8 minute read
Services
LOOKING OVERSEAS FOR SKILLED STAFF?
With job vacancies of over 30,000 and ranked in the top five vacancies in many states, mechanics have become hot property
Strong and growing customer demands, and our international borders finally re-opening, has not surprisingly led members to look at recruiting skilled workers from overseas to plug this skills gap. Having assisted AAAA members for many years, and as a registered migration agent, Graham Copson of Copson Migration Partners says he thought it timely then to look in this article at the processes of employing and sponsoring overseas workers, using the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) 482 visa.
Most businesses need workers as quickly as possible, and the TSS may be the ideal visa for this process, he explains. It is a three-stage process as explained below. • Stage One – Sponsorship: the business needs to become established as a standard business sponsor which lasts for up to five years. To do this you will need to demonstrate that the business is legally operating and actively operating. • Stage Two – Nomination: you will need to advertise for the position for at least four weeks, offer a job to the successful candidate, and pay the market rate for the position (which must be over $53,900 pa + superannuation). • Stage Three – Visa: the applicant needs to lodge their visa. They may need to meet skills, health, and character assessments as part of their application. Graham says there is no doubt that employing overseas workers can take time and is certainly more costly. However, having worked both recruitment and the migration law side bringing skilled, qualified, and experienced tradespeople from overseas to Australian businesses for over 18 years, he says it can be both a rewarding and very cost-effective strategy for businesses. If you need any help or have any questions, please feel free to contact Graham Copson (MARN 1575606) of Copson Migration Partners by email at graham@copsonmigration.com For more information, visit www.copsonmigration.com
INTERNATIONAL SOLUTION FOR GLOBAL SUCCESS
Mahle Aftermarket expands its partnership with TecDoc for its new online catalogue
TecAlliance, one of the leading data management specialists in the independent automotive parts market, has developed the new online catalogue ECat for MAHLE Aftermarket. It is based on the TecDoc White Label Catalogue Solution, supporting two international standards. This solution was adapted to the needs of Mahle Aftermarket within six weeks. ECat gives customers access to Mahle’s parts portfolio and enables them to find the right product quickly and precisely – worldwide, in 41 languages, via mobile app, PC or tablet. Together with Mahle Aftermarket, TecAlliance has designed and built the new online catalogue ECat based on the TecDoc Catalogue as a uniform platform for all Mahle brands and customers worldwide. The shift of parts sales to e-commerce platforms is one of the most important market trends worldwide. The development of digital sales channels is becoming increasingly important in the independent aftermarket. For Mahle Aftermarket, digitisation is one of the main pillars of the future strategy and the new e-catalogue is an important tool. TecAlliance says the TecDoc White Label Catalogue Solution provides parts manufacturers with a powerful and user-friendly solution in the shortest possible time. It can be adapted to individual requirements and design guidelines and is available in 41 languages. “In the past, we developed and maintained our own catalogue solution. On the one hand, this allowed us a high degree of customisation. Still, on the other hand, we recognised the need for a standardised high-performance solution with a great user experience,” Christian said. “Thanks to our successful, long-standing collaboration with TecAlliance, we approached their TecDoc Catalogue solution team to build a cutting-edge, fully individualised alternative to the legacy e-catalogue that we were using. “The combination of the web version and the mobile app for online parts search was a compelling offer that we embraced. The TecDoc team has taken the lead. As a result, the new Mahle Aftermarket e-catalogue went live after just six weeks! “The switch to TecAlliance opens new possibilities to partner with an established market catalogue and concentrate more effectively on the products, the main core of activities, instead of the associated tool maintenance.” TecAlliance supports its partners in business development – worldwide – and states its established TecDoc Catalogue is the strong basis for the optimal presentation of product information across countries and continents. For more information, visit www.tecalliance.net
INTRODUCING PARTBOT
