Digital Enablement of Your Spare Parts Operations

For Terex, a global manufacturer serving the aggregates, environmental, and lifting sectors, embracing digital solutions has become a key strategy in optimising service delivery and enhancing customer satisfaction. 

With a mission grounded in sustainability, safety, and innovation, Terex is harnessing the power of digital tools to simplify operations, improve access, and drive new value across its parts business.

This article explores how Terex is digitally enabling its spare parts operations through integrated platforms, AI, data-led decision-making, and customer-centric innovation. From centralised portals to visual search and predictive stocking tools, the journey offers practical insights for any organisation aiming to modernise its aftermarket services.

Building a Digital Ecosystem for Spare Parts

Marco Piovano, Vice President of Parts and Solutions for Terex, highlights that digitalisation at Terex spans machines, parts, and services. The company’s dealer-based distribution model means that parts are sold through partners, making a streamlined, digitally connected experience important.

One of the major milestones has been the consolidation of digital access into a single portal. Previously, customers had to navigate multiple platforms, including warranty systems, e-commerce, and case management. Now, with a single sign-on experience, dealers and end users can access all tools in one place. The portal adapts based on user persona, providing relevant information and functions depending on whether the user is a dealer, technician, or customer.

E-Commerce: Functionality and Challenges

Terex has made significant strides in B2B e-commerce by streamlining how dealers order parts. However, selling parts directly to end customers (B2C) has been more challenging. End users tend to prefer direct communication through WhatsApp or phone calls over self-service when their high-value machines are down. As Piovano explains, there is hesitancy in ordering expensive parts online due to the fear of mistakes.

Despite this, Terex continues to invest in making online part identification easier. One major innovation is the implementation of visual search. Using synthetic images generated from 3D models, customers can photograph a part and be presented with visually similar matches on the e-commerce platform. This addresses a critical customer pain point: identifying the right part quickly.

To overcome image gaps, Terex has worked with external partners to produce synthetic images of parts, complete with accurate angles, materials, and colours. This automation helps close the visual content gap and enables more intuitive, image-led search functions.

Strengthening Stock Availability with CDI

Availability often outweighs pricing in importance when it comes to spare parts. Terex recognises that having parts in stock at the point of service is vital. That’s why they launched the Connected Dealer Inventory (CDI) programme. This tool integrates with dealer ERP systems and provides automated stock recommendations.

Each week, dealers receive a list of suggested parts to stock based on a blend of historical sales data and real-time demand insights. The process is seamless: stock suggestions, purchase orders, and system updates occur simultaneously within both Terex and dealer systems. This not only boosts convenience but enhances visibility, optimises stocking levels, and ensures parts are available exactly where they’re needed.

Linking Sales and Parts from the Start

Terex’s investment in a digital machine configurator has also proved valuable for spare parts operations. Designed to support sales teams in quoting machine options and configurations, the tool is directly connected to Terex’s CRM.

Integrating spare parts into the quoting process and offering initial stock recommendations based on machine specs helps Terex position parts as a key value add from the outset of the customer relationship. Doing this boosts early parts sales and gets customers are set up with the right inventory from day one.

Unlocking the Power of Data and Telematics

No digital journey is complete without high-quality data. Piovano refers to Terex’s task force dedicated to improving master data quality, which is a foundational but often underestimated step. Without reliable data, digital tools can produce inconsistent or misleading outcomes.

Terex is also making powerful use of telematics. Every new machine is equipped with telematics capabilities as standard. This data on machine usage, location, and performance is not only shared with customers through fleet management tools but is also harnessed by Terex to track dealer activity and predict parts demand.

Through this, Terex closes the loop between real-time machine usage and parts sales, allowing them to identify not just what dealers are buying but what they should be buying based on the machines they service.

AI-Powered Assistance and Chatbots

Another innovative step has been the introduction of Ask Terex, an AI-powered chatbot built on open AI technology. Trained using thousands of documents, from service manuals to sales brochures, it provides immediate answers to customer and internal queries.

Whether it’s diagnosing a fault, identifying a part, or comparing machine models, the chatbot supports both technical and commercial use cases. Its success has been such that dealers are willing to pay for access, creating a new revenue stream for Terex.

This tool enhances customer support and reduces the need for manual intervention, freeing expert staff to focus on high-impact tasks.

Visual Support with Remote Assistance

To further enhance support and reduce downtime, Terex has rolled out remote visual assistance. After trialling various tools (including expensive AR glasses with poor usability), the company settled on a user-friendly video support platform.

The tool allows service teams to visually guide customers in real time, regardless of location or language. Live translation, image freezing, and document sharing make troubleshooting easier and faster. For Terex, this means fewer unnecessary site visits, lower service costs, and faster resolutions.

Creating New Digital Business Models

Digital isn’t just about enhancing existing operations but about creating new revenue streams. Terex is exploring the commercial potential of digital tools themselves. From selling AI chatbot licences to offering digital services as standalone products, the company is redefining what it means to be a manufacturer in the digital age.

This shift reflects a broader industry trend: digital capabilities are no longer just operational enablers but core value propositions.

Smarter Spare Parts Management

Terex’s journey to digitally enable its spare parts operations is both inspiring and practical. Through master data optimisation, seamless portals, visual part identification, predictive inventory management, and AI-driven assistance, the company is building a robust and future-ready digital ecosystem.

While some tools are still evolving—particularly on the end-customer side—Terex has shown that with a clear strategy, team commitment, and customer focus, digital transformation can unlock enormous value. Spare parts operations are evolving into a strategic growth engine powered by data, design, and digital tools.