what is being described as an industry first, Volvo Cars is working with automotive fleet services provider Manheim on a common international platform for inventory management and the wholesaling of used vehicles to its franchised dealers. According to Manheim the platform will enable the Swedish car manufacturer to introduce the latest technology in used car systems into 26 countries, including main European markets, the US, Brazil, Australia, Russia, Japan and China.
 

Manheim said the tool will also deliver “a high-end experience” for Volvo’s retail consumers, when searching for used models, under the Volvo Selekt programme in all of its key territories.

Manheim is using its enterprise software platform, known as RMS, to run the system but the retail end of the project has been developed by its German automotive marketing business, Modix.
 
The roll-out of the global project, which is scheduled to be largely completed by mid-2016, is being coordinated between the respective teams at Volvo Cars in Gothenburg and Manheim’s project team based in the US, UK and Germany. Once fully implemented, it is expected that the system will manage the sale of 40,000 Volvo used cars per annum between the manufacturer and the franchised dealer network. This supports Volvo Cars’ plans to substantially increase its international used car sales.
 
“Volvo Cars is setting a real precedent here, with an innovative approach to managing their entire used vehicle inventory worldwide, right through the value chain,” said Nick Peluso, recently appointed president of Global RMS, based in Manheim’s headquarters in Atlanta, US. “The Manheim RMS platform will allow each of Volvo Cars’ national sales countries to control and sell their wholesale inventory in a single integrated system.

He went on to state that Modix stock locator would allow consumers the ability to browse a full selection of models being offered by the Volvo Selekt Used Car programme across all 26 countries.

Pictured left to right: (top row) Sebastian Fuchs, director International Used Car, Volvo; Sandy Swartz, president, Manheim; Bernard Bradley, vice-president, Global Sales, Volvo; Anita Gamlen, group board director, Manheim Europe; (seated) Kjell-Åkes, vice-president, Indirect Purchasing, Volvo; John Bailey, executive vice-president, International Operations, Manheim.