Using digital technologies to extend the lifespan of primary automotive products

GTV Projects is a company of the GTV group with the history of trade in pre-owned vehicles and parts dating back to 2004. Currently, the company is the largest and most modern in Lithuania and have earned the trust of their customers because of the guarantee for their goods and services.

GTV Projects offer an all-round product for the current and future customers – original used and new car parts, engines and gearboxes, test kits, new cars from the USA and GB, a service of vehicle purchase at world auctions, their transportation to/from Lithuania and the CIS countries.

In pursuit of developing a sustainability strategy, the company encountered a challenge regarding how to ensure a smooth process for refurbishing and preparing used products (in this case, auto details) for reuse, aiming to extend the primary product's lifespan in the market. Engaging consultants from the EDIH4IAE.LT consortium, the challenge was set to create and implement a digital solution within the company. This solution would enable the analysis and prediction of the refurbishment and preparation time and costs for used products (auto details), ensuring traceability, location tracking, and automatic transmission of updated products to international sales channels. Additionally, it would facilitate real-time monitoring, evaluation, and decision-making from the refurbishment phase to sales and delivery to the customer.

The company's digital transformation facilitated the automated analysis and forecasting of repair time and costs, as well as the preparation for secondary product usage—specifically, auto details. The incorporated technologies ensured traceability and location tracking of repaired details, along with their automatic transfer to the international sales market. Furthermore, these technologies aided in monitoring, evaluating, and making real-time decisions from product processing to customer delivery. The EDIH4IAE.LT consultants used their expertise and experience to help implement digital solutions smoothly, aided by the learning materials, guidelines, and recommendations from the DTA team. The EDIH4IAE.LT recommended the supplier of digital technologies and facilitated partial financing.

The scope of the solution involved the use of artificial intelligence to digitally transform four main processes: production planning, warehouse management, sales, and logistics. Functional capabilities were integrated into the system, eliminating the need for human resources, and automating relevant actions:

1. Sales statistics - analysing sales by quantity, amount, or time period across various sales platforms.

2. Additional eBay integration - automatic item uploads from WMS to multiple eBay accounts.

3. Integration package - connecting with six significant sales platforms: Amazon, B-parts, Autoteile-markt, Bildelbasen, Teilehaber, Desquazon.

4. Mass uploading of goods to sales platforms - selecting and automatically uploading large quantities of goods.

5. Price analysis - evaluating item prices across different sales platforms.

6. API interface - importing large data sets onto WMS.

7. Divisions - creating separate divisions for warehouse organization, items, and accounting reports.

The client expressed satisfaction with the implemented digital solutions, which met their expectations comprehensively.

At the onset of the challenge, consultants from the EDIH4IAE.LT consortium conducted a digital maturity assessment, evaluating the need, benefits, and feasibility of the solution. In collaboration with the client, a detailed action plan for the implementation of the digital challenge was formulated. The EDIH4IAE.LT consortium consultants also presented several alternative digital technology solution providers to the company. Together with the client, a decision was made to integrate and adapt the solution offered by UAB "Recaras" incorporating artificial intelligence technologies—a modern, convenient, and cost-effective tool for car scrapers.

To mitigate investment risks associated with the implementation of the new solution in the company's operations, alternative sources of financing were recommended. This included leveraging partial financial support under the impact area "Promoting the digital transformation” activity “Promotion of very small, small, and medium-sized enterprises by financing the implementation of e-sales transaction solutions, service and product configuration, and visualization" as part of the 2022-2030 Development Program No 05-001-01-05 managed by the Economic Transformation and Competitiveness Development Program Administrator of the Republic of Lithuania's Ministry of Economy and Innovation.

Throughout the entirety of the digital challenge, consultants from the EDIH4IAE.LT consortium supported the company, from the formulation of the challenge itself to the final implementation of the solution. They shared their knowledge, expertise, and partner networks, facilitating a seamless transition and integration of the solution.