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New CD-ROMs are helping Yamaha Motors Australia (YMA) dealers improve customer service by obtaining parts information faster than was ever possible before. In the past, when a customer asked for information about a particular part, the counter person typically had to leave and attempt to find the part by searching through paper or microfiche catalogs. The new CD-ROMs, produced by IHS Enterprise Solutions, Englewood, Colorado, allow the counter person to find the part information much faster, usually in under a minute, without leaving the customer. The time and skill required to find the right parts are dramatically reduced because the counter person merely has to type in a few search terms, such as "bulb" "12v and 2w", to find the information in far less time than would be required to page through catalogs or microfiche.
YMA, Wetherill Park, Australia, is a distribution arm of Yamaha Motor Japan, one of the world's leading producers of motorcycles, boats, outboard motors and other products. The products sold by YMA include a wide range of recreational items and industrial products, such as motorcycles, scooters, four-wheelers, snowmobiles, outboards, water vehicles, boats, golf cars, go kart engines, power generators, water and sludge pumps, industrial engines and accessories. YMA was incorporated in June 1983 with distribution rights in New South Wales and took on distribution in Victoria later the same year. Within a few years, the company also began distribution for Western Australia and Queensland. In 1990, the company began production of fiberglass boats at a facility located in Ourimbah, north of Sydney.
Problems with paper and microfiche catalogs
Providing parts information to its network of over 300 distributors throughout Australia is an important and challenging task for YMA. The company has long produced both paper and microfiche catalogs that cover the huge number of parts required to service the company's products for the Australian market. The space required by the paper catalogs and the special equipment needed to view the microfiche catalogs means that these catalogs must usually be stored away from the parts desk. When a customer approaches the counter person and asks about a particular part, the counter person takes the information and goes to...