Ignition Magazine New Zealand | June 2024

SONY AFEELA

SUPERCHARGING COLLABORATION

How much of a team is your team?

GOOGLE SEARCH ADS

Why you shouldn’t ignore this powerful marketing channel.

Trade Shows and Golf Day 2024

Wow, what a ride! From great Trade Shows to a remarkable Golf Day, the first few months of 2024 have been full of excitement!

Check out more snapshots of these events on our Capricorn Facebook page at cap.coop/photos

Has your workshop

Capricorn Service Data (CSD) is a complimentary online tool for Capricorn Members, valued at over $900 per annum.*

The Manufacturer Repair Times feature makes it easy to run a tight ship - and keep your customers happy. Have greater control over your pricing and costs and be a step ahead of your competitors.

SUCCESSFUL WORKSHOPS USE CSD cap.coop/csd

David Fraser Group CEO

CEO’s message

By now the news of my retirement may have already reached you. If not, let me take this opportunity to let you know that I’ll be stepping down as Capricorn’s Group CEO this December.

After 18 years with the company, including five as Group CEO, I’ve made the difficult decision to retire. There was a lot of deliberation with my family over the summer holidays.

On one level, it’s a difficult time to leave: Capricorn is in the best shape of its 50-year history, the industry is facing defining challenges, and we’ve got so many great initiatives in the pipeline that I’m keen to see through to completion.

Also, quite simply, Capricorn has just been a great place to work. I have loved every minute of it. You don’t stay somewhere 18 years unless that’s the case! I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved and the positive impact we’ve been able to have on Members’ businesses over that time.

On another level, getting older has snuck up on me (and that definitely sucks). While there’s never a good time to leave, when I think back to my old footy days, I’m reminded that sometimes you just know when it’s time to hang up your boots.

In doing so, I am very pleased and reassured to know that Capricorn will be in very safe and able hands, with Brad Gannon stepping into the Group CEO role.

I’ve worked closely with Brad for many years in his role as CEO Automotive and I know he’s looking forward to continuing to deliver an amazing experience for our Members, Preferred Suppliers and the Capricorn community. I wish him all the best.

I’ve announced my departure now because I wanted to be transparent about the decision. Leaving at the end of the calendar year means I can work with the Board and Brad to ensure a smooth transition and a successful handover.

It also gives me the rest of the year to get out and see as many of you as possible. I’ve always loved spending time with Members. It was wonderful to see so many of you in Hawaii last month for our convention. It was such a great atmosphere—a good mix of social and business, and a great chance for everyone to share stories and talk about what’s working and what’s not. We really are stronger when we all work together.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Board, my Executive Leadership Team, and all our employees, who have done a fantastic job in supporting me, our Members, and the broader Capricorn community.

I’ve spent 38 years in this industry. It has been an honour and a privilege to spend the second half of my career serving Capricorn’s Members. So, thank you.

David Fraser Group CEO

4 GOOGLE SEARCH ADS

Why you shouldn’t ignore this powerful marketing channel.

6 RISK ACCOUNT MANAGERS MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE

When disaster strikes, a human touch is what sets Capricorn Risk Services apart.

9 SUPERCHARGING COLLABORATION

How much of a team is your team?

12 FUTURE RIDE: SONY AFEELA

Affordable EV or PlayStation on wheels?

16 2024 CITROEN e-C4 SHINE

A new one for the EV shopping list option.

24 THE POWER OF BUSINESSES WORKING TOGETHER

Why you should embrace networking and collaboration.

expert guide to

GOOGLE SEARCH ADS

Not so many years ago, when people wanted to find a business, they opened a copy of the Yellow Pages and let their “fingers do the walking”. These days, almost universally, they do a Google search instead. Which means appearing high up in Google search results is vital for any business, and advertising with Google Search Ads could significantly help you with this.

Sound complicated? It’s easier than you think. In this article, we’ll help demystify advertising with Google.

What is Google Ads?

