Over the next year, Volvo Trucks North America says it will launch its new Logistics Partnership Agreement (LPA) to dealers nationwide. According to Volvo, LPA will meet customer demand for parts availability and reduced downtime.
Under the program, authorized dealers servicing Volvo trucks will be required to maintain mandatory stocking levels on parts deemed to most frequently keep trucks out of service.
The LPA system will continually track inventory levels of these critical parts and automatically reorder them before the dealer is out of stock. Then, each evening, dealers will automatically transmit their inventory data to the LPA system, which will monitor minimum on-hand and out-of-stock levels.
Dealers can check the shipment status of parts through the LPA system over a password-protected Internet connection. Currently, only parts sourced from Volvo parts centers will be managed by LPA. Direct ship/vendor sourced parts will be added to the system by this fall.
According to Volvo, LPA benefits fleets by significantly reducing the frequency of emergency parts shipments. Also, having parts on hand can greatly reduce the time needed to service a truck.
“LPA has been field-tested and proven valuable in real-time service conditions,” says Chris Hooker, marketing manager-parts and service. “Volvo owners will enjoy the convenience of reduced downtime and cost, and dealers servicing Volvo trucks gain benefits in both service delivery and convenience.”
Go to www.volvotrucks.com or circle 359 on reply card.
