AutoForum September/October 2017

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September / October 2017

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I N N O V A T I V E

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SCAN ME!

I N F O R M E D

Automechanika JHB 2017

Eicher PRO 6000 SERIES The Digital Economy is happening right now Wesbank COTY 2018 finalists unveiled

SH OW T I ME

CRA CONFERENCE

MIAZ annual congress 2017 - forging ahead

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September / October 2017

CONTENTS

6

Cover Stories Automechanika JHB 2017

4

Eicher PRO 6000 SERIES

40

The Digital Economy is happening right now

40

Automechanika JHB’s Africa roadshow

51

Wesbank COTY 2018 finalists unveiled MIAZ annual congress 2017 - forging ahead

8 52

10

Trade Talk Wesbank COTY 2018 finalists unveiled Editorial The staging of Automechanika Johannesburg once again proved a busy time for our sector and was crammed full of awards, launches, displays and topical conferences, while at the same time providing an excellent opportunity for businesses to link up and of course, for us at AutoForum to meet our advertisers and readers. One of the clearest messages from all the presentations and discussions, is that the automotive business as you know it is about to change. Radically.

And no matter how much you think you are not at risk of becoming outdated and left behind, you need to ensure that your business is prepared. This issue is focused on presenting the hottest topics and challenges. Enjoy the read Clare

EDITOR: CLARE RUTKIEWICZ CONTRIBUTORS: AUSTRALIAN BODYSHOP NEWS ROBERT KAISER Warwick robinson Roy Cokayne grant west

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6

Holts is now to fall under the G.U.D stable

10

Snap-on equipment’s innovative Thermal imager is now available in SA

10

Bosch Automotive Aftermarket bids farewell as Faulstich retires

12

VWSA cleans up at EC Exporter Club Awards

12

Ferodo celebrates 120 years

14

Pre-Owned Car Awards launching late 2017

14

12

Industry News Latest fuel price hike increases pressure on cash strapped consumers

16

MIWA reminds aftermarket of importance of continuous upskilling

18

Audi dealerships embrace VR

20

The Digital Economy is happening right now

24

Vehicle software updates from the comfort of your couch

26

Automotive players: the nine pillars for exceptional customer experience

28

Suspension basics with A Plus

29

Right to Repair SA say progress is being made on motor industry code of conduct

30

Amazon causes angst in the US aftermarket parts industry, and why you should care

32

MTN Business to roll out a dedicated Internet of Things (IoT) network

34

The integrity of OEM products

35

32

38

Commercial Vehicles Truck sales up in August

36

A sit down with Surender Singh of Eicher before its latest launch

38

New full fleet management service solution

40

PAGE 3

AutoForum - September / October 2017

www.AutoForum.co.za

I N F O R M E D

Showtime Automechanika JHB 2017

42

Technology Innovation and show stand awards winners

44

Automechanika JHB’s Africa Roadshow

45

4 days of non-stop business at the 2017 Automechanika and colocated shows

46

The CRA conference

50

MIAZ annual congress 2017 forging ahead and creating opportunities -

52

BodyShop News SAMBRA speak at Provincial Artisan Development Conference

56

Rust proofing fundamentals

58

Technology is lowering crash rates

61

Measuring tolerances – how much is acceptable?

64

3M unveils their new demo van

66

NACE Automechanika Chicago 2017

67

A N D

I N N O V A T I V E

Advertisers Guide AAAS – A PLUS AAAS - BREMBO

15 5

Aer-O-Cure Alfa AMR

OBC 31 57

AUDI Parts

13, 22-23

Autocosmos – Electrolog

43

Automagneto

43

Continental – RAM

31

Highveld Garage Equipment

11

Garage Trade Supplies

27

Hurricane - Silver Falcon

62-63

Ital Machinery

4,43

Mahle Robert Bosch – Parts Robert Bosch – Diagnostics Robert Bosch – WSC Snap-on Trysome Auto Electric UD Trucks VW Parts

21, 37 19 7 IBC IFC 17 41 8-9

Don’t Know what this is?

Download a QR code reader for your Smart Phone or Tablet from the Apple or Android app stores, and you can use it to scan this code & go direct to our online edition at www.autoforum.co.za – it is free and updated DAILY! Follow us on Twitter and Facebook: AutoForumZA 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.

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Trade Talk

AutoForum - September / October AutoForum 2017 - Septemberwww.AutoForum.co.za / October 2017

Wesbank COTY 2018 finalists unveiled The second last week of September saw the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists (SAGMJ) unveil its list of finalist vehicle ranges for the 2018 WesBank South African Car of the Year competition.

Derek Watts played Master of Ceremonies at the interactive reveal event in Johannesburg. Headline sponsor Wesbank’s GM for Sales and Marketing, Ghana Msibi, commented: “Our relationships with the SAGMJ, as well as our OEM and dealer partners have been critical to our joint successes, which is why we support and invest in the South African Car Of The Year competition. I would like to thank the SAGMJ and the judging panel for all the hard work as they prepared for the unveiling of the ten finalists.”

Finalists were whittled down from the 35 eligible vehicle ranges, by votes from a 26-member jury. They are: • Peugeot 3008 • Alfa Romeo Giulia • Porsche Panamera • Audi Q5 • Suzuki Ignis • BMW 5 Series • Toyota C-HR • KIA Picanto • Volvo S90 • Land Rover Discovery From here the vehicles will be evaluated by jury members in late January 2018. At these evaluation days – the most critical of which will be the scheduled procedures to be held at a dedicated testing facility – the COTY jury will assess the cars independently, with routes and modules designed to test the vehicles in a similar way in which the average consumer would use them.

PAGE 6

Judging criteria include aesthetics, build quality, ergonomics, fuel consumption, environmental friendliness, safety features and value for money. These aspects are not only important with regards to the actual testing, but also to how the public perceives the COTY process, the finalists and ultimately the winning car.

The jury will also have access to performance test data, comparative pricing and specification data, as well as comparative parts pricing data, compiled by the Guild’s digital partner, MAPO International.

“As sponsor and digital partner, the MAPO team is looking forward to engaging with jurors and OEM representatives respectively, and will always offer our full support and continued commitment to the motor industry and this prestigious event,” says Gerhard Coetzer, the organisation’s Managing Director.

The winner will be revealed at an evening function on 13 March 2018. The South African Guild of Motoring Journalists has run the SA Car of the Year competition since 1986, with WesBank – one of South Africa’s largest vehicle finance institutions – as its headline sponsor since inception. AutoTrader and MAPO supply support sponsorship.

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Trade Talk

AutoForum - September / October AutoForum 2017 - Septemberwww.AutoForum.co.za / October 2017

Holts is now to fall under the G.U.D stable G.U.D. Holdings has officially confirmed its acquisition of Holts (Pty) Ltd, which will now take on the name: G.U.D. Chemicals (Pty) Ltd. The car care product company with its brands, Holts, Prestone, Redex and Simoniz will be marketed and distributed throughout Africa by G.U.D. Holdings (Pty) Ltd. According to Chris Haworth, CEO of G.U.D. Holdings: “This acquisition is aligned with our strategy of being a leader in the manufacture and marketing of premium quality automotive products.

was announced. Shuttleworth continues his involvement with G.U.D. Holdings as a Non-Executive Director.

The company has transformed its presence within the automotive industry over the past four years, having embarked on an expansion strategy to diversify and grow its product offering through the acquisition of several leading South African companies.

These include Safeline Brakes, Indy Oil and Precision Press and saw the establishment of a dedicated Africa Division in the company.

The Holts brand has a premium quality heritage of 98 years with their extensive product range. This makes them a great addition for the G.U.D. stable, by further complementing our existing product offering”.

“We are excited that the Prestone brand is included in this acquisition, its reputation as the No 1 coolant/antifreeze product in the USA is testament to its efficacy and quality.

We aim to grow the Prestone brand in the South African and African markets.” adds Haworth.

Haworth took over the running of the company in July, having been part of the business since 2001. He became the General Manager of the Prospecton manufacturing site four years later, and in 2012 assumed responsibility for all operational functions across the group as the Chief Operating Officer.

“I have full confidence in Chris; he is an exceptional leader and will add value to G.U.D. Holdings in his position as CEO. I would like to assure both our internal and external stakeholders that we value their support and will continue to offer excellent service and premium products,” said Red Shuttleworth, former G.U.D. Holdings CEO when the leadership change

Snap-on equipment's innovative Thermal imager is now available in SA Snap-on’s innovative thermal scanner uses infrared imaging technology to reveal heat from friction, electrical resistance, pressure changes and many more causes, meaning you can spend more time fixing the problem and less time trying to find it.

It also boasts an exclusive database of guided tests showing dozens of valuable known good and bad automotive applications. Simply point the thermal imager at any part of the vehicle and problems reveal themselves.

All this for the vat inclusive price of R19 939, or the unit can be financed over 36 months.

Snap-on customers that are lucky enough to already own this thermal imager, have the opportunity to receive a die cast car. Simply post an image of a fault diagnosed using your Snap-on thermal imager, along with a brief description and the serial number of the unit, to the Snap-on Facebook page. See the website for terms and conditions.

PAGE 10

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Trade Talk

AutoForum - September / October 2017 AutoForum - September / October 2017

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Bosch Automotive Aftermarket bids farewell, as Faulstich retires In a surprising move, and apparently after careful consideration, Ewald Faulstich announced his early retirement from Robert Bosch late in September.

Faulstich has been a respected senior executive in the local and African aftermarket for decades, having spent the last 17 years heading up Bosch Automotive Aftermarket, Southern Africa.

Andreas Bodemer, Robert Bosch’s Regional President for Africa notified customers, saying that “Ewald’s retirement is not only a loss to us, but also to the aftermarket in general, due to his many years of dedicated and committed involvement in the industry. We can only respect his decision and wish him all the best in his retirement”.

Grant Palliser will take over Faulstich’s position as Regional Director, South Africa. From the team at AutoForum we extend our congratulations on his new role and wish Ewald Faulstich all the best in his well earned retirement.

VWSA cleans up at EC Exporter Club Awards VWSA has walked away with three awards at the Eastern Cape’s Exporters Club Awards - the 2017 SJM Flex Environmental Merit Award, the 2017 Best Exporter OEM Award and the 2017 Exporter of the Year Award.

VWSA received a Merit Award for Continuous Improvement in the SJM Flex Environmental Award Category, which is awarded to exporters who are ISO 14001 accredited and who pursue excellence in environmental management. For the fourth year in a row, VWSA was awarded the Best Exporter OEM Award, which recognises manufacturers of original equipment for the automotive industry.

“Volkswagen has been the passenger car market leader for the last 7 consecutive years and continues to lead the market in 2017. The Polo and Polo Vivo, which are produced in our

PAGE 12

Uitenhage factory, have been instrumental in our success both locally and overseas,” said Thomas Schaefer, Chairman and Managing Director: Volkswagen Group South Africa.

“Our position in the passenger car market together with our ongoing commitment in trying to reduce our impact on the environment and our commitment to the Eastern Cape and the community we are situated in are all rewarded by these three awards and I am very proud to lead this great company, with its loyal workforce and dedicated dealer network.”

The Exporters Club was founded in the Eastern Cape 36 years ago and is aimed at organisations involved in exporting, either directly or indirectly, and for organisations with an interest in exporting. There are approximately 290 organisations on the database, including automotive, pharmaceutical, agricultural and services industries.

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Trade Talk

AutoForum - September / October 2017 AutoForum - September / October 2017

Ferodo celebrates 120 years

120

The Ferodo® brand of premium braking Original Equipment and aftermarket products is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year.

Founded in 1897 in Chapel-en-le-Frith in the U.K., the British braking parts brand was acquired by Federal-Mogul in 1998 and has since then, become a key element of the company’s braking brand portfolio.

It has a particularly significant presence in the Middle East, Egypt, Morocco, Cyprus, Algeria and Tunisia.“FederalMogul Motorparts has a long history with Ferodo, which fits in well with our portfolio of premium automotive parts, and our focus on delivering innovation and setting new industry standards for OEM and aftermarket parts,” said Tim Paustian, Regional Sales Director for Middle East and North Africa “Ferodo has been a leader in braking excellence for decades, and is seeing rapid uptake in the Middle East and North Africa market thanks to its premium products.”

www.AutoForum.co.za

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Ferodo is probably best known for its Eco-Friction® line of environmentally-friendly low- and zero-copper brake pads.

Formulated after years of research with more than 1,500 materials tested and 25 new components developed, the Eco-Friction range of brake pads is ahead of the curve in addressing environmental regulations calling for a reduction in copper used in brake pads.

The brand’s 120th birthday is being celebrated at this year’s exclusive Eco Days series, where clients, distributors, partners, and members of the media will participate in three days of education, engagement and test drives centred around Ferodo’s Eco-Friction technology. The event takes place in late September in Belgrade, Serbia, and will host attendees from United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Egypt.

Pre-Owned Car Awards launching late 2017 Gumtree South Africa has announced its intention to launch the first Pre-Owned Car Awards with the inaugural event set to take place in November 2017.

Cars will be selected using judging criteria unique to preowned cars, including value for money, overall appearance after a number of years, maintenance costs and more.

“South Africa has a few long-standing motoring awards shows that celebrate the latest releases, but ultimately, we’re a pre-owned market.

Pre-owned vehicles are outselling new models at a rate of 2.37 to 1, which means that most consumers have a vested interest in pre-owned cars,” says Johan Nel, Director-GM of Gumtree South Africa.

“This is not only an opportunity to showcase the quality and range of pre-owned cars on the market, but also a means to educate consumers about which second hand cars they should be considering and how to make a smart buying decision.”

Nel is confident that the online classifieds giant is best positioned to deliver South Africa’s first pre-owned car awards show, given its vast expertise in facilitating vehicles sales for both private sellers and professional car dealers.

PAGE 14

“We’ve dedicated ourselves to facilitating automotive trade for more than a decade,” says Jeff Osborne, Head of Gumtree Automotive. “Gumtree has 75 000 cars listed for sale at any given time, by both dealerships and private sellers, and over 1.2 million people browsing the Automotive category every month. We know what consumers are searching for and how they are evaluating the cars they purchase, and we’re putting that information to good use.”