Google Ads is a pay-per-click advertising platform, which means you pay a small amount each time a Google user clicks on your ad. (Each click is called an impression.) Your ad will only be served to people who search for relevant terms, products, businesses or services. So, if you’re a mechanic in Maryborough and someone searches for “car service in Maryborough” or they live in Maryborough and search for “best mechanic near me”, your business will appear in the results.

How do I advertise on Google Search?

There are lots of good tutorial videos on YouTube you can follow that can help you navigate setting up a Google Ads account and creating your first ad. We recommend this especially because the Google Ads interface is quite overwhelming the first time you see it. But stick with it. It’s incredibly powerful. Here are some of the basics to get you started.

1.

Sign up for a Google Ads account and set up a campaign

You’ll need to know what your goal is. Do you want sales, leads or website traffic? If you want people to jump on the phone and book a service, select “lead generation”.

2.

Decide who you want to target with your ad

You’ll need to choose the keywords you’ll use in your ad. These will help Google marry your ad to your audience. Your keywords might be your services (oil change, engine repair, brake services, tune-up), your location (Maryborough, Central Goldfields), vehicle type (European vehicle specialist, heavy diesel mechanic) or service type (mobile mechanic, 24-hours).

3. Set up your bidding

Bidding determines what you want people to do once they see your ad. If your goal was lead generation, for example, this is where you can optimise your campaign conversions, like adding a clickable phone number and using call tracking to count how many calls your ad generates. It’s also here that you decide your ad schedule and rotation.

4.

Create ad groups

A campaign can be made up of many ads. Google asks you to group the ads. So, you might have a group of ads for general servicing, another for auto-electric and another for Toyota owners. These days Google can do this for you automatically, using the information on your website. You can create multiple ads for each group.

5.

Choose your ad type and create your ads

Google has a range of advertising options available. Responsive Search Ads are the ones that appear in search results with “sponsored” above them. There are also display, shopping and app ad options, among others. Investigate your options but the Responsive Search is the original search ad. You can then write your ad copy, using your keywords. (Google can write these for you, using AI, and it will test for the most effective options.)

6.

Set your budget and press go!

Work out how much you’re willing to spend on advertising and set your budget.

5.

Monitor and optimise

Once your ads are live, keep an eye on them to see which ones are performing well. You can tinker with your ads to improve their performance, deleting ads that aren’t working and boosting the ones that are converting well.

Google and Google Ads are trademarks of Google LLC and this article is not endorsed by or affiliated with Google in any way.

Risk Account Managers difference MAKE ALL THE

Kirsty Baerwald discussing Member protection

Michelle Zaloum assisting a Member

When disaster strikes, a human touch is what sets Capricorn Risk Services apart.

There’s not much Kirsty Baerwald hasn’t seen in her decades working in the insurance industry. She’s done everything from domestic underwriting to international brokering over the years. But for the last seven years she’s been a Risk Account Manager for Capricorn Risk Services in Adelaide, South Australia, helping Members get their protection right.

Who better to ask about the difference between a traditional insurer and a Member organisation like Capricorn when it comes to customer experience?

“The key factor with Capricorn is we’re out there in the field every day, face to face with Members, visiting workshops, seeing what they have in their workshops, helping them work out a way to value their assets, protecting what they need to protect,” Kirsty said.

Kirsty recalled an incident last year, when she noticed a Member had bought a holiday home but hadn’t included flood coverage in the protection – a point that she raised with them during their next conversation.

“A day or two later they called me up and added it to their policy,” she said. “A few months later the Murray River flooded and they had a full loss of about $700,000. They were very, very thankful.”

All our Risk Account Managers have stories about helping Members in times of crisis, including Michelle Zaloum, who works with New Zealand Members in the Wellington and Taranaki areas. She had Members in Hawkes Bay affected by Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023.

“I know my Members. They ring me up and just pick up the story from before, because I know where they are, I know the workshop, and they just trust I’m going to get the job done for them. When you call a traditional insurer, you’re calling a call centre, and you could get anyone—and that person won’t have a clue about your specific requirements.”

