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Ever wonder when and why Ford removes stock orders from your order bank for Bronco Sport or Escape or any other OTD vehicles? The quick answer: Ford purged them. In this article, we'll break down how Ford decides which orders to purge and which to keep.
Our goal with this article is to equip Ford dealers with essential inventory tips and practices for smarter ordering decisions. Precision Inventory Management is the largest Ford new vehicle ordering company, managing orders for over 200 dealerships in North America. We also work with Ford on improving their processes to work better for dealers. We know the ins and outs of how the system works, so you can trust the information we provide is up-to-date and accurate.
OTD Purge Process
What is it?
The OTD purge happens when Ford deletes unscheduled stock orders for OTD vehicle lines (at the time of this article, that includes Bronco Sport, Escape + PHEV, Expedition, Explorer, Mach-E, Mustang + Dark Horse, Ranger, Maverick, Aviator, Corsair, Nautilus, and Navigator).
When does it happen?
OTD purging occurs once a month during OTD week two (dressing period) before vehicle lines are scheduled. OTD vehicle lines are scheduled the Thursday after the second to last Wednesday each month. Scheduling always takes place on Thursday mornings around 7am ET. Scheduling for specific vehicle lines are also subject to change at Ford's discretion.
How does Ford decide?
If a dealer has used up all their allocation for a vehicle line, any remaining unscheduled stock orders get purged. Here are a couple of scenarios:
Scenario 1: A dealer has two Expedition allocation for the month. During OTD week one, they select two Expedition stock orders in the Wholesale tab of WBDO. The following week, Ford generates two SIMS based on those selections. Then, a retail unit is also added. At this point, the dealer has two stock orders and one retail order in the order bank. That month, the retail order schedules along with one of the stock orders, using up both pieces of allocation. The remaining unscheduled stock order will be purged by Ford before the next time that dealer has an opportunity to schedule that vehicle line.
Scenario 2: A dealer has two Expedition allocation for the month. During OTD week one, they select two Expedition stock orders in the wholesale tab of WBDO. The following week, Ford generates two SIMS based on those selections. A retail unit is also added. At this point, the dealer has two stock orders and one retail order in the order bank. That month, only one of the stock orders schedules, leaving one balance to schedule unit. In this case, there is leftover allocation and the unscheduled stock order will not be purged and will remain in the order bank, eligible to schedule in the next round.
Why is this necessary?
Dealers don't have the ability to delete OTD stock orders in WBDO. Before this process, order banks grew too large with unscheduled stock orders, especially when there were a lot of retail orders scheduling out of the allocation. This purge system keeps order banks lean and clean.
Does it always happen?
Most of the time, yes. However, Ford occasionally skips the purge for certain lines. They typically do this when they are having commodity issues and want larger order banks for scheduling purposes. They don’t communicate this, but Precision checks with them regularly so we know each month which vehicle lines are not following the normal purge process.
Why should you care?
When you are making your OTD body code selections in OTD week one in the wholesale tab of WBDO, you need to know which body codes will still be in the order bank when your allocation schedules to make the best decision about what to build next.
What can Precision do for you?
The process of purging OTD vehicles—and the OTD process in general—can be a complicated process. Data for vehicle ordering is limited and can be difficult to use effectively, and Ford doesn't always communicate changes to the purge process.
That's where we come in. Our specialized analysts will look at your data and what dealers near you are doing to order fast moving units that will get there as soon as possible—even getting you an unfair share of the good stuff. Reach out for a live demo where we look at your actual data and tell you what you can optimize.