The company says that the awards will recognize and celebrate the best pre-owned cars on the market, as evaluated by a panel of leading motoring experts and backed by authoritative data supplied in partnership with TransUnion.

Finalists will be selected from the best-selling pre-owned cars of the past three years, across several categories from hatchbacks and sedans to bakkies and SUVs. Judging criteria is comprised of 16 key elements of vehicle performance, such as overall value for money, engine performance, mechanical reliability and safety.

South African motorists will also be able to cast a vote for their favourite nominee in each category. Whichever vehicle gathers the most public support will receive a People’s Choice award, based solely on online votes.

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AutoForum - September / October 2017

Latest fuel price hike increases pressure on cash strapped consumers Motorists have now been faced with another fuel increase of 67c a litre, with the price of diesel rising by 44c a litre.

Vishal Premlall, director of SAPRA, the South African Petroleum Retail Association, says the primary reason for this increase can be attributed to the weakening Rand against the Dollar and the consequent price of crude. He also cautioned that if the price of oil continues with its upward trend, there could be a further increase in the coming months.

Premlall was clear to clarify any misconceptions that the increases could be attributable to wages. He said the wage portion, which is an annual adjustment that takes place in September, accounted for only 4.6 cpl.

He cautioned motorists who are feeling the pinch to try and plan their trips more carefully and take advantage of lift clubs. “Unfortunately the knock on effect will also probably impact on taxi fares, which are expected to increase by R1 and R5 per journey.”

“Fuel efficiency is a big consideration these days. Fuel is not cheap and many people spend a larger portion of their salaries each month on fuel to commute.”

PAGE 16

He believes that the most fuel-efficient engines in the current market are diesel. “Diesel engine technology has progressed in leaps and bounds over the past decade and most certainly in the last five years, proving that this technology is becoming the one of choice. European countries are, by far, at the forefront of diesel powered use and the rapid expansion will see diesel powered passenger vehicles become the vehicle of choice in the near future probably surpassing all other forms of power.”

(We await the changes that will no doubt occur following this year’s further diesel scandals in the EU. The prediction is that diesel – now the public relations “black sheep” across Europe – will no longer be seen in the good light it still holds in SA. Ed) Premlall went on to debunk some fuel saving myths. These include gearing into neutral at stops; the idea that a dirty air filter leads to lower mileage; or that filling up in cooler weather saves money.

INDUSTRY NEWS

AutoForum - September / October 2017

MIWA reminds aftermarket of importance of continuous upskilling According to MIWA, with the current curtailed consumer spending, South African motorists are increasingly holding onto their private vehicles for longer periods – increasing demand for independent workshops. This is especially true for motorists whose existing dealer maintenance and repair plans have expired.

Pieter Niemand, Director of the Motor Industry Workshop Association (MIWA), comments: “While stronger demand bodes well for the independent auto repair shops that have survived some of the toughest years in the industry, the necessity to up skill staff is more important now than ever.”

However, workshop owners are faced with a huge skills shortage. “It’s a challenge for workshop owner to find skilled staff and head hunting has become the norm. Workshop owners need to train their current staff and identify where the skill gaps lie.”

As we are all well aware, vehicles have become increasingly more complex over the years, with the addition of increasingly advanced electronic components. Mechanics are now expected to be service engineers with the ability to operate at complex, technical levels.

“We believe auto workshop owners will need to shift their focus from merely retaining customers to offering a multi-skilled expert that can advise on and service vehicles across the board,” says Niemand.

In order to remain competitive against the OEM dealers, aftermarket auto shops have to depend on technical manuals, manufacturers service information, even the internet for updated technical specs and fault identification because of the variety of models they have to service.

“Diagnostic equipment assists to a certain extent but it can only do so much. The Right to Repair campaign is working towards bringing about a change in the industry where information will be made accessible to independent workshops but until then workshops have to work with what is available. It does, however, mean that mechanics need to be continuously upskilling to meet the demand,” he says.

For this reason, identifying training opportunities for the sector is a priority for MIWA. “Several years ago we approached American training company, Delmar, to host its automotive technician training programme in South Africa. This resulted in a Master Technician course which has been accessible to workshops and has been well received.”

Niemand adds that MIWA has also partnered with the AA Technical College where those who sign up receive a threeweek practical followed by a two-day trade test aimed at automotive electricians, diesel mechanics and motor mechanics. “The trade test is designed to allow experienced workshop staff to attain a qualification even though they did not attend formal training,” he says.

PAGE 18

“The Minister of Higher Education and Training has announced changes to the ARPL (Artisan Recognition of Prior Learning) process, the first of which are for Motor and Diesel Mechanics.

These changes will come into effect on 19 October so the AA is offering MIWA members a 50% discount on standard rates for ARPL candidates before this date.”

The key is encouraging a steady stream of new talent into the industry, believes Niemand. “One of the industry’s challenges in attracting newcomers. Unfortunately the misperception still exists that workshop mechanics are merely grease-monkeys who spend their days covered in oil, taking engines apart.

The reality is that the only people as skilled as fully-qualified automotive technicians are aircraft technicians. Automotive technology has developed so far that mechanics is only one of four skills technicians must learn. The others are electrical, electronics and advanced computer skills,” he says.

As the biggest association in the Retail Motor Industry (RMI), MIWA has taken on the responsibility of encouraging artisan training by linking with one of the largest providers, Bidvest McCarthy.

“Bidvest McCarthy continues to set training benchmarks and its Bidvest Automotive Artisan Academy offers full trades in Motor Mechanic, Diesel Mechanic and Automotive Electrician apprenticeship programmes”.

“It has three merSETA and NAMB Accredited Training and Trade Test Centres one in Midrand, Gauteng, one in Pinetown, Kwazulu-Natal, and one in Blackheath, Cape Town.”

“We have a major unemployment problem in South Africa and there is much opportunity in the aftermarket motor industry.

The time has come to put aside misperception and encourage young people to consider training in this industry.

It’s also the time to invest in upskilling existing staff so we can provide consumers with the best service for the least amount of money, and a turnaround time that provides the least inconvenience.

With today’s vehicles demanding more training and greater specialisation, mechanics are going to have to continuously adapt to changing technologies. Training is available and should be considered to ensure the industry remains relevant,” concludes Niemand.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

AutoForum - September / October 2017

Audi dealerships embrace VR Audi has announced the launch of the Audi VR experience – the first fully functional virtual reality application for customer consultation at dealerships.

The programme will initially be rolled out to dealers in Germany, then the United Kingdom and Spain with more locations to follow. The VR solution allows customers an extremely realistic experience of their individually configured car, down to the last detail. It also explains Audi technologies intuitively and offers customers the opportunity to immerse themselves virtually in extraordinary moments from the world of the four rings. As part of Audi’s comprehensive initiative for digital innovation at dealerships, the VR experience is completely integrated into the brand’s IT systems.

possible models and equipment variants. The VR application allows users to become completely immersed in the virtual world, conveying an all-encompassing, detailed image prior to the purchase decision. The configured Audi is experienced in three dimensions and 360 degrees, with all light and sound effects. Various environments, times of day, and light conditions also contribute to the true-to-life virtual experience of sitting in the car. The interior can also be observed from every perspective, down to the surface of the decorative inlays, depending on the position relative to the virtual light source.

“With the VR experience we have developed a full-fledged sales tool for Audi dealers. It offers our customers more information and certainty when making their purchasing decision, as well as a special excitement factor,” says Nils Wollny, Head of Digital Business Strategy/Customer Experience at AUDI AG. “With this, we are taking the next step in our strategy to combine digital innovation with the strengths of the bricks-and-mortar dealership.”

The so-called “x-ray vision” allows tech-savvy users to take a look beneath the surface of the car, into the structure of its technical components. Future VR software upgrades will also offer demo features on Audi innovations that can be tested only to a limited extent during a real test drive – such as different light technologies at night and in poor visibility.

Digital technologies such as the VR headset allow dealers to present the entire Audi model range, including all equipment options, during the customer dialogue. More than 400 “Customer Private Lounges” – a digitalised consulting suite – are already in use.

With the VR headset, prospective buyers can configure their individual dream car and explore even the smallest details from a realistic perspective, selecting from several hundred million

PAGE 20

In most markets, dealerships will run the VR application on the Oculus Rift headset from Audi’s primary project partner Oculus.

Zerolight to develop an especially high-performance graphics engine.

Virtual reality is used by Audi in numerous areas of the company – from sales and technical development to automotive production. For example, the company uses VR headsets to train logistics employees for their assignments at the worldwide production plants of the four rings.

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Part No. 038-141-117-L

Part No. 059-141-031-P

A1 2011 - 2014

A4 2005 - 2009 A6 2005 - 2011

A4 2001 - 2009 A6 2005 - 2011

RRP:

RRP:

RRP:

R2,424.28

R3,144.92

R3,025.29

Part No. 079-141-117-D

Part No. 0B1-141-117-E

Part No. 0B4-141-031

A4 2001 - 2009 A6 2005 - 2011

A4 2008 - 2012 A5 2010 - 2011

A4 2008 - 2015 A5 2008 - 2016

RRP:

RRP:

RRP:

R2,661.11

R2,650.05

Clutch Plate Part No. 03C-141-025-G

Part No. 03F-141-025

A3 2008 - 2013

A3 2008 - 2013

RRP:

RRP:

R2,060.19

R2,148.82

* Please note – advertised image is only a representation and may differ to actual part.

Prices are recommended retail prices (non-binding to any party) exclusive of VAT and subject to change without notification.

Part applicability dependent on chassis/VIN number. Valid from 01/06/2017 - 30/11/2017. While stocks last.

R2,992.95

Release Bearing Part No. 01E-141-165-D

Part No. 02A-141-165-M

Part No. 0B4-198-165-A

A4 2001 - 2012 A5 2008 - 2011 A6 2005 - 2011

A1 2011 - 2016 A3 2004 - 2013 TT 1999 - 2014

A4 2008 - 2012 A5 2008 - 2011

RRP:

RRP:

RRP:

R566.09

R794.46

R1,690.16

Part No. 0A3-141-165 A4 2005 - 2009 A6 2005 - 2011

RRP:

R877.02

Clutch Kit Part No. 03G-141-016-A

Part No. 06F-141-015-C

A3 2004 - 2013

A3 2004 - 2013 A1 2011 - 2014 TT 2007 - 2014

RRP:

RRP:

R5,286.62

O&M CAPE TOWN 96245/E

R5,876.47

INDUSTRY NEWS

AutoForum - September / October 2017

The Digital Economy is happening right now The opening day of the Wesbank Motoring Experience, held recently in Johannesburg, played host to the 2017 CAR Digital Dealer Conference at the Kyalami Conference Centre.

The conference’s subject matter and theme “The digital economy - How dealers need to adapt to align with consumer buying trends,” included speakers that covered a wide range of topics around the digital communication space. The underlying message however, was that this is not something that lies in the future; it is happening right now.

There is no time to waste.

Sponsored by the Innovation Group and Altech Netstar, the conference attracted almost 300 delegates - double the number of people who attended the first digital dealer conference in 2015.

“We were delighted by the positive response to this year’s conference as it highlighted burning issues that have the attention of all involved in vehicle marketing and especially the sales aspects,” said Neil Piper, Group Publisher of Ramsay Media.

Dave Duarte, the founder of Treeshake, a digital innovation consultancy and programme director of the CAR digital dealer conference, was not only an able scene setter but also made a very impactful personal presentation, titled “Navigating the digital retail landscape.”

He got the audience’s attention from the start when he said that just over half the companies that had been on the Fortune 500 list in 2000 had disappeared from the list by 2017, according to Pierre Nanterme, CEO of Accenture.

PAGE 24

This shock statement certainly underlined the need for companies to re-invent themselves to meet the challenges in an environment that is changing rapidly on many fronts, with the internet being the major driver of the new order.

Other interesting facts provided by Duarte were that 75% of millennials questioned in a survey said they wished they did not have to go into a motor dealership when buying a car, preferring to conduct the whole process online. Another important fact from Duarte is that e-commerce in South Africa is growing at 30% a year so successful companies must be part of South Africa’s digital revolution. Duarte told attendees that he himself had not owned a car for the past three years, using Uber, Taxify and rental cars instead.

Bruce Allen, the chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), stressed the need for dealers to provide quick service to customers who nowadays want to spend less time in a dealership, even at those with free Wi-Fi and coffee in the waiting area. Customers also want any problems sorted out right the first time.

Allen added that there was a real need to integrate the various systems - such as the capturing of customer details - in the IT networks of brands and group dealerships as another way of making life easier for customers.

One of the highlights of the conference was being able to listen to Madhu Nutakki, the Chief Digital Officer of Nissan Motor Corporation, who is based in San Francisco.

Firstly, he reminded the delegates that times had changed and customers were now in control and needed to be treated accordingly.

“The frustration level of the millennials is just below the surface and any treatment from a dealer that does not make them happy - such as a lack of personalised communication - can result in them switching brands,” said Nutakki, using an anecdote involving his daughter and her car-buying experience in the US. The Nissan executive gave some amazing statistics about South Africa and the internet to show how important this medium has become, such as the fact that 28.7-million people in SA - out of a population of 55.2-million - have access to the internet and 45% of these people are active on social media.

He added that brand loyalty was no longer playing such an important role in the purchasing decision compared to only a few years ago. “These days the customer experience and special offers are often more important than the price of a product”.

“The global motor industry certainly has to up its game because its 6-10-year product cycles are seen to be lagging when compared to a company such as Facebook, which updates the software on its website twice a day!”

Dylan Kohlstadt, CEO of ShiftONE, a creative integrated digital marketing agency, who is a real guru on her subject, made two presentations, both of which proved most interesting. The first was “Building a competitive advantage using powerful owned, earned and paid digital marketing strategies” and the second was titled:

“Identifying and breaking bad (digital) habits and the tools to fix them.”

