2013 February AutoForum

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February 2013

I N F O R M E D

PAGE 25 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AUSTRALIAN BODYSHOP NEWS

A N D

I N N O V A T I V E

Synthetics are not for Africa - YET

Toyota back in the driving seat N E W S F O R UM

Inside Family car crash test RESULTS

Waste Tyre plan update Threats to new large investments Will poor comms cost you this year?

PAGE 1

AutoForum - February 2013

8.05 – 11.05.2013 Johannesburg Expo Centre, South Africa

Metropolis of Mobility Bookings now open

PAGE 2

www.automechanikasa.co.za Tel: +27 11 494 5003 Fax: +27 11 494 5004 e-mail: trade@automechanikasa.co.za

Automechanika Johannesburg is licensed to Dogan Exhibitions & Events (Pty) Ltd

Put your company and its products in the spotlight Automechanika Johannesburg invites South Africa's most innovative new automotive aftermarket products to enter the 2013 Innovation Awards competition.

Entries are now open and close at noon on Friday 15 March 2013. A jury of specialist judges will evaluate the entries and the finalists will be on display during the staging of Automechanika Johannesburg from 8 - 11 May 2013.

The winners will be announced on Wednesday 8 May during the Opening Media Breakfast.

The jury, led by Wynter Murdoch, will be looking at functionality, practicality, styling, environmental friendliness, benefits to users and creative qualities.

South African manufacturers are encouraged to submit entries as soon as possible.

How To Enter Enter a product or service which you manufacture, import or distribute in South Africa.

Electronic entries to include; Your company name, contact name and contact detail; Product category you are entering; A detailed description of the product including technical characteristics and aftermarket relevance of the product; Photographs (at least 1MB in size) of the product; The country of origin; Date the product was introduced to the South African market.

A motivation which must include the following:  Perceived innovative quality  Solution the product provides  Functionality & user benefits  Perceived economic efficiency  Safety aspects the product promotes  Environmental aspects the product promotes  Relevance to the aftermarket or OE sector  Practicality

Closing Date Friday 15 March 2013 E-mail entries to: wynter@thefuture.co.za

International endorsements:

Past winners include  First National Battery’s Raylite Ultimate Battery  Bosch’s Parallel Full Hybrid Technology system  MAHA’s MET 6 Emissions Tester

Product categories include  Parts  Systems  Tuning  Accessories  Repair / Diagnostics  Repair / Maintenance

 IT & Management  Service Station & Car Wash  OE Products & Services (NEW)

Enquiries: For enquiries or more information contact the Convenor, Wynter Murdoch Telephone: 011 803 2040 wynter@thefuture.co.za www.automechanikasa.co.za

Supported by:

PAGE 3

February 2013

CONTENTS 10

Cover Stories Waste Tyre plan update

10

Threats to new large investments

14

Toyota back in the driving seat

16

Family car crash test results

22

Will poor comms cost you this year?

34

Synthetics are not for Africa - YET

40

Trade Talk

20

Highlights of global and local industry news

06

Thank you to Toyota SA for our cover photo.

News Forum

12

Waste tyre plan still uncertain

10

To pay or not to pay fines – JMPD crackdown

12

Threats to new large investments by motor manufacturers

14

Toyota still in the driving seat

16

COMESA Competition Commission goes live

17

Introducing tougher legislation on younger drivers

20

Family cars outperform luxury models in rigorous new crash test

22

Editorial The year is well underway and it seems like the festive season was many moons ago. Or maybe you are still battling to get into the swing of 2013 and hankering after your 2012 break in the sun? Either way, its still a good time to catch up with the sector’s events, happenings and news. And its all in the pages you are holding. Make sure to visit our website or follow our tweets to keep updated on an even more regular basis.

You can only win by being informed.

BodyShop News New US rules on replacement parts

26

White remains a car colour favourite

26

40

EDITOR: CLARE RUTKIEWICZ CONTRIBUTORS: AUSTRALIAN BODYSHOP NEWS ROY COKAYNE ROBERT KAISER

DAVE SCOTT Colin Windell Michel Malik

PRODUCTION: KAZ NEL EMAIL: INFO@AUTOFORUM.CO.ZA Fax: 086 627 1135

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FOR ADVERTISING ENQUiRIES: GRANT WEST

Mobile: +27 (0) 76 727 8161 WARWICK ROBINSON Mobile: +27 (0) 82 855 7750 AutoForum has an ABC circulation of 12952 ABC (July to Dec 2012)

www.AutoForum.co.za I N F O R M E D

I N N O V A T I V E

Advertisers Guide

Business Forum The final word on 2012 sales

28

Business resolutions for 2013

32

Poor communication practice and customer interface – will it cost you market share and profit loss in 2013?

34

Fighting for numbers

36

Commercial Vehicles Synthetics are not for Africa - yet!

40

The forecast drives the system

46

Automechanika JHB gears up to host Automechanika

48

Food for thought

49

Show Time Automechanika Shanghai keeps growing

50

Tyrexpo India boosts export opportunities

54

Aftermarketplace Latest offerings of local products

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56

Aerocure Alfa AMR China AUDI Parts Auto Cosmos - Electrolog Auto Logistics Africa Automechanika Automechanika - Snap On Autozone CompMark Software Specialist Direct Data Equipment Africa Federal Mogul - Ferodo First National Battery Highveld Garage Equipment Hoffman Megaplan Integrated Marketing Ital Machinery Keizin Automotive Leaderquip MIDAS Group MISA Nissan Parts & Access Parts Incorporated PSH Service Holland Robert Bosch Snapon Trysome Auto Electric Turbo Exchange

OBC 13 51 21 56 44 IFC - 03 49 45, 55 20 43 31 15 39 53 54 47 17, 23 18 25 37 42 41 19 16 27, IBC 35 9 32-33

Victor Reinz

29

VW Parts Wheelquip

7 11

Windscreen Distributors

57

While reasonable precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the advice and information given to readers, neither the editor, nor the publishers, can accept any responsibility for any damages, injury or loss which arise there from. The opinions expressed by contributors to this magazine are not necessarily shared by the editor or the publishers.

Trade Talk

AutoForum AutoForum-- February February2013 2013

www.AutoForum.co.za

UK study finds cars less economical than claimed Research by UK consumer motoring website HonestJohn. co.uk has found that the official fuel figures in that country cost British drivers up to £4.45 billion per year collectively.

The website invited drivers to submit how many miles their cars actually attain to the gallon. The report confirms that the site received in excess of 30 000 entries, covering all major manufacturers and models. The site’s submitted figures reveled that on average, cars only achieve 88% of their official MPG figures, which means drivers spend more than they expect, every time they fill their tanks.

EVs to reach 3.8 million by 2020 According to a new report from Pike Research, annual worldwide sales of electric vehicles (EVs), will reach 3.8 million by 2020. That is thanks in large part to plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) having become more widely available in Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Europe since the launch of the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt, in late 2010.

As Senior Research Analyst Dave Hurst explains: “Sales of EVs have not lived up to automakers’ expectations and politicians’ proclamations, but the market is expanding steadily as fuel prices remain high and consumers increasingly seek alternatives to internal combustion engines. Indeed, sales of plug-in EVs will grow at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 40% over the remainder of the decade, while the overall auto market will expand by only two percent a year.”

The worst performing car according to submissions was the Mercedes Benz B-Class (2005-2012 generation), which on average achieves a woeful 71.2% of its official fuel economy rating. The Lexus CT200h and Range Rover Evoque come a close second and third in the worst performing stakes, achieving 73.0% and 73.4% respectively. The Astra Sports Tourer (2010-) is also one of the UK’s worst performing cars, managing to achieve 74.0% of its recorded fuel economy, while the Audi A1 fares little better and is fifth worst, managing on average only 46.8 miles to the gallon, a paltry 74.2% of its official consumption figure.

Whilst drivers might buy cars informed by official (laboratory tested) fuel consumption figures, the research show that actual rates of fuel consumption can only be measured by assessment of engine performance in on-the-road mile per gallon figures.

The PEV sector can be split into two vehicle categories, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). According to the report, the number of PHEVs sold in most regions is expected to be lower than BEVs, except for North America and Latin America, where the longer driving range of PHEVs is expected to prove more attractive to consumers. In other regions, the high cost of petroleum fuels, large number of BEVs available, and dense urban areas are anticipated to contribute to higher sales of BEVs than PHEVs.

GM African ops consolidation General Motors announced in January that it will be consolidating its Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa operations into a new unit, GM Africa.

Current President and MD of GM North America - Mario A Spangenberg – will take over on the same postions for the new unit and will be based at the headquarters in Port Elizabeth. At the same time, Tarek Atta will will take over as MD of GM Egypt and North Africa.

According to Tim Lee, GM VP, Global Manufacturing, and President, International Operations: “Bringing our operations in Africa together will enable us to take advantage of synergies across the continent. It will put GM in a strong position to expand in a part of the world that has tremendous long-term potential for vehicle sales growth.”

GM does business in more than 50 markets in Africa, and has manufacturing operations in South Africa, Egypt and Kenya.

In 2012, GM sold 180 493 vehicles in Africa, an increase of 17.5% from the previous year.

PAGE 6

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Poly V Belt Part No: 038-903-137-AA Polo 2003 - 2010 (For 1.4TDI & 1.9 TDI) Price: R 178.38

Thermostat Part No: 032-121-111-CL Polo 2003 - 2010 (For 1.4 & 1.6 models) Price: R 812.55

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Trade Talk

AutoForum - February 2013

www.AutoForum.co.za

Victor Reinz launches new catalogues At last year’s Automechanika Frankfurt, Dana presented the new Victor Reinz aftermarket catalogs. For the first time, the company also published an agricultural catalog featuring replacement parts for construction and agricultural machines as well as for special-purpose vehicles in road construction. This product line goes back to models from 1950.

Victor Reinz Service Parts, provides the full coverage of the replacement parts

from cars, commercial vehicles and agricultural machines.

Simple, fast and APP-TO-DATE – find their comprehensive product catalog with more than 15 000 service parts at www.reinz.com/online-catalog or your through your local wholesalers. Experience the Victor Reinz product world as mobile App and research service parts.

GUD takes on Africa Automotive filter manufacturer GUD Filters, recently announced the opening of its new warehouse in Mozambique, expanding its distribution facilities in line with the company’s growth strategy to extend their footprint further into Africa.

Anthony Barry Elliott, Ch airma Tricke guests at y, Legal & Logistin, GUD Holdings w c the Moza mbique ws Director, welcomith arehouse e opening.

The established filter brand and original equipment manufacturer is currently focusing on ensuring its filters are more easily accessible to the growing African market. As Huzaifah Elias, Africa Operations Manager, explains: “After months of preparation, the doors were officially open for trading on 30 October 2012.”

The official launch event followed on 12 December 2012 at the warehouse on Estrada Velha da Matola, Parque do Língamo, Parcela n. ° 759/G/1, no Farol da Matola, and was attended by prominent Mozambican officials, automotive parts distributors and wholesalers.

range of GUD filters that are available for immediate access by wholesalers and distributors.

Huzaifah continues: “With a stock holding capacity of over 1 million units per annum, the warehouse will meet the demand of premium GUD filters and ensure efficient service delivery to our loyal customers in Mozambique. The company confirms that the new warehouse holds a comprehensive

At the same time, GUD has also implemented a strong marketing campaign to educate and create awareness about substandard and counterfeit filters that are prevalent in Mozambique, which has been executed through the training of local mechanics and spares shop owners.

PAGE 8

AutoForum - February 2013

The latest global news

Waste tyre plan still uncertain - Roy Cokayne

Uncertainty still shrouds the introduction by the government of a waste tyre plan for country. This follows a number of High Court urgent interdicts applications brought by the Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI) against the Department of Environmental Affairs and the Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (Redisa), the only waste tyre plan to be approved to date by water and environmental affairs Minister Edna Molewa.

