Alliant Power’s Digital Transformation

70%

of orders are now placed online

12%

revenue growth in 2 years

100h

saved a month of manual entry

Complexities

Tackling the Customer-Driven Complexities of Aftermarket Diesel Engine Operations

In the highly technical and customer-driven aftermarket diesel engine industry, Alliant Power faces unique challenges that demand precision, efficiency, and adaptability. As a trusted distributor and remanufacturer of fuel injection components, their success hinges on meeting the diverse and complex needs of their customers while ensuring smooth operations.

Let’s delve into the intricacies of Alliant Power’s operations from both a channel and product perspective:

Channel complexity

Core Charges

Alliant Power’s remanufacturing model involves core charges—deposits for parts that customers return for remanufacturing. Tracking these charges accurately, with different rates for various customers, required custom ERP and web platform integrations.

Multi-Warehouse Operations

Customers expect real-time visibility into inventory across multiple warehouses. To meet this need, Alliant Power implemented a custom feature allowing customers to view stock across locations or submit part-finding requests when unavailable. They now process 2,000 such requests monthly, keeping customers within their ecosystem.

Diverse Pricing Models

Managing 50 unique pricing tiers for different customer segments required seamless real-time synchronization with their ERP. Any discrepancies could erode customer trust, making precision essential.

Product Complexity

Expansive Catalog

With 390,000 SKUs, Alliant Power offers a vast range of highly specific parts. Ensuring customers can find the correct part is critical to avoid costly downtime.

Cross-Referencing for Accuracy

An extensive cross-referencing system over 4.5 million entries links part numbers to multiple OEMs and applications, streamlining product discovery for customers.

The challenge

Navigating Complex Operations: Alliant Power’s Digital Overhaul

As a key player in the aftermarket industry, Alliant Power faced challenges that demanded precision and efficiency. Their outdated e-commerce platform couldn’t keep up with the complexity of managing remanufactured parts, core charges, and a wide range of specialized products. The old system lacked product information, photos, and dynamic functionality, making it static and less engaging for customers while adding extra manual work for the team

When they moved to Magento, the problems only grew worse. Online orders plummeted from 60% to 25%, and the system struggled to handle the unique needs of their business. It became clear they needed a platform capable of managing these complexities while providing a faster, more reliable experience for their customers.

“Our ERP switchover was not going well—we were a year over our planned timeline and double the budget. On top of that, the Magento website was slow, pricing didn’t update as it should, orders got stuck, and customers couldn’t even view their placed orders.”

Nicole Tucker, Senior Director - Business Development & Connectivity

The solution

Alliant Power’s Digital Transformation: Partnering with Sana Commerce

In search of a more powerful and efficient B2B e-commerce solution, Alliant Power found the perfect match with Sana Commerce. Unlike other platforms, Sana stood out for its seamless integration with their Microsoft Dynamics NAV ERP, ensuring real-time data synchronization and smooth operations—a crucial need for the complex aftermarket industry. The ease of setup and user-friendly interface were key factors that made Sana Commerce the ideal choice for Alliant Power, enabling them to streamline their operations and better serve their customers.
With a focus on addressing the unique challenges of the aftermarket industry—such as tracking core charges, managing an extensive catalog of parts, and maintaining real-time inventory accuracy—Alliant Power set clear goals for their digital transformation:

Real-time data accuracy for pricing, inventory, and orders, eliminating costly errors and delays.
Streamlined operations, reducing manual effort and improving internal workflows.
Enhanced customer experience with a more intuitive platform that empowers customers to self-service and access real-time information.

With Sana Commerce, Alliant Power was able to address the complexities specific to their aftermarket business while positioning themselves for sustainable growth in an ever-evolving market.

“The number one feature was that the majority of the data was stored in the ERP. We had so many problems with data getting out of sync before, and pricing accuracy is critical because if customers can’t trust your pricing, they can’t trust you.”

Nicole Tucker, Senior Director - Business Development & Connectivity

The results

Achieving Operational Excellence and Revenue Growth in Aftermarket Sales

Since launching their new e-commerce platform with Sana Commerce, Alliant Power has seen significant improvements in both operational efficiency and customer engagement:

Increased Online Orders and Customer Engagement

The new web store has led to 70% of orders being placed online, reflecting a 15% growth in online orders. This growth has driven e-commerce adoption, reducing reliance on traditional sales channels. As a result, customers have enjoyed a more streamlined experience, embracing the new platform’s features and self-service options.

Boosting Operational Efficiency

By automating order processing and inventory management, Alliant Power has saved about 100 hours a month of manual entry. These time savings have allowed the customer service and sales teams to focus on higher-priority tasks, contributing to improved resource allocation and overall productivity.

Enhancing Adoption through Sales Agent Support

The sales agent feature has been a key factor in boosting adoption. Sales representatives now use the platform during customer visits, either showing how to navigate it or placing orders directly. This hands-on approach has improved customer confidence and streamlined the sales process, driving higher adoption rates among customers.

Revenue Growth

Since implementing the new e-commerce platform, Alliant Power has experienced 12% revenue growth over the past two years, highlighting the significant impact of their digital transformation.

Improved Customer Experience and Satisfaction

With real-time inventory updates and accurate pricing, customers enjoy a faster and more transparent shopping experience, improving overall satisfaction.

Virtual Warehousing

By integrating external vendor stock into their platform, Alliant Power expanded their visible inventory from $55M to $275M. This not only ensures customers can easily find the parts they need but also increases flexibility and reduces the number of inquiries.

“The ability for customers to go in, see their documents, and access all the information they need on their own has been a game changer. It’s allowed us to focus on higher-value tasks while giving them more control over their experience.”

Nicole Tucker, Senior Director - Business Development & Connectivity

Highlighted feature

Virtual warehousing

One significant feature for Alliant Power was the ability to integrate external vendor inventory into their platform, a process they refer to as virtual warehousing. While the integration is powered by their Microsoft Dynamics NAV system, Sana Commerce facilitates this by ensuring real-time synchronization of data across both systems.

By seamlessly displaying vendor stock alongside Alliant Power’s own inventory on the same platform, Sana Commerce helps Alliant Power expand their visible inventory without physically stocking the products. This integration increased their available inventory from $55M to $275M, providing customers with a broader selection and improving satisfaction by ensuring they can always find the parts they need.