Kohlstadt said that paid advertising was battling with credibility from the millennials, while earned publicity, such as customer blogs, selfie photos and videos were seen as more believable by social media followers. “People connect easier with other people than with brands.”

Some other gems from the CEO of ShiftONE were: • Simplicity (in digital communication) is cardinal; • Remember there are only four seconds to make an impact when somebody opens your website, • Every time a person has to make another click when surfing a website you lose visitors, • Emotion drives 95% of decision-making, • Persistence gets an audience (on social media) and consistency keeps it, • Harvest e-mail addresses whenever you get the opportunity, • Personalisation is key in digital communication, • Humanise digital communication where possible, • Hire millennials (as employees) as they are the digital generation.

“We were not only delighted with the excellent support for this conference from delegates, but also very happy with the calibre of the speakers and the information they were able to impart to the audience,” concluded Ramsay media’s Group Publisher, Neil Piper.

PAGE 25

INDUSTRY NEWS

AutoForum - September / October 2017

Vehicle software updates from the comfort of your couch In the future, car owners will be able to enhance their car’s security, intelligence, and performance without getting up from the sofa. That is because updating car software will be as simple as updating apps on smartphones today. A swipe of the smartphone will be enough to automatically update vehicle software or to download new functions directly from the cloud – without any need to visit the repair shop. That’s great news for car owners, but not so wonderful for repairers.

And it is not just drivers that benefit from over-the-air software updates: in 2015, 15 percent of recalls in the automotive industry in the U.S. had to do with software errors.

Four years previously, this figure was only 5 percent, according to a U.S. study based on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA).

“For automakers and their customers alike, such repair-shop visits are a huge waste of time and money, and online updates can significantly reduce this,” Heyn says.

“In a few years from now, automatic software updates will be possible in every new car,” says Dr. Markus Heyn, a member of the Bosch board of management.

“Wireless over-the-air updates are extremely convenient for drivers. In addition, Bosch is making these online updates secure and fast,” Heyn continues.

Bosch has developed all the features required for these wireless updates inhouse. They range from the control units and in-car communication infrastructure to modern encryption technologies and the Bosch IoT cloud.

With the car turning increasingly into a smartphone on wheels, keeping vehicle software up to date is becoming increasingly important. New functions can provide extra convenience, even after the vehicle has been bought.

Over-the-air software updates will therefore soon be a standard feature. Vehicles feature as many as 100 control units and even compact cars have between 30 and 50 and their software governs nearly every function in the vehicle. In addition, more and more vehicles are now connected – with the internet, other cars, and the infrastructure. This means a greater risk of weak links in vehicle software, as well as of manipulation.

In this context, software updates over the cloud offer a solution that keeps cars constantly up to date, and thus also secure.

“Cars are driven for 15 years or more. Over-the-air software updates are Bosch’s contribution to keeping vehicle software constantly up to date, without having to visit the repair shop,” Heyn says.

In addition, the cloud updates mean that ever more functions can be added, with ever greater scope. If the necessary hardware is already installed, a new software function can be tried out and subsequently downloaded. In this way, lanekeeping or park-assist functions can be added, for example.

PAGE 26

Secure, fast, and simple – that’s how over-the-air software updates work. On the driver’s smartphone or the car’s infotainment system, the online security updates are started and any new functions that need to be downloaded are selected.

This information is sent to the cloud, which acts like a kind of app store, holding the updates in readiness and starting the process of downloading software to the vehicle. The data can either be downloaded in the background while the car is moving, or overnight when it is parked in its garage. As soon as the vehicle is in a secure condition (once it has parked, for example), the software updates are installed on the appropriate control units, where they are immediately activated.

Security and the smooth interaction of automotive electronics, cloud, and software are decisive for over-the-air updates.

Data security is ensured by the latest encryption technologies developed at the Bosch subsidiary Escrypt.

A complex security architecture with end-to-end encryption protects the data transmission against unauthorised access. At the car-cloud interfaces, secure protocols and filters act like a firewall to ward off any hacking attempts. To ensure that overthe air software updates are not just secure, but also fast and reliable, Bosch uses fast update technologies such as delta and compression mechanisms.

These accelerate the update process and reduce cost, since the data volume for the transmission remains low. One further security measure is to transmit the updates in sequences.

If problems occur, the update process can be stopped and adjusted. The technology at the heart of these over-the air updates is the Bosch Automotive Cloud Suite. Its software elements enable all functions needed for over-the-air updates – by drivers, automakers, and even by vehicles themselves.

Are you prepared for this?

AARTO readiness is key Recent talk is suggesting the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO), or as it is more commonly known, the point system, will be fully implemented in 2018.

Although its implementation faced many difficulties since it was first tabled in parliament in 1998, and many dismissed the possibility of full implementation, this looks likely to soon change.

But how does one prepare for this?

Managing director of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, encourages drivers to brush up on their driving skills.

“The system is not merely meant to punish law breakers but change driver behaviour all together. South Africa has a culture of drivers who push the boundaries”.

Top Quality Workshop Equipment Top brands, top advice

“Punishments are not severe enough to create any real fear of the consequences. Now drivers need to break these habits and place more importance on safe and responsible driving.”

Each person starts with a 0 point balance. Every time you are caught committing a traffic offence points are added according to the severity of the offence. Once you have 13 points, a license is suspended for three months. For every three offence-free months, one point is deducted from the driver’s balance. If a license is suspended three times, it can be cancelled.

The impact on businesses is just as serious. “Harsher consequences for traffic offences mean harsher consequences for your business. If a driver is suspended they cannot drive for you anymore leaving you to source and train new drivers.

Additionally, if the driver accumulates points in their private capacity it will affect your business operations as well.

“Business owners need to also be aware that the owner of the vehicle is held responsible for demerits unless you notify RTIA that someone else was driving. This also creates a larger administrative burden and requires changes to employment contracts.”

Businesses, particularly, should be preparing for it before implementation. “A substantial amount of administration requirements need to be in place before implementation to protect your fleets. It’s for this reason that MasterDrive launched its latest programme (with updated legislation) to specifically deal with AARTO. It helps every fleet owner/manager understand what the pending legislation means for them,” says Herbert.

To find out more about how you can get ready for AARTO implementation, visit www.masterdrive.co.za. You can join their AARTO programme to best prepare your business.

Contact us for all your equipment advice

gts@telkomsa.net David Barendse 082 450 6109

Tel: 011 908 5199 011 908 4169

Proud suppliers of the following top brands:

PAGE 27

INDUSTRY NEWS

AutoForum - September / October 2017

Automotive players: the nine pillars for exceptional customer experience - Dereshin Pillay

Nowhere is the digital revolution more apparent than in the automotive sector, as traditional players fight to maintain traction in a market becoming overrun by exciting auto-tech players like Tesla, Faraday Future and Google.

In our sixth pillar, IPS and GPS technology enables detailed tracking of vehicles, helping to guide customers on how to best maintain their vehicles and ensure safe journeys to their destinations.

And it’s not just within the design and build of the cars themselves; in fact, digital tools are entirely reshaping the customer buying and after-sales environments as well.

Consider that customers spend an average of 14 hours* researching cars via digital channels – pouring over reviews, videos, comparing prices, viewing the line-ups on dealership and manufacturer websites and even playing around with the different customisations like interior and exterior colours.

In fact, research suggests that over 75% of the purchasing journey happens online**, with customers only visiting dealerships an average of 2.2 times*** – often once to test drive, and the second time to collect.

These experiences set the tone for the future. Positive experiences can lead to lifelong brand loyalty – towards certain brands of cars, certain models, and even certain dealerships.

We’ve identified 9 key pillars - across the entire buyer lifecycle - from which automotive players can build their customer experience strategy, combining and capitalising on some ground-breaking new technology innovations.

Next, technology can be used for feedback management, to quickly address customer issues, complaints or other problems, enabling dealerships to benefit from customer feedback. ISOcertified complaints and approval process ensure the best possible experience for users. Continuing with the after-sales theme is the eighth pillar, predictive aftersales, the analytics platforms that collect data about the car’s usage and the customer’s preferences. With this, automotive players can arrive at targeted and compelling offers – to upsell, cross-sell and entice people with specials.

The final pillar, 360° View, pulls together data about the vehicle, the financing, the service history and the customer.

As the explosion of digital, mobile and social tools completely reshapes the way customers engage with automotive companies, those that keep up with the pace of change are more likely to garner loyalty and market share.

Let’s start in the showroom. With that average of just 2.2 physical interactions, it’s critical to make them great. With proximity-based solutions, dealerships can digitise the showroom experience, providing rich data about the vehicles on the floor, and augmenting the experience for those browsing.

They can initiate relationships that can be continued into the digital realm – through a mobile app for example.

Undoubtedly, customer behaviour is changing, as they look to interact quickly and access information across any form of media and device, anytime and anywhere. They’re looking for tailor-made, personalised service, and as little friction as possible. By digitising one’s sales and after-sales processes with the clever application of technology to address these nine pillars, it’s possible to meet and even exceed these demanding customer expectations.

Secondly, by establishing a direct digital touchpoint with potential customers, they can easily book mobile appointments – such as requesting test drives, consultations, service appointments and the like.

Hopefully customer interest turns to desire, and then to committed action. Dealerships can use Cloud-based systems to accelerate the sales process, integrating with partners from warehouses to financing companies, to ensure a smooth delivery of the vehicle to the customer.

The fourth pillar – Smart Workshops – encompasses a range of services, from online and even automated service scheduling, to rapid check-ins using tablet-enabled service consultants, mobile alerts for you to track the servicing progress, and even parts approvals with just a tap of the screen on a mobile app.

In fact, sCheck is a module created as part of T-Systems broader suite of customer experience management tools for the automotive sector – which wows the customer with a sleek write-up process, involving them closely in the process, allowing them to choose service packages, and more.

PAGE 28

Dereshin Pillay is the Head of Manufacturing & Automotive at T-Systems South Africa.

Suspension basics with A Plus The modern automotive suspension system has really travelled a long journey over the last 100 years of automotive history.

From the humble rigid axel suspension design, where the only form of suspension was solid rubber tyres and coil springs in the driver seat, to today’s multi-link independent electro hydro pneumatic gas assisted suspensions.

With the ever increasing speeds that modern vehicles are able to achieve due to technological advancements, it is now of the utmost importance that the vehicle’s suspension parts and the replacement suspension parts are of the highest quality to accommodate this.

Rack Ends

A Plus are one of Europe’s largest suspension and steering manufacturers, with the world’s widest range of over 18 000 part numbers in their offering (14 000 passenger and 4 000 commercial vehicle part numbers). A Plus suspension parts are manufactured in Turkey and are ISO accredited.

How and why does one need to measure rack ends?

The below images are of the various rack end options available for the Opel Corsa, Combo and Chev Utility starting from year 2000 onwards. It illustrates the multiple options and highlights the importance of these critical measurements.

The A PLUS Catalogue uses the flowing dimension format on their rack end technical specifications, so as an example:

When measuring rack ends, the critical dimensions to consider are the overall lengths, pitch and threads sizes.

Rack ends, as the name implies, are the affixtures on ends of the rack and pinion steering column. Rack ends are also commonly referred to as inner tie rod ends and are the connectors between tie rods ends and the steering columns.

Some manufactures have the tendency to alter the overall lengths , thread sizes and male or female thread options on rack ends for the same make and models. The SA vehicle market often trails the European and Japanese markets by a year and this is where these differences occur.

RACK END (14*1, 5 / 12*1, 5/302) Starting from left defines this as: • 14 = Thread diameter with *1, 5 Thread Pitch (tie rod end wheel side) • 12 = Thread diameter with *1, 5 Thread Pitch (steering rack column side) • 302 - Total length

Suspension Nomenclature • • • •

Control Arms Ball Joints Idler Arms Rack Ends

• • • •

Tie Rod Ends Stabilizer Links Suspension Bushes Sway Bars

PAGE 29

INDUSTRY NEWS

AutoForum - September / October 2017

Right to Repair SA say progress is being made on motor industry code of conduct Following a probe into practices in the motor industry by the Competition Commission earlier this year, Right to Repair SA (R2RSA) recently updated the motoring media saying that progress is being made on a Code of Conduct, which it expects will bring much-needed change.

Gunther Schmitz, Vice-chairman of R2RSA, commented at the stakeholder workshop hosted by the Competition Commission in May that it was agreed that a code would be drafted. “R2RSA has since then compiled a document containing points we believe need to be considered for the code and submitted these to the Commission. Our points are based on European guidelines and have been adapted to the South African context and Competition Act. We are convinced that consumers and the aftermarket industry in South Africa are facing many of the same points challenged by our European counterparts.”

Besides general observations regarding access to repair networks, the submitted document also includes points relating to access to technical information; warranty and motor plans; and telematics.

“The history of international competition enforcement in the automotive aftermarket has shown certain anti-competitive restraints whether through explicit direct contractual obligations or through indirect obligations or indirect means.

Suppliers wishing to influence a distributor’s competitive behaviour may, for instance, resort to threats or intimidation, warnings or penalties. They may also delay or suspend deliveries or threaten to terminate the contracts of distributors that sell to foreign consumers or fail to observe a given price level.”

“Transparent relationships between contracting parties should naturally reduce this. We believe that adhering to a Code of Conduct is one means of achieving greater transparency in commercial relationships between parties,” continues Schmitz.

Spare parts, and the access to and pricing thereof, also needs to be talking point. “One of the objectives should be to protect access by spare parts manufacturers to the motor vehicle aftermarkets. This would ensure that competing brands of spare parts continue to be available to both independent and authorised repairers, as well as to parts wholesalers.”

“The availability of such parts brings considerable benefits to consumers, especially since there are often large differences in price between parts sold or resold by a car manufacturer and alternative parts. Alternatives for parts bearing the trademark of the motor vehicle manufacturer (OEM parts) include original parts manufactured and distributed by original equipment

PAGE 30

suppliers (OES parts), while other parts matching the quality of the original components are also available,” he explains.

