TRADE TALK
BALANCE, ALIGMNENT AND APPLICATION From flipping cars to building businesses, Corghi Australia’s Andrew Cornwell has carved out a niche in the automotive aftermarket which aligns with his passion for innovation Looking forward, identifying new trends and taking calculated risks is all in a day’s work for Andrew Cornwell, the General Manager of Corghi Australia. He was born in Brunswick, Victoria, but soon after, his family moved to New South Wales – a state he has called home ever since. “Growing up, I always had a passion for cars. So, when I was offered an apprenticeship with a BMW and Datsun dealership, I jumped at the chance,” Andrew said. Never one to rest on his laurels, it was not long before Andrew put his newly developed skills to work, purchasing trade-ins from the dealership, fixing them up on the weekend, and flipping them for a profit. “The apprenticeship was great, and I really enjoyed the work, but the wages were horrible. I think I was taking home about $50 per week,” Andrew quipped. Flipping cars was an excellent way for Andrew to make a little extra cash on the side, and in looking back on this period, Andrew realised it allowed him the opportunity to develop his sales skills as well. “It’s funny to think about it now, but I made good money out of fixing up and flipping Toyota Coronas,” Andrew reminisced. “I also remember picking up a red Subaru trade-in. Nobody wanted them at the time, and the dealer could not wholesale it, so I grabbed it for a steal, fixed it up, and drove it around for a while. It was a cracker little car, but at the time, no one knew what a Subaru was – wow how have times changed!” After finishing his apprenticeship and getting his ticket as a fully qualified mechanic, Andrew tried his hand as a car salesman in the same dealership. Still, he quickly discovered it was not the job for him. “I hate high-pressure sales,” said Andrew. “I’m passionate about helping customers find the right solution for their needs, and anyone in car sales will tell you that it’s a numbers game, and it just wasn’t right for me.” As luck would have it, Andrew’s neighbour at the time was working for Repco, and one day as they were chatting over the fence, he mentioned they were on the hunt for a new Equipment Sales Representative. That was all the incentive Andrew needed to point his career in a new direction. “During my time as a mechanic, I used a wide variety of workshop equipment, so I knew what worked and what didn’t,” Andrew explained. 84
Australian Automotive Aftermarket Magazine November 2020
“I took this experience, applied it to my new role in Repco, and found that my customers appreciated the insights I could provide. My time as a mechanic meant that I could relate to their issues and recommend the right machinery to suit their specific needs.” Quickly, Andrew realised he had made the right decision to join Repco. “I was 25 at the time, and once I’d started equipment sales, I just fell in love with the job. I knew it was for me and decided that this was the niche in which I’d build my career in the automotive aftermarket,” said Andrew. During his seven-year tenure at Repco, Andrew specialised in workshop and diagnostic equipment sales, including wheel aligners, balancers, and airconditioning equipment. “These are high involvement, high investment purchases for workshops. I enjoyed the challenge of matching our range of equipment to their customer profiles and workshop space to ensure they chose the right machine for their purposes,” said Andrew. “It’s something I still enjoy today, that personal service combined with a passion for helping our customers improve efficiencies and ultimately drive profitability still gets me out of bed in the morning, even after all these years.” Continuing his career in workshop equipment, Andrew would spend time at Balco and Beissbarth,
Andrew Cornwell, General Manager Corghi Australia.
honing his skills and building his reputation as an automotive equipment specialist before Corghi knocked on his door and tasked him with the challenge of building the brand in Australia. “Before I jumped on board, Corghi workshop machinery had been represented in Australia by several different distributors, but none gave it the attention it deserved,” Andrew described. “In 2013, the Corghi family decided it was time to own their destiny in the Australian market.
