A novel parts matching service monitors global supply and demand and automatically generates spot market trading opportunities based on pre-established customer preferences.

Horizon Technology, an unconventional distributor specialising in display and information storage for computing and technology applications, has launched its Proactive PartMatch service to the repair and aftermarket service industry. The service is part of a suite of database management tools built on its proprietary global supply and demand (GSD) database designed exclusively for customers to help substantially reduce unit costs and response times, while increasing purchasing productivity. The Proactive PartMatch system from Horizon continuously monitors global supply and demand information while automatically generating spot market trading opportunities based on pre-established customer preferences - price and quantity.

Horizon's Proactive PartMatch systematically and confidentially matches the supply and demand records of more than 11,000 Horizon trading partners globally.

A real-time service, the system will match past, present and future supply data once the information is added to the database.

When a match occurs, a Horizon account manager is electronically alerted, and the customer is then notified of the opportunity based on his or her specifications.

Horizon leveraged its relationships with OEM, EMS and 3PSP customers to identify the biggest challenges they face in fulfilling their product warranties.

The top three concerns for service parts management turned out to be cost, quality, and delivery.

'After narrowing down the list of service parts to the high cost, high failure rate items, we focused our business model and service development on delivering cost savings and market liquidity through a suite of services that effectively leverages the liquidity of the global market', said Kurt Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Horizon Technology.

Along with the ProActive PartMatch service, Horizon has established an approved reseller relationship with Seagate and Western Digital for their recertified hard drive programmes.

One of the major markets for factory recertified hard drives is fulfillment of repair demand for enterprise, desktop, mobile computing and consumer electronics applications.

'Our relationships with Seagate and Western Digital, combined with the introduction of our Proactive PartMatch service, and our operational expansion, allows us to offer industry leading solutions to the repair and aftermarket services industry', stated Johnson.