The R2RSA committee is currently engaging with the Competition Commission on these issues. “Our goal is to ensure the Code corrects current practices and supports the Right to Repair campaign which aims to allow consumers to select where their vehicles are serviced, maintained and repaired at competitive prices in the workshop of their choice. There is a need for a fair and competitive regulatory environment that enables freedom of choice for the consumers and gives aftermarket Small Medium Enterprises a chance to stay in business. South Africa needs to follow the international Right to Repair trend which promotes South Africa’s consumer rights. Our objectives are to raise awareness among consumers and bring about this change.”

The campaign has been rallying up support over the last few months and major industry stakeholders have stepped up. Richard Clarke, Chairman of the not-for-profit Section 21 company, R2RSA, says more and more industry players are realising the importance of the campaign and the change it will bring to the industry.

“We are now active in the press and marketing the campaign so we can get sponsors on board to assist us in aggressively driving this campaign forward. The response so far has been very positive and we expect more and more support as the campaign progresses,” he says.

Big names such as Goldwagen, MAHLE, Bosch, Autoboys, Tenneco, Bilstein, AAAS, Samuels Service Centre and Alert Engine Parts have all come on board as Tier 1 sponsors. The Motor Industry Workshop Association (MIWA), which initially championed the Right to Repair Campaign, and GUD Holdings, which includes brands such as Safeline, Indyoil, Fram and GUD, have pledged the bulk of the sponsorship to date.

“We are still approaching potential supporters. There will be many challenges we will have to tackle over the coming months but with all industry stakeholders coming together to fight for the changes we believe must happen, it is only a matter of time before we see legislative changes. We have seen these changes happen in Europe, the UK, USA and Australia. South Africa’s time in now,” concludes Clarke.

Those wanting to support the campaign as a sponsor can email elizabeth@r2r.org.za.

PAGE 31 73516 Continental Auto ad 276X96_Autoforum.indd 1

2016/05/05 8:45 AM

INDUSTRY NEWS

AutoForum - September / October 2017

Amazon causes angst in the US aftermarket parts industry, and why you should care

- Bill Wade

Amazon is presenting an alternate parts distribution system in the United States and has the auto sector there in a tizz.

But just because you are sitting comfortably in SA, don’t imagine that our traditional parts distribution systems are immune. Too many an aftermarket exec still seems to believe the internet is just a rumour. Do you presume Takealot.com is not eyeing out the market? Distributors you have been warned - did you notice the big smile in Amazon’s logo?

CNBC in the US recently noted the 20th anniversary of Amazon going public. Had we invested $10,000 in the company’s initial public offering, we would enjoy a holding worth more than $5 million today.

Amazon must have loved recently announcing that major traditional aftermarket suppliers have agreed to support their new push in north America. Manufacturers and distributors-toretailers/jobber/service shops resisted selling Amazon direct for fear of channel retaliation.

Now that almost all items are available through Amazon Marketplace, direct selling of most popular SKUs to Amazon is snowballing.

Distribution guru Bruce Merrifield has been looking closely at the amazing customer delight machine that Amazon is building and its effects on traditional industrial distribution. We present here our estimates of the Amazon effect on vehicle parts channels.

Amazon, eBay or Alibaba have not missed noticing the multibillion dollar parts opportunities. With vehicle parts sales through electronic channels reaching $7.5 billion last year, why have legacy channel players (fancy description of traditional distributors) continuously under-rated the Amazon effect for 20 years?

PAGE 32

Why didn’t we (as an industry) better assess the Amazon threat? Here are some thoughts about that: • Consistent under-estimation by channel experts. One favorite example is Barnes & Noble, which unveiled a website in 1999 that was supposed to crush Amazon. Fast forward to April 27, 2017 and Barnes and Noble announced its fourth CEO in four years. With 645 stores down 9 percent for 2016, we wish him well. Barron’s is targeting Amazon shares to hit $1,100 (up 20 percent) in one year.

• Narrow-frame expert forecasting. Aftermarket experts (immersed in their studious, unchallenged but comfortable past) extrapolate forward in linear, incremental fashion. But yesterday is rarely tomorrow.

• Amazon isn’t imitating any factory out, push-productto-market channel. They are inventing an entirely new, customer-centric channel that starts with ordering online.

Then, they invent whatever is needed backwards to factory sources in China. Amazon bought cargo jets and semitrailers, for example, to have better, cheaper delivery at peak times and not to compete with FedEx and UPS. • Amazon’s 500 customer-centric metrics guide their non-stop innovation to create value for digital buyers. In two years, imagine your 5G bandwidth phone will have merged with the evolving Alexa/Echo business app to instantly retrieve all product information needs, including price and deliveryspeed shopping comparisons, while Amazon achieves breakthroughs for 30-minute delivery and cost. A future

Bill Wade is the managing partner of Wade&Partners, a consulting firm that specializes in the worldwide vehicle parts and service aftermarket and industrial distribution. This story was first published on Searchautoparts.com

dream – driverless vehicles to ZIP codes to release drones for last-block delivery.

• What’s in your customer-centric, value-innovation pipeline?

In 2019, more than 50 percent (and climbing) of all purchasing will be by millennials who see traditional reps in their traditional roles as a time waster. Are you reinventing sales force cost/benefit per call proposition?

Are parts distributors somehow insulated?

In January 2017, Amazon signed more direct-buy agreements with aftermarket auto parts makers. The Big Four auto parts retailers’ stock prices took a hit (Genuine Parts, O’Reilly, AutoZone, Advance Auto Parts). But April stock analyst reports claimed, “Fears Overblown…. Amazon can’t Dent the Big 4s’ Moats…. Stocks a Bargain.”

The good news (kind of) is that Amazon just wants your zeroattention-needing, digital customers/orders. You can keep the unprofitable, high-service-cost, small-order customers.

Analysts detailed the powerful supply chain barriers the Big Four have created: Professional mechanics need local, technical advice; high fill-rates; quick deliveries and pickups; and easy returns of wrong orders and rebuildable cores.

Amazon’s better prices aren’t enough to win, they said.

Your best, most profitable customers want you to match Amazon’s web shopping/ordering experience, range of delivery options and prices. How will you keep the 5 percent of your most net-profitable customers and get even more of their total spend?

It’s all about Prime time Amazon Prime customers are typically richer, bigger-buyers, younger, busier, more ambitious and digitally savvy. Does this sound familiar? They know what they want to buy.

Primes are zero-service-cost types. As 24/7 buyers, they see outside and inside reps as a 9-to-5 Monday-to-Friday inconvenience who slow down ordering. For them, traditional distributors’ ‘service edge’ is an un-needed overhead cost.

Amazon gives them what they want and the overhead savings in lower prices on commodity staples. Unfortunately, 50 percent of any distributors’ smallest, neediest customers stay loyal as net-profit losers.

Note: We have covered ad nauseam how aftermarket distributors can lose 5 percent of its sales from lowest-cost customers on most profitable SKUs and see profits drop by 50 percent. We need honest, new lenses to assess Amazon BIZ’s forward innovation effects.

Here’s why we are calling out these analysts’ reports • Amazon’s parts sales for 2016? We found estimates of $3 to 4 billion in sales going to $5 to 6 in 2017 due to January’s expansion moves.

• The trend for factories selling Amazon direct is increasingly up (but not well publicised).

• Comparable delivery response time and prices. Amazon has same-day delivery in 40 US cities at an average price below the Big 4 of 23 percent. There was no mention of Amazon’s 30-minute delivery experiments.

• Customer segment sizes were expressed only in terms of sales. What about the net profitability of the customers who self-select to buy from Amazon who don’t need services?

• The top unmentioned assumption was that Amazon is currently doing what they will still be doing in 2019. That is simply not true.

Some ideas on making your plan • Be true to your infrastructure and most (historically) profitable customers. Don’t try to sell stuff online to the world.

Amazon’s infrastructure wins.

• Ask your most profitable customers in your most profitable niches how you can digitally enhance their total buying needs. Then, do it.

• Measure and fix the profit cross-subsidies among your customers and SKUs before Amazon steals your cream customers’ purchases on cream SKUs. • Get line-item, profitability analytics to know and stop the cross-subsidies among customers and SKUs. • Innovate value for your winners. And stop offering free services to the excessively, unprofitable customers. Think minimum orders, unbundled delivery and restocking fees.

• Finally, don’t try to imitate Amazon. Innovate value for your profit-core customers utilising specific, localised insights. This is still a relationship business. Don’t make one more sales call where you don’t bring new supply-chain compression, customer centric ideas.

If you think “my suppliers (or salespeople) won’t enthusiastically support a customer-centric innovation idea” – then you cannot possibly be customer-centric.

Customer-centricity will reward both suppliers and the best reps who can and are thinking value reinvention.

PAGE 33

INDUSTRY NEWS

AutoForum - September / October 2017

MTN Business to roll out a dedicated Internet of Things (IoT) network MTN Business has embarked on an aggressive rollout of new generation technologies such as LoRaWAN Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) and Narrow Band-IoT to support its machine2machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) platforms, and enhance security of business-critical information.

Mariana Kruger, GM for IoT Solutions at MTN Business, says these technologies provide MTN Business with an ideal stage to offer cutting-edge and tailored propositions for enterprise clients, while delivering secure and fool-proof connections.

Among the projects involved in this, is one targeted at alleviating truck and cargo theft. Sadly, truck hijacking is on the increase in SA. According to the South African Insurance Crime Bureau, high demand goods such as cigarettes make them prime targets for crime syndicates. Crime statistics published in September 2015 revealed an alarming increase of almost a third of reported truck hijackings during the previous year.

Signal jamming, in particular, is an increasingly popular means for criminals to steal vehicles and loads, with truck hijackings costing the country an estimated R3 billion in 2015 alone.

Mindful of the adverse impact on the transportation, logistics and fleet industry, MTN Business rolled out a number of solutions to help the industry combat the scourge of hijackings.

Kruger says one of the solutions that MTN Business has brought to market under its fleet management portfolio is Cargo Connect. This is a digital lock that secures goods being transported, and only allows them to be accessed with a onetime PIN at a designated (GPS) location specified by the client.

In other instances cameras and sensors that monitor the cargo, driver behavior and driving habits form part of the wider offering to MTN Business’ fleet clients. Any deviation from the designated route can be picked up in real-time from a remote monitoring centre.

Allaying concerns that these solutions might be compromised by possible network outages as the solutions are connectivity dependent, Kruger points out that there has never been a country-wide network outage that affects all voice, SMS and

PAGE 34

data service. “Owing to the way the network is designed, an active cell or base station will provide connectivity within a short radius,” says Kruger.

Kruger further vouches for the security of these systems.

“These solutions are housed in our data centres, and we are 3GPP compliant in accordance with our Global GSM Operator license conditions. The level of encryption on our network is second to none.

“Taking it further, we have created a dedicated network that has its own core business support systems and operational support systems for all our M2M and IoT solutions. Our network allows us to separate our consumer traffic from our M2M and IoT related traffic.

This is because we understand that, in this environment, the communications that are coming from these machines can include data from power utilities or vehicles in transit. There is a certain level of criticality of that information that applies, as opposed to somebody linking to their next YouTube session, for example,” says Kruger.

Considering the future of IoT and M2M, Kruger says the growth prospects are massive, particularly for industries and sectors that are buckling from inefficiencies owing to lack of access to these types of solutions.

“Whether businesses choose to adopt it or not, technology is already going down that road. Enablement is created at the point of manufacture. For example, by the time you buy a motor vehicle, connectivity solutions are already installed and can’t be removed. It also gives manufacturers the opportunity to create new revenue streams via value-added services as the result of the vehicle being connected,” concludes Kruger.

The integrity of OEM product

- Nobuzwe Mangcu

Manufacturing has inevitably become a highly competitive arena where manufacturers have emphasised their competitiveness on the pillars of safety standard requirements and innovation. and perform to factory specifications, and thus it increases the life of the equipment. This will save money and reduce breakages or faults resulting in substandard or inferior products.

As things stand, the forecast when it comes to the future of the global tyre industry is projected to reach 2.5 billion units by the year 2022, this according to Global Industry Analysts. I must emphasise that this projection is solely based on tyres that will be produced and manufactured by OEMs. This means that this figure can be nearly tripled if you factor in the influx of cheaper alternatives.

This is particularly evident in the context of safety critical components, such as tyres. It has also become the impetus in how manufacturers are getting one over their competitors and solidifying their position to be at the apex of original equipment manufacturing.

The question is: what is the stimulus behind this drive or more judiciously what should manufacturers keep in mind when they battle for supremacy when it comes to manufacturing stakes — bottom line profits or consumer safety?

That has always been the fine line that tyre manufacturers have had to contend with in the pursuit for dominance, where reputation is everything. These two pillars are always intertwined with one another.

Manufacturers continually invest heavily in their Research and Development (R&D) to galvanise their innovation output and to ensure their products are always at the cutting-edge of providing consumers with the safety value required — and consumers in turn, are willing to pay top dollar for that reassurance.

This has also resulted in Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) modelling their marketing and sales structures so that they sell directly to their customers, further reiterating the ambitions of OEMs. The integrity of OEMs has been in the quality they provide, stemming from the fact that the product has been created and tested according to the manufacturers’ specifications and high-standards and therefore, guaranteed to be of a highquality. Integral to the benefits of the OEM tyres is the warranty aspect.

The Global Industry Analysts further accentuate that the focus will be on the development of tyres which will mitigate the issue pertaining to fuel efficiency and the demand for low resisting tyres, as well as the rise in stringent environmental regulations.

This has culminated in the focus among tyre OEMs to focus on tyre performance and efficiency as the blue print in developing new tyres — something that will require the incorporation of innovative tread designs.

The biggest challenge for OEM parts or the usage thereof, will always be the emergence of inferior alternatives. These embody the tough economic global trends that spur people to spend less and overlook the benefits of using OEM when it comes to fitting new tyres. The volatile situation requires OEMs to become ever more resourceful and creative in how they remain competitive and, more importantly, in how they make customers see the value in their products.