Capricorn Risk Services has 30 Risk Account Managers across Australia and six in New Zealand, offering support to almost 12,000 Members who have their protection with us. Our Risk Account Managers are passionate about ensuring Members get the kind of service they expect—especially when disaster strikes. In fact, Kirsty said being able to help Members in their hour of need is the part of her job she loves most.

“I find it very satisfying knowing I’ve helped people in the best way possible to ensure they’re protected,” she said.

“I had one Member who had complete protection with us—building, customers, vehicles, contents, business interruption—pretty much the whole gambit,” she said.

“He basically used every protection that he had with us, apart from the protection for the vehicle that he drove away in.”

The damage that Member experienced was mainly flood damage after the cyclone caused the nearby river to burst its banks.

“In 30 years in business this guy had never had an issue,” Michelle said. “He thought his biggest risk was fire. He never for a second thought all his buildings, including his home, would be impacted by a flood.”

It’s the way that your Risk Account Manager gets to know you and your business that can make a big difference.

If you want to experience the personal touch of protection provided by Capricorn Risk Services and our dedicated team of Risk Account Managers, get in touch with us today.

Supercharging

your business with collaboration and cooperation

If they were on a football field or rugby pitch, would they all pull together and work as one to move the ball forward, score goals and win the match? Or are they really a bunch of individuals, of varying levels of skill and dedication, who all happen to work side by side? They’re good with the ball, perhaps, but not very good at passing it.

How a team works together matters.

Collaboration drives efficiency, productivity and results. Done well, collaboration can make your team more motivated, more innovative and more loyal. So, why wouldn’t you embrace the power of collaboration in your workshop?

The benefits of collaboration in an auto workshop

Here are some key reasons to foster collaboration:

Increased efficiency and productivity:

When your technicians share knowledge with each other, they can resolve issues more quickly and effectively. This enhances productivity but it also lifts the skills and knowledge levels of those around them.

Improved problem-solving and innovation:

By encouraging your team to contribute ideas and suggest improvements, you create a positive workplace that embraces innovative thinking, streamlines processes, and develops new ideas.

A more positive culture and better employee retention:

Teamwork makes the dream work

This isn’t just some fluffy idea. There’s real data behind it. According to a 2014 Australian study by Deloitte, The Collaborative Economy, when employees collaborate:

They work on average 15 per cent faster

73 per cent do better work

6 in 10 are innovative

56 per cent are more satisfied

Businesses are twice as likely to outgrow their competitors

Businesses are more likely to improve their profit.

The study defined workplace collaboration as “employees communicating and working together, building on each other’s ideas to provide something new or do something differently” Further, it said: “A collaborative organisation unlocks the potential, capacity and knowledge of every employee, thereby generating value and innovation and improving productivity in its workplace”.

1 1 2 3

Teams work when there’s a sense of camaraderie, shared purpose, and mutual respect. When your team feels valued and included, they are more likely to be engaged, motivated, and committed to their work. Ultimately, this improves employee retention and gives you a competitive edge in attracting top talent—which is not to be sneezed at in an ongoing skills shortage.

If that all sounds like buzzwords, think again. Collaboration—teamwork—is what wins teams a Grand Final. It’s what makes the All Blacks the All Blacks. And it’s what can make your workshop hum like a well-oiled machine.

So, how can we reap the benefits in our workshops?

Practical tips for fostering collaboration in your workshop

If you’re sold on the benefits of collaboration, here are some practical ideas to encourage more collaboration among your team:

Encourage open communication:

Create opportunities for your team to share their ideas, experiences, and feedback. Regular team meetings, skill-sharing sessions, and open-door policies can all contribute to an environment where communication flows freely.

Involve your team in decision-making:

Seek input from your team when making important decisions that affect their work. Should you invest in a certain piece of equipment? Would they use it? What training do they want? This not only fosters a sense of ownership and buy-in but ensures you benefit from their insights, too.

Set a mission, goals and rules:

It’s easier to pull together if you know what direction you’re meant to be pulling in. Share with your team your goals for the month, the year, the future, so everyone knows what the plan is. Give them a stake in that plan with incentives and encouragement.