Judge Bert Bam in late January dismissed with costs the latest application brought by the RMI to prevent the implementation of the Redisa plan. But the RMI has decided to apply to the Pretoria High Court on an urgent basis to appeal against this order.

Jeff Osborne, RMI CE, said the organisation, together with its legal team, had studied the judgment and, like many others, was disappointed with a number of the determinations in the judgment. “As a result, the RMI will apply on an urgent basis for leave to appeal against this order.”

Osborne stressed the RMI remained committed to contribute to waste tyre management in a fair, transparent and effective manner, which had resulted in it joining forces with the major role players in the industry to develop a new plan that should be submitted in due course.

The relates to plans by the Integrated Tyre Industry Forum (ITIF), comprising representatives from tyre manufacturers, importers, retreaders and dealers, to develop an industry waste tyre management plan in conjunction with the SA National Civics Organisation (Sanco).

“The RMI, like many industry stakeholders and concerned consumers, maintains its position that the Redisa plan is highly flawed and not

PAGE 10

the correct solution to waste tyre reduction in South Africa.”

The RMI was granted a temporary interdict in November by the Pretoria High Court halting the implementation of the Redisa plan, pending the hearing of its main application for an order reviewing and setting aside the approval of the Redisa plan by Molewa. Judge Neil Tuchten said the approved version contained waste reduction targets that had been entirely omitted from the version published for public comment. He said in terms of sections of the Waste Act, the Constitution and the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act Molewa must, at the very least, follow a notice and comment procedure in relation to draft industry waste management plans submitted to her for approval.

“This requires that each material provision of each such plan be published in the Government Gazette. In this regard, it is no answer in my view to say that the ‘bulk’ of the provisions of the Redisa plan were so published. The interested person is entitled to notice of every material such provision.”

Judge Tuchten found the RMI had prospects of success related to whether the procedure followed by Molewa in relation to the reduction

Roy Cokayne is a senior financial reporter for Business Report.

targets was in compliance with the law. But Judge Tuchten rejected argument by the RMI that the Redisa plan was so flawed that no reasonable decision maker could have approved it, given the plan would not deal with the historical waste tyre stockpiles.

The RMI said the plan was flawed, because the backlog of waste would increase to 420 000 tons 3.5 years after the plan was implemented. But Judge Tuchten said: “…

[One] has to begin somewhere. It is better to dispose in an ecologically acceptable way with some of the waste than to do nothing.”

Molewa reacted to this temporary interdict setback by withdrawing the Redisa plan approved in July and approving a new Redisa plan for implementation with immediate effect. This version excluded the waste tyre reduction targets that had contributed to Judge Tuchten’s decision to grant the RMI a temporary interdict. The RMI’s responded swiftly serving another urgent High Court application on Molewa and Redisa for an interdict declaring the Minister’s withdrawal of her approval gazetted in July, null and void and to review and set aside Molewa’s approval of a revised Redisa plan for immediate implementation.

The organisation application was based, among other things, on Molewa allegedly acting contrary to the provisions of the enabling legislation. The RMI also claimed Molewa’s withdrawal of her earlier approval “was nothing but an ingenious but unlawful stratagem to foil the consequences” of the court order it obtained.

Lourens de Koning, RMI counsel, said during the hearing of the application in January, only tyre producers were permitted to produce and submit a waste tyre plan, because they produced the goods that caused the waste. Redisa was not a tyre producer and not permitted in terms of the regulations to develop and submit a plan, he said. This resulted in Salie Joubert, Molewa’s counsel, labeling the RMI as “obstructive”. “They [the RMI] are obstructive and should not be considered a player. The RMI do not want a waste tyre management plan in the country.”

This meant not one of the three roleplayers who had submitted waste tyre plans to Molewa was entitled to have their plan approved, because none of them were tyre producers, he said. David Unterhalter, counsel for Redisa, said the irony of the RMI’s contention was that it, in a representative capacity, was engaged in producing a waste tyre plan.

De Koning said the regulations stated a plan must contain waste tyre reduction targets and by republishing the Redisa plan without these targets meant the plan did not comply with the regulations and left “a material void” in the plan. Molewa’s decision to approve the Redisa plan in July constituted a final decision and she was not in law entitled to withdraw her approval, because it constituted lawful Continued on page 8

AutoForum - February 2013

NEWS FORUM

administrative action that was valid and binding until set aside by a court.

However, Joubert said the reconsideration by Molewa of the Redisa plan gazetted in July and the withdrawal of this plan and approval of the new Redisa plan in November was based on Judge Tuchten’s judgment and followed legal principle. Joubert said Molewa had the implied authority from the regulations to review and amend waste tyre management plans and the RMI’s contention that her actions were ultra vires was without merit.

De Koning said tyre producers faced irreparable harm if the Redisa plan was implemented, because Redisa stood to collect R624 million a year in the form of levies from tyre producers.

Judge Bam said the Waste Act empowered Molewa to amend any promulgated waste tyre management plan. He said there was no merit in the point argued by the RMI that only producers were entitled to submit a waste tyre plan.

Judge Bam said this was because it appeared Redisa represented members “in that category and does therefore indeed have the required status”.

To pay or not to pay fines – JMPD crackdown

PAGE 12

O

ver the past few months there has been a significant increase in the Metro Police presence on the roads. It’s not surprising really. The City of Johannesburg website reported recently that one of the main aims of the Metro Police Service is to restore the public’s confidence, and the key to this is visible policing.

Johannesburg unicity’s 11 regions. There are also mounted police, bicycle and dog units as well as a helicopter. The service aims to expand its number of Nissan Sentras to 700 vehicles over the next two years. A plan is also in place to increase the number of officers on bicycles.

Currently, the Metro Police Service consists of about 2 500 members. There are plans for this to be increased in the next two to three years to about 4 000 members. Further, the Metro Police Service has been allocated 45 BMW 320Ds for freeway patrols and 120 Nissan Sentras to patrol the various precincts in the

Meanwhile, with the increased police presence, there has been a huge clamp down on the payment of fines. The City of Johannesburg website states that the Metro Police Service wants members of the public to understand that, should they break the law, they will be held responsible. It continues that

the Metro Police are determined to end the culture of non-payment of fines and disregard of the law. Many people appear to think that when they receive a fine, that it is the last they will hear of it because of the backlog of court cases.

In line with this, the service has established roadblocks with a Number Plate Identification System that informs the Metro Police who the owner of a vehicle is, the address of the owner, any outstanding traffic fines, any warrants of arrest for this person, a false number plate, a stolen car or of vehicles involved in criminal acts.

If an individual has fines, they have the option of paying the fine on the spot electronically, however, the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) emphasises that an individual must receive a receipt of payment.

JMPD Spokesperson, Senior Superintendent Wayne Minnaar, tells AutoForum that an individual is not forced to pay their fines on the spot if they do not

have money. “The system serves to inform individuals of any outstanding fines that they may have, and gives them the option to pay, otherwise an individual can make a special arrangement for the fine to be paid. Further, an individual can request pictures of their fines and if a person feels they may have wrongly received a fine – a representation can be made in writing to the office of attorneys appointed by the Road Traffic Management Corporation,” he says.

Minnaar adds that the main priority of these roadblocks is to catch criminals.

He asks that citizens please co-operate with the JMPD at these roadblocks, because while they may be an inconvenience and are time-consuming, criminals have been caught through the use of the Number Plate Identification System. Although, with the history of bribery in this country, a number of South Africans will surely question if this new system will really work. In response to this, Minnaar says that the system itself cannot be tampered with. However, this does not rule out bribes given to

individual officers. Whether this system works to curb bribery and get people to pay their fines still remains to be seen.

The Metro Police Service has been criticised for cracking down on minor lawbreakers at the expense of more serious crimes, however, the service believes that all issues of crime are important. It states that the smaller issues are important in the bid to establish a law-abiding society. If the smaller issues are not dealt with, then there is no foundation to work against crime. Previous Johannesburg City Council spokesperson Keith Peacock says, on the City of Johannesburg website, that the philosophy is that preventing minor crimes will help to cut back on more serious crimes. This is an approach that was first adopted by the New York City Police Department. “If people learn to obey the basic rules of society, they are less likely to get involved in more serious crimes,” he adds. We wait in hope.

PAGE 13

NEWS FORUM

AutoForum - February 2013

Threats to new large investments by motor manufacturers - Roy Cokayne

T

he Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa has hinted that it may in future be more difficult for motor manufacturers in SA to obtain approval from their parent companies for large new investments in the country.

Jeff Nemeth, President and Chief Executive of FMCSA, attributed the increased difficulty to high cost inputs, unstable labour and policy uncertainty locally.

The need for a strong push by SA for free trade alliances with trading blocs in Africa “to really solidify South Africa’s position as a gateway into Africa” was also emphasised by Nemeth, during a panel discussion at a recent Standard Bank People’s Wheels Award winners function.

Nemeth said the cost to manufacture, the labour situation and the cost of inputs such as electricity, which would make it increasingly more expensive to make vehicles, were particularly worrying.

He added that there were not many places around the world where automotive plants were shut down because of

labour issues as frequently as they were in South Africa.

“My worry is that as time goes by it’s going to be harder for my counterparts and peers in SA to get their principals to agree to large investments in renewing their platforms in a market that is so unstable from an input level, labour level and policy,” he said.

Nemeth stressed the importance for an automotive manufacturing industry to have strong local demand for the products it built and the need to think about ways to stimulate the local market.

Nemeth said Ford exported 75 000 of the vehicles it produced in SA and questioned why it would locate a pickup plant in the country.

He said the ratio between exports and domestic sales should be closer and referred to Thailand, where industrial policy was used to make the country the pick-up truck centre of Asia.

“Maybe that’s something South Africa needs to think about.”

Nemeth said the only reason an automotive company would invest in

manufacturing in South Africa - rather than in Kenya, Nigeria or Egypt - was because of the supply base in the country, which was non-existent in other countries.

Car exports in 2012 accounted for about 53% of the total cars produced locally last year, according to Naamsa.

This was a decline on the 60.1% of cars exported in 2011 and 61.5% exported in 2010, which Naamsa attributed to the impact of the recession in Europe.

Nemeth stressed the importance of the efforts to establish a tripartite free trade area in Africa, before some of these countries “start waking up and develop industrial policies that build the automotive industry”.

He questioned why progress on this front had been so slow, stressing a stronger push for free trade alliances with the rest of Africa was what was currently missing from SA’s industrial policy.

“If they [South Africa] could sort this out, it would be of big benefit to a lot of industries that are already established in SA to have an opportunity to trade up into the continent and be able to compete with the Indians and the Chinese.

That would really solidify South Africa’s position as a gateway into Africa.”

Norman Lamprecht, a Naamsa Executive Manager, said the vision and objective of discussions that had been taking place was to have a tripartite African free trade area by 2017, involving 26 countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) and East African Community (EAC).

Ford Southern Africa CEO, Jeff Nemeth, at the 2012 Standard Bank People’s Wheels Awards

PAGE 14

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AutoForum - February 2013

Toyota still in the driving seat Toyota was named the world’s best-selling vehicle brand in January – that is after recording nearly 9.75 million sales over the course of last year. According to a press statement released by the automaker recently, that translates into one new vehicle sold every 3 seconds, somewhere in the world.

The group – which includes Hino trucks, Lexus luxury vehicles and Daihatsu – topped a sales figure of 9 748 000 units. The latest figure is up 22.6% on sales in 2011 and also surpasses the previous Toyota sales record of 9 367 000 units recorded in 2007.