The perpetual rising trend of urbanisation resulting in rising populations in urbanised areas, lifestyle changes and the increase in disposable incomes, has led to an increase in the purchasing capacity of consumers worldwide. This means that many consumers are economically equipped to back better informed purchases.

OEM parts such as tyres can rely on the consistent demand for automobiles, which propels the growth of the originally manufactured tyre sector.

A manufacturer’s OEM warranty is different, and should a consumer purchase or receive a tyre with defects, then the manufacturer is obliged to quickly replace the part.

Ideally we would like to see a consciousness that even though the tyre market can be divided into two tiers - the OEM (in this case this would be tyres that come fitted as standard on new vehicles) and the replacement market - the OEM sector can increasingly filter to the replacement market (which is dominated by cheaper alternatives.) In other words, OEMs would like to see customers replace their original tyres with the same brand and manufactured tyres that their vehicles originally came fitted with.

Customers enjoy the added benefit of Return-on-Investment (ROI) due to the fact that since an OEM tyre is designed to fit

What are your thoughts on this topic? Give us your ideas on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/AutoforumZA

Nobuzwe Mangcu is the Managing Executive of the SATMC

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COMMERCIAL

AutoForum - September / October 2017

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Truck sales up in August According to the latest results released by Naamsa, AMH and AAD, the August truck market improved by 5.3% on July’s performance, to conclude the month on 2 227 units.

Broken down the figures look like this: Medium Commercial Vehicle (MCV) sales increased by 5.9% to 633 units, Heavy Commercial Vehicle (HCV) sales were slightly down by 0.7% to 427 units and Extra Heavy Commercial Vehicles (EHCV) up by 7.3% to 1 046 units. Bus sales also continued its upward trend with a 9% improvement on July’s sales to 121 units.

Overall, the environment is more positive with year-to-date sales tracking only 2.9% behind 2016’s sales in the corresponding period, with a total of 17 075 new trucks sold by the end of August.

“These results are encouraging and in line with our expectation that some industry sectors are recovering,” said Gert Swanepoel, managing director of UD Trucks Southern Africa. “It has also become evident that business continues

to show resilience in the face of some of the bigger macroeconomic challenges that are prevailing.”

The company believes that many businesses still have long-term confidence in the country, which bodes well for new truck sales during the balance of the year, and for some growth going forward.

“An investment in a new truck is a serious consideration, as it takes a significant amount of money, time and other resources to run a fleet efficiently and profitably. This past month’s positive results show us that fleet owners still consider the transport and related industries as relatively sure investments,” said Swanepoel

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A sit down with Surender Singh of Eicher before its latest launch - Warwick Robinson

After the very successful launch of the Eicher range in South Africa, I managed to get some time to sit down with Surender Singh, the local country head. Singh is an interesting individual with a substantial history in the automotive market, right from motorbikes and passengers cars all the way into the truck market.

At the time of our meeting the Eicher team was out in the Eastern Cape, meeting with partners and dealers and spreading what Singh calls “the Eicher message”.

“Everybody in the organisation, from the CEO and dealer principal, right down to support staff need to know the brand and what it stands for - as they are the front line of the brand with which the customer interacts. Our customers need an ease of doing business, peace of mind, and they need to ensure that they remain profitable - it has to be win-win”.

“Eicher is well known for its ability to offer good quality and robust products at competitive prices”.

Singh takes pride in the cost structure within Eicher, right from his time spent in Volvo Group, as Head of Strategy Asia Oceania Sales, Hub India, supporting strategic projects with joint ventures worldwide.

To use Singh’s own description “the medium truck market is a science”. So many companies have tried to succeed in the segment, and with very mixed results.

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The Pro 6016, 16 Ton GVM with a 10 ton payload unveiled at automechanika Johannesburg

The brand are proud to conduct business within the Volvo group ethos and proudly show off their many high tech production facilities, which export products to 31 countries.

These all contribute to Eicher’s “Go Pro” payoff line for the truck range. It certainly seems to be working - the company sold 58 000 units in 2016 and aim to reach 100 000 per annum in the coming years. The company spent 24 months to localise the range, to make sure that the trucks suit the real local conditions.

“This thinking extends into an ecosystem around our product, including parts, in order for the brand’s CPK to remain competitive”.

A dedicated parts supply setup means that they have a 4-hour availability in Gauteng and 24-hours countrywide. “This is all part of our commitment to clients who really want to be part of the pro league in trucking” explains Singh.

The base engines for Volvo group (meeting Euro VI emission norms) are made by VECV, in their world class medium duty plant. Singh maintains that this consolidation strategy over the last decade, is part of a “back-end synergy” which he believes is key, and without which companies who are not in the multibrand cross badging arena are one step behind.

Eicher provides a free service plan for 2 years or 100 000km’s, which fits into Singh’s strategy of building the relationship with the client, at the same time providing the basic sustainability of the dealerships.

“A 3 man quality assurance team is already working on a rotational basis ensuring that the trucks are adapted correctly to customers’ exact requirements in a particular application”.

The trucks also come with the IDIS telematics systems built in, which feeds standard vehicle performance information as well as info such as clutch wear and more. This allows both fleets and dealers to make better informed decisions regarding maintenance, on each particular vehicle.

Eicher used Automechanika and Future Road to launch its heavy duty range, the pro 6000 series. The 6016 model designation is the 16-ton freight carrier, with the 6025 best suited to a tipper, which Eicher compare to a 10 cubic meter unit.

Surender Singh and Marketing Director, Mark Diab, welcomed the crowd of clients and journalists at the launch. Diab said he felt confident that the range launched so far have already started to gain traction. “With 22 units of the 4 ton version sold, and with the 6000 series going on sale in 2018, we are looking forward to continued growth”.

Clockwise from opposite left inset: Vice President and country head Surender Singh together with Automechanika’s Constantin von Vieregge; The management team giving the range their “thumbs up”; Marketing Director Mark Diab.

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COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

AutoForum - September / October 2017

New full fleet management service solution Motus Corporation, a member of the Imperial group, has joined forces with Southern Palace Group in order to create a new business in the fleet industry 58Fleet. The name comes from the 58 stars that travellers have used for navigation.

The majority black-owned company - backed by major shareholders Southern Palace and Motus - boasts a service offering including full maintenance leases, managed maintenance, operating rentals, sale-and-leaseback and shortterm rentals.

“Through our shareholders, we have access to the whole value chain,” explains Quinten Indarjith, Chief Operating Officer.

“58Fleet is backed by the largest network representing every brand and offers great prices for vehicles, at competitive discounts, accurate residual values and is supported by one of the largest contract maintenance and warranty providers in South Africa.”

The company will operate across all business sectors and across various organisational sizes, including light to heavy industrial vehicles, medium commercial vehicles and passenger vehicles. “We do not see ourselves as fitting into the highly commoditised fleet market,” says Tsietsi Nkoba, New Business Development Executive.

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“We focus on providing a full fleet management service solution through a living partnership with our customers. Our product-offering is dynamic and flexible because we develop our products with our customers in mind.”

The service level agreement management system, 58SLAM offers real-time, advanced reporting, along with precise performance and metric results with hands-on management in customers’ fleet’s efficiency.

The system captures, configures, measures, reports and maintains detailed data on accidents, deal life summary, deal finance performance, e-Toll, fines, live tracking between supplier and client and maintenance.

“We look forward to the future developments of 58Fleet,” continues Indarjith. “With our strong customer-focus and commitment to constant innovation such as effective data management through technology, telematic solutions and our wealth of partnerships, 58Fleet is sure to make a lasting impact on the fleet industry.”

Showtime

automechanika JHB 2017

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AutoForum - September / October 2017

Automechanika JHB 2017 The 2017 staging of the Automechanika Johannesburg event was officially opened, with a media breakfast, by Konstantin von Vieregge, CEO of SA Shows Messe Frankfurt.

He introduced Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board, who in turn thanked all present for braving the strike burdened morning traffic.

Messe Frankfurt is investing heavily in the SA market, both in the business-to-business and consumer offerings. Braun commented: “The current success of the exhibition business is an indicator of the real economy to us, and bodes well in these uncertain and tough political and economic conditions”.

and when they last completed any certified training - you would be placing yourself in the hands of the gods”.

Andre Snyder from sponsor Standard Bank, explained how attitudes have changed in terms of looking at macro economics and specifically depreciation of assets and investment - in items such as brand and product development - which generally are run through a business’ cashflow and do not reflect on the balance sheet.

Steve Nash from IMI, who are the official skills and training partner to Automechanika, discussed how important training is in the age of high technology systems and vehicles. You can hardly have an untrained or informal technician apply skills which are effectively amateur to the new systems.

“Manufacturing, trade and logistics, and finance are the three sisters in the global economy and we need to concentrate on these in order to stimulate growth”, he stated, and asserts Standard Banks support of our local and regional automotive industry.

His example of this might not be a reality now but surely illustrates the point: “Imagine setting off in your autonomous car down the highway wondering about who last worked on its systems

And so began this year’s event, which saw most guests at the awards dashing off to join a number of planned launches and conferences that ran almost non-stop for the next 3 days.

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AUTOMECHANIKA JHB 2017

AutoForum - September / October 2017

Technology Innovation and show stand awards winners Another highlight of the opening day breakfast was the announcement of the winners in Automechanika Johannesburg’s Technology Innovations Awards.

Bosch’s KTS 560/590 diagnostic tool won gold, Tenneco claimed silver for their OEM Spectrum shocks and Gondolier picked up Bronze for their Walcom Genesi Carbonio 360 Spray gun.

Bosch also won the Platinum exhibitor award for their Bosch Service display area, with Trysome, Aerocure, Tenneco, Mann Filters and Mansons International all reciveing Gold awards for their various exhibition stands. For a full list of all the winners visit Autoforum.co.za.

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Clockwise from top: Gary Kaiser accepts Bosch’s Silver Stand Award, Gold award winners, Trysome’s Eddie Smith, Aerocure’s Alex Lenaerts, and Sean Towsen accepting the innovation award. Main: All the innovation award winners.

Automechanika Africa roadshow solicits a good response - Grant West

Reacting to requests from exhibitors at the Automechanika Jhb 2015 show, senior management from Messe Frankfurt South Africa partnered with AutoForum to conduct a proactive marketing programme. This involved face-to-face interaction with potential visitors from selected countries within the SADC and East Africa region.

Early July saw the first of these roadshows into Windhoek, Namibia, where guests were invited to join the Automechanika team for a breakfast business presentation on the automotive industry in Southern Africa and details of the upcoming Automechanika Jhb 2017 exhibition and co-located shows.

Guests were introduced to the “Africa VIP programme” designed to encourage visitation to the event by key decision makers in the automotive sector within this targeted region.

The roadshow continued via Harare, Zimbabwe into Nairobi, Kenya and finally Lusaka, Zambia during the balance of July and early August, confirming visitation by attendees from these countries including a delegation of senior officials from the Motor Industry Association of Zimbabwe (MIAZ).

Happily, most exhibitors were pleased to make new contacts in these countries and were impressed by the level of visitors at the show. We were however, truly surprised by the behaviour of one exhibitor group’s chairman. On introducing him to a few VIP guests, he declined to invite them to his own networking event citing “catering” concerns. Perhaps their marketing efforts have reached a level of success where they can turn away international guests. Members of the delegation, from a country where his group actively markets themselves, expressed their own surprise at this treatment, in the face of the positive reaction from other exhibitors.

The MIAZ contingent invited the Group Exhibitions Director of Messe Frankfurt South Africa, Joshua Low, to attend their annual congress at the end of August and present the roadshow to their 120 delegates. Autoforum proudly introduced and facilitated meetings between these delegates and exhibitors at the show.

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AUTOMECHANIKA JHB 2017

AutoForum - September / October 2017

4 days of non-stop business at the 2017 Automechanika and co-located shows The fifth edition of Automechanika Johannesburg, Southern Africa’s largest automotive aftermarket exhibition, took place from 27 – 30 September at Jhb Expo Centre, Nasrec. This year’s show looks to have exceeded the visitor numbers achieved by the 2015 event.

Although official numbers are yet to be released, management of the organisers Messe Frankfurt South Africa mentioned that with a day and a half to go attendance figures were nearing those of 2015.

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A full report on the show will be published in the November/ December issue of Autoforum. Based on conversations with other exhibitors and the interaction and enquiries we received at our stand, most seemed more than satisfied with the standard of visitors – including those from sub-Saharan Africa.

AutoForum had over 200 requests for new subscriptions from a diverse range of decision makers across all sectors of the industry. Herewith some images of the personalities and stands from this year’s event.

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AUTOMECHANIKA JHB 2017

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AutoForum - September / October 2017

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AUTOMECHANIKA JHB 2017

AutoForum - September / October 2017

The CRA conference “We’ve been conned!” asserted Roger Mcleery in his opening address, which he followed with a contentious set of questions regarding future technologies.

“Who knows what their car’s emission levels are? Who even knows the price of fuel today and which portion is levy?” he asked the CRA conference attendees, alluding to the fact that cars and the motor industry are a massive source of taxation.

“Governments find this very easy revenue to collect because we motorists and consumers just pay, we don’t have any choice but to. Why are ships, cows and power stations not fitted with catalytic converters and have regulated emission laws enforced? Well, because they can’t tax them as easily, that’s why!”

He expressed his belief in the fact that we are still many years away from mass market electric cars in SA. “Where will all these cars park while being charged for 30 mins? Which of the cars can get all the way to Durban? And more importantly: who will want to replace the battery in their little BMWI3 in 8 years time - at a price of R330 000?” These are relevant questions and perhaps not entirely unique to the SA scenario.

But changes in technology ownership models and the fact that fewer and fewer cars are being sold could change this in the future. But as soon as governments can earn the same revenues outside of internal combustion engined vehicles….

available. If you do not track the changes and adapt business in the ever evolving business of paint, you will be left behind.”

David Lingham from Fix Auto World discussed the pressures experienced by insurers and repairers, in a market where customer service is an inescapable focus. “Insurers are spreading their business, OEMs are looking into the industry more carefully and the impact of technology means that the manner in which the business operates will come under pressure, considering that margins are continually shrinking”.