Celebrate successes and recognise effort:

It reinforces the sense of shared accomplishment and motivates your team to continue working well together.

Lead by example:

You’re the boss, so you set the tone for your workshop’s culture. If you model collaborative behaviour, foster open communication, and encourage teamwork through your actions and leadership style, your team will follow suit.

By fostering a collaborative environment within your workshop you have the possibility to unlock your team’s full potential and position your business for the long-term growth and prosperity you want.

Just like a coach makes the big calls on the rugby pitch, or the captain sets the culture by being a team player on and off the football field, we have it in our power to make the changes that will improve our team’s outcomes.

With such obvious benefits, excellent collaboration should be the goal of every leader, everywhere. 3 4 5 6

AFEELA SONY

AFEELA

It’s a Sony.

It’s also a Honda, of course. And it looks a lot more like a Honda than a Sony, even if it does look a little bit like the cassette deck on your mum’s old hi-fi system.

This is the new electric Afeela, and it’s what happens when two Japanese industrial giants collaborate to take on Tesla and produce an affordable electric vehicle.

This isn’t some fictional concept car, full of promises but never to see the light of day. Pre-orders of the Afeela are due in the first half of 2025 (in North America, at least) and should be on the road in 2026. The sedan, pictured, is the first in a range of EVs Sony and Honda are set to produce as part of this collaboration. An SUV and a compact car are set to follow in 2027 and 2028, respectively.

Despite the Afeela heading for mass production in the very near future, Sony Honda Mobility (the name of the collaboration) has remained very tight-lipped about the vehicle specifications.

Let’s start with the bit that feels like a Honda.

We know the Afeela sedan is about the size of a Tesla Model S or BMW i5, at 4895 mm long, 1900 mm wide and 1460 mm tall, with a double-wishbone air-spring suspension at the front and a multilink suspension in the back.

We understand it will be all-wheel drive, powered by two electric motors (one on each axle) each producing 180 kW of power. There’s no news on range just yet, but there’ll be a 91 kWh battery pack and the company says the Afeela will have fast-charging abilities.

Naturally, it has plenty of driver assistance technology (although plans for digital wing mirrors appear to have been dropped between an early concept and the latest version).

The Afeela has LiDAR sensors in the top of the windscreen and a range of

cameras and radars, delivering Level 2/2+ driving assistance (up to Level 3 with autonomous driving).

Now let’s look at the bit that sounds like Sony.

The Afeela is set to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Digital Chassis—a “set of cloud-connected platforms for telematics and connectivity, the digital cockpit, and driver assistance and autonomy”. It’s the digital brain of the car—processing up to 800 trillion operations a second— providing AI systems, personalisation and a range of intuitive technologies.

From here, it all starts to sound a little bit like a PlayStation.

Sony Honda Mobility has teamed up with Epic Games (the company behind the immensely popular video game Fortnite) to “seamlessly integrate real and virtual worlds” and explore “new entertainment possibilities through digital innovations such as the metaverse”.

What does that look like? According to the website DesignBoom, “this means playful visual additives, such as monsters popping out of buildings or adding under-the-sea effects in the driving screen” in the 3D mapping technology.

It’s widely understood that the next Afeela prototype will even include a Gran Turismo 7 racing simulator.

Sony Honda Mobility has also roped in Microsoft, which is providing its Azure OpenAI to co-develop a “conversational personal agent”.

DesignBoom claims: “The voiceenable set-up with a human-like accent and tone allows the driver to talk to their personal mobility agent as if they were chatting with a real person. Other technologies installed in the cabin include large infotainment screens for everyone, a noise-cancelling interior resembling soundproof cinemas, and Sony’s spatial audio throughout the seats and cabin.”

The interior of the Afeela is quite minimalist, dominated by a yoke steering wheel and large digital driver display. In fact, the whole dashboard is a digital screen, presumably to make the most of the gaming capabilities (and content screening abilities) of all that tech.