PAGE 16

Locally, the company saw its market share rise to 19.4% - that is 121 276 cars and trucks sold in 2012, making it the market leader in SA for the 33rd year running.

Toyota says that its aim is to sell 9.91 million vehicles group-wide globally in 2013, which is up 1.6% over 2012. The company believes that its exciting next generation of products, including the Toyota 86, new Auris, forthcoming RAV4 and new Lexus IS, will support this goal.

AutoForum - February 2013

COMESA Competition Commission goes live

W

ebber Wentzel, one of the leading corporate law firms in Africa, in January reported that after more than eight years of waiting, firms doing business in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region will finally and for the first time have their competition issues dealt with at a regional level. COMESA – which is made up of 19 African countries from Egypt in the north, through east Africa to Swaziland in the south - announced the date of commencement of its Competition Regulations (which were adopted in December 2004) as 14 January 2013.

The commencement of the COMESA regime will have a major impact on how cross-border transactions are handled from a competition law perspective. Previously, parties had to notify all the national competition authorities that had jurisdiction in respect of their transactions. Thus a single transaction could be notified to all those countries with competition legislation if the parties had a presence in those countries.

The 14 January 2013 commencement of the COMESA regime is a significant development for competition enforcement.

Now a single consolidated filing can be prepared and submitted to COMESA, although national competition authorities will still have the right to request COMESA to permit them to investigate a matter on a national basis under certain circumstances.

The monetary threshold has been set at zero, and therefore parties with a mere presence in two or more COMESA countries will trigger notification, regardless of the revenue generated in these jurisdictions. Parties to a transaction that falls within COMESA’s jurisdiction will have 30 days from the date of agreement within which to file the merger for investigation and approval.

COMESA has appointed the former Head of Mergers of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission of Zambia, Mr Willard Mwemba, as its Head of Mergers.

The commencement of the COMESA regime is a significant development for competition enforcement in the region. In addition to the compulsory notification of merger transactions, the regime will regulate anti-competitive conduct, and the Commission has specifically invited parties who may have existing agreements that violate the provisions of the Regulations to come forward for discussions. This will affect both vertical and horizontal agreements.

Nkonzo Hlatshwayo, a partner in the Competition Practice Group of Webber Wentzel observed that: “This level of enforcement will require firms that do business in COMESA to review their existing contractual arrangements to ensure that they are consistent with the provisions of the COMESA Regulations.”

PAGE 17

AutoForum - February 2013

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NEWS FORUM

AutoForum - February 2013

Introducing tougher legislation on younger drivers Tougher legislation that has been proposed in the UK by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) to tighten the rules governing younger drivers may present some beneficial ideas for the South African regulators and the insurance industry.

T

his is according to Lisa Teixeira at CIB Insurance Administrators (CIB), who says new proposals in the UK include, among others, a minimum 12-month learning period before a test can be taken, as well as a ban on nonfamily passengers being carried by novice drivers and a restriction on night driving for the first six months. “These proposals are based on the fact that younger drivers tend to have more accidents on the roads, so by implementing a ban on night time driving and the carrying of certain passengers, these people can gain more experience before they start driving friends around late in the evening.”

She also notes that the proposed lower blood/alcohol limit for novice drivers for two years after passing a test, which effectively means they are not allowed a single alcoholic drink before driving, could also work well in South Africa. “There is often a misperception among drivers about how many drinks they are allowed before getting behind the wheel. This may especially be true among young drivers who often begin

PAGE 20

drinking alcohol around the same time as they start learning to drive.”

Statistics published

by Arrive Alive for the 2009 year found that 49% of fatalities in road traffic accidents involved people between the ages of 20 and 39.

“By removing their ability to have any alcohol at all, younger drivers will firstly have a very clear definition of their alcohol allowance - which is none - while driving. Secondly, they will also be given an opportunity to get used to driving and socialising without the need for alcohol. It is this kind of initiative that may finally start changing people’s perceptions and habits in South Africa.”

“If we can really transform the way people think about drinking and driving in South Africa then we may also begin to see a major improvement in the number of accidents on our roads, which could eventually translate into cheaper car insurance premiums,” concludes Teixeira.

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NEWS FORUM

AutoForum - February 2013

Family cars outperform luxury models in rigorous new crash test

I

n late December 2012, the US organisation the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), found that its test group of moderately priced midsized 2013 models outperformed most of their luxury counterparts in a challenging new frontal crash test. Of the 18 midsize family cars evaluated in the small overlap test, two earned the top rating of good, 11 earn acceptable, three earn marginal, and two were poor.

In contrast, just 3 of 11 midsize luxury or near-luxury cars evaluated in the inaugural round of small overlap tests earned good or acceptable ratings.

Midsize moderately priced cars are the second group to be tested. The best performers in this group were the Honda Accord 4-door and Suzuki Kizashi -both earn a good rating.

PAGE 22

IIHS introduced the small overlap test in 2012 to further improve occupant protection in frontal crashes. Most automakers design their vehicles for good performance in the IIHS moderate overlap frontal test and the US federal government’s full-width frontal test, but many haven’t addressed the problem of small overlap crashes. In a 2009 IIHS study of vehicles with good ratings for frontal crash protection, small overlap crashes accounted for nearly a quarter of the frontal crashes involving serious or fatal injury to front seat occupants in that country.

The small overlap test replicates what happens when the front corner of a car collides with another vehicle or an object like a tree or utility pole. In the test, 25% of a car’s front end on the driver

side strikes a 5-foot-tall rigid barrier at 40 mph (around 64 km/h). A 50th percentile male Hybrid III dummy is belted in the driver seat.

“It’s remarkable that this group of midsize family cars did so much better than the midsize luxury car group,” says Adrian Lund, IIHS President. “The difference is stunning. Thirteen of these midsize cars offer better crash protection than all but three of their luxury counterparts, and at a price that’s easier on the wallet.”

New safety award To reward 2013 models with superior crash protection, IIHS has created the Top Safety Pick.+ award, with the + indicating good or acceptable performance

The Suzuki Kizashi (below) earns a good overall rating and is the only midsize moderately priced car with a good rating for structure. There was only minor intrusion into the occupant compartment.

in the new small overlap test. Top Safety Pick.+ winners must earn good ratings for occupant protection in at least 4 of 5 evaluations, with no less than acceptable in the fifth test. IIHS rates vehicles good, acceptable, marginal or poor based on performance in a moderate overlap frontal crash, small overlap frontal crash, side impact and rollover, plus evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against neck injuries in rear impacts.

So far, 13 models qualify for the accolade. Winners include: the Dodge Avenger and its twin, the Chrysler 200 4-door; Ford Fusion; Honda Accord 2-door; Honda Accord 4-door; Kia Optima; Nissan Altima 4-door; Subaru Legacy and its twin, the Subaru Outback; Suzuki Kizashi and Volkswagen Passat. Two previously tested luxury models, the Acura TL and Volvo S60, also earn Top Safety Pick.+. IIHS will announce additional winners as it continues to test models. Results for small SUVs are expected in the US spring season.

Meanwhile, 117 additional vehicles earn Top Safety Pick for 2013. To qualify for this, vehicles must have good ratings for occupant protection in the moderate overlap frontal test, side impact, rollover and rear tests, regardless of their small overlap rating.

IIHS gives manufacturers advance notice of planned changes and the organsation says that automakers in the past have been quick to factor new IIHS evaluations into their designs.

“We’ve seen automakers make structural and restraint changes in response to our small overlap test,” Lund says.

“Five manufacturers redesigned their midsize cars to enhance small overlap crash protection.”

Honda engineered both versions of the Accord to do well in the test. Ford and Nissan made running structural changes to 2013 models already in production. Subaru and Volkswagen changed airbag control modules on the production line so side curtain airbags would deploy for improved head protection.

Toyota falls short One nameplate car buyers won’t find in the list is Toyota.

The Camry, which is the top-selling midsize car in the United States, and the Prius v, a 4-door hybrid wagon, earn poor ratings for small overlap protection and are the worst performers of the midsize group. The Camry was redesigned for 2012, and the Prius v was an all-new model for 2012.

The Camry and Prius v illustrate what can go wrong in a small overlap crash, despite good ratings in IIHS tests that qualify the cars for Top Safety Pick.

Most modern cars have safety cages built to withstand head-on collisions and moderate overlap frontal crashes

PAGE 23

NEWS FORUM with little deformation, and the two Toyotas are no exception. Crush zones help manage crash energy to reduce forces on the occupant compartment.

The main crush-zone structures are concentrated in the middle 50% of the front end. When a crash involves these structures, the occupant compartment is protected from intrusion, and front airbags and safety belts can effectively restrain and protect people inside.

For many vehicles, a 25% overlap frontal impact misses the primary structures designed to manage crash energy and results in crash forces going directly into the wheel, suspension system and firewall. Such crashes often have high levels of occupant compartment intrusion. It is not uncommon for the wheel to be forced rearward into the footwell, contributing to even more intrusion in the occupant compartment and resulting in serious leg and foot injuries. Since the impact occurs toward the car’s outer edge, the vehicle has a tendency to rotate during the collision, resulting in the driver’s head moving outboard, away from the frontal airbag. Real crashes of this type result in head injuries from contact with outboard structures or intruding objects such as trees or poles.

In the Camry, the force of the impact shoved the front wheel back into the footwell, bending the windshield pillar and pushing the parking brake pedal and the left outer edge of the instrument panel rearward into the driver’s survival space. Likewise, there was significant intrusion in the Prius v, along with high forces on the dummy’s legs and feet.

The Prius v is the only car in the midsize test group to earn a poor rating for hip and thigh protection.

The Camry’s driver airbag and side curtain airbag deployed, but the steering wheel moved so far to the right that the dummy’s head made only minimal contact with the front airbag. The side curtain airbag didn’t extend far enough forward to help prevent the dummy’s head from hitting the instrument panel.

In the Prius v, the side curtain airbag deployed too late in the crash to offer protection.

PAGE 24

AutoForum - February 2013 “Toyota engineers have a lot of work to do to match the performance of their competitors,” Lund says.

Demanding crash The small overlap frontal test represents a severe crash.

When cars strike the test barrier they tend to move sideways away from it, and the interior structures including the driver door, side window and windshield pillar move in the same direction. The dummy, however, continues forward into the path of the sideways-moving interior structures.

At the same time, the steering column and driver airbag move inboard in many vehicles as the front end and occupant compartment deform. If the dummy misses the airbag or slides off it, its head and chest are unprotected.

Front airbags are calibrated to deploy in these crashes. Side airbags, especially head-protecting curtains, don’t always deploy because they are designed mainly for direct side impacts. When they do deploy, they don’t always do so early enough or extend far enough forward to adequately protect people. The result is an airbag grey zone with gaps between what front airbags cover and what side airbags do — if they deploy at all.

Without airbag protection, people in real-world small overlap frontal crashes can sustain head injuries from direct contact with the windshield pillar, dashboard or window sill or by hitting trees, poles or other objects. Chest injuries happen when people contact the steering wheel, door or other intruding structures.

The Accord sedan shows how safety belts and airbags work together to provide exemplary protection. The dummy stayed engaged with the Accord’s front airbag, and the steering wheel remained relatively stable because there was only moderate intrusion into the occupant compartment. That meant that the driver airbag was in the right position to cushion the dummy’s head and chest.

The side curtain airbag extended far

enough forward to prevent the dummy’s head from hitting interior components.

Every midsize car evaluated earns good ratings for head, neck and chest injury risk based on measurements from dummy sensors. Similar real-world crashes, however, often result in serious upper body injuries. One possible reason for the differing results is that real people move more during a crash and are prone to be out of position at the start, compared with relatively stiff and precisely positioned crash test dummies. Not all drivers are the same size as the dummy or seated the same way.