With customers expecting more and more, Lingham believes that trust is the hardest earned currency and determines loyalty, especially from younger customers. He concludes that consolidation is going to happen at a far greater degree.

Because of their own set of pressures, insurers will be looking for more predictable consistency. It will inevitably mean working with fewer suppliers and a greater degree of transparency.

This together with expansion of services – specifically into mechanical repair – are natural progressions and routes to sustainability for the industry. “Learning about best practice between peers is really becoming the new fashion” he says, as is the ever more vital need to be informed.

Reduced cycle time is going to be the most important KPI for insurers.

Mcleery introduced Marius Nel from BASF who compared the SA collision repair sector very favourably to the European bodyshop. “Chasing turnover, like in the past, is not going to let you survive,” he warned, adding that measuring a business correctly is key in ensuring productivity and sustainability.

Nel believes that paint providers need to become supportive partners to the repair sector. “BASF looks deeper into the business in terms of efficiencies and profitability, analysing it from reception and estimation, through to parts and marketing.” Businesses need the correct set of KPIs and a method of measuring and analysing them. Understanding true costs on paint, labour, power and all the rest of the real costs need to factored in. “BASF provides tools that will assist their partners in understanding their real costs and the margins

PAGE 50

He insists that recruiting the right people is also critical.

“A shortage of talent can be addressed by looking at employee attitude first - skill can be learned, but only if the attitude of your staff is correct”. His theory is that as the employer developing and training them, employees with the right attitude can be retained at higher rates. Salary stops being the main driver for their commitment, when they can see their careers growing in the long term.

Lingham insists that you need to look at staff hyper critically: If you really know they add value, keep them. If you know they don’t, find exit strategies for them. If you see potential, create a positive environment to create enthusiastic staff who are encouraged to bring ideas into the company and get everyone having fun at work. “It is time for owners to choose: carry on, sell, align, or close up shop”.

Keynote speaker Andrew Marsh demonstrated Bosch’s advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) where a cyclist rides in front of a moving car and posed the question: Are these systems progress or chaos? In terms of defensive systems, manufacturers are adding more and more autonomy and intelligence, which all rely on sensor aiming and calibration.

These range from simple reverse systems which avoid obstacles, to advancing camera technologies, night vision and mid range radar, including rear-viewing blind spot areas.

All these sensors are networked, interdependent and lead to a degree of autonomy to assist the driver. Sensors in newer cameras can identify and discern between the type of obstacles, whether the obstacle is moving or not, and even triangulate it’s position.

“Technologies originally from Volvo have enabled glass-based radar. The benefits of not having radar modules fitted right at the front of the car are really worth it, but the nett effect is of course, that repairers now have to use OE glass,” he pointed out.

Lidar is another great example of how far sensors have come where spinning mechanisms are now solid state and can perform exponentially more functions. Now vectored laser and triple camera modules are whole new technologies being conceptualised by Audi.

Repairers need access to information to enable intelligent decision making about where exactly repairs can or cannot be effected, surrounding these sensors. Aiming and calibration routines are a real challenge. Different makes, models and even suppliers mean that routines are almost always different to ensure the centre line of the vehicle is defined accurately.

The Insurance industry needs to embrace digital opportunities to optimise processes. With the current average cost of repair being R22 000, considering the end-to-end cost of an assessor at more than 10% of this figure, it’s clear where extra costs in the industry are cutting margins for all concerned.

“It’s important for shops to make business decisions about the type of work they want to ship out to specialists, or deal with upskilling to cope with the myriad systems and software going back to older models,” says Marsh. It’s really about the data for shops and insurers. More and more sensors will be loaded into all vehicles going forward, and more fitted to glass.

Helping repairers not to have to factor-in debtors and making early payments which enable them to pay themselves, keeps the industry rolling and has historically been an area mistaken by many insurance companies. Changing behaviors regarding repair versus replacement is a proven means of ensuring sustainability in the business, and it works to the benefit of all.

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SHOWTIME

AutoForum - September / October 2017

MIAZ annual congress 2017 - forging ahead and creating opportunities - Grant West

Local and international keynote speakers had the opportunity to address the in excess of 120 delegates, at the 3 day MIAZ 2017 congress in Nyanga, Zimbabwe.

Outgoing MIAZ President, Luckson Gwara, welcomed attendees and thanked the Executive Director Sarudzai Masoka and her team for delivering what promised to be an interesting and informative programme of presentations.

Gwara then welcomed and invited the Honorable Mike Bimha, Minister of Industry and Commerce to officially open the congress and give his key note address on the importance of the Motor Industry in the Zimbabwean economy.

The Minister congratulated the association for ensuring that regular meetings and congresses are held, where issues surrounding the development of the motor industry sector are discussed and coordinated, and industry recommendations and proposals for the sector can be presented to government.

An example of this is the Motor Industry Development Policy currently in its final stages of preparation, before being submitted to cabinet for enactment and launch, which is expected before the end of this year.

“To augment the Motor Industry Development Policy (MIDP), Government is working on a Local Content Policy whose focus will be to enhance local value addition through utilisation of local resources and localisation of supply chains. One of the key strategies of this policy is to build sustainable linkages between manufacturers and suppliers of raw materials. This policy will promote the use of local components, thereby developing the local component sector,” said the Minister.

He also spoke briefly on the relaunch of production at Willowvale Motor Industries. This is a result of a joint venture between Beijing Automobile Company (BAIC) of China, Astol Motors and Willowvale Motor Industries, and sees the production of passenger and light commercial vehicles, as well as involving a number of other local companies as suppliers.

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An impressive schedule of presentations began with an overview of the upcoming Automechanika Johannesburg exhibition and the conferences and seminars attendant to the show by Joshua Low, Group Exhibitions Director, Messe Frankfurt South Africa. He endorsed the interest expressed by exhibitors to the show in meeting with members of MIAZ to investigate the business potential in the country. Low extended the Africa VIP invitation, designed to facilitate and expand contacts and business opportunities within the automotive industry in sub-saharan Africa. This invitation was enthusiastically received, and resulting in a delegation visit to our local event.

Monalisa Pfende, Marketing Director of Chloride Zimbabwe followed with her presentation on manufacturing growth in Zimbabwe and cracking the export markets. Chloride is in the top 10 export revenue earners in the country. Pfende reported that the company’s flagship brand Exide holds 75% of the local market share.

Referring to Chloride’s success, Pfende’s presentation revolved around the basics of ensuring you have a quality brand, backed up by reliable aftermarket support, bench marked against competitive international brands. This, of course, should be based on a platform of complete understanding of both the local market and potential export markets.

Benjamin Kumalo, CEO of Motec Holdings continued on this theme, highlighting the challenges faced by manufacturers in Zimbabwe. Kumalo then presented his thoughts on remedying these challenges, which included adopting policies encouraging foreign development investment, via an investor friendly regulatory framework that cultivates and maintains investor confidence. He commented: “It is essential for Government to provide consistent and predictable policy

support measures over a long term period and it’s comforting to hear the minister advising the delegates that the Zimbabwe MIDP is at its final stages of approval.”

“Policies such as the Indigenisation Policy need to be reviewed and made investor friendly.” Kumalo cited the JV between WMI/Astor & BAIC saying negotiations had reached a sticking point until dispensation was received from the minister.

“I believe the process might work better if we reviewed policy rather than leaving it to discretion.” He commended Government on its Special Economic Zones legislation, which should stimulate investment. Continuing, he addressed the subjects of Labour Laws, Ease of doing business, Cost bases, R&D, Skills, Technology, Finance and Investment Incentives.

He concluded with the need to sell the policy measures and imminent MIDP to global automotive players.

Presentations from Dr Charity Jinya, President of the Bankers Association of Zimbabwe and Christian Beddies, representative of the IMF, covered the state of the economy both local and global, as well as pre-requisites for the successful financing of the motor industry and the country as a whole.

These thought provoking presentations preceded an interesting address by Cletous Chitambira, Executive officer of the Insurance Council of Zimbabwe, on the topic of Managing fraud claims – today’s challenge in motor insurance.

In a lively presentation Advocate Thembinkosi Magwaliba, Chairman of the National Employment Council for the Motor Industry, took on the topical subject of Zimbabwe Labour

Challenges, which resulted in lively debate on when to hire and fire staff in various scenarios.

After a brief refreshment break, Fund Manager of the Motor Industry Pension Fund (MIPF), Raymond Manhika presented an eye opening report on the changing face of the Pensions Industry and the current state of the MIIPF. Within compliance to the current guidelines, the funds asset value stands at in excess of US$45 million as at July 2017, with a compounded investment return of 296.84% over the period 2009 – 2017.

The MIPF is engaged in a socially responsible investing programme and launched a mortgage loan scheme in July 2017 in partnership with two banks, with an emphasis on active members accessing loans to buy houses, develop existing stands and purchase empty stands.

The first day’s session was closed with a presentation on the current financial landscape and emerging opportunities by Azvinandawa Saburi, Director – Financial Markets, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. Saburi stated: “Its not all gloom and doom.

The multi-currency regime in Zimbabwe has brought with it some opportunities, as well as, challenges we need to tackle.”

“The Zimbabwean economy witnessed a turnaround during the first half of 2017 when inflation, underpinned by an expansionary fiscal policy stance, crept out of deflation in February, to reach 0.31% in June 2017. The economy is projected to grow by 3.7% this year on the back of three strong sectors – Agriculture, Mining and Tourism.”

Images clockwise from opposite: Group shot of the delegates at the 2017 conference; 4 MIAZ executives; New MIEAZ president Alexander Nyakunu and wife; Delegates at work, Outgoing President of MIAZ, Luckson Gwara and his wife.

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SHOWTIME Key economic sectors are finding traction in their recovery, furthermore, the prioritisation of foreign exchange allocations by the bank to the productive sectors, have benefitted the motor industry through the importation of fuel, oils, tyres, essential spare parts and new vehicles. Exports rose by 14%, which are the major source of foreign exchange. Interest rates have fallen to 12% for the productive sectors.

AutoForum - September / October 2017 Delegates were given a valued understanding of the processes as well as a hint at the introduction of D50, the 50ppm diesel fuel (an interesting topic considering the range of new and aged vehicles using the country’s road system) .

A Tax Seminar conducted by David Masaya, Associate Director of Price Waterhouse Coopers raised a number of discussions around specific issues.

Eddie Martin, National Director, SAMBRA provided an RMI perspective on the motor body repair industry in South Africa and was able to identify trends taking place within the Zimbabwean scenario that SAMBRA had had to face in the past. Martin engaged in a number of plenary sessions with some of the delegates to discuss specific issues within the sector.

The penultimate presentation by Louis Bles, National Franchise Manager, addressed the changing landscape of vehicle servicing and covered the vast array of technical and equipment updates on an ongoing basis that the modern service and repair shop requires.

“There still remains, in our view, opportunities for the local motor industry to partner the local financial institutions to structure products that will ensure the local market is catered for. The bank stands ready to support such initiatives and continues to work with all key stakeholders – the motor industry as a critical engine of economic growth, will receive due attention.

The bank is also committed to support the motor industry players through ensuring that the banks prioritise the allocation of foreign currency for critical imports,” he concluded.

An early start was lead by presentations from Zuva Petroleum COO, Zwelithini Mlotswa on the Zimbabwean fuel sector its challenges and future prospects and a very powerful insight into maintaining forecourt profitability from Reggie Sibiya, CEO Fuel Retailers Association South Africa. (We will have coverage of his conference held at Automechanika Johannesburg in our November/Decmber issue.)

Bles delved into the whirlpool surrounding the skills shortage and skills upgrade requirements businesses faced continually.

The session was closed with a motivational speech from Gary Thompson, who describes himself as Chief Encouragement Officer. Delegates retired to prepare for the Golf tournament prize giving, which was followed by the formal dinner and investiture of the incoming Presidents Simplisio Shamba, Motor Industry Association of Zimbabwe and Motor Industry Employers Association of Zimbabwe, Alexander Nyakunu.

Once again this annual congress provided delegates with the highest caliber of key-note speakers providing input into forging ahead and creating opportunities in the Zimbabwean motor industry.

Congratulations to the delegates, management and officials of MIAZ on a very successful congress, which we take pride in attending and covering.

“Demystifying the State Procurement Process”, was the title of Nyasha Chizu of the State Procurement Board (Office of the President & Cabinet).

PAGE 54

Inset: Mr Simplisio Shamba , incoming President of MIAZ and his wife at the event. Left: The international speakers, Right: Golf day prize winners

Body repair insight in association with BodyShop News International September / October 2017

NaCE AUTOMECHANIKA CHICAGO

2017 CRA Conference Contents SAMBRA at Artisan Development ConferencE Technology is lowering crash rates 3M unveils their new demo van

BODYSHOP NEWS

AutoForum - September / October 2017

SAMBRA speak at provincial Artisan Development Conference - Randall Langenhoven

SAMBRA recently reported on the Provisional Artisan Development Conference, at which the organisation was a presenter. The following article is a reprint of the story that appeared on the its website.

The Western Cape Government has identified apprenticeships

Langenhoven reiterated the RMI’s commitment to training

as a game changer to leverage the power of work-based

and skills development in the automotive sector, specifically

learning through apprenticeships, and to improve people’s

highlighting SAMBRA’s advisory and monitoring function in the

skills and livelihoods - in particular the youth.

preparation of Yaqoob for WorldSkills 2017.

This includes:

He also articulated the ongoing partnership between False Bay

• workplace-based learners who qualify as artisans,

College (FBC) and SAMBRA, as well as the renewed interest of

• semi-skilled workers who achieve partial qualifications, and

SAMBRA members regarding the intake of workplace-based

• top-up qualifications for artisans and the semi-skilled.

learners.

