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MAY 2010

From the CEO

We are nearing the end of the 2010 financial year. Sales in general in the dealer market remain buoyant and at Auto-IT we have exceeded our financial and sales targets, and are looking forward to the approaching financial year with cautious optimism.


Auto-IT is a vendor of retail Dealer Management Systems. A massive amount of resource is expended by us in continually improving our product offerings in line with Worlds best practice and this is reflected in a continued steady growth in our client base.


Our fortunes are inextricably linked to the viability of our Dealership customers in the domestic marketplace and we will ultimately succeed or fail in direct relation to our ability to understand and react to the needs of these customers.


Since the beginning of the current financial year the number of licensed users of Auto-IT’s software products increased by a total of 2,269 users to reach an all time high of 17,485. This represents an average of 269 new users licensed to utilise our dealer management software in each month of the current financial year. Our dealer systems now run the businesses of 450 dealerships in an estimated 1100 locations. Further, as we mature as a company the average size of our new dealer customers is growing and many of our new dealer clients are proprietors of sizeable multi franchise dealerships in multiple locations and in excess of 150 users per dealer group.


None of us know what’s ahead in the new financial year. The fallout from the taxation proposals in the Australian resource sector cherry picked from the Henry report, could have far reaching consequences. And recent events in Europe where the financial securities of entire countries have recently been relegated to junk bond status leave us struggling to predict good times ahead any time soon. This convinces us of the absolute necessity of providing real value in the supply of our products and services.


At Auto-IT we are single-mindedly focused on the provision of new generation enterprise software products designed to help our clients efficiently run their businesses, irrespective of what the economy might throw at them. We pride ourselves on achieving the following:

  • Moderately priced Dealer Management software embracing the latest in technology but capable of holding its own against any global competitor.
     

  • Regular web-based training programs designed to make user training more relevant and much more affordable.
     

  • Dealership process improvement programs designed to maximise the efficiency of our dealer systems and to guarantee more profitable outcomes from our customers’ investment in technology. You will hear a lot more of this service in coming months.
     

  • Auto-IT’s internal processes for writing, testing, deploying, and supporting our software products have been subject to intense scrutiny and we are now proud of the robustness of our quality control programs. This will be manifested in the high level of stability our users can expect when we roll out the latest production release of UNITS® / EQUIP® over the next few weeks and PMDS® over the next few months,

We are very much looking forward to the new financial year but have no doubt there will be challenges aplenty in the Dealer market ahead of us.


At Auto-IT we will do our best to make sure that the partnership between our company and its valuable customers will continue to flourish and as the CEO I will always welcome personal contact from customers at any time on my mobile phone number +61 432 689 688.

 

Ken W Fife | Chief Executive Officer | Auto-IT Australia Pty Ltd | Email

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Build 2060 Ready

 

We have completed the pilot testing process with several of our customers for build 2060 and we are now ready to start our general release of the build. The build has numerous enhancements to improve your processes and overall efficiency within your dealership. The release notes for this build will be sent out in the next few weeks. Please take the time to acquaint yourselves with the latest changes covered in these notes and ensure you book your upgrade with the Support department.


I would like to thank John Hockey from Windmill Ag, Scott Leary from Albany Holden and John Hodge from Grand Prix Mazda for their valuable contribution to our pilot process. The contribution from our pilot sites is an integral step in our release process and ensures that the release is delivered to our clients without issue.


We have commenced in earnest on build 2070 which will be in pilot around the end of the year. This build will upgrade EQUIP
® to the latest release of PowerBuilder and Sybase SQL Anywhere resolving many issues such as compatibility with Windows 2008 and 64-bit operating systems. We will advise you separately in relation to this upgrade.

Wayne Rushworth
Chief Operating Officer

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New Clients

 

 

Welcome to the following new clients who have recently upgraded to our world class Dealer Management Systems.
We are proud to have you as Auto-IT clients.

 
Bill Buckle Auto Group NSW Audi, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen
Callaghan Motors VIC Holden, Mercedes Benz, Mitsubishi, Suzuki
Ceduna Machinery SA Toyota, John Deere
Crouch Rural Pty Ltd SA John Deere
Geoff King Motors NSW Holden, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Volkswagen, Kia
Honeycombes QLD, NT BMW, Porsche, Audi, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Hyundai, Citroen, John Deere, Holden, Mazda
Keema Automotive Group QLD Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Suzuki, Isuzu Ute, Great Wall, Kia
McIntosh & Son WA, QLD New Holland, Case Construction
WSB Distributors SA Kubota, Massey Ferguson

 

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Auto-IT Australia's New Starters


 

Auto IT Australia is proud of the recent growth in its business. This growth has led to the employment of new staff in all areas of the business. We would like to introduce to you the following staff members who have joined us in the last six months.

Many of you may have already spoken to the lively addition to our NSW office - Houda Taoube (right) - the new Sydney Receptionist who joined us late last year. Houda comes from an Administration, Reception and Childcare background and brings with her an excellent mix of administration skills, cheeriness and patience.



Dominic Alfonsi (left) is a Support Consultant working with UNITS and EQUIP. Dominic works full time and is completing An Advanced Diploma in Computer Science including CCNA (Cisco Certified Networking Associate) part time. Dominic is a newcomer to the industry but has a wealth of customer service experience gained in the hospitality industry.