A close call for the dummy could mean an actual injury for a person. Another reason is that the frontal crash dummy IIHS uses in the small overlap test isn’t good at measuring risks from lateral forces. Side crash dummies do a better job of this but can’t record much of the frontal action in these tests.

“The dummy doesn’t always tell us everything,” Lund says. “The crash damage in these tests is like the damage we see in real-world crashes where heads and chests are injured.”

Unexpected outcomes In the Jetta test, engineers at the Vehicle Research Center witnessed a first for IIHS crash testing when the driver airbag module detached from the steering column. It happened relatively late in the crash and didn’t affect the dummy’s movement. Still, airbags should stay in place in crashes, so engineers had to lower the restraints and kinematics score for the marginal-rated Jetta. IIHS isn’t aware of a problem with Volkswagen’s airbag module in real-world crashes, and Volkswagen is investigating further.

Body repair insight

Contents 24

New US rules on replacement parts

24

White remains a car colour favourite

Thatcham Research 26 now Euro NCAP accredited In association with BodyShop News Asia and Australian BodyShop News

BODYSHOP NEWS

AutoForum - February 2013

New US rules on replacement parts In early January, the US Office of Administrative Law (OAL) approved amended regulations submitted by the California Department of Insurance (CDI) regarding the use of aftermarket crash parts.

A

ccording to the CDI, the new regulations will strengthen the current law in that region by requiring insurers to pay for the costs associated with returning a defective part and the cost to remove and replace the defective part with a compliant non-OEM part or an OEM part; requiring the current insurer’s warranty to be expressly stated in the estimate of repair generated by the insurer; requiring an insurer to cease use of a part known to be non-compliant, and to notify the part distributer within thirty (30) days; and requiring

an insurer to pay for an amount to repair the damaged vehicle to its preloss condition in a good and workmanlike manner, based upon the repair standards required by auto body repair shops licensed by the Bureau of Automotive Repair.

The organisation said that it had reached the conclusion that “defective or otherwise non-compliant aftermarket parts” continued to infiltrate the repair process due to insurers’ failure to perform the necessary steps to ensure

public safety. It said it had become aware of defective aftermarket bumper reinforcements, hood latches and other safety related parts being required by insurers that otherwise were not compliant with current repair standards. It continued that performing repairs that do not comply with current repair standards or placing an inferior aftermarket part in a vehicle may cause the vehicle’s value to depreciate and defective parts may cause injury or even death if they malfunction.

White remains a car colour favourite

L

ate last year, DuPont released its annual Automotive Colour Popularity Report, which found that the colour white/white pearl dominates the global automotive colour popularity ranks for the second consecutive year.

The colour in second place was found to be black/black effect – thanks mostly to the increased popularity in the Asia Pacific market, where the colour has a perception of high quality and luxury.

The report found that silver has fallen to third place on the ranking, its popularity having waned due to its overall gradual decline, especially in the critical large automotive markets of Europe and Asia.

In its 60th year, the report is the largest and longest running report of its kind in the automotive industry, and is the only report to include global automotive colour popularity rankings and regional trends from 11 leading automotive regions of the world.

White/white pearl topped the ranks in Europe in 2012, and was in the leading position as the most popular car colour in North America (US and Canada), Japan, South Korea, Russia, South Africa and Mexico. Overall, white/white pearl

PAGE 26

represents 23% of the global market in the 2012 report. Over the past decade, white has held significant rankings in automotive colour popularity and is widely seen in other consumer products worldwide. During this timeframe, white’s popularity had been highlighted across all vehicle segments, though historically, it had been most popular among the truck segment.

Past advancements in pearlescent whites enabled this colour to initially break into the luxury segments. As Colour Marketing Manager Nancy Lockhart explains: “Today, white tri-coats are more readily applicable to the global manufacturing base and evoke quality and value among a variety of vehicle segments. Solid whites have been seen in vanilla shades, stone shades and the current preference of bright whites.”

automotive market from 22% last year.

“Silver peaked during the start of the digital age between 2000 and 2006,” said Lockhart. “We’re seeing more luxury vehicle purchases now that the economy has started to stabilise, and vehicles painted black/black effect are seen as luxury status symbols in several key global markets.”

Red, gray and brown/beige each gained a percentage point since last year’s report, while blue maintained equal share from the 2011 rankings.

The top global vehicle colours in DuPont’s report are as follows: 1. White/White Pearl – 23 percent 2. Black/Black Effect – 21 percent 3. Silver – 18 percent

Black/black effect led among vehicle colour popularity in China, but took second place in the global ranks with 21% of the world’s share of automotive colour. Silver rounded out the top three global colour choices, topping the ranks in South America, Brazil and India, but slipped four percentage points to just 18% of the overall global

4. Grey – 14 percent 5. Red – 8 percent 6. Blue – 6 percent 7. Brown/Beige – 6 percent

PAGE 27

Business Forum

AutoForum - February 2013

Business insight

The final word on 2012 sales

M

uch has already been said and written about the road carnage during December and I cannot help but endorse all the accusations levelled at tardy Government processes that do little – or nothing – to combat the problem from its root causes.

The death of cyclist Burry Stander just highlighted the sad state of affairs – and this coming after a tough economic year that glowed, albeit briefly, with a busier than expected season at all holiday destinations, both inland and at the coast.

New vehicle sales ended the year on a positive note with aggregate industry new vehicle sales at 46 016 units recording an improvement of 825 vehicles or a gain of 1.8% compared to the total new vehicle sales of 45 191 units during the corresponding month of 2011. The December 2012 new passenger car market - which recorded a year-on-year volume improvement of 7.6% - was again supported by relatively strong demand on the part of the car rental

companies with that industry accounting for 14.3% of total sales.

Export sales also recorded substantial gains during December at 19 719 units reflecting an improvement of 5 554 units or 39.2% compared to the 14 165 vehicles exported during December 2011.

“Last year surprised even some optimists as new vehicle sales broke away and outperformed its underlying economic indicators. Despite somewhat languid economic growth and international socio-economic uncertainty the market continued to steam ahead,” says Dr Johan van Zyl, President and CEO of Toyota SA Motors.

“A certain level of growth was expected as people returned to dealerships to replace vehicles bought in the 2006 boom, but it was lifted higher by record retail-level competition amongst dealers and higher-level competition amongst manufacturers.”

Emphasising his views, Naamsa recently indicated vehicle buyers now have a

- Colin Windell

choice of more than 2 100 models from more than 60 vehicle brands, a phenomenon almost unique to South Africa.

Naamsa sales figures also indicate that passenger car sales for 2012 were the highest since the vehicle sales peak in 2006.

For 2012, new vehicle sales were broadly in line with Naamsa expectations that had projected an improvement in new vehicle sales for the year of up to 8%.

In the event, industry aggregate sales for calendar 2012 at 623 914 units had improved by 52 499 vehicles or about 9.2% compared to the total of 571 415 new vehicles sold in South Africa during the previous year. Furthermore, factoring in the total sales reported by Great Wall Motors of 7 794 units for calendar 2012 – not split according to segment – the total South African new vehicle market last year would have been around 631 700 vehicles.

Aggregate annual industry sales by sector, over the past five years, were as follows:

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2012 / 2011 % Change

Cars

329 262

258 129

337 130

395 429

439 997

+ 11.3%

Light Commercials

169 466

118 159

133 756

149 287

156 170

+ 4.6%

Medium Commercials

12 130

7 229

7 557

9 259

9 816

+ 6.0%

Heavy, Extra Heavy, Commercial Buses

22 529

11 705

14 464

17 440

17 931

+ 2.8%

533 387

395 222

492 907

571 415

623 914

+ 9.2%

Sector

Total Vehicles Source: Naamsa

Continued on page 30

PAGE 28

Colin Windell is the Editor of Fleet Magazine.

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AutoForum - February 2013 Export sales performed relatively well during 2012 and at 277 844 vehicles recorded the second highest annual export figure on record.

Sector Cars Light Commercials

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

195 670

128 602

181 654

183 535

153 195

87 314

45 514

56 950

84 125

1 227

831

861

801

284 211

174 947

239 465

268 461

Trucks & Buses Total Exports

2012 / 2011 2013 % Change Projected - 16.5%

180 000

123 584

+ 46.9%

180 000

1 065

+ 33.0%

1 300

277 844

+ 3.5%

361 300

Source: Naamsa

On the assumption that the South African economy will grow, in real terms, by around 3% in 2013 and taking account of expected other domestic and international trends – the outlook for 2013 in terms of industry vehicle sales by sector is summarised in the table hereunder:

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013 Projected

Cars

329 262

258 129

337 130

395 429

439 997

475 000

Light Commercials

169 466

118 159

133 756

149 287

156 170

165 000

Sector

Medium Commercials

12 130

7 229

7 557

9 259

9 816

10 400

Heavy, Extra Heavy, Commercial Buses

22 529

11 705

14 464

17 440

17 931

19 000

533 387

395 222

492 907

571 415

623 914

669 400

Total Vehicles Source: Naamsa

The 2013 projections translate into an expected improvement of about 7.3% in domestic sales volumes for the year.

“Vehicle production is expected to increase in 2013 as manufacturers increase production up to take advantage of the Automotive Production and Development Programme,” says Dr van Zyl. The APDP was enacted on January 1, 2013 with the ultimate goal of growing local vehicle production capacity, including component manufacturing, to a level of 1.2-million vehicles annually by 2020.

“We expect that vehicle manufacturers will take some time to adapt to the new regulations, but trust that this will not affect vehicle sales or manufacturing plans,” he says.

“In the coming year we expect that new model introductions, in anticipation of the 2013 Johannesburg International Motor Show, and continued competition will drive further growth. The rate of

PAGE 30

growth will however slow down as it is compared to a strong 2012, leading to an expected growth rate that will be in the low single digits for 2013.”

“The motor industry went into 2012 facing two psychological break points in terms of growth targets for the year,” says Malcolm Gauld, GMSA’s Vice President Sales and Marketing.

“The first was the volume challenge of 620 000 units for the year, and which

was realised with the release of the December numbers, taking the total for the year to 623 914.”

“The second was the possibility of double digit growth, a goal that seemed destined to be easily exceeded going into the third quarter but was hampered by a drop-off in sales, particularly in the light commercial sector, during the last three months of the year. The passenger vehicle market performed well above the 10% growth benchmark for most

of the time ending the year 11.3% up. However, the light commercial sector lagged – impacted by a crisis of confidence amongst commercial buyers which saw the LCV sector decline by 13.1% month-on-month December 2012 vs 2011. Growth in this sector for the year was inhibited to just 4.6%, but was still a welcome plus for the industry.”

“Our forecast going into the new year is for a virtually flat market. The buying down trend in the passenger market will continue as vehicle operating costs continue to come under pressure and buyers look for overall cost efficiencies.”

“The passenger car market growth in 2012 was driven by a number of factors. These include vehicle pricing that was below inflation, replacement demand from the market peak in 2006, new car retail support, interest rates that were at lowest levels in 35 years and new model entrants especially in the A0 segment. Most of the growth came from the dealer channel which increased by 1.5% from 79.8% in 2011 to 81.3% in 2012,” says Mike Glendinning, Director: Sales and Marketing at Volkswagen Group South Africa.

“The 2013 passenger car market is likely to grow by around 3% to 455 000 units. However, the trading conditions will be tougher due to economic growth restraints including continued pressure on household income, anticipated higher levels of pricing due to the deteriorating exchange rate and intense competition especially in the A0 segment which is the largest segment in the passenger car market,” added Glendinning.