There’s no word yet on how much the Afeela will cost but there are some suggestions it’ll be around US$45,000 (around A$70,000 and NZ$75,000).

The Sony Honda Mobility team claim the “minimal decorative lines and form” of the Afeela reference spaceships. Spaceships, presumably, designed by the same bloke who designed your mum’s old hi-fi system.

While it won’t actually play your favourite old cassette for you, the Afeela will let you play just about everything else. After all, it’s not just a Honda, it’s a Sony.

SONY AFEELA

CITROEN

Electric Car Review

At DriveLife we have fond memories of the 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder turbo-petrol engine fitted to many Citroen and Peugeot models. It’s one of those things that adds character to the car — that engine that just wants to go and sounds so good.

So, what happens when a car like the Citroen C4 loses that characterful engine and goes full electric vehicle (EV)? Does this mean the small Citroen has lost something and is just another EV?

We spent a week and 500 km driving the new Citroen e-C4 to find out if it’s worth adding to your new EV shopping list.

What we like What we don’t like

Ride

Comfy seats Visibility

360-degree camera

Steering wheel controls work well

Walk-away door lock/unlock

Lack of features for price Rear headroom Range lower than expected

What’s in the 2024 Citroen C4 range?

There are two models in the C4 range in New Zealand, the C4 Shine and the e-C4 Shine (tested). The $46,990 Shine is powered by the familiar 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder Puretech engine that manages 114 kW of power and 240 Nm of torque. It’s mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels and is rated to deliver 6.8L/100km of fuel.

At $69,990, the e-C4 Shine is a pure EV and has a 100 kW electric motor that puts out 260 Nm of torque. This model has a 50 kWh battery pack with a suggested range of 363 km. It will accelerate to 100km/h in 9 seconds (with driver only in car). This model is also front-wheel drive and has a single-speed automatic transmission.

First impressions of the 2024 Citroen e-C4 Shine

Although our test car was finished in a boring grey colour, the e-C4 retains its slightly funky looks that we relate to this range. It’s good to see Citroen has not changed the grille area to make it look like an EV; the front of the car looks like a standard C4. That means lots of lines and angles, but it all sort of gels together somehow to give an appearance of a car that’s different, but not weird.

What’s the interior like in the 2024 Citroen e-C4 Shine?

While the e-C4 costs just under $70,000, you get cloth seats front and rear. The dash is mostly textured black plastic, as are most of the door panels, and all this makes the e-C4 feel a bit down-market, despite its cost.

The cloth seats aren’t heated, and neither are they electrically adjusted. There is lumbar adjustment for the driver, but it’s a simple dial. There’s a large glovebox lid, but like most Peugeot and Citroen models, the actual usable part is quite small.

Front-seat passengers have a reasonable amount of space, but with that sloping roofline, those in the back are more restricted for headroom. The boot — even with that sloping roof — is a reasonable size at 380 litres. There is no frunk in the e-C4, so this means no extra storage under the bonnet.

What’s the 2024 Citroen e-C4 Shine like to drive?

I’d spend my week in the e-C4 comparing it to the Astra GSe that I drove recently. In many ways, they feel so similar. One of the likenesses was the ride quality; the Astra rode extremely well, and so does the e-C4. I charged the car up that night at home, getting an indicated 358 km of range to empty. Over the week of commuting, I’d see just how far I could get in the e-C4 before needing to charge again.

The visibility in the car is much better than in the Astra; the e-C4 has an extra window in that sloping roofline, and it adds a surprising amount of visibility while on the motorway when changing lanes. The e-C4 also has a 360-degree camera system, and that is always hugely appreciated. The resolution and quality of the image is crisp and clear.

On my daily drive, I often use adaptive cruise control to manage stop/start traffic for me and I absolutely love that the e-C4 will automatically accelerate away once the car in front moves off. One thing to note is that the e-C4 does not have any sort of steering assist (unlike most of its competitors).

