Automotive News Canada - June 2022 - 21

SPONSORED CONTENT
ALI MOGHADDAM ON HOW WURTH CANADA COMBINES TOP TECH-
AND HUMAN TOUCH-TO LEAD CUSTOMERS INTO THE FUTURE
Wurth Canada Ltd. CEO Ali Moghaddam
recently visited with Tim Dimopoulos,
publisher of Automotive News Canada.
Before joining Wurth in October 2020,
Moghaddam spent 20 years managing
several businesses in industrial distribution
and manufacturing. He has extensive
experience in business and cultural transformation,
leading multiple organizations
to high performance and creating breakthrough
results.
Q: Ali, technology has disrupted many
industries, with a few very clear examples
of this in automotive retail and manufacturing.
As a supplier to the industry,
how is Wurth leveraging technology to
make sure its customers thrive?
Ali Moghaddam: Your question is actually
very timely because Wurth Canada
has been preparing for what we call
" ready for tomorrow " by making it easier for our customers to be in control
of their workload. We do this by providing the right level of human expertise
supported by the technology that meets their needs. For 50 years, we've
had proactive experts who have been working directly with our customers in
the automotive industry, helping them create meaningful business solutions.
Now, alongside our superior customer service, we've developed exclusive
technology in inventory management, storage systems, procurement and
supply chain.
I can give you a few examples to better clarify. Over the past couple of years,
we have developed a software application called ORSY Connect that is available
to our customers for free. And I want to emphasize the word free-there is
no extra fee. Ultimately, it helps our customers gain control of their stock
levels, track costs, approve POs and save money with deeper
insight into their procurement practices.
Another application that has made a huge diff erence
is what we call Speedy Touch. This application is
installed on iPads that our experts carry when they
visit our customers. The app tracks all the customer
data in real time so customers can see historical
purchases and their purchasing behavior.
It's very insightful. Customers can also see the
information right in front of them when our
experts are at their site-whether it's products
they need, changes they want to do to
reduce their inventory to match the cycles of
their business, and so on.
And fi nally, I want to highlight our fully automated
Wurth store. We opened a state-of-theart
retail store last year in the Greater Toronto
Area so our customers can now shop 24/7. It's
the fi rst touchless and automated industrial store
of its kind in North America.
Q: I find the concept really interesting, Ali. We know
that digital retailing is taking hold across the country,
To watch Tim and Ali's conversation, visit canada.autonews.com/wurthvideo.
so it might seem almost old-fashioned
to open a brick-and-mortar store. Tell
us more about why you're opening up
pickup shops while so many businesses
are closing their storefronts.
Moghaddam: True, our own digital sales
have become much stronger like everyone
else's. But we see the store as
another step toward the future. First of
all, it's 24/7, touchless and automated,
complete with self-checkout. Our vision
at Wurth Canada is to off er our customers
as many contact points as possible
to make it easier for them to shop
at their convenience. Now, whether it's
online; through our onsite experts; on
the phone; through email, text; or, now,
in one of our stores, we want our customers
to have all the options. The fi rst
shop is open in Vaughan, Ontario, and
over the next fi ve years, our plan is to open over 30 stores all across Canada.
Q: So, Ali, where else are you innovating, and what do you think is next for
Canada's auto sector?
"
"
contentstudio
...alongside our superior
customer service, we've
developed exclusive
technology in inventory
management, storage
systems, procurement
and supply chain.
Moghaddam: One major focus area for us is the Electric Vehicle (EV) market.
We have been investing in products and technology to be ready for the EV
revolution happening in Canada. We've already shipped new products and
solutions to several major automotive OEMs, from EV repair tools to lift tables
for their batteries. People may not know it, but the game has started. We are
already helping our customers get ready for the EV revolution. A good number
of them actually have started repairing electric vehicles. And, I'm not just
talking about the typical EV manufacturers, but this is now Canadian manufacturers
at large.
Without a doubt, Wurth Canada has become the leading distributor
in the EV market. We are working side by side
with our OEM customers as they get set up, because
we know that many auto shops will be going through
the EV transformation. And we're ready to support
them right now.
Q: Now, Ali, things continue to change fast,
and it's not going to stop. We all know that.
But what makes Wurth Canada different?
And how are you keeping the company
well-positioned to serve its customers now
and into the future?
Moghaddam: There has been a signifi cant
transformation for us over the past couple
of years and I'm confi dent that we have
better positioned Wurth to help our customers
get ready for tomorrow. As I mentioned,
we are combining human expertise and technology
to make it easier for our customers to
be in control of their operations. This is the big
diff erence, I believe, that Wurth Canada is making
in the market.
http://canada.autonews.com/wurthvideo
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