In contrast to the MIDP which incentivised exports of vehicles and components, the APDP will focus on added value in the production of vehicles for both the local and export markets. The official objective of the APDP is to grow South Africa’s vehicle production from about 550 000 vehicles in 2012 to 1.2 million vehicles by 2020.

To realise this vision, a quantum improvement in the industry’s competitiveness – covering domestic component and vehicle manufacturing as well as distribution and logistics – will be required. In this regard, the focus of vehicle manufacturers will be on productivity improvement and cost reduction.

Vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers will have to work together to reduce the cost gap against worldclass benchmarks and collaborate closely to achieve sustained net cost reductions to enable the industry to become more competitive internationally, to grow the industry’s export business and provide affordable products to the local market. In this context, the role and contribution by the trade unions will also prove of vital importance.

PAGE 31

AutoForum - February 2013

Business resolutions for 2013 It is February and already your New Year resolutions may be just a distant memory fading fast with the realities of daily life keeping you busy enough without the extra work of trying to achieve them. But forget the stresses of the day for a moment and think back to what you so piously vowed to improve on 31 December 2012. More importantly, have a read through what Kristen Felder of US website Collision Hub, suggests for your business resolutions in 2013.

1.) Seek More Education – with changes in the sector as fast as they are, it’s impossible to be successful without keeping up to date with what is happening in the industry – as it happens. Says Felder: “In 2013 you’ll need to know more in order to DO more.

This is not limited to the traditional education avenues in our industry,

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such as I-CAR, ASE or AMI. Branch out of your comfort zone and seek out business, leadership and inspirational training that may be in your community.”

2.) Invest in Equipment – with seemingly endless updates and new equipment, it can become overwhelming and shops can easily

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lose their focus on what is priority and what is nice to have. But, simply put: “You can’t succeed without the right equipment. For repairers, this may be an expensive commitment.” Felder continues: “You can no longer get by doing things the way you’ve always done.”

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3.) Be Open To Criticism – make a commitment to seeing your own business through the eyes of others. While you may not need to radically change how your business works according to what others say, it can be extremely useful to see others’ perspectives on the way your company operates.

4.) Invest in Employee Development – Upskilling your staff is a no brainer. You can’t have the best equipment without the most educated staff you can have. Training can also act as a motivator and builds pride in your staff compliment. Categorise your skills set and talk to your employees about where they see themselves in the future to work out training paths for each individual.

5.) Commit to Marketing or Self Promotion – be clear about how you want your customers to view your company, work out an effective strategy and be consistent. But it does not end there. Says Felder:

“You are an individual not just a business owner. While the “company” promotes itself, you need to promote you. While being humble is an admirable characteristic, it can be deadly in business. Take advantage of local organisations, volunteer and publish your achievements or leadership whenever you can.”

6.) Actively join an Industry Association - Participate and add your voice instead of complaining about how the association does not represent you properly.

7.) Join a Local Business Networking Group – and that means an organisation that is not within your sector. “If you want the community and its local businesses to invest in you, then you need to invest back.”

8.) Commit to Giving Up – know when to give up, whether it’s a process, a partner or a client. And that means that if it is not working, get

rid of it. “Just because a procedure works for another business does not mean it’s right for you. While it is a good business practice to try new things, it’s also good to know when to quit.”

9.) Plan to Succeed – “We can’t measure what we can’t track.

Make a commitment to weekly, monthly and quarterly planning.

Once you have the road map achieving success is as simple as following directions.”

10.) Practice 360˚ – “ As you look back in history you’ll find conflict and struggle between groups or countries with opposing views.

Reviewing these conflicts through the glass of time allows many find the assessment of right and wrong an easy task.” Felder suggests adding the book ‘The 360˚ Leader’

by John Maxwell to your reading list this year.

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Exchange PAGE 33

AutoForum - February 2013

Poor communication practice and customer interface – will it cost you market share and profit loss in 2013?

- Robert Kaiser

Poor communication practice and customer interface? In a business world where instantaneous electronic communication technology has become the norm? This must be a contradiction in terms and sounds nonsensical!

T

ruth is, you can have all the latest and greatest systems employed in your business to ensure proper communication, but this will add ZERO value to your business if you have an untrained/unmotivated/lazy/careless/arrogant employee corps who lacks the basic skills of proper business communication practice in their interface with your existing and potential new customers. If this is a problem in your business, your business is at risk!

I am almost certain that readers have had more than one experience of poor communication practice in their interface with businesses. Problem is, we don’t always consider the negative experiences we have had in the context of our own organisations and sometimes we ourselves may be guilty of neglecting the vital home truth of ensuring that our businesses are projecting the correct image and practicing the basic principles and protocols of excellence in

PAGE 34

our interface with the outside world. All the fancy customer care seminars that nowadays abound - and to which you may be sending your staff - don’t mean a thing if the good stuff taught there is not taken to heart and put into practice.

Here are just a few examples of the sins being committed in some businesses: • Personal communication: does the manner in which front office personnel interface with customers and visitors to your business premises leave much to be desired? Are visitors dealt with efficiently and courteously? Are they addressed respectfully without exception and what is the standard of body language conveyed? How many letters in the press have you read about people who said that they walked out of a showroom after hanging around waiting to be served while the sales staff was “busy” on their computers or no one showed

any interest to approach them with an offer of assistance?

• Terrible switchboard service and telephone protocol: many businesses utilise a telephone system where calls are answered almost immediately by an automated voice that gives you a whole menu of options to select by pressing numbers and if nothing on the menu is applicable, you are invited “to hold for the operator”. While holding for the operator, you are assured by the automated voice that your call is very important to the business so please hold, and sometimes this is interspersed with a commercial message about the company’s products and services. I have even encountered instances where you are wished a merry festive season and a great new year three weeks into January, probably because the thoughtful person who created the festive greeting has forgotten to update the message service!

Robert Kaiser has been intimately involved in the motor industry for the past 25 years. He established Retail Motor Consultants in 2002, a consultancy providing relationship management, marketing and staff recruitment services as well as apprenticeship management programmes and through an associated company, unique Black Economic Empowerment transformation programmes for both large and SME businesses.

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In some cases, the extension will actually answer with a “not available� message and invite you to leave a voicemail. If that call is ever returned by the person in question, consider yourself lucky. I don’t know why, but landlinegenerated voicemails do not seem to get the same attention as voicemails left on a person’s cellphone. What could the reason for this be, are we just not bothered to access our landline voicemails? Or is there a flaw in most telephone systems that prevents efficient delivery of voicemails to recipients?

The business world is more dependent on telephonic and electronic telecommunication than ever before and no one can deny the fact that neglect in these areas can inflict huge damage to a businesses’ image and profitability.

Thankfully, there are businesses who realise this and are meticulous in ensuring that they have motivated, welltrained staff who drive and conduct customer interface at all levels of contact with existing and potential new customers. Upon closer analysis, don’t be surprised that these are the businesses that are showing huge growth in market share and profitability. Is your business one of them?

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However, if you have the patience to wait, you eventually may be lucky enough to speak to a real human being, who will then transfer your call to the person you wanted to speak to. The next challenge is that the person may not be available and does not answer the call, but the switchboard operator doesn’t track the call and revert to you with an offer to transfer you to someone else or take a message. The phone will just ring until you get cut off or terminate the call out of sheer frustration.

Deadly Communication Sins • Not returning calls. This I have found to be general practice in many organisations at all levels and must be considered a deadly sin in any organisation, yet it is rife! • Empty promises and poor or no follow up: How many times have you spoken to a person who promised “I’ll get back to youâ€? and that is the last you hear from them?

How much business has been lost in this manner? • Written communication. We live in a world where written communication is almost always electronic. Staff who are entrusted with conducting correspondence by email need to be able to spell and use the language they communicate in, correctly. Poor spelling and sentence structure reflect negatively on the organisation and its standards and can cost a business dearly. Mediocrity scares business away. • Have you ever seen the spelling and grammar mistakes on company websites, even some large corporates?

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These automated answering systems are probably one of the most powerful customer deterrents around. It tends to make a call to a company a grudge experience rather than the pleasant one it should be‌

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PAGE 35

AutoForum - February 2013

Fighting for numbers

A

t a panel debate at the Standard Bank People’s Wheels Awards at the end of last year, local automotive experts were cautiously optimistic for the new vehicle sales outlook in 2013.

The debate was entitled South Africa’s Auto Market: The Outlook for 2013.

Speakers on the panel included Ford Southern Africa CEO Jeff Nemeth, National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Chairman Derik Scorer, Renault South Africa Head of Planning Sydney Sedi and Standard Bank Vehicle and Asset Finance Head of Sales Keith Watson.

“It’s an interesting dynamic in the South African market,” said Nemeth. “You have an emerging market with 300 000 households a year being added to the people who can afford to buy cars – but at the same time you have a mature market because we’ve been in business here for 88 years.”

Scorer noted that the South African vehicle market already started seeing a slow down as 2012 came to a close.

Following an above-expected yearon-year growth of 10% in sales, NADA predicts growth of just under 5% for

2013. “I think as an industry we will be extremely thankful for that and will prosper on the back of it,” Scorer said.

Nemeth explained: “There are two factors which drive industry growth – one is vehicle replacements and the other is new customers, assuming everything else is stable. Between those two we’re looking at a slight increase. Could it be down slightly? We wouldn’t be surprised, but we’re expecting it to be up.”

Sedi agreed with Nemeth, stating: “We will continue to have growth next year, albeit in a more subdued manner.”

“We as Standard Bank are a little bit more bullish to be honest, and as bankers we like to be precise so we think it’s going to be 6.05%,” joked Watson.

More seriously, he noted that affordability remains a concern. “There are still high debt levels – for example home loans and personal loans – for consumers and particularly in the low end of the market, and these debt levels are keeping them from buying into the market more aggressively.”

Nemeth explained, however, that in real terms cars have never been more

affordable. “One of the things which is interesting is that if you have a look at interest expense as a percentage of real disposable income, it’s at a 30-year low right now,” he said. “Also, if you look at the price of vehicles as a percentage of real disposable income, it’s also at a 30-year low.”

According to Watson, Standard Bank is looking to focus more closely on the youth market, enabling young buyers to purchase their first cars earlier than they do at present. When asked what vehicle manufacturers should do in order to assist in attracting this new youth demographic, Watson drew appreciative laughter by stating simply: “I think there’s a lot of room for the manufacturers to cut prices.”

Scorer said that anybody earning between R15 000 to R18 000 per month as gross earnings would be very fortunate if they were only 22 years old.

“I would expect that they’d be able to afford a vehicle in the R150 000 price range and then afford the running costs and insurance as well,” he said.

One of the threats that 2013 holds is unsustainable debt levels. “We as an Continued on page 38

From left to right: NADA Chairman, Derik Scorer; Ford Southern Africa CEO, Jeff Nemeth; Standard Bank Vehicle & Asset Finance Head of Sales, Keith Watson; Renault South Africa Head of Planning, Sydney Sedi; and host, Jeremy Maggs

PAGE 36

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AutoForum - February 2013 industry are seeing an increase in the number of people with impaired credit records after a number of years’ decline,” revealed Scorer. “I think the level of unsecured lending in South Africa – where people are borrowing to pay back previous loans – is out of control and needs to be curbed.”

Scorer feels that if OEMs are able to restrict price increases in spite of the sliding Rand and other cost pressures in 2013, the South African automotive industry will have a good year. Although Sedi agreed that consumers have never had it better than at present in terms of affordability, he warned: “Definitely there will be price increases from next year.”

Nemeth estimated that 69% of vehicles sold in South Africa were imported.

“Part of that is the new Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP), where a lot of manufacturers are manufacturing single platforms and exporting the majority of their production,” he explained.