Partbot is an innovative new e-commerce software platform combining auto parts data and physical dropshipping facilitation for the Australian Automotive Aftermarket industry. What began as an in-house data integration solution for SWD Group’s distribution division soon evolved into a powerful standalone product. SWD has a long history in the Australian aftermarket as a wholesaler, distributor and parts manufacturer and says it deeply understands the needs of the Australian businesses it services. SWD needed a way to keep thousands of parts in sync with supplier and manufacturer catalogue data, warehouse inventory levels, pricing and vehicle applications across multiple trade and retail websites. Representing its brands’ and suppliers’ products correctly across all reseller websites was also a top priority for SWD. By combining real-time product data (direct from supplier) and vehicle search website plugins with decades of distribution and fulfilment experience, SWD says Partbot soon became an ideal solution for other online aftermarket merchants and businesses looking to get started online with minimal capital investment. Partbot now allows e-commerce merchants to sync automotive parts and accessories from aftermarket suppliers via a “dropship marketplace” to their online stores (Shopify, WooCommerce, Neto etc) and ship directly from a Partbot supplier warehouse to their customers. Accessing catalogue data is one thing; providing the end-to-end solution that gets a product onto a customer’s vehicle is the bigger problem Partbot is solving, says SWD. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many Australian automotive companies to rethink their business models, the demand for automotive e-commerce tools and the need for an aftermarket dropship service became apparent. Over the last several years, many mechanical workshops and accessory fitment stores began pivoting to or adding e-commerce to their sales channels. Partbot says it helped several businesses make this transition and introduced many more to the benefits of local parts dropshipping. The dropship model has also been rising in popularity in Australia, among both resellers and brand manufacturers and suppliers. However, dropshipping can often be tedious to manage as each supplier can handle the process differently with varying degrees of complexity for merchants. SWD explains that Partbot streamlines this for both supplier and merchant with an easy to use, standardised fulfilment system. Merchants can connect their store to Partbot, sync part listings, receive an order and have the goods shipped all in the same day. Partbot also offers a turnkey automotive parts website fully integrated with their suite of ecommerce plugins to assist merchants selling automotive parts online. These include a Make, Model, Year (MMY) Vehicle Search and Number Plate Search (PL8SRCH). SWD says Partbot is now dedicated to developing the best ecommerce tools and dropship fulfilment solutions for the Australian Automotive Aftermarket. To learn more about Partbot and how you can add dropshipping to your business, visit www.partbot.com.au
A NEW APPROACH TO BI
From BrainStorm Software
Running diagnostics on your car during a periodic service can reveal potential problems. However, cars are becoming smarter and to a large extent, many diagnostics now display in real-time on your dashboard; like low tyre pressure. Like cars, businesses that are committed to becoming smarter will place timely information in front of those who need it most. Often, company executives invest in Business Intelligence to help their staff create reports to analyse Sales or some other aspect of their business. Typically, the output is end-of-month Spreadsheets that only serve to provide after-the-fact reporting for Sales Managers who then address any shortcomings with the Sales Reps. But BrainStorm Software posits, isn’t that too little, too late? BrainStorm Software is an ERP Reseller and developer of bespoke solutions and asks: what if we presented that data to those who could best use it in a timely fashion? What if, each morning, Sales Reps log into their tablet and are immediately presented with a dashboard showing their performance in all key areas? Various indicators would clearly show how well they have covered their territory, their performance against sales targets, and how well they are performing in relation to their peers. When they arrive at their first customer, they will then be presented with vital information about that customer including buying patterns, and possibly, what they have not been buying that similar businesses do buy. Of course, the Sales Managers can still have their regular reports, but BrainStorm Software asks why not also give them a set of dashboards and tools so they know what is going on in real-time and can also take timely action with no more end-of-month surprises? Further, it suggests taking that same concept to the Production Floor, providing supervisors with timely information as to how efficiently their crew is performing and how much downtime has been attributed to various production issues, with this timely information able to be used by those in a position to make a difference. InBI, BrainStorm Software’s business intelligence strategy solution, is predicated on working from the desired outcome backwards to create dashboards and reporting specifically designed to motivate and help staff achieve their best outcomes. To find out more, visit www.brainstormit.com.au or contact its team on info@brainstormit.com.au or 02 6188 7306.