Some clients may have already met Michael Weiszbach (right),  Installations Consultant in NSW. Michael started his career as a mechanic/technician and subsequently went on to work in most areas of the dealership, from spare parts to vehicle sales. This was followed by a role at Gateway computers in the engineering department and three years supporting NRMA Motorserve with setup/support for Units and additional software interfaces.
 


Evgenia Gustova (left) is a Developer based in the Melbourne office of Auto-IT. With a Masters Degree in Mathematics Evgenia specialises in solutions design, database and software development and support, data analysis and Reporting. Evgenia, who is a passionate problem solver, has previously worked for international Telcos and utility companies and also for Visy, ANZ and Telstra in Australia.



Upendra Singh (right) is currently working as a Business Analyst in the Melbourne office of Auto-IT. He has earned a Bachelor of Computer Engineering from NMU, India and a Master of Business (IT) from RMIT University. Upendra worked for ICICI Bank India as a channel officer under Retail group of ICICI bank for one and a half years and then for Salesforce Pty Ltd as a Business to Business sales consultant for two years.
 


Daniel Mitchell (left) is an Installation Consultant based in our Queensland office. After starting in the Service Department at a multi-franchise dealership in Wellington, Daniel has been working for the past two years in Auto-IT’s New Zealand office as a Support and Technical Consultant. Currently working on installation projects in Australia gives Daniel the opportunity to combine his strong technical background, front-end product knowledge and dealership insight to help Auto-IT deliver outstanding service to our clients.
 


Diana Costanzo (right) has taken up the role of Marketing Assistant in the Melbourne office of Auto IT. After completing her Business/ Arts degrees at Swinburne University Diana worked for Austrade as a Marketing Assistant. Her role at Austrade focused on a project centred on the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. More recently Diana worked for Victoria Police in an IT support capacity.
 


Craig Thomson (left) is the new Installation Consultant based in the Western Australian office. Craig has extensive experience within the Motor Industry and was previously employed by Armstrong Prestige one of our New Zealand dealers in a Parts Manager role.
 

 


Kyle Blanchard (right) is our Software Test Manager, based in Melbourne. Kyle worked for 20 years for the National Australia Bank, many of the those years for a subsidiary called National Custodian Services in numerous roles including Team Leader, Business Analyst, Senior Tester and Project Lead. Then as a Senior Testing Consultant and Auditor for DST Global Solutions, a financial software house for four years.

 


Jason Halpin (left) is a Support and Installation Consultant based in the Melbourne office of Auto-IT. Jason has worked in most areas of the IT business during his 5 years at Infomedia, spending time in their Melbourne, Sydney and UK offices. His new role is not Jason’s first foray into the dealer management system business, he has spent one year with Ultimate Business Systems as a Support & Installations consultant. Other work experience includes: License Coordinator in the UK and casual work while studying at a large dealership based in Newcastle picking & packing in the parts department.
 


Akram Mustafa (right) is a new Developer in the Melbourne office. With a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Yarmouk University Akram has significant experience working for a range of companies as a Senior Analyst/ Programmer. Some of the companies he has worked for include: AEMO (Australian Energy Market Operator), TeleFinity, Cumulus Integrated Solutions, Gapbuster World Wide, and Alalamiah Electronics.

 

The newest Sales Cadet set to rise through the ranks of Auto-IT is Clem Murphy (left). Clem, who is currently studying for his MBA at Deakin University, comes to us from an IT sales role. Extensive corporate retail experience, including ten years with the Coles Group, lays a solid foundation for the rigorous training program Clem will undergo at Auto-IT. Clients may encounter Clem in Support, assisting with installations or working with an Account Manager over the coming months.

 

PMDS® Business Relationship Manager, George Kleoudis (right) has 25 years experience in the automotive industry, including dealer service management and vehicle manufacturer positions in dealer audit and after-sales management (with General Motors). These positions have endowed George with extensive experience in business intelligence tools, database management and dealer management systems.

 

 

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New Factory Interfaces

 

Auto-IT has and will continue to write all available factory interfaces. Many of these interfaces make your business more efficient and effective. Don't miss out on giving your business a competitive edge! To find out more about how these interfaces can benefit your business and how to set these interfaces up please speak to your Account Manager or Grahame McCann on 0412 561 929.

 

     
     
   

Iveco

   

CSI Extract (coming soon)

     
     
       

     
   

Hino

   

HIPS Financial

     
     


 

*For more information and pricing please contact your regional Account Manager.

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Keep Smiling

 

 

 

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Useful Tips

Parts Assembly - Selling Bulk Materials by Portion


Many dealerships buy bulk fluids or lengths of materials that are sometimes required to be separated for use in the workshop. Example: a bulk drum of oil at 205 litres. Although some of the drums may be retailed by the drum, the workshop may need to be able to sell from the drum in litre portions. The Parts Assembly program in Equip
® has the ability to allow this.

 

The department will have to create a new part number for the process. The part can be set in the current franchise or in the franchise set up for the Service department. The following diagram explains how to utilise the assembly program. The job code does not need to be used but is there as an added function, if the part is required to be added to a job code.

1. Enter the branch, franchise and part number to be assembled in the top fields of the screen.
2. Enter the branch and genuine part number that is to be used in the process.
     Note: The Job Code field does not have to be used.
3. Press the build button and this will sell one drum and purchase individual quantities.

 

 

 

 


 

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Auto-IT Australia Pty Ltd 
ABN: 57 091 383 854
Suite 2 / Level 1, 333 Drummond St, Carlton VIC 3053, Australia
Ph: (03) 9349 3062 :: Fax: (03) 9349 3067
  www.auto-it.com.au