As an example, Nemeth referred to the new Ford Ranger, with Ford South Africa exporting 75% of the Rangers it builds at its Silverton assembly plant and allocating only 25% for the domestic market. “In prior years, we built many different models for the domestic market,” he said. “What that does, because of the programme structure, is it allows us to import vehicles and use the export duty credits to reduce the import cost of the vehicles.”

“I think the level of unsecured lending in South Africa – where people are borrowing to pay back previous loans – is out of control and needs to be curbed...definitely there will be price increases from next year.” importer in 2012, Scorer had a grim prediction to make.

“The more traditional local manufacturers and exporters are going to be more aggressive in the market place. The population at the lower end of what’s on offer to the public is going to be driven by those local manufacturers and importers,” he said. “The competition that we currently see is going to find it increasingly difficult to retain profitable levels and keep a dealer network profitable.”

“Having said that, I think there is a future for a number of the smaller importers,” added Scorer. “The market is big enough and there’s a demand at the bottom end which is robust enough to drive profitability for those pure importers.”

The APDP will therefore assist participating local manufacturers in freezing their prices. “Of course, the lower Rand also makes exports more attractive to foreign customers, so it’s a balancing act,” said Nemeth. “We’re obviously going to do all we can with efficiency to make our vehicles more affordable, and it goes into the total cost of ownership – for example, we’re bringing in a one-litre Ecoboost engine in the new Ford Fiesta.”

Nemeth’s concern for 2013 revolved particularly around South African problems. “I think what you need to worry about is very small changes in demands for a particular brand, which can put dealers under water,” he said. “If dealers are not profitable then they won’t be looking after customers, you won’t have somebody to go to for parts and services. The proliferation of brands sometimes makes them more difficult, and of course as one of the major brands we’d like to see less competition.”

It was noted that there are over 1 500 vehicle models from 60 brands available to South African motorists. In the light of the closure of a Chinese vehicle

There are also particular South African concerns for local manufacturers, with Nemeth adding: “My worry is that as time goes by it’s going to be harder for

PAGE 38

my counterparts here in South Africa to get their principals to agree to large investments in renewing their platforms in a market which is so unstable from an input, labour and policy level.”

Standard Bank predicts an increase of 50 basis points in the prime lending rate in 2013, but Watson expressed additional concerns regarding new capital liquidity legislation, which could potentially increase the cost of lending to finance houses, with those costs being passed on to consumers.

Despite the negative, panelist’s highlighted factors including longer periods on finance contracts, the addition of extras to vehicles which weren’t present before, improved safety specifications and the inclusion of maintenance and service plans as standard features on even entry-level vehicles as further drivers for growth.

I think the cost of acquisition of a new car today is comparable to three of four years ago,” revealed Scorer. “In fact it could be cheaper if one takes certain factors into account: firstly we have negative real inflation on new car prices as OEMs and importers have done a magnificent job at keeping prices very stable, although that might change in the first quarter of next year with a slide in the value of the Rand.”

PAGE 39

AutoForum - February 2013

Here’s the average lube store from hell. Apart from dirt and confusion, the presence of an electric-powered grinding tool maximizes contamination.

Expensive synthetic lubes do not belong in this business

Synthetics are not for Africa - yet!

- Dave Scott

Truck Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are pushing synthetic lubes. Environmental groups support synthetics for increased drain intervals and the big oil companies have to make a margin somewhere. And then there is the non-proven, non-standard, snake-oil group who believe that simply alluding to synthetics on a lubricant container makes it work when the potion may not have been tested under actual test conditions.

And synthetic lubricants can deliver many benefits, but...a BIG BUT. This extends the AutoForum May 2012 article ‘Contamination Yechhhh!’ into a policy statement that Africa is not ready yet for the benefits of synthetic lubricants.

A

s cost rules the day, the only final reason for a synthetic lube to be used is based on an extended drain interval. A superior performance lubricant offering less frequent drain intervals will survive a price comparison through lower total operating cost. The new focus for all the leading truck-brand OEMs is lifetime costs, or justifying a premium truck through reduced cost of ownership.

Synthetic lubricants will show significant cost savings in highly-stressed temperature and load applications or in areas where downtime is expensive including safety issues. Aviation is a good example.

Synthetic lubricants are extremely thermally and shear stable, due to their base stock (base oil) purity. This allows for longer use before product deterioration starts occurring

and hence enables extended lubricant life.

That’s one of the reasons why truck OEMs are now offering 40 000 km engine lube drain intervals with 500 ppm sulphur levels in diesel fuel, but the OEMs are making an error in concentrating solely on distance and not the operating culture in Africa of the general road transport industry.

Extended drain intervals can only work under the assumption that a synthetic lubricant is free from any external contaminant – kept clean before and during use, including topping up. However, very few South African road transport operations employ contamination exclusion as a guiding principle. For the lubricant to function well, it needs to be kept dry and clean, that means well-managed filters and breathers throughout the value chain– including dispensing into the end application and Continued on page 42

PAGE 40

Dave Scott is a member of the S.A. Guild of Motoring Journalists, and is a monthly contributor to the press on transport and trucking related subjects. In 2002 and 2003 Dave Scott was the S.A. Guild of Motoring Journalists winner of the category ‘Business Motoring’. As a member of the S.A. Institute of Tribology he takes a keen interest in the application of lubricants to road transport maintenance and the cost of ownership.

His key writing focus is on fleet management including the technology of trucks and road transport.

Advertorial

The Nissan Qashqai 1.5dCi – most fuel efficient crossover in SA. Nissan’s mid-size crossover, the Qashqai, last year launched a frugal Qashqai 1.5 dCi variant to the SA market, which its makers believe will only continue the brand’s success. The original model has pioneered the small to medium sized crossover segment, being the first to enter this market and now acting as the benchmark among many manufacturers.

This variant leverages the latest in diesel-engine technology to deliver the crossover with the lowest CO2 output in the market.

The vehicle produces just 135g/km and boasts an EU combinedcycle fuel consumption figure of 5.1l/100km.

What this means in real terms is that not only do buyers save every time they drive, but also when they make their initial purchase. The R287 900 Qashqai attracts only a nominal showroom CO2 tax in the SA market, while one brimmed 65-litre fuel tank is able to travel over 1000km before needing diesel again!

But what is it that makes the vehicle so efficient?

This direct common-rail multi injection 1 461cc unit has been fitted with quick glow plugs to minimise the inefficiency of operating a cold diesel engine, a dual-mass flywheel to preserve as much of the power generated as possible for acceleration under normal driving conditions, and piezo-electric injectors featuring seven conical holes for delivery of diesel in the most efficient manner possible.

CO2 production is further reduced through the adoption of a cooled EGR (Exhaust Gas Reticulation) system coupled to a catalytic converter. But more efficient does not mean less power.

The new variant boasts 78kW of power at 4000rpm and a healthy 240Nm of torque at 1750 – 2000 rpm. A 6-speed manual gearbox driving just the front wheels, makes for optimum driver enjoyment and driving efficiency.

And good looks combined with great comfort are standard The Nissan Qashqai 1.5 dCi Acenta includes a generous list of standard comfort features. High quality cloth seats, leather steering wheel and gear knob, and a six-speaker CD-player/ radio with auxiliary input for connecting mobile music players, as well as hands-free Bluetooth functionality, all mean driver and passengers are extremely comfortable and safely entertained.

Air-conditioning is standard as well as electric windows all around, while both the powerful Halogen lights and windscreen wipers can be left on Automatic.

Keeping Occupants Safe The Qashqai 1.5 dCi features a total of six airbags (driver, passenger, side and curtain) protecting the occupants from any harm in the event of an accident, while active safety features such as ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), BAS (Brake Assist System) and EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution) ensure that the driver remains in control even in emergency manoeuvres.

It is also fitted with a NATS immobiliser system as well as Nissan’s Microdot system, which allows for the identification of vehicle components even if their appearance and part numbers have been altered.

As Nancy Reddy, Qashqai Product Manager, sums it up: “The Nissan Qashqai 1.5 dCi Acenta delivers all the appeal of our pioneering crossover brand in terms of style and luxury, but with the added caveat of being the most fuel-efficient vehicle in this segment today. It represents yet another affirmation of Nissan’s dedication to leading the race for environmental consciousness in personal mobility without sacrificing customer expectations of what a vehicle of this category should do.”

“In short, the Qashqai 1.5 dCi Acenta just makes sense in today’s conditions. On so many levels.”

PAGE 41

AutoForum - February 2013

COMMERCIAL VEHICLES in use. Jim Fitch of Noria Corp points out that from delivery point to storage, using a dirty dipstick, dusty funnels with unsealed containers and unfiltered breathers results in a 64 X explosive growth in the particle population. Fitch goes on to say: “Contamination control is everyone’s responsibility.”

If we accept that ‘contamination control is everyone’s responsibility’ then it belongs to the culture and value system of an organisation. A company culture, after all, is ‘what we do when no one is there to tell us what to do’.

Cleanliness is an all pervasive attitude – it’s not reserved for engine lubrication alone. No matter what the quality, lubricants cannot function effectively with water and dirt, as this often causes breakdown in the film thickness and scoring of gauging on the surfaces in relative motion from one another. Take account of grease application alone, regarded as one of the ‘lowest tech’ workshop tasks.

The 5-Step Self Audit Grease can quickly contaminate loadbearing surfaces. How many operations use this 5-step and self-audit checklist approach to keep contaminants out of greased bearings when re-lubricating?

1. Use plastic caps that fit over grease fittings to exclude dirt and also replace missing caps.

2. Use lint-free cloth or clean rag to wipe down grease nipples prior to greasing.

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3. Protect the grease gun dispensingend with a cap or cover when not in use.

4. Don’t leave grease guns lying on the floor.

5. Train the lube-applicator – explain why – inspect for quality.

And then there’s water. Combustion byproducts – especially through blow-by in older engines – such as nitrous and sulphur dioxide (SO2) are not dangerous to engines by themselves but when mixed with water they become nitric and sulphuric acid (H2SO4). Compounding the problem of moisture ingress into drivelines is the lack of remote-mount, filtered breathers. In many cases this is a drive-axle problem, where driving through pothole water creates a temperature difference between the ‘hot’ axle and the exterior to actually draw in contaminating moisture via the axle breather.

Dipstick checks and topping up are a problem. We find engine sump overfilling in many fleets resulting from an inability to correctly read dipstick levels.

Too much lubricant introduces ‘churn’ and air into systems where entrapped air bubbles become a contaminant.

Dirty dipstick cleaning rags and old metal jug containers used for topping up multiply contamination even further.

Top quality lubricants are a waste in such environments. Remember, when checking sump levels that this should be done with cold oil – if an engine has been working then one should wait 20

to 30 minutes after shutting down for oil to return to the sump.

And if the lifetime cost is worth it, then other less quantifiable benefits kick in, which synthetic lubes can provide in addition to extended drain intervals - such as a lower operating temperature. Noria Corporation web material indicates that: ‘As the heat goes up in a gearbox, the viscosity thins. As the viscosity thins, there is an increase of boundary conditions (metal-to-metal contact), which generates more heat. The frictional heat serves to further thin the lubricant causing a circular decay in the effectiveness of the lubricant. Synthetics generally have higher viscosity indices (VIs). This serves to resist the problems associated with hot drives. Synthetics have been used to effectively reduce the operating temperature of gear drives by 10 to 50 degrees F’ – 5.5 ˚C to around 27 ˚C (see AutoForum Sept 2011 – ‘Reduced Driveline Operating Temperature’).

