About Rivers Edge

Standards-deep.
Boutique by
design.

2001
Year Founded
25+
Years in Standards
9
Auto Care Standards
1
Focus — Automotive Aftermarket
Our Story

Where we come from and why it matters.

Rivers Edge, Inc. is an independent software company serving the automotive aftermarket across every U.S. time zone and internationally. We have been an Auto Care Association member and standards subscriber since our founding.

Rivers Edge was founded in January 2001 — when the AAIA Legacy standard, first published in 1997, was still the industry format. ACES and PIES were emerging but not yet the standard. We did not come to these standards as an outside technology company looking for a market. We grew up with the standards as they were written.

That history matters because catalog data management is not a generic software problem. It is a domain problem. The nuances of VCdb configuration, the intent behind optional ACES attributes, the difference between what the PIES standard permits and what actually works in a trading partner's system — these are not things you learn from documentation. They are things you learn from years of working with real catalog data, real brands, and real trading partner relationships across the automotive aftermarket supply chain.

"We did not build Auto Plus to check a compliance box. We built it because we understood what brands, retailers, and distributors were actually losing — and we knew what it would take to fix it."

Auto Plus began as a focused tool for ACES and PIES catalog management and has grown into a comprehensive platform that covers every major Auto Care standard — from the VCdb and PCdb to the PAdb, Qdb, Brand ID, ECdb, and both Latin America and North America standards. Every standard we support is one we actively subscribe to. When the standard updates, we update with it.

Beyond standards compliance, Auto Plus is a full Product Information Management platform. Where PIES establishes a floor, Auto Plus gives brands the tools to build well above it — enriched content, structured relationships, upsell and alternate part recommendations, and the kind of product data depth that drives performance in ecommerce today and positions brands for the emerging reality of agentic commerce. The brands that win on the digital shelf are the ones who stopped treating PIES as a destination and started treating it as a starting point.

We remain a boutique operation by choice. Our clients are not account numbers in a CRM system. They are brands, retailers, and distributors who trust us with their most commercially sensitive data. That relationship demands a level of attention and accountability that does not scale the way a SaaS subscription model does — and we have no interest in pretending otherwise.

If you are evaluating catalog management solutions, we will tell you honestly whether Auto Plus is the right fit. The demo is designed to show you exactly what the platform does with your data — not what a slide deck says it does.

Standards Commitment

Active subscribers.
Not just compliant — current.

Rivers Edge holds active subscriptions to every Auto Care standard that Auto Plus supports. When the VCdb updates, we validate against the current release. When a standard evolves, our platform evolves with it.

ACES

Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard

The industry standard for vehicle application data. Auto Plus manages the full ACES lifecycle — authoring, validation, import, export, and trading partner delivery.

PIES

Product Information Exchange Standard

The standard for product attribute and content data. Auto Plus covers every PIES segment — descriptions, pricing, digital assets, attributes, marketing copy, and more.

VCdb

Vehicle Configuration Database

The authoritative vehicle reference database for the North American automotive aftermarket, covering light duty, heavy/medium duty, and powersports applications. Auto Plus validates all ACES fitment against the current VCdb release.

PCdb

Product Classification Database

The standard parts classification taxonomy. Auto Plus uses the PCdb to ensure part types are correctly assigned and consistently categorized across trading partners.

PAdb

Product Attribute Database

The standard attribute definitions for PIES product data. Auto Plus validates PIES attributes against the PAdb to ensure field-level compliance before export.

Qdb

Qualifier Database

The industry-standard note and qualifier database for ACES application notes. Auto Plus supports Qdb-referenced qualifiers for precise, standards-compliant fitment notation.

Brand ID

Brand Identification Standard

The Auto Care Association Brand ID registry. Auto Plus manages Brand ID assignment and validation to ensure brand data is correctly identified across the supply chain.

ECdb

Equipment Configuration Database

The Auto Care Association's off-highway and equipment vehicle reference database, covering North America (United States, Canada, Mexico). Supports vehicle types including Lawn & Garden, Power Generation, Agricultural, Industrial, Marine, and Construction. A separate schema from the VCdb with a shared engine group, extending ACES fitment management into off-highway and equipment applications beyond the VCdb's light duty, heavy/medium duty, and powersports coverage.

North America & Latin America

Regional Standards Coverage

Auto Plus supports both North American and Latin American Auto Care standards, providing catalog management capabilities across regional market requirements.

Where We've Been

In the standards since before they were the standard.

2001

Rivers Edge Founded

Established in January 2001 as a boutique automotive aftermarket software provider. The AAIA Legacy standard — first published in 1997 — was the industry format at the time. Rivers Edge adopted it from day one as an active AAIA member and standards subscriber. AAIA (Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association) was formed in 1999 from the merger of APAA and ASIA, and rebranded as the Auto Care Association in April 2014.

2012

AAIA Legacy Retired

AAIA officially retired the AAIA Legacy standard on December 31, 2012, a little over a year before rebranding as the Auto Care Association in April 2014. Rivers Edge had already been building alongside ACES and PIES as they emerged — the transition was not a pivot but a continuation of the same standards commitment.

Ongoing

Auto Plus Platform Development

Continuous development of the Auto Plus platform across ACES, PIES, and all supporting Auto Care standards — expanding capabilities as the standards and the market evolve.

Today

9 Active Auto Care Standards

Active subscriber to ACES, PIES, VCdb, PCdb, PAdb, Qdb, Brand ID, and ECdb. North America coverage (United States, Canada, Mexico) comes standard, and the stand-alone Latin America subscription adds 26 additional regions — validating against current releases across the full platform.

How We Work

Boutique by design.

Direct Client Relationships

Our clients work directly with the people who built and maintain Auto Plus — not a support ticket queue. When you have a catalog question, you get someone who knows the standards.

Honest Evaluation

The demo is designed to show you what Auto Plus does with your actual data. If it is the right fit, you will see it. If it is not, we will tell you.

Standards Depth, Not Just Compliance

We do not validate against a snapshot of the standard. We subscribe, stay current, and build to the full depth of what ACES and PIES require — and permit.

Your Data Stays Yours

Auto Plus is customer-hosted. Your catalog data never passes through our infrastructure. We build the software. You own and control everything it manages.

Get Started

Ready to see what your catalog is missing?

Schedule a live demo with the Rivers Edge team. Bring your catalog data and your toughest questions.

Standards Practitioner Since 2001