Automotive parts warehouse software for dense catalogues, tire date codes and bin accuracy
In Canada, the Motor Vehicle Safety Act treats as equipment only the items in its Schedule I: tires, and equipment for restraining children and disabled persons. Other aftermarket parts fall outside that definition. Tires carry the heaviest record duties: under the Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations, each tire shows an identification number in which four symbols give the week and year of manufacture, and the companies that mark or import tires keep records for at least five years.
The rest of the job is catalogue discipline. Fitment data travels in the Auto Care Association’s ACES standard, and product information such as specifications, hazardous-materials data and interchanges in PIES, but the warehouse works from part numbers and bins. WarePulse does not read ACES or PIES files; it controls the part number at the bin and at the pick, with scan verification on every plan.
Connect workflow fit to rollout context earlier.
The rest of the job is catalogue discipline. Fitment data travels in the Auto Care Association’s ACES standard, and product information such as specifications, hazardous-materials data and interchanges in PIES, but the warehouse works from part numbers and bins. WarePulse does not read ACES or PIES files; it controls the part number at the bin and at the pick, with scan verification on every plan.
Parts distributors and multi-branch operations whose errors start with look-alike part numbers at the bin.
Tire warehouses that want date codes visible on stock without a separate spreadsheet (all plans).
Aftermarket suppliers moving from paper pick lists to scan-verified picking and cycle counts.
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ImplementationCompare related WarePulse options
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Plan the next warehouse step
Bring a sample of look-alike part numbers and your bin layout, and we will run a scan-verified pick and a blind count on them with you.
Workflow steps
- Put two look-alike part numbers in neighbouring bins and try to pick the wrong one.
- Run a blind count on a fast-moving class and check that a recount opens when the variance passes your threshold.
- Set minimum and maximum levels on a pick face and check the replenishment it suggests.
Implementation planning
- Items import from CSV with SKU, name, unit, weight, dimensions and reorder point, so values from your PIES data can seed the item master.
- Locations import from CSV with a code, zone and type; label every bin before go-live so each pick can be scanned.
- Decide how superseded part numbers are handled, since WarePulse treats each number as its own item.
Security and purchasing context
- Stock adjustments and posted counts leave audit records for variance review. Validate which records must be exported and retained for each customer’s tire-record obligations.
- Roles run from owner and admin to manager, operator and picker; posting counts from the web portal is limited to managers.
Questions to resolve
- Can the WMS tell us which part fits a vehicle? No; keep fitment in ACES-based catalogue tools and let the WMS control the part number.
- Do we need lots for tires? Only if you want the date code visible on stock; the regulations put the record duty on the companies that mark or import tires.
Expected business impact
- Scan verification at the bin catches a wrong part number before it reaches a repair bay.
- Counting by ABC class puts count effort on the parts you set as class A.
The sector rules your WMS has to respect
The operating rules that create the most risk in this sector — and hurt the most when the software gets them wrong.
Regulated equipment (Motor Vehicle Safety Act s. 2 and Schedule I): tires and equipment for restraining children and disabled persons; the companies that apply the national safety mark to them or import them must give notice of safety defects to the Minister and to owners (s. 10).
Tire identification (Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations s. 6): each tire carries a tire identification number, and four of its symbols give the week and year of manufacture.
Tire records (ss. 9 and 9.1): companies that apply the national safety mark or import tires keep records, including tire identification numbers and size designations, for at least five years after manufacture or import.
Purchaser registration (s. 10): tire companies give purchasers a bilingual way to register their tires and keep the registration data for at least five years after sale, so defect notices can reach them.
Catalogue standards: ACES carries vehicle fitment in XML, and PIES carries product information such as specifications, hazardous materials and interchanges; the Auto Care Association maintains both.
Where WarePulse fits this sector
How WarePulse handles the sector rules that actually matter on your floor.
Picking is verified by scanning the location, then the part, so a look-alike part number is caught at the bin on every plan.
Cycle counts can run by location, by ABC class or both, with classes set per item, blind counts on mobile and a recount when a variance passes the warehouse threshold.
Pick faces carry minimum, maximum and trigger quantities with a linked reserve location, and WarePulse lists the replenishment needed to refill them.
On every plan, a tire’s week-and-year date code can be recorded as its lot so it stays visible on stock and picks; WarePulse does not rotate stock by manufacture date automatically.
Every plan includes unlimited SKUs and the same operational features; Standard covers one warehouse, Pro up to three and Scale up to ten, with larger monthly routing-credit pools.
On every plan, core and warranty returns are recorded with a condition and a disposition such as return to vendor or refurbish.
WarePulse has no supersession or interchange table and does not import ACES or PIES; a superseded part number is managed as its own item.
Built for warehouses in this industry
Operators and customer profiles where sector-specific rules shape the decision.
Parts distributors and multi-branch operations whose errors start with look-alike part numbers at the bin.
Tire warehouses that want date codes visible on stock without a separate spreadsheet (all plans).
Aftermarket suppliers moving from paper pick lists to scan-verified picking and cycle counts.
Not a fit if the WMS must hold fitment data, resolve supersessions or read ACES and PIES files.
Part-number discipline is the whole job
A parts warehouse fails on near-identical numbers: a left and a right mirror, two filters one digit apart, a superseded number still on the shelf. Fitment data decides which part the customer needs; the warehouse’s job is to make sure that exact number leaves the bin. Scanning the part at the pick face is the control that proves it.
Give every part number its own barcode and bin, including superseded numbers still in stock.
Set ABC classes by hand for fast movers and high-value parts, and count them more often.
Record tire date codes at receiving if you promise customers a maximum tire age.
Keep fitment lookup in your catalogue or ecommerce system, not in the warehouse.
Where to go next
Picking workflow
Scan the location, then the part, before anything leaves the bin.
See detailsCycle counting
ABC classes, blind counts and recounts for dense part catalogues.
See detailsFeature hub
Review barcode, lot, billing, and portal capabilities.
See detailsWorkflow hub
Connect the sector rule to the station that must change first.
See detailsComposite operating scenarios
Use disclosed composite scenarios to keep planning grounded in operations.
See detailsEcosystem data exchange
Review CSV, Next Movement, and scoped data handoffs that shape the sector flow.
See detailsPricing
Plans from $699 CAD a month for one warehouse, with unlimited users.
See detailsImplementation
Review the rollout path before the evaluation turns into a risky cutover.
See detailsFrequently asked questions
Are aftermarket auto parts regulated as equipment in Canada?+
How long must tire records be kept?+
Can WarePulse read ACES or PIES files?+
Can WarePulse track tire date codes?+
Does WarePulse handle supersessions?+
Anchor the evaluation to the hardest rule on your floor.
Test the pick you worry about most: two part numbers one digit apart, side by side. If the system stops the wrong one at the bin, the rest is setup.
Plan the next evaluation step
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