Certain contaminants can also deplete the additive packages, reducing their useful life. Neglected cooling systems and maintaining a correct coolant ratio leads to cylinder-liner cavitations. Noria Corp’s Wes Cash reports: ‘Glycol contamination is common in engine oils and can greatly alter the properties of the lubricant. Antifreeze causes a thickening of the oil, increasing the viscosity and not allowing it to flow as readily as before. This can lead to boundary conditions in parts of the engine that require a less viscous fluid to properly lubricate and protect them.

Continued on page 44

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COMMERCIAL VEHICLES It also creates an acidic environment within the oil, resulting in corrosion within the system, especially on copper surfaces. The additives within the oil can be compromised as well.’

Countermeasure conclusions Great care needs to be exercised in determining the service intervals as operating conditions can vary significantly and it’s not just about distance travelled. Dust levels and fuel quality are normally known issues that can be taken into account. However, factors such as idling time and lubricant housekeeping are often not even considered.

The only way to fix this situation is to drain the lubricant and replace it with new lubricant – in this case a good mineral oil. If extended drain intervals are used with high quality synthetics, but in the absence of contamination control, contaminants would stay in the application for longer - causing more and more damage.

• This means that truck operators should qualify for1extended drain 190x125 Advert_Layout 2013/01/17 9:41 AM

AutoForum - February 2013 intervals – it should not be an advertised right. The most important aspect to be considered, when there is a programme to move to high quality synthetics, is to ensure that there are good and appropriate housekeeping measures in place to ensure that contamination (dirt) is kept out of the system.

• Filters are therefore an essential element in the strategy, as are clean and dedicated transfer containers. Also, it is relatively pointless having filters in place, if the filters are not maintained and replaced on a regular and frequent basis.

• There is a business process change required when moving to synthetics, and training is essential. If everyone continues to operate ‘businessas-usual’, the added expense of a synthetic lubricant is wasted.

• Truck OEMs and their dealers are not going to like this – it’s much more work to qualify a customer as being entitled to extended drain intervals.

It’s beyond the simple application Page of 1 long haul/short haul including

on-road/off-road. Advertising extended drain intervals, either directly or by implication, should be withdrawn.

• ‘Customer proximity’ is the current truck marketing buzz-word. If truck OEMs and dealers are really close to their customers (proximity) then being able to qualify an operator for extended drain interval entitlement is easy. And the big stick for compliance is new vehicle warranty.

The benefit of changing business culture and strategic direction into a contamination control direction is massive. It’s not just being able to justify synthetic lubricants – everything will improve, become more reliable and less wasteful. Until then, stay with shorter drain intervals and cheaper lubricants.

From a broad perspective, is Africa ready for synthetics?

Sources http://demos.noria.com/Controlling_Contaminants_Slide_1830/res/index.html http://www.machinerylubrication.com

AUTO LOGISTICS AFRICA 2013 15, 16 & 17 April 2013 - The Hyatt Regency, Rosebank, Johannesburg Identifying and implementing effective strategies for cost reduction and process efficiencies in the automotive logistics chain

Leading local experts who will be speaking include: • • • • • • • • •

Media partners:

Francois Retief, General Manager: Supply Chain Management, Nissan South Africa Rob Doe, Regional BDM; South Africa, Botswana & Zimbabwe, Walvis Bay Corridor Group Dawson Z. Mareya, Managing Director, Willowvale Mazda Motor Industries, Zimbabwe David Roberts, Key Accounts and Business Development - National Manager, Grindrod Ndaba Mhlanga, Motor Parts & Equipment Association (MPEA) Director, Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI) Reetsang Mothibi, Senior Environmental Specialist, Imperial Logistics Researched and developed by: Mike Manby, Business Development Director, Bidvest Panalpina Logistics Dineshan Moodley, Logistics Manager, Automotive Industry Development Center (AIDC) David Macrae, Business Development Manager, CAT-WWL Logistics

TO REGISTER +27 (0) 11 771 7000 PAGE 44

VIP Code: P3320Autoforum

registrations@iir.co.za

www.autologisticsafrica.co.za

PAGE 45

COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

AutoForum - February 2013

The forecast drives the system

- Dave Scott

Here we are in 2013! And what will it hold for us? After all, we survived the Mayan Calendar forecast where some seriously believed the world would end on 21 December 2012. That forecast drove some agendas where people went underground with excess food stocks to last and overcome the ‘end’. South Africa’s manufacturing and retail motor industry is driven by forecasts that result in too little or too much vehicle stock, which - either way - results in market share decline if there are too few wheels on rubber to match demand, or on the other hand, ‘distress marketing’ to remove excess stock. Maintaining vehicles as new when they are aging in the yard with the added cumulative bank interest factor is very upsetting for accountants and shareholders.

L

et’s take a quick global view.

‘The Economist’ of 22nd Dec 2012 contained a brief 2013 forecast for the world motor industry: ‘So once again worldwide car production at 82.8 million will exceed sales at 81.9 million. As the metal stacks up on dealers’ forecourts, motorists can look forward to some great deals on wheels in 2013.’

For a local perspective, the total 2012 retail market for cars, bakkies, trucks and buses totalled 621.727 units – South Africa’s take-off from global production is only around 0.76%! Just to compound our forecasting challenge is getting in the right models. Naamsa recently indicated that vehicle buyers now have a choice of over 2 100 models from more than 60 vehicle brands, a phenomenon almost unique to South Africa, states a Toyota yearend press release.

South Africa’s small truck market is similarly afflicted by manufacturer and model proliferation. What could 2013 look like in relation to the past five

PAGE 46

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013 Forecast

Medium 3.5 - 8.5t GVM

12130

7227

7557

9259

9671

10200

Heavy 8.5 - 16.5t GVM

6957

3839

4418

4704

4903

5200

Ex-Heavy Over 16.5t GVM

14056

6437

8496

11750

11647

11500

Heavy bus Over 8.5t GVM

1516

1435

1551

986

1071

1100

34659

18938

22022

26699

27292

28000

TOTAL

years for the various segments of local truck sales?

Trucks are not consumer durables – it is confidence in fixed investment and capital expenditure that drives truck sales.

Interest rates are at the lowest level ever for some time now, but the events in the labour market – violence and death in the mining industry plus farm-worker rioting in the Western Cape – have not enhanced business confidence. The 2012 truck drivers’ strike was also a violent, intimidating event that impacted on fleets with marginal survival capability.

FNB Consulting Economist, Cees Bruggemans, echoes these issues: “In 2012 these things led to severe mining output losses, but also an incalculable loss of

private business confidence, inviting capex postponement and unnecessarily slowing the economy and job growth to nearly 2%.”

Bruggemans goes on to say that: “South Africa in 2013 should in theory find global tailwinds supporting her growth attempts, as well as benefiting from changing medium-term political and economic prospects. Even so, her immediate prospect may keep being hampered by restless labour demands.”

And he concludes: “It translates into a 2%-3% GDP growth outlook, unchanged from 2012, with inflation technically humping 6%-6.5% by midyear before gradually receding back into the

are notorious for not sharing too much customer information with their managers, as this knowledge is their ‘power-base’ against written jobperformance disciplinary warnings.

So ‘customer proximity’ does not work too well in the real world. And then truck operators don’t necessarily want to share too much with sales people for fear of this getting into the hands of competitors – it’s a case of trust. target range, assisted by a modestly firmer Rand in 7.50-8.50:$ and 10-11: Euro territory.”

The retail forecast still drives the system and a few disciplines can reduce the size of the problem.

The ultimate retail forecast comes from being close to truck customers. This means sharing a truck operator’s fleet replacement and growth plans and then building this into stock orders from source plants overseas. Having the right truck models at the right time also requires planning that accounts for the five-month, source-plant pipeline to which body-builder/equipment processing time has to be added. Sales people

• A forecast of zero can be better than 10, 100 or 1 000 – at least zero is the truth – be ruthlessly candid • Determination & understanding, not hope, is the basis for forecasting and stocking • Going rates of the past are no guarantee - only a future element • Sales people are dangerous optimists – but it’s their optimism that keeps the wheels turning

• Financial projections are not a forecast – it’s not there to make accountants happy • Does the forecast system have builtin disciplines and outlooks from various sources?

• Dead stock kills – don’t forecast your way into distress marketing campaigns • Will there be stock to match new model launches – the Johannesburg International Motor Show seems to be a pivot point in 2013 for new model introductions • Does the forecast fit the truck manufacturer’s declared strategic intent?

• The forecast has to be consistently reviewed every month with total buyin from all committed to ‘getting there’ Interest rates appear to be in a stable corner for at least the first half of 2013 – that’s good for trucks. Ho-hum, it seems to be business as usual on a plateau – but just watch this space!

PAGE 47

AutoForum - February February 2013 2013

AUTOMECHANIKA

Johannesburg gears up to host Automechanika

F

or years the South African retail tail motor industry has called for a focused trade show platform to address the needs of the automotive ve aftermarket.

In response to this need the worlddrenowned Automechanika brand was identified as the most suitable ble model to develop a unique South and Sub-Saharan African aftermarket trade platform.

Taking place in Johannesburg from m 8 - 11 May 2013 the event offers participation opportunities across a number of categories and events.

Automechanika Johannesburg provides an ideal platform to showcase your automotive ffranf chise solution and demonstrate the benefits of joint marketing, systems and purchasing to potential franchisees The focus of Truck Competence is on products and services offering solutions to reduce the running costs of trucks and buses. Exhibitors in this focus sector have an opportunity to demonstrate how their products and services will increase cost-effective operation of trucks and buses.

With so many automotive businesses dependent on the critical W role played by logistics suppliers this is the ideal showcase for ro yyour logistics service and capabilities.

Wheels and tyres play an important role in the automotive afterW market and participation provides the ideal occasion to show off m yyour latest product offerings and innovative services.

Green Technology may have had a slow uptake but the pace is G heating up requiring the automotive aftermarket to gear up to h deal with this advanced technology. d The formal show floor is divided into the following main prodT uct groups. u

     

Parts and Systems Accessories & Tuning Repair & Maintenance IT & Management Service Station & Car Wash Safari & Off Road

EEXHIBITOR BOOKINGS NOW OPEN, CONTACT P Philip Otto / Robert Kaiser on For more information e-mail F

011 494 5003 amsa@sashows.com

w www.automechanikasa.co.za PAGE 481

Food for thought Conferences & Workshops

Why Automechanika

The retail motor industry and its various sectors will come under the spotlight with a bumper and dynamic programme of discussion forums, workshops and conferences.

Automechanika Johannesburg is the platform for decision makers.

Retail motor industry trends and developments Truck & fleet trends SA Motor Body Repairers‘ Association Conference Motor Industry Workshop Association Conference Fuel Dealers Conference for SAPRA and FRA members Tyre Dealers & Fitment Association event Skills & Careers Focus NAACAM APDP Workshop International endorsements:

Take advantage of Automechanika ka Johannesburg to boost your business iness success. It is the largest and most st international business platform for or the Southern and Sub-Saharan African automotive aftermarket.

Meet visitors with decision-making ability and forge valuable relationships with potential partners for your company.

Extend your network and tap into new potential for your business. No other event offers as many business opportunities.

Save the Date Diarise these dates and be sure to visit Automechanika Johannesburg Wed 8 – Fri 10 May Sat 11 May

09:00 -18:00 09:00 -13:00

Register Online Today Take advantage of online trade visitor registration at:

www.automechanikasa.co.za

Supported by:

PAGE PAGE 492

AutoForum - February 2013

SHOW TIME

SHOW TIME

Show Time

PAGE 50

Automechanika Shanghai keeps growing - Michel Malik

Automechanika Shanghai continued its tradition of beating previous show records for exhibitor and visitor attendance, as it was held in December 2012 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

S

hanghai, widely regarded as the stronghold of China’s modern economy, has proven yet again its magnetic attraction to the automotive industry. It holds the country’s largest and most important motor show and Shanghai’s leading international trade fair for automotive parts, accessories, equipment and services, Automechanika Shanghai. Organised

by Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd and the China National Automotive Industry International Corporation (CNAICO), it is also the world’s second largest Automechanika, after the one held in Frankfurt, Germany.

