What is TecAlliance?
TecAlliance is an international provider of data standards, product data and digital solutions for the Independent Automotive Aftermarket (IAM).
The company helps manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, workshops, e-commerce providers and software companies exchange vehicle and spare parts data in a standardised format and digitise their business processes.
Some of the best-known TecAlliance solutions include TecDoc, TecCom and TecRMI.
What role does TecAlliance play in the automotive aftermarket?
In the automotive aftermarket, millions of spare parts must be accurately matched to the correct vehicles. At the same time, distributors, workshops and digital sales channels require complete and up-to-date product information.
TecAlliance provides standardised data structures, reference data and platforms that support:
- the identification of suitable spare parts
- the linking of articles to vehicles
- the exchange of technical product data
- the provision of repair and maintenance information
- the automation of ordering and returns processes
- the publication of product data in catalogues and digital sales channels
Standardised data helps improve search results and parts matching, reduce ordering errors and provide consistent product information across different systems.
Which solutions does TecAlliance provide?
The TecAlliance solution portfolio covers various areas of the automotive aftermarket value chain.
TecDoc
TecDoc is the TecAlliance data and catalogue ecosystem for vehicle and spare parts information.
Manufacturers and suppliers provide their product data according to TecDoc specifications. This data may include:
- article numbers and product descriptions
- technical attributes
- vehicle linkages
- OE and reference numbers
- product images and documents
- packaging and logistics data
The information is standardised, validated and made available to distributors, workshops, platforms and other data recipients through solutions such as the TecDoc Catalogue and the TecDoc Web Service.
TecCom
TecCom is a B2B platform for digital ordering and business processes in the independent automotive aftermarket.
The platform connects suppliers and buyers and supports processes such as:
- availability and price enquiries
- electronic orders
- order confirmations
- delivery information
- returns and claims processes
- the standardised exchange of business data
Its purpose is to reduce manual work and automate processes between manufacturers, wholesalers and other market participants.
TecRMI
TecRMI provides standardised repair, maintenance and diagnostic data for workshops and service providers.
This includes information such as:
- maintenance schedules
- labour times
- technical data
- repair instructions
- tightening torques and fluid capacities
- diagnostic and service information
The data can be integrated into workshop solutions, catalogue systems, e-commerce platforms and other applications.
Data management and data analytics
TecAlliance also provides solutions for managing, validating and analysing product, vehicle and reference data.
These include systems and interfaces for:
- maintaining TecDoc product data
- validating data quality
- publishing new and updated article data
- analysing vehicle populations and market coverage
- linking OE and aftermarket data
With TecDoc IDP, for example, product data can be transferred directly to TecDoc via an API and validated during the process.
What is the difference between TecAlliance and TecDoc?
The terms TecAlliance and TecDoc are often used interchangeably, but they do not refer to the same thing.
TecAlliance is the company that provides a range of data and process solutions for the automotive aftermarket.
TecDoc is a TecAlliance product and solution family focused on standardised vehicle, product and spare parts data.
In addition to TecDoc, the TecAlliance portfolio includes TecCom, TecRMI and other data solutions.
What role does TecAlliance play for a PIM system?
A Product Information Management system (PIM) serves as a central platform for manufacturers and suppliers to manage their product information.
A PIM system can manage TecDoc-related information such as:
- product master data
- technical attributes
- vehicle linkages
- reference numbers
- translations
- images and documents
- packaging information
Different methods are available for transferring this information to TecAlliance or TecDoc.
With the traditional TecDoc TAF approach, product data is provided as structured files or data packages. TecDoc IDP enables individual data records and changes to be transferred directly via an API.
For a detailed comparison, see TecDoc TAF and IDP compared.
Conclusion
TecAlliance provides data standards, platforms and digital solutions for the independent automotive aftermarket.
Through TecDoc, TecCom and TecRMI, the company supports product data management, spare parts identification, the provision of technical information and the automation of ordering and business processes.
For manufacturers and suppliers, a powerful automotive PIM system often provides the foundation for centrally managing product information, preparing it according to TecDoc requirements and transferring it to the TecAlliance ecosystem.