ArvinMeritor has introduced XpresswayPlus.com, a web-based system for the commercial vehicle aftermarket.

XpresswayPlus.com enables customers to place and check on all Meritor and Euclid brand product orders.
On XpresswayPlus.com, customers can search inventory by part number, description and other parameters. They can also select the "visual search" option that displays a see-through truck revealing relevant components. Users click on these illustrations to see renderings of sub-components and finally individual parts.
The first group of ArvinMeritor customers, including warehouse distributors, will go online March 22, the company said. Dealers will be added to the system later. Ordering will be limited to authorized customers, but anyone can use XpresswayPlus.com to search the catalog.
XpresswayPlus.com debuted last week at ArvinMeritor's Troy, Mich., headquarters, where Perry L. Lipe, Senior VP and Chief Information Officer, outlined the $7-billion company’s broad e-commerce policy. Customer service is just one aspect of a cautious but comprehensive program.
At the other end of their business cycle, ArvinMeritor displayed an in-house, online auction it uses to buy materials and supplies. ArvinMeritor vendors join the auction on the web by invitation. During the auctions, which typically last for two hours or so, bidders can see all other bids, though not the identity of the bidders. As in a real auction, bidders must decide if they want to underbid the competition.
According to Jeffry C. Stoner, vice president of Procurement, quality remains a critical factor, and ArvinMeritor does not necessarily accept the lowest bid. One advantage of the time-limited auction process, he said, was that purchase decisions are settled and do not languish in a paper process.
The company also displayed the web-based order system for its Light Vehicle Aftermarket division, where ArvinMeritor products are sold under brand names such as Gabriel, Maremont, Timax, ANSA, ROSI, StrongArm, Mighty Lift! and Purolator. The company also makes private products for customers such as Pep Boys, Midas, Sears, AutoZone, Kwik-Fit, Partco, CarQuest and Meineke.
Other e-commerce projects include cooperative engineering and design over the Internet as well as employee communication initiatives.
To learn more, visit the ArvinMeritor web site.
To search XpresswayPlus.com from the home page, go to "products and services" and select "commercial vehicle aftermarket." Then click on Marty, the XpresswayPlus.com mascot on the right-hand side of the page.
To see an outline of ArvinMeritor’s e-commerce program, choose "visit ArvinMeritor’s e-business solutions" on the left side of the home page.