You do get three drive modes in this car: Eco, Normal, and Sport. Eco mode is perfectly acceptable for average driving, as the instant torque of the electric motor means Eco mode is a doddle. Normal mode is the default when you start the car and is the mode I used most of the time. If you need performance, then Sport mode is for you. It perks the car up a little, but don’t expect Tesla-style performance. The e-C4 gets to 100km/h in 9.0 seconds, so it’s not the rocket ship that some buyers expect all EVs to be.

After 229 km of driving, my range was low, so I decided to charge the e-C4 back up. With 40 km of range left, that meant a real-world range of 269 km, well short of the Worldwide harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) figure of 363 km. As we’ve said before, Wellington’s hills are an EV-killer and hammer any EV’s ability to get anywhere near its WLTP range, but still — 269 km was fairly low.

Summary

Has the C4 model lost something with the change to EV? Yes, and no. It still has that superb ride quality that we’ve come to expect from a French car. I do miss that petrol engine and its awesomeness, but I think for me the biggest thing missing was all the features I’d expect in any car costing $70,000. This is where Chinese brands like BYD and MG will hammer the Citroen e-C4 Shine.

On the plus side, it still undeniably looks like a C4 and buyers loyal to the brand will find the transition relatively easy, although those buyers who like an engine with a bit of character may well prefer the Shine at $23,000 less.

Have you enjoyed this review?

Rarotonga Rarotonga ESCAPE TO with CAPRICORN

Rarotonga Rarotonga

Another amazing island escape to Rarotonga for our New Zealand Members !

Preferred Supplier Stars Travel nailed it again! This marks the third year they’ve hosted an exclusive trip for Capricorn Members in Rarotonga, and it keeps getting better!

Shoutout to Pacific Resort on the glorious white sands of Muri beach for accommodating the biggest group yet—70+ Members!

The trip kicked off with a warm welcome dinner at Tamarind House, where friendships were renewed and new connections made against a stunning waterfront backdrop.

From game fishing to swimming with sea turtles, and getting down and dirty with Raro Mud Bugs, to exploring the vibrant Muri Night Markets and Punanga Nui Markets. With sunny weather and plenty of refreshing cocktails, Members stayed cool while enjoying the Muri Lagoon or resort pool.

Excitingly, some joined in for the third time, while others couldn't resist joining after hearing about the fun from past trips!

Will it be back in 2025? Yeah, plans are on the way, stay tuned for more updates!

PREFERRED SUPPLIER PROFILES

Backed by 30 years in the business, Affordable Partsworld operates over 35 outlets nationwide and is one of New Zealand’s largest auto parts recycling chains. Boasting a team of 220 plus employees, they’re deeply passionate about their work and are always ready to assist.

As an integral part of the nation's largest dismantling group, Affordable Partsworld are known for their commitment to professionalism and environmental responsibility. Since 1973, they have been dedicated to supplying Ford parts, and their expertise now

extends to both Ford and Holden parts. With genuine used parts and nextbusiness-day-delivery available, they enable their customers to operate with minimal downtime or disruption.

affordableparts.co.nz

Purchase a minimum of $600 (AUD or NZD equivalent) worth of tyres from a Capricorn Tyre Preferred Supplier from 2 April to 30 June 2024 to automatically go into the draw to WIN ONE OF TWO 11-DAY TRIPS to Vietnam. The trip is valid for five people and must be taken from 2 to 12 October 2024.

The prize is valued at $22,500 per winning entry and includes:

Economy return flights with Singapore Airlines. (Ex any Australian Capital City that Singapore Airlines fly from).

Accommodation and meals as per itinerary.

All transportation, daily tours and entrance fees to scenic attractions as per itinerary and more.

Check Purple Pages for your nearest Capricorn Tyre Preferred Supplier

The power of businesses working together

by Jeff Smit

In the fast-changing and dynamic landscape of the automotive aftermarket, it can be tempting to think of other businesses as nothing more than competitors. However, you might find that you’re better off if you’re able to shift your mindset and embrace the power of networking and collaboration.

Because of limited time and resources, running a workshop is not easy. But if team spirit is missing, progress and business growth will be considerably more difficult to achieve.