• The organisation believes that meeting apprenticeship targets can be achieved by: • Significantly increasing the number of quality learners who are attracted to technical and vocational occupations, and • Employers significantly increasing the intake of workplace

Langenhoven’s report that SAMBRA has assisted FBC with the job placement of 40 apprentices with MBR members since April 2017 was met with enthusiasm. He explained that bridging the disconnect between industry and training counted

based learners while clearly indicating the skills they need in

among SAMBRA’s major strategic objectives for 2017/2018 -

their businesses.

something which SAMBRA National Director Edwin Martin is passionate about.

These points were the among the issues and challenges discussed at the Provincial Artisan Development Conference,

He also expanded on Standards and Capacity within

which was attended by approximately 200 delegates including

SAMBRA’s membership, and confirmed SAMBRA’s intention to

host TVET Colleges, Northlink College, False Bay College and

assist West Lake College Campus workshop to replicate EHS,

Boland College, DHET (Department of Higher Education and

OHS and technical standards of a SAMBRA Structural Repairer

Training), QCTO (Quality Council for Trades and Occupations)

with OEM approvals.

and Western Cape Government.

“SAMBRA and the RMI are deeply aware of Industry’s Lead Speakers included:

responsibility to invest means and technical support, as well as

• Leon Beech (Northlink College);

the pivotal role we play to ensure growth and sustainability of

• Cassie Kruger (False Bay College);

the Automotive Industry - not only in the Western Cape, but the

• Ebrahim Peters (Boland College);

whole of SA, “ commented Langenhoven.

• Dr Florus Prinsloo (Western Cape Government) ; • Vijayen Naidoo (QCTO);

Concluding Langenhoven’s guest slot at the Conference,

• David Mabusela (DHET);

Yaqoob Damonto had an opportunity to talk about his

• Louis Van Niekerk ;

experience with WorldSkills, CK Coachworks, SAMBRA

• Anne Marie Jansen Van Rensburg;

and FBC, and share his enthusiasm and motivation for the

• Dion Miller (Workplace Mentor Development);

programme. “I am fully committed to represent South Africa to

• Gerda Magnus (Occupational Qualifications Implementation)

the best of my ability.”

and more.

SAMBRA’s Randall Langenhoven, as well as Yaqoob Damon (WSSA Gold Medal winner and WorldSkills Abu Dhabi participant in Panel Beating) were also invited to speak at the conference.

PAGE 56

Randall Langenhoven is the SAMBRA regional representative for the Western Cape

SCAN ME TO REGISTER Hotel Accommodation Shuttle Bus AMR Lounge Services

AMR2018 AUTO MAINTENANCE & REPAIR EXPO New China International Exhibition Center (NCIEC) April 1-4, 2018 BEIJING(PEKING)·CHINA Organizers： China Auto Maintenance Equipment Industry Association (CAMEIA) China Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association (CAMRA) Beijing Traders-Link International Exhibition Co., Ltd. (TRADERS-LINK) E-Mail：sophiawang@traderslink.com.cn / vickyzhang@traderslink.com.cn

www.auto-maintenance.com.cn ww

These are some of

the international participants amongst 1200 exhibitors

BODYSHOP NEWS

AutoForum - September / October 2017

Rust proofing fundamentals

- Lori Lorenz

In recent months, I spent a lot of time in my office rewriting assessments to meet the new Australian AUR16 standards. Although not much has changed, there are some minor changes, and not all of them are indicating progressive thinking, but rather a hanging-on to some ‘old school’ beliefs.

One competency that caught my attention is ‘AURVTP005

It is completely moisture and air tight, it remains flexible,

– Apply rust prevention and sound deadening materials

it can be applied to bare metal without primer and it is

to vehicle body components’. There’s a new strong

cheap.

emphasis on ‘fish oil’ for rust protection. I don’t know, but if you rust proof your ‘chick magnet’ with fish oil, you are more likely to end up with cats and dogs interested in your car rather than the two legged variety you may be looking for. In this article I’d like to talk about some ‘rust fundamentals’ and let you judge later for yourself if fish oil is such an advanced product that it should stand out in the Australian curriculum.

Fundamental to rust proofing is a clear understanding of rust. Let’s not make this too scientific, but for rust to form we need three components - air, moisture and of course, steel. Remove one - either air or moisture - and rust cannot form. This is important to understand.

The downside is that the surface can easily be scratched, worn off and above all, it looks downright ugly. You may have noticed that in the picture the wax has not fully penetrated the seam and rust has started to form. Either the panels were too tight or the culprit was dust blocking the rust proofing. This is often seen on cars that were not rust proofed when new and as seen below.

Although the general belief is that cars are painted for good looks, the reality is that the main reason is rust protection. Paint does a pretty good job, but as we all know it only needs a stone chip for the rust process to start.

Another good source of rust is often found where moisture can sit for a long time. Dust and dirt act like a sponge and if this is behind windscreen moulding or where two panels join, it does not take long for the moisture to penetrate the paint film, in particular if there is a bit of movement involved. It is for the latter reason that wax is favoured for rust protection. It has many advantages over paint.

PAGE 58

Lori Lorenz is a well-rounded technician within the collision repair industry. Besides a trade certificate from Switzerland, he has an Australian Diploma of Automotive Management, a Diploma of Automotive Technical and Bachelor of Vocational Education. He teaches and manages the Automotive Academy and is passionate about education and technology.

This sill was replaced due to accident damage; the car

For the glass in the middle, I added an equal amount of

was about two years old and not rust proofed. The arrow

engine oil and the penetration is good. Oils are better for

indicates where the dust accumulated; it kept the area

penetrating small gaps. However they are messy and keep

moist and the conditions were perfect for rust to form.

on running even weeks after application. Fish oil, at first glance, would appear to be suitable as it dries, but there

While this minute amount of dust has caused the inner

are drawbacks that I will explain later. Ideally, we have a

sill to rust, it also has the ability to prevent the cavity wax

substance that has the ability to penetrate like oil and the

(rust proofing) from penetrating the seam. This is explained

consistency and flexibility of the cavity wax.

in the next picture.

For the third glass I mixed 50 percent cavity wax with 50 percent kerosene and as you can see the penetration is good. The idea is that the kerosene is the vehicle for carrying the cavity wax into the small joints – it evaporates and leaves the wax behind. I have used this technique for years and there are many cars out there that I restored over 25 years ago that show no rust whatsoever, so there is no doubt that it works.

As mentioned earlier, fish oil penetrates well and dries after a while, so it is not so messy if cleaned periodically before it goes hard.

This FJ45 (below) was treated extensively with fish oil and needless to say it was admired by all the cats and dogs in I have filled three identical glasses with an equal amount

the neighbourhood. An attempt was made to remove the

of bulldust, a powdery sand that can be found on the side

unsightly oil, but this stuff is rock hard and can no longer

of the road. I then added cavity wax to the first glass and

be removed. This might be welcomed if it is in a joint, but

you can clearly see that the wax was not able to penetrate

the lack of flexibility is not. For rust proofing to work and

the sand. It is for this reason that cars should be rust

work for many years, it needs to be flexible and this is

proofed when brand new. Also of note is that our bog dust

where wax has a clear advantage and where fish oil falls

can prevent cavity wax from flowing into joints.

short.

This Magna was repaired one year earlier by a reputable shop. Weld through primer was used, but for whatever reason, it was not rust proofed.

I don’t think that spraying a load of cavity wax at it would have made much difference as it would have been difficult for the wax to penetrate the tight joints. There was also a good chance of tarnishing the carpets.

PAGE 59

BODYSHOP NEWS

AutoForum - September / October 2017

In the introduction, I mentioned that the revised

These modern treatments are far better than what we can

competency for rust protection lacks progressive thinking

reproduce and whenever possible, we should try to leave

and is hanging on to some ‘old school’ beliefs. I think I

them untouched. However, this is not always possible,

have been able to demonstrate here that fish oil is not the

especially if the panel is welded. For years we have used

holy grail of rust proofing, but what about the progressive

weld through primers to avoid rust forming between

thinking?

welded panels. But this method is not sufficient as the pictures below and to the right show.

In recent years, car manufacturers have made enormous advances in rust protection and these days we see very

A simple solution would have been a 50/50 solution of

little rust in modern cars. The breakthrough is the electro-

kerosene and wax applied with a brush. Simply apply it

coat, or E-coat. The main difference to conventional primer

along the seam and it runs into the joints. The kerosene

is that the car body is negatively charged and the paint

then evaporates, leaving behind the wax.

solids are positively charged. With the application of a

Many OEMs recommend weld bonding where panel bond

direct current, the paint is attracted to the car body and is

is applied and the panel is spot welded while the adhesive

deposited until the coating electrically insulates the body,

is still wet. The advantage of this method is that the joint is

guaranteeing 100 per cent coverage.

also perfectly sealed.

For more expensive and upmarket vehicles, a thin layer of

There is a lot to consider when choosing the best rust

zinc is applied before the E-coat.

protection product or method: the age of the car, was it a restoration, was it sand blasted or was it full of bog dust, is it pre E-coat? However, if it is a modern car it is all about preserving the original coating and it is strongly recommended to access OEM repair information for the recommended rust proofing product and application method. These cars often have reinforcement panels that can block cavity wax. OEM repair information, generally in the form of drawings, will tell you where these ‘secret’ Rust protection is vital for the longevity of a repair, but it is not always as simple as drowning the car in fish oil, much to the disappointment of moggies and pooches.

PAGE 60

Technology is lowering crash rates New research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows lane departure warning and blind spot detection are preventing crashes on US roads.

Jessica Cicchino, IIHS Vice President

aimed at preventing them has the

information about the presence of

for research, evaluated different crash

potential to save a lot of lives.” The

optional features on specific vehicles

avoidance features by looking at data

analysis uncovered direct benefits in

by vehicle identification number (VIN).

from police-reported crashes in that

the form of lower claim rates from lane

Researchers used 2009-15 crash data

country. The police reports included

departure warning. On many vehicles,

from states that provided VINs of the

information on the circumstances of

lane departure warning is bundled

vehicles involved in crashes, making

a crash, making it possible to look

with front crash prevention, making it

it possible to identify the vehicles and

specifically at the types of crashes

impossible to separate the effects, as

to determine if they had lane departure

that can be addressed by particular

insurance data doesn’t include the type

warning.

technologies, rather than just looking at

of crash. On the few vehicles studied that

general crash rates.

don’t bundle the feature, no benefits for lane departure warning have been found.

Cicchino’s previous studies found that front crash prevention with autobrake

However, a 2015 study of lane departure

cuts the rate of front-to-rear crashes

warning on trucks in US fleets found

in half and that rear-view cameras

the technology cut the rate of relevant

can prevent about one in six reversing

crashes by nearly half, and a study of

crashes. Results of the study indicate

Volvo cars in Sweden found a reduction

that lane departure warning lowers rates

of relevant injury crashes of 53 percent.

of single- vehicle, sideswipe and head-

Compared with those results, the new

on crashes by 11 percent, as well as

findings of an 11 percent reduction in

lowering the rate of injurious crashes by

all relevant crashes and a 21 percent

21 percent. Therefore, if all passenger

reduction in injurious crashes are modest.

Cicchino used the same method to

vehicles had been equipped with lane

IIHS says one reason may be that US

examine blind spot detection systems,

departure warning, approximately 85,000

drivers of passenger vehicles frequently

which provide a visual alert when an

police- reported crashes and 55,000

turn off lane departure warning.

adjacent vehicle is in the driver’s blind

injuries could have been prevented in

Researchers don’t know what percentage

spot. In this case, she focused on

2015. The analysis considered driver

of the time lane departure warning was

crashes in which the vehicles were

age, gender, insurance risk level and

turned on in the earlier studies, but if

changing lanes or merging. Fiat Chrysler,

other factors that could affect the rates of

drivers in the new study had kept the

General Motors, Honda, Mazda,

crashes.

feature on all the time, the results would

Mercedes-Benz and Volvo vehicles were

be in line with the benefits found in the

included in the study.

earlier studies, Cicchino estimates.

Blind spot detection was found to lower

In a simpler analysis that didn’t account for driver demographics, it was found

the rate of all lane-change crashes by

that lane departure warning cuts the fatal

Another factor affecting the size of the

14 per cent and the rate of lane-change

crash rate by 86 percent, the rate of all

benefit is that lane departure warning

crashes with injuries by 23 percent.

crashes was 18 percent lower, and the

requires an appropriate response from

“Blind spot detection systems work by

rate of injurious crashes was 24 per cent

drivers, but researchers found that 34

providing additional information to the

lower.

percent of drivers in a lane-drift study

driver. It’s still up to the driver to pay

had not been physically capable of

attention to that information and use

“This is the first evidence that lane

making that appropriate response.

it to make decisions,” Cicchino said.

departure warning is working to prevent

The study included vehicles from six

“That said, if every passenger vehicle on

crashes of passenger vehicles on US

different companies that had optional

the road was equipped with blind spot

roads,” Cicchino said. “Given the large

lane departure warning: General Motors,

detection as effective as the systems we

number of fatal crashes that involve

Honda, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru

studied, about 50,000 police-reported

unintentional lane departures, technology

and Volvo. The car companies provided

crashes a year could be prevented.”

PAGE 61

AutoForum - September / October 2017

BODYSHOP NEWS

Measuring tolerances – How much is acceptable?

- Lori Lorenz

A while back I was asked to have a look at a 2009 Corolla. The repairer had replaced the radiator support panel. A quick check with the trammel rod identified that the front was approximately five millimetres out and the repairer squared it up perfectly.

The reason why I got involved was because the new bonnet

factories. They are not always 100 percent identical, but it does

would not fit. I double checked the engine bay, lengths, heights

not matter as long as the crucial suspension and mounting

and diagonals and was able to confirm that all appears to be

points are correct.

square. One suggestion was that the new bonnet could be out of square. No way – not even the worst aftermarket panel could

Although some of these filling panels are not always identical,

be that bad. So what was the issue?

from my experience they are generally symmetrical (both sides are the same) and within a tolerance of about one millimetre or

The only explanation I was able to come up with was that the

even less. These cars are very accurate.

engine bay of the Corolla was not symmetrical. This was later confirmed by the OEM data.

