Championing the Aftermarket: Why Accurate Product & Application Data Matters Across the Supply Chain
By ELTA Automotive
The automotive aftermarket is built on choice, competition and collaboration. Unlike vehicle manufacturers, it does not rely on a single data source or closed ecosystem. Instead, it brings together information from thousands of manufacturers, brands and suppliers, all working to support independent workshops and motor factors.
At ELTA Automotive, this open and competitive structure is something we actively champion. It is what gives the independent aftermarket its strength, resilience and ability to innovate.
In this environment, accurate product and application data is not just important, it is essential. Without it, there would be no true aftermarket, no first-time fixes, and no level playing field for independent businesses.
First-Time Fix Starts With Data
Modern vehicles are increasingly complex. Multiple engine variants, emissions standards, software updates and mid-year changes mean selecting the correct part is rarely straightforward.
From ELTA Automotive’s perspective, the consequences of incorrect data are seen daily across the supply chain:
Workshops lose time and confidence when parts do not fit
Customers experience delays and frustration
Factors absorb the cost of returns and administration
Margins are eroded for everyone involved
Every incorrect part affects more than one business.
Getting it right first time is a shared objective and, increasingly, a shared responsibility across the aftermarket.
The Backbone of the Aftermarket: Digital Catalogue Platforms
To manage this complexity, the aftermarket relies heavily on digital catalogue platforms such as TecDoc and MAM Autocat.
These platforms are essential tools for workshops and factors navigating an increasingly complex vehicle parc. However, they do not create data, they aggregate it. The quality of the aftermarket experience is determined by the quality of data supplied by manufacturers and brand owners behind those listings.
At ELTA Automotive, catalogue platforms are viewed as mirrors of the aftermarket itself. Strong data in leads to strong outcomes. Weak or inconsistent data undermines confidence across the entire chain.
Why Supplier Choice Shapes the Aftermarket Experience
Given the sheer volume of brands feeding into catalogue platforms, most factors and distributors refine results using supplier preferences.
This is where the aftermarket works best as a collaborative system.
When preferred suppliers invest in high-quality data:
Workshops see clearer, more accurate catalogue results
Parts fit first time
Returns reduce
Confidence grows throughout the chain
Choosing suppliers based on data quality is not just an operational decision. It is an active way of championing the aftermarket by making it work better for everyone involved.
Balancing Quality, Value and Choice
Accurate application data must be:
Precisely linked to vehicle variants
Consistently structured
Regularly maintained
Fully compliant
Achieving this level of precision requires components that are properly engineered and validated, not simply supplied to a price point.
For the aftermarket, this means striking the right balance between quality and value. Delivering OE-matching accuracy while preserving choice, competitiveness and affordability.
Aftermarket does not mean compromise. It means standards, trust and collaboration.
ELTA Brands Built on Trust and Technical Integrity
That balance of quality, value and choice is reflected across ELTA Automotive’s brand portfolio.
ELTA’s VXPRO range has been developed specifically to support the modern independent aftermarket. Engine management components demand absolute confidence in both product quality and application accuracy, making disciplined data management essential to first-time fix success. OE-matching performance, validated coverage and long-term reliability sit at the heart of the VXPRO proposition.
Alongside this, ELTA Automotive is also a trusted UK licensee of the iconic Lucas brand. Supplying products under such a globally respected name carries a clear responsibility, not only to uphold rigorous manufacturing and testing standards, but also to ensure products are accurately catalogued, validated and presented to the aftermarket.
Across both VXPRO and Lucas, data accuracy is treated as an extension of product quality. A component is only as good as the confidence with which it can be identified, selected and fitted.
Why TecDoc Premier Data Supplier Status and MMI Certified Data Matters
One way the aftermarket recognises excellence in data quality is through TecDoc Premier Data Supplier (PDS) status.
Awarded to roughly the top 30 to 33 percent of suppliers, PDS status recognises:
Approximately 99 percent data accuracy
Strong vehicle linkage
High-quality imagery
Consistent maintenance and updates
ELTA Automotive holds TecDoc Premier Data Supplier status, reflecting sustained investment in people, process and accountability. In parallel, all ELTA Autocat data is MMI Certified, ensuring consistency and accuracy across both major catalogue platforms.
This is not a box-ticking exercise. It is a long-term commitment to data discipline.
Championing the Aftermarket Through Data Discipline
At ELTA Automotive, data accuracy is treated as a core part of how the aftermarket is supported.
A dedicated in-house data team enables fast reactions and deep technical understanding
Decades of application knowledge are retained internally, not outsourced
Data is built, checked and validated before release
This disciplined approach supports ELTA Automotive’s own brands, including VXPRO, as well as its responsibility as a licensed supplier of the Lucas brand, ensuring consistency, confidence and first-time fit across the aftermarket.
ELTA also works closely with data specialists Elcome, using the xChecker platform to ensure data is accurately structured and optimised for both TecDoc and MAM Autocat.
This matters because, while both platforms serve similar purposes, their vehicle indexes and category structures differ significantly. Supporting one well is not enough. The aftermarket depends on consistency across all systems.
Keeping the Aftermarket Moving in Real Time
The aftermarket does not stand still, and neither does vehicle data. ELTA Automotive data moves continuously. Historically, ELTA has often reacted to application changes faster than catalogue platforms could process updates. To strengthen this further, ELTA became an early adopter of TecAlliance’s IDP Data Supplier API, enabling near real-time updates directly into TecDoc.
Alongside this, ELTA uses advanced GAP analysis software to benchmark coverage, identify missing applications and strengthen range completeness, helping the aftermarket compete on coverage as well as quality.
A Team Effort That Benefits Everyone
When accurate data flows through the aftermarket:
Workshops achieve first-time fixes
Factors reduce returns and wasted handling
Suppliers strengthen trust
Customers receive better service