Auto-Wares Group of Companies is an automotive parts company headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with a distribution network throughout the Midwest. The family-owned company has grown substantially from its beginning in 1976, and now provides extensive inventory, product knowledge, and full-service programs for nearly a dozen specialties like batteries, foreign parts, and auto paints.
Intense market fluctuations coupled with rapid cost changes from manufacturers made operating in this environment particularly challenging in recent years. To capture the full value of the nearly three million SKUs they manage and support their fast-growing business, leaders recognized the need to evolve their pricing process.
But to do this they needed to replace their Excel-based pricing spreadsheets with modern technology.
In 2023, Auto-Wares partnered with PROS, choosing PROS Smart Price Optimization and Management software to help them better manage and execute their complex pricing strategy.
“We considered a wide range of vendors but ultimately we chose PROS because we were looking for an experienced partner with the best technology that could scale to support our business model and future growth plans,” says Nick Hinkle, Director of Pricing.
During the evaluation process, PROS clearly demonstrated the value of our innovative pricing software and precisely how it would meet their needs.
“We felt really comfortable that PROS could handle the specific challenges we were facing and deliver a quick, seamless implementation,” says Hinkle.
While Auto-Wares is a brick-and-mortar B2B wholesale supplier at its core, the business has several other distribution models, including selling to independently owned stores, via eCommerce, and to the retail market.
For all the ways they go to market, PROS provides Auto-Wares with a clear vision of their overall pricing strategy, enabling leaders to pivot in minutes rather than days. PROS software enables them to fully analyze pricing, receive actionable insights, zero in on opportunities, and then execute pricing updates almost immediately. This has been a game changer, allowing them to effectively manage pricing in the face of inflationary and cost pressures, while driving revenue and margin uplift.
“We’ve seen significant pricing efficiency and margin gain,” says Hinkle.
With their PROS pricing transformation underway, Auto-Wares plans to build on their success and extend their new pricing capabilities to other parts of their business.
“Looking ahead, our goal is to leverage additional technologies from PROS, such as AI price optimization, and do that responsibly to provide the best service to our customers while capturing the full value of our product offerings,” adds Hinkle. “Partnering with PROS has been an important strategic move helping us grow smarter.”
For more information on the market-leading PROS Smart Price Optimization and Management SaaS solution, visit https://pros.com/products/price-optimization-software.