OEMs provide repair measurements, but this data is not always helpful. OEM measurements are, most of the time,

But what struck me most was the fact that this was not a well-

actual dimensions and unless there is a direct line of sight

known issue.

between the points, this is difficult for us to measure. Projected dimensions are better for us, but without heights, we are still

The Corolla is supposed to be one of the most common car

in the dark. Straightening system manufacturers have a better

models around. I think the reason is in an old panel beater’s

understanding of a repairer’s needs and they can provide repair

‘tale’ – a tolerance formula that apparently states that car

data that is useful for us.

bodies have a tolerance of four to five millimetres, and if it is measured diagonally, it is halved.

Generally, they get a new car from the showroom floor, put it on the rack and measure it. They measure many points that

Heard that before? So if this is correct, the five millimetres after

are useful for the straightening process, but for the reasons

the formula is

mentioned earlier, these measuring points are not always

applied results in a meagre 2.5 millimetres and is therefore well

identical and variations between the same models of car are

within the tolerance, right?

common. However, you’ll find that they are generally symmetrical.

This formula might have been appropriate for horse-drawn carriages and some of the pre-war American cars, but not

I heard that some straightening system manufacturers are

for today’s high-tech automobiles. So how much tolerance is

measuring several cars of the same model and averaging the

acceptable?

dimensions. It is well known in the industry that measuring data variations are common and this is not due to sloppiness of the

Unfortunately the answer is not so simple. I would expect that

data gathering, nor is it manufacturer tolerances.

OEM tolerances would be within one millimetre. Yet when you are measuring with your top-of-the-range measuring system

This causes a dilemma for the repairer that has to provide

you’ll find enormous differences and the ‘old panel beater’s

‘before’ and ‘after’ repair data to the client and I have seen

tolerance formula’ is often stretched to the max; sometimes

some very crafty ways how ‘perfect data’ was achieved.

overstretched.

The question to ask of course is: Could a car be straight, even The reason for this is that OEMs have different measuring

though the data would show discrepancies of five or more

objectives. They need high accuracy on suspension points or

millimetres on some points? The answer is clearly yes – a five-

other mounting points like door hinges and these are points

millimetre difference in one area can be perfectly okay, yet five

they are using for their jigging systems. The ‘gaps’ are filled

millimetres on a McPherson strut tower would cause headaches

with all the structural body panels that we know. They are often

for the wheel aligner. This car would never handle as itdid prior

made with different tooling and sometimes come from other

PAGE 64

to the accident and the owner would get to know the tyre

I recall a Mazda 3 with front damage and deformation of the

supplier by their first name.

rear passenger foot well. The measuring data was within the ‘old panel beater’s tolerance formula’ with acceptable

Understanding the above, one can understand why this ‘old

measuring system variations, but the first giveaway was that the

panel beater’s tolerance formula’ is still in current use. But

measurements were not symmetric. It is my understanding that

as professionals, we also need to understand that we cannot

the car was written off.

indiscriminately apply it whenever something is not accurately aligned. My apprentices spend a lot of time learning how to

Reading and interpreting measuring data takes a long time

measure cars and understanding what accuracy means, even

to learn. It is far more complex than checking that all the

though the measuring data might not 100 per cent agree.

numbers are in the green (we know how to achieve that). But understanding where the car is bent, which measurements are

For example, if all the panels and components line up, there is

important and which are supplementary data, takes a

no deformation or kinks anywhere in a chassis rail. Yet, the data

lot longer to grasp. Sometimes measuring data is contradicting.

says that both rails are 10 millimetres too low – there is very

Panel gaps tell something, measuring data something else.

little point in bending these rails to meet the data and damaging the rails in the process.

What is correct? In a case like this, alternative measuring points should be selected and compared for symmetry. If no suitable

Measuring height is very important and I still find repairers

measuring holes can be found, often an edge of a panel can

ignoring it, claiming that if the length is correct, the height will

be chosen to establish whether the data or the panel gaps are

fall into place. Of course this is a lot of BS (Bad Science). But

correct or, as often is the case, other damage is found.

let’s assume that both front rails are equally 10 millimetres too high or too low – would this affect the driveability of the car?

Measuring systems are not jigs – they are designed to measure

One could argue that the camber would be affected, but the

cars. If all else fails, step back a metre or so and have a good

difference would be so minimal that it can be ignored. So what

look. We are often not able to see the forest because we are too

really determines height? You might be somewhat surprised

close to the trees.

to learn that the gaps between the guards and the doors are a good height indicator, providing of course that everything else

Sometimes simple parallel gauges and eyeballing can help us

lines up and there are no indications of damage. If you think

out. This car had minor chassis damage and it was already

that this is a bit haphazard, consider perfect measuring data,

repaired. However, the left hand guard did not line up, but all

bent or kinked rails and unacceptable gaps.

was good according to the measuring system.

A question apprentices often ask is whether it is possible that

The panel gap was too wide on top, yet the door alignment was

the panels line up, the measuring data is correct, but there

fine.

might still be deformation damages or even kinks in a chassis rail. Possible? I very much doubt this – something has to be wrong. For starters, kinks in structural parts need to be replaced. Yes, I know we can make them look pretty, but they will never be as strong as before the accident and someone could get hurt. Secondly, a deformed or bent chassis rail is a clear indicator that it is not straight – something is wrong somewhere.

On older cars, it was not too difficult to find the hidden damage.

However, on modern cars, damage can be found in very unexpected locations. In the early 1970s, crumple zones were invented to reduce the force of impact. These days, the impact energy is channelled and absorbed around the passenger compartment in what is known as load paths. For this reason, secondary damage from a front impact can be found just about anywhere.

PAGE 65

BODYSHOP NEWS

AutoForum - September / October 2017

The parallel gauge confirmed that the chassis was repaired

The problem was the upper skirt rail that was not accurately

correctly (compare the white with the yellow line in picture 2).

aligned and repaired. It was only a few millimetres and probably within the ‘old panel beater’s tolerance formula’, but if a body panel does not line up, something is still bent (picture 3).

I have heard so many excuses over the years when something was not quite right. The number one of course is that it is within tolerance! Also popular is to blame the new part or panel, and my all-time favourite: “Oh, it’s everywhere a little bit, sort of over a longer distance.” What on earth does that mean? I am sure you have heard that one too.

Going back to our little Corolla with the front-end damage, the technician just checked the numbers and did not look any further before he dragged the front across. Did he first check whether the bonnet lined up?

Well, he probably did, so how could the front be out of alignment? Furthermore, why were there no kinks or deformations on either of the skirts or the upper skirt rail? There are now!

If something is bent, it shows. If the measuring data is contradicting, it needs to be investigated. In this case it was the car design – most of the time it is hidden damage, but unless it is a horse drawn carriage or a pre-war American car, don’t claim that five millimetres is within the tolerance!

3M unveils their new demo van The Industrial Business Group’s Abrasive Systems Division of Global manufacturing giant 3M has unveiled its innovative Demo Van. Created to enhance 3M’s penetration, especially in the

industry a glimpse of 3M’s customised solutions through

automotive industry with abrasive solutions, the campaign aims

roadshows over the next few months.

to transfer knowledge and skills through practical workshops and bring customer experience to the next level by offering abrasive solutions at their door step.

Speaking at the launch, 3M South Africa MD Steve Hemmings said: “We are excited about the number of customer interactions this van going to enable. It’s only when you get 3M products in the hands of customers that you start seeing the value of our products”.

Fitted with a full range of 3M’s Industrial “Go to Products”, the mobile workshop is equipped for on-site consultations and demonstrations that will give customers in the automotive

PAGE 66

NACE Automechanika Chicago 2017

- Karen Fierst

In 2016, the US-based Automotive Service Association (ASA) and Germany’s Messe Frankfurt announced a partnership combining ASA’s NACE Exposition and Messe Frankfurt’s Automechanika North America. Their first shared event was held in Chicago on 26-28 July 2017. Karen Fierst and Michel Malik were there.

Founded in the 1980s, ASA established NACE to serve

first of several meetings and events to be held during the

its Collision Division membership. For many years,

week. More than 360 suppliers displayed new automotive

ASA, which also has a Mechanical Auto Repair Division,

service and repair technologies, while 7700 people

organised the CARS Expo, focused on that segment of

attended the show. NACE Automechanika’s commitment

its membership. CARS took place either concurrently

to both high-end technical and management training was

with, or immediately before/after NACE. Messe

obvious throughout the week.

Frankfurt’s Automechanika now replaces CARS. This was Automechanika’s second exhibition in the US; their first

Both new and familiar programmes were geared to

US exhibition, also held in Chicago, took place in 2015.

the collision repair sector. The popular MSO (MultiShop Operations) Symposium had a packed house.

As usual, the automotive repair industry capitalised on

In its seventh year, the MSO Symposium is structured

an annual exposition focused on training, innovation,

to provide content to executives of high growth multi

new product introduction, industry organisation events

location collision repair shop networks, owners of large

and networking. Comfortable shoes were a must as an

independent shops and insurance professionals. Sessions

abundance of activities filled the week. Amongst the hot

ranged from a panel of insurance company executives

topics were Automated Driver Assist Systems (ADAS), Pre

discussing insurer responses to rapidly changing vehicle

and Post Repair Scanning, Certification, OEM Procedures,

technology and repairability challenges, to US state and

Quality and Safe Repairs.

federal government policies affecting the collision repair

industry.

“The industry needs and deserves a national show that is solely dedicated to advancing the collision and service

John Walcher of Veritas Advisors Inc. moderated a

repair industries. As evidenced by the tremendous

panel discussion titled “What I Learned from Growing

support from industry associations and companies, NACE

and Exiting my MSO”. Panellists included owners and

Automechanika is that source,” said Dan Risley, President

executives from different sized collision repair shops who

and Executive Director, ASA.

discussed the increasing influence of OEMs such as OEM shop certification. All panellists agreed that the return on

Arriving in Chicago early afternoon Monday, 24 July, there

investment (ROI) was definitely a long-term goal and not

was no time to check into the hotel before I was off to the

something a shop should expect in the short term. New

PAGE 67

BODYSHOP NEWS

AutoForum - September / October 2017

to the week was the Advanced Diagnostic Technology

autonomous vehicles, crash avoidance systems and

and Repair Forum, presented to an audience of both

logistics.

automotive service and collision repairers.

Formal classroom sessions and demonstrations on This fascinating four-hour programme could have easily

the showroom floor provided a wide range of training.

kept the attention of the audience well beyond its

Car companies, equipment manufacturers, I-CAR and

scheduled time slot. Each of the six sessions was loaded

Automotive Management Institute (AMi) instructors, as

with topical information about how the automotive repair

well as a cross section of industry vendors, provided both

industry is changing. One of the most interesting sessions

technical and management training.

was presented by Sean Carey of SCG Management Consultants.

AMi also held its traditional graduation ceremony for those having achieved the Accredited Automotive Management

He emphasised how the First Notice of Loss (FNL) would

(AAM) and its Master Collision Repair General

change the repair industry, and how the importance of

Management – Accredited Master Automotive Manager

User Based Insurance (UBI) would grow. Carey predicts

(AMAM) designations.

that technology driven FNL, and pay-as-you-drive UBI policies, will result in less insurance company involvement

AMi was established in 1989 in response to the growing

in the collision repair industry in the future.

demand for continuing education and industry accepted recognition programmes tailored specifically for the

Two half-day sessions of the newly introduced Business

business needs of the automotive service and repair

Outlook Conference examined workplace safety, US

industry. This year AMi had two graduating ceremonies

automotive market fundamentals and Big Data.

with a total of 48 graduates.

The programme was designed to provide parts

Twenty-one participated in the NACE Automechanika

distributors, suppliers, shop managers and owners an

ceremony. I-CAR’s founding CEO and current shop owner,

opportunity to explore the changing automotive industry

Jeff Silver, was amongst the most recent graduates.

with an eye towards positioning their business for future

AMi President, Jeff Peevey, said: “Jeff Silver not only

success. Topics included emerging trends in telematics,

graduated with the AAM, but was also the first ACE

PAGE 68

(Accredited Collision-Repair Estimator) to graduate. He

at in Chicago. But who had the time – or energy – for that

truly believes in continued learning and development.”

matter? Luckily, for NACE Automechanika attendees, the organisers held the final reception at The Field Museum,

The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) held

one of the most interesting and beautiful museums I’ve

its 16th annual golf fundraiser. According to Brandon

ever seen.

Eckenrode, CREF’s Director of Development, the 130 attendees raised more than US$110,000 to help

It was a little strange seeing exhibits as diverse as huge

support high school and college collision repair school

dinosaur skeletons, displays of ancient gold jewellery and

programmes, students, and instructors. It was one of

an entire exhibition hall devoted to the history of tattoos.

CREF’s most successful golf fundraisers to date.

But it was downright surreal to have a loud rock band and lots of dancing going on as I wandered through these

The National Auto Body Council (NABC) held a moving

exhibits. It was a fun evening and a very good week for

‘Recycled Rides’ gifting of four refurbished vehicles –

the automotive repair industry.

donated by insurers and voluntarily repaired by proud local repair technicians – to families nominated by Family

NACE Automechanika 2018 will be held in Atlanta

Promise of Chicago.

from 8 August. The Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA) has announced that it will co-locate its

Each of the four families included a mother or

2018 Big R Show in Atlanta with NACE Automechanika.

grandmother and children struggling with difficult circumstances. Their challenges will now be made much

This will introduce an entirely new automotive segment

easier to overcome by owning a vehicle. “Sometimes we

to the mix. APRA members are rebuilders and suppliers

don’t need a handout; we need a hand up and that is what

to automotive and heavy-duty businesses. The 75-year-

we provide,” said NABC’s Recycled Rides Programme

old association helps protect the industry through its

Coordinator, Linda Sulkala.

government affairs efforts and provides its membership networking opportunities and technical education.

In addition to the great weather, fine restaurants and view of Lake Michigan – one of the five Great Lakes I could see

Hope to see you in Atlanta, Georgia, 8-10 August 2018.

from my hotel window - there were plenty of sites to look

PAGE 69

DIRECTORY LISTING

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