Teamwork, as a doctrine, is not confined to one workshop and its team. External networking and collaboration come under the teamwork umbrella. But good teamwork doesn’t just happen. The concept has to be embraced by everyone in the business and some encouragement will be needed.

The automotive aftermarket workshop world can be very competitive and harsh. While competition is unavoidable, there are endless opportunities to network with other businesses in order to diversify your audience, reach new customers, and improve your products or services. So contrary to common fears, competition doesn’t necessarily stop a workshop from thriving.

What does it mean to network and collaborate with another business?

Typically, it refers to businesses, either individually or through a structured organisation, working together to solve problems and achieve goals that seem to be out of reach when working alone.

It’s simply an expansion of the individual teamwork concept, using the same principles on a bigger platform. By combining the expertise,

perspectives and skills of different people and organisations, all parties involved are better able to innovate and grow.

Here are six game-changing reasons why you should consider networking or collaborating with other small businesses.

Expand your network

Small businesses collaborate through linking skill sets. They can develop a broader network than each workshop could possibly achieve on its own. Plus, successful entrepreneurs have a common interest in meeting new people, building their contacts, and expanding their network. Being successful in business requires you to constantly make new connections, form alliances and reach new audiences.

Fuel innovation

Collaboration can trigger innovation because everyone brings a unique set of skills, knowledge, approaches, experiences and ideas to the workshop. Collaboration itself is the key to innovation. The saying ‘innovate or die’ isn’t overdramatic – if you don’t innovate in today’s highly competitive marketplace, your business will flounder in its own challenges.

Share knowledge

One of the biggest benefits of collaboration is the opportunity to learn and share knowledge. In fact, every interaction you have with someone outside your immediate circle can teach you something

valuable. Some of the most fruitful business collaborations include two or more professionals who bring different perspectives, skill sets and knowledge to the table.

Solve business problems

There’s a reason crowdsourcing is so popular: there is power in numbers. If one person is unable to complete a task on their own, then two, three, or more people may be able to find a solution to the problem. Try to recall a challenge you encountered in your workshop. Did you seek guidance from a fellow technician or some other trusted resource? It’s the same principle in business collaboration. When you collaborate with another small business, you have more people working on the problem.

It follows that the more challenging a problem is, the more can be gained from having someone from outside bring a new perspective, often resulting in the outcome being a more positive one.

Expand service or product portfolio

Just keeping up in today’s motor car world is a huge challenge, but working with other workshops will enable your workshop to expand its services for its own customers. Through collaboration, workshops can bring their resources together to cut costs and mutually benefit from innovation.

Save money

In collaborative relationships, expenses are shared. Part of the agreement includes sharing skills and specialist equipment which one workshop could not afford on its own. As a result, individual budgets can be improved substantially through cutting costs. These are just some of the many benefits of working together with other workshops, either through individual collaboration or with the help of an industry association or specialist group. Through collaboration, you can achieve mutual growth, expand your networks, save time, fuel innovation, solve business problems and save money.

Start looking outside your front door for the best people to join your external team.

FUN ZONE

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE 5 Differences To Find

Please

April Winner: REDWOOD PANEL & PAINT 2005 5,000 BONUS REWARDS POINTS

Submit your entry at cap.coop/funzone by 30 June 2024.

WORD HUNTER

Find the 15 words hidden in the jumble. They could be horizontal, vertical, diagonal or backwards. See if you can find them all!

Congratulations to the team at Bridgestone Select Toowoomba for winning our GRILL SEEKERS GIVEAWAY!

They’ve now got a brand-new Weber BBQ heading their way, so their next team barbeque should be even more epic.

Thank you very much to all the Members who participated in the promotion.

3 CHANCES TO WIN

Fuel up in May, June or July to go in the draw to win. Spend $50 or more using your Capricorn Fuel Card and automatically go in the draw for that month’s prize. Unlimited entries and a prize to be won each month for purchases between 1 May and 31 July 2024.

DON’T HAVE A CAPRICORN FUEL CARD? Log in to myCAP and apply through the Capricorn Fuel Card page