More than 4 100 exhibitors from 37 countries and regions, which is a 14% increase in the total number of exhibitors, has continued Automechanika Shanghai’s growth despite all other predictions. Spread across 17 halls, the exhibition space was 180 000 square metres, a 13% increase on the previous show. In terms of visitor numbers, there were 72 190 from 136 countries and regions with 25% from abroad.

Exhibitors in the Parts & Components category included BorgWarner, China Changan, Continental Automotive, ContiTech, Delphi, Febi Bilsten, Federal-Mogul, Great Wall, Hella, Mahle, Schaeffler, TRW, Valeo and ZF. Exhibitors representing the Repair & Maintenance sector included Maha, ApolloSpray, Bantam, Beissbarth, Bosch, Cartool, Corghi, CTEK, Guangli, GYS, Launch, Lincoln Industrial, Panasonic, Stanley, WashTec, and Zonyi.

Automechanika Shanghai 2012 hosted 13 pavilions, which set another show record.

Countries and regions represented were France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, UK and USA. Local pavilions were supported by more than 50 trade organisations and industry associations.

There was a record 30 fringe programmes covering the sectors of Parts & Components,

SPECIAL OFFER Hospitality package available exclusively for AutoForum readers Please contact us asap on 011 466 3733 for details.

PAGE 51

SHOW TIME Repair & Maintenance, Accessories & Tuning, and Remanufacturing & New Energy. Highlighted programmes included: • NextGen Auto International Summit China • Automotive Aftermarket Summit 2012 – Innovation and Adjustment of the Service Mode • New Energy Vehicles & Green Maintenance – Opportunities and Challenges for Automobile Repair and Maintenance Industry • Shanghai International Automotive Carnival 2012 • Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA) International Remanufacturing Forum, and • Automechanika Matchmaking Forum The next Automechanika Shanghai 2013 will take place from 10 – 13 December at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, China.

PAGE 52

AutoForum - February 2013

Olaf Musshof, Automechanika Frankfurt boss (left) with Messe Frankfurt Hong Kong MD, Stephan Buurma

SHOW TIME

AutoForum - February 2013

Tyrexpo India boosts export opportunities

T

he next hosting of the Tyrexpo India exhibition has been highlighted as having a key role in connecting that country’s domestic suppliers to export buyers around the world.

According to the show’s organisers, that’s largely thanks to the addition of CAPEXIL (Chemicals and Allied Products Export Promotion Council) - a not-for-profit organisation by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, to promote exports of Chemical and Allied Products – to the list of exhibitors.

Paul Farrant, Managing Director of ECI International said: “We are delighted that CAPEXIL has confirmed its involvement with Tyrexpo India, providing official Government recognition of the valuable role the show can play in bringing together Indian exporters with the many hundreds of influential overseas buyers who will visit Chennai in July.”

SHOW TIME

A CAPEXIL Pavilion will offer expert advice, guidance and information to suppliers and act as a meeting place for buyers and producers to talk business.

PAGE 54

The second staging of Tyrexpo India will cover all aspects of the international tyre and workshop equipment sector, taking place over three days at the Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai, India from 9-11 July 2013.

For more information visit the show website at www.eci-international.co.uk.

PAGE 55

Aftermarket place AutoForum - February 2013

AutoForum - February 2013

Ferodo's New packaging with real stopping power!

Ferodo – which falls under the Federal-Mogul canopy of brands - recently announced it had undergone a packaging makeover. According to the company, the new design features cleaner lines and a prominent reference to the MyFerodo website, which promises 24/7 Ferodo support. The new packaging also incorporates the following important elements: • • •

Improved anti-counterfeit measures to help to fight piracy and secure authenticity A top opening pad box, for easier product accessibility A new construction pad box for greater structural integrity

For further new packaging information, please call the customer care number on 0800 555 832.

New online driving skills course Driving skills company driving.co.za recently launched a full ‘eco-defensive’ driving course, aimed at everyday drivers. As company MD Rob Handfield-Jones explains: “We’ve compiled this course especially for the private individual. The majority of courses for these drivers focus on skid control and racetrack skills which are novel to many people but not very beneficial in everyday driving. Drivecheap changes all that.”

The self-study course consists of 2 DVDs and an online test, and details how to save on motoring costs by becoming more defensive drivers. Its creators explain that it can result in fuel cost savings of between R1 500 and R5 000 per year. “These numbers are based on real-world experience,” said Handfield-Jones.

“When we trained Bridgestone’s sales reps, their average fuel consumption dropped by almost eight percent, and there were individual trainees who saved more than twenty percent. There are thousands of Rands’ worth of savings waiting for the driver who is willing to grab them,” he said. “And apart from giving experienced drivers a skills brush-up, Drivecheap also makes an ideal gift for younger drivers, to help them start off their driving careers with the right habits of safety and economy.”

PAGE 56

DIRECTORY LISTING

Aftermarketplace Directory

To advertise your listing in AutoForum After-Marketplace Directory contact us on 011 466 3733 or email: info@AutoForum.co.za

AUTO ELECTRICAL Auto Cosmos - Electrolog

Electronic Parts (Electrical) Catalogue

012 327 6210

Autozone

Aftermarket Electrical Parts & Accessories

0861 122 111

Bosch

Parts, Accessories & Batteries

011 651 9600

Diesel Electric

Aftermarket Parts & Accessories

086 000 3227

First National Battery

Industrial & Automotive Batteries

011 741 3600

MED Motor Electro Diesel

AutoElectrical Components & Accessories

021 505 4000

Parts Incorporated Africa

Automotive Components & Accessories

011 879 6000

PSH Holland

Alternators & Starter Motors

011 704 5196

Trysome Auto Electrical

Parts, Accessories & Batteries

011 823 5650

Connoisseur Automotive

Air Conditioning Specialists

021 419 7188

Highveld Garage Equipment

Air Conditioning Specialists

012 330 0540

Macs Automotive

Air Conditioning Equipment

011 498 0700

Snap-on Equipment

Diagnostics Equipment

0861 762 766

Aer-O-Cure

Spray Booths, Chassis Straighteners & Welding Equipment

011 444 6454

BSE

Body Shop Equipment

011 452 9688

AIR CONDITIONING

BODY REPAIR EQUIPMENT

CLEANING EQUIPMENT Aer-O-Cure

Pressure Washers & Vacuum Cleaners

011 444 6454

Autozone

Tools & Garage Equipment

0800 200 993

Highveld Garage Equipment

Pressure Washers & Vacuum Cleaners

012 330 0540

NAPA/Midas Group

Tools & Garage Equipment

011 879 6000

PSH Holland

Parts cleaning Equipment

011 704 5196

Keizin Automotive

Car Care Consumables & Products

0861 227 489

Aer-O-Cure

Electronic Chassis Straighteners

011 444 6454

Autozone

Diagnostic Tools & Garage Equipment

0800 200 993

Beissbarth

Wheel Alignment Equipment

011 651 9600

Bosch

Diagnostic Equipment

011 651 9600

Diesel Electric

Aftermarket Parts & Accessories

086 000 3227

DIAGNOSTIC EQUIPMENT

Direct Data

Diagnostic Equipment

Equipment Africa

Diagnostic Tools & Garage Equipment

012 653 0364

Highveld Garage Equipment

Engine Analyser & Diagnostic Scanners

012 330 0540

011 493 9985

Integrated Marketing

Sales, Service & Repairs to all Equipment

011 974 2202/3

Leaderquip

Wheel Alignment Equipment

011 334 1680

Macs Automotive

Air Conditioning Diagnostic Equipment

011 498 0700

Midas

Diagnostic Tools & Garage Equipment

011 879 6000

PSH Holland

Alternators & Starter Motors Test Benches

011 704 5196

Snap-on Diagnostics

Diagnostics Equipment

086 176 2766

Wheelquip

Wheel Alignment Equipment

021 949 0010

Industrial Interlocking Floors

011 873 1292

Aer-O-Cure

Tools & Garage Equipment

011 444 6454

Autozone

Tools & Garage Equipment

0800 200 993

Beissbarth

Wheel Alignment Equipment

011 651 9600

Bosch

Diagnostic Equipment

011 651 9600

BSE

Tools & Equipment

011 452 9688

Diesel Electric

Aftermarket Parts & Accessories

086 000 3227

Direct Data

Diagnostic Equipment

011 493 9985

Equipment Africa

Tools & Garage Equipment

012 653 0364

Highveld Garage Equipment

Tyre & Lifting Equipment & Tools

012 330 0540

Hofmann Megaplan

Complete Range of Garage Equipment

011 472 7279/5954

Holts Honeywell

Car Care Consumables & Products

011 613 6111

Integrated Marketing

Sales, Service & Repairs to all Equipment

011 974 2202/3

Ital Machinery

Brake & Clutch Machinery

011 483 3737

John Bean - Snap-on Equipment

Wheel Service Equipment

086 176 2766

Leaderquip

Tyre & Lifting Equipment & Tools

011 334 1680

Macs Automotive

Air Conditioning Equipment

011 498 0700

Mastercraft

Tools & Garage Equipment

0861 MCINFO

NAPA/Midas Group

Tools & Garage Equipment

011 879 6000

PSH Holland

Alternators & Starter Motors Test Benches

011 704 5196

Snap-on Tools

Tools & Garage Equipment

086 176 2766

Wheelquip

Wheel Service Equipment

021 949 0010

Alert Engine Parts

Distributors of Quality Parts

021 590 8250

Alfa Brake Drums & Discs

Brake Drums & Discs

011 608 0801/3

AUDI Parts

Genuine OE Parts

086 043 4838

Autozone

Aftermarket Parts & Accessories

0861 122 111

Bosch

Parts, Accessories & Batteries

011 651 9600

Diesel Electric

Aftermarket Parts & Accessories

086 000 3227

Federal Mogul Ferodo

Aftermarket Parts & Accessories

011 630 3000

First National Battery

Industrial & Automotive Batteries

011 741 3600

Holts Honeywell

Car Care Consumables & Products

011 613 6111

Macs Automotive

Air Conditioning components

011 498 0700

MED Motor Electro Diesel

AutoElectrical Components & Accessories

021 505 4000

Midas

Aftermarket Parts & Accessories

011 879 6000

Nissan SA

Aftermarket Parts & Accessories

080 064 7726

NAPA/Midas Group

Aftermarket Parts & Accessories

011 879 6000

Parts Incorporated Africa

Automotive Components & Accessories

011 879 6000

RAM

Belts & Hoses

011 248 9400

SABAT

Batteries

08600 SABAT

Trysome Auto Electrical

Electrical Parts, Accessories & Batteries

011 823 5650

FLOORING Tuff Floors GARAGE EQUIPMENT & TOOLS

PARTS MANUFACTURERS & DISTRIBUTORS

Turbo Exchange

Aftermarket Parts & Genuine OE Parts

011 402 7085

Victor Reinz

Aftermarket Parts

011 432 2667

VW Parts

Genuine OE Parts

086 043 4737

Auto Cosmos - Electrolog

Electronic Parts (Electrical) Catalogue

012 327 6210

Bosch

Automotive Training Courses

011 651 9600

Diesel Electric

Aftermarket Parts & Accessories, Vehicle service & repair

086 000 3227

MED Motor Electro Diesel

AutoElectrical Training Courses & Catalogue

021 505 4000

Misa

Staffing Association

011 678 6328

SERVICES

PAGE 58

PAGE 59