The OEM-First Era: The Platform No Longer Sets the Rules. You Do.
For too long, OEMs have been constrained by legacy network-management and certification platforms – platforms built a decade or more ago for a very different time. These incumbent solutions impose rigid workflows, outdated data models, and inflexible program structures that force manufacturers to adapt their management approach to the system, rather than empowering the system to support their strategy. In an era defined by rapid regulatory change, electrification, evolving service models, and higher customer expectations, this technology gap has become a strategic liability – a drag factor to improving operating efficiency and effectiveness.
New specialist B2B SaaS solutions mark a decisive shift away from that legacy world. They introduce the OEM-First Era: a new platform architecture and management functionality that enables manufacturers to regain complete control over how their dealer and collision-repair networks are structured, governed, and continuously improved. Instead of the platform setting the rules, platforms like MONITRR give OEMs the freedom to define, refine, and evolve those rules at the speed of the business.
But the technology isn’t new. Leading platforms like MONITRR (launched in July 2020) operate worldwide, supporting manufacturers and Multi Site Operators (MSOs) to perform over one million assessments and audits. So, how are manufacturers regaining control and flexibility with the purpose-built platforms?
Unrivalled Network Configuration: Your Network, Exactly as You Operate It
Traditional systems force OEMs into rigid geographical or organisational structures. MONITRR does the opposite.
OEMs can configure their networks with precision – mirroring real-world complexity and operational nuance. This includes:
Regions and zones tailored to your organisational structure.
The dealer or collision repair network: add/delete individual network sites or edit anything and everything about sites.
Create networks that comprise both single and Multi-Site Operators (MSOs) for monitoring and reporting requirements.
Create sub-networks, tier levels, and specialist sectors for segmentation and targeted management and reporting.
Create continuous or predefined audit schedules for the network.
Create bespoke network tags to categorise network sites by any strategic or operational dimension.
This level of configurability allows OEMs to track performance, compliance, and development exactly as they choose, without compromise and without delay. In our new competitive environment, the fast beats the big.
Total Control Over Standards and Program Design
Legacy platforms typically lock OEMs into predefined templates, making program updates slow, costly, or impossible. MONITRR eliminates these constraints entirely.
OEMs can define:
The type of standards they want and order them any which way.
The type of evidence they want and their requirements.
The evidence submission rules and how frequently they want to see it.
The priorities they want the audit team and the network to focus on.
The weighting, scoring, and pass/fail logic for individual standards.
The mandatory versus recommended status of individual standards.
When they want to notify sites that new evidence is required.
Which sites they wish to audit, when and how. And if they want single or multi-auditor events.
Whether launching a global collision-repair certification, a regional EV-readiness program, or a brand-specific customer-experience initiative, MONITRR adapts instantly – no vendor-side development needed. OEMs can change anything, any day of the week.
A Multi-Layered Quality Assurance Ecosystem
Quality assurance is no longer a one-size-fits-all exercise. MONITRR supports a broad spectrum of QA methodologies, enabling OEMs to deploy the most efficient and effective approach for each market, program or site. They can choose any of the following methods or a combination:
Self-assessments for ongoing, low-friction oversight with or without AI verification.
Auditor-only assessments for external, third-party auditing teams.
Remote audits for rapid verification without travel and follow-up confirmation by Auditors.
AI-supported audits to increase accuracy and reduce Auditor workload and/or free up more time to review the “quality of repair”.
On-site audits delivered online or offline, with an option for 360-degree auditing for the most QA conscious Network Manager.
This hybrid approach increases consistency, reduces operational cost, and accelerates the pace of quality improvement across the network.
Granular User Access and Governance
Control over who can access what is mission-critical for global OEMs. MONITRR provides sophisticated user management capabilities:
Set access rights by region, country, zone, MSO or individual site.
Restrict functionality by job role, area of responsibility, or seniority.
Ensure sensitive data is only visible to approved individuals.
Maintain governance standards across internal teams and external partners.
This clarity and control enhance accountability and protect data integrity across even the most extensive networks.
A Platform That Moves at the Speed of Your Business
What once required months of vendor negotiation, system development, and complex workarounds can now be achieved in minutes. OEMs can:
Restructure their network as often as they like.
Introduce new standards and change them as needed.
Modify audit workflows and QA methodologies to maximise efficiencies.
Launch new certification programs and have tailored mini networks for specific job roles.
Adjust compliance thresholds.
Reconfigure reporting to meet everybody’s requirements.
All without waiting for support tickets, code changes, or platform upgrades. All actionable in minutes in an intuitive design environment.
Changes take effect instantly across thousands of outlets, ensuring network alignment and responsiveness that legacy systems cannot match. Oh, and there’s no need for software downloads – everything is safe and sound in the cloud.
The Future Belongs to OEMs Who Take Back Control
The automotive sector is transforming faster than ever. Electrification, ADAS complexity, sustainability requirements, and rising consumer expectations mean that OEMs need agility, precision, and total operational control across their networks.
Legacy systems restrict that.
MONITRR enables it.
By giving OEMs complete flexibility in how they design and manage their networks, platforms like MONITRR become not just a platform but a strategic enabler of risk management at scale, operational excellence, brand consistency, and competitive advantage.
Welcome to the OEM-First Era. The system no longer sets the rules. You do.