MARCH JUNE 2022 2021
FUTURE RIDE
HUMMER EV
25 YEARS YOUNG
Capricorn's 25th Anniversary in New Zealand MEMBERS RALLY AFTER DEVASTATING FLOODS The most expensive repair bill from a flood ever recorded in Australia.
THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX Making a triumphant return!
IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE Capricorn New Zealand is 25 years young.
SPREAD THE WORD...
...about Capricorn and earn 10,000 Bonus Points If you know someone in the auto business who isn’t a Member then now’s the perfect time to Spread the Word. Simply pass on the lead to your Area Manager before June 30 2022, and when they join you’ll get 10,000 Bonus Points as a thank you.
join@capricorn.coop | capricorn.coop | 0800 401 444 The promotion is open to existing Capricorn Members who during the period of 1 May 2022 to 30 June 2022 refer a prospective Member to their Area Manager. Allocation of the 10,000 bonus Capricorn Reward Points (“Member Reward”) is subject to the referred prospect becoming a Member by 29 July 2022.*Participation in the Capricorn Rewards scheme is subject to the Capricorn Rewards Terms and Conditions which can be found at: www.capricorn.coop/terms-conditions The Member Reward is not redeemable for cash or transferable. Shares are issued by Capricorn Society Limited (ACN 008 347 313). No offer of shares is made in this promotion. An offer of shares will only be made in, or accompanied by, Capricorn’s Prospectus and any supplementary prospectus which is available on request or may be viewed at www.capricorn.coop/corporate-documents. Before making any decision to apply for shares, prospective Members should consider the Prospectus and any supplementary prospectus. Any application for shares must be made on the application form in or accompanying the Prospectus.
CONTENTS JUNE 2022
David Fraser Group CEO
CEO’s message
In business, when we grow, we don’t grow alone. We grow, yes, through our hard work and efforts. But we also grow because others have believed in us enough to come along for the journey. They’ve become our customers, and repeat customers, and, hopefully, loyal advocates who spread the good word about us to others. I’ve been reflecting recently on how growth occurs, because in 2022 Capricorn is reaching a few milestones that paint a gratifying picture of our own growth. I hope you’ll forgive my indulgence in discussing these milestones here, because we literally could not have reached them without you. The first milestone is that 2022 marks 25 years since Capricorn crossed the Tasman into New Zealand. Our first New Zealand Member joined Capricorn in June 1997 with a NZ$500 share purchase. At the time he had only four suppliers to choose from! Capricorn’s opportunity for growth was also our first Members. In the first few years Capricorn focussed just on Auckland, but we soon spread across both the North and South islands. From one original employee, we quickly grew, and by 2004 had more than 350 Members and 200 suppliers. Within a few months we expect to make another milestone, welcoming our 5000th New Zealand Member into the Capricorn family. The decision to grow into New Zealand has become an outstanding success story for Capricorn. We’ve achieved new Member growth and growth in Member purchases beyond what could have been imagined in those early years. The third milestone I wanted to mention occurred in April this year, when Capricorn welcomed our 25,000th Member. Back in 2005, the cooperative believed a membership of 15,000 was ultimately achievable, so we have certainly outperformed on that measure. This hasn’t happened by accident. It goes back to those key inputs I mentioned earlier — hard work and effort — and getting the offering right, so that Members believed in us. For us, growth meant inspiring our Members to choose to use their Capricorn account for every purchase, because they could see the benefits of doing so. Capricorn’s growth is, therefore, directly related to your success and your belief in the difference we can make to you and your business. So, our goal will always be to help you address your needs, and be competitive, and to provide our service as cost effectively as possible. Milestones are wonderful things and should be celebrated — and we’re certainly celebrating ours at the moment (you can meet some of our original New Zealand Members in this magazine). But the job of ensuring growth continues. The hard work, the effort, and the belief continue. Because, after all, we don’t grow alone, we grow together. I think Capricorn can continue to work on how we help you and all our Members, not just in your business, but to achieve your personal and life goals, too. Helping you achieve success in your life, through your business, is a holistic approach we continue to work on. It’s also one I believe is very consistent with the cooperative ethos on which Capricorn has been built.
Yours in cooperation,
David Fraser
4 Cook Up a Storm! Capricorn Rewards
5 Members Rally After Floods The most
expensive repair bill from a flood ever recorded in Australia.
6 In The Blink of an Eye New Zealand celebrates their 25 year anniversary!
7 Cooperatives Build a Better World: Day of Cooperatives
2022 International
8 Member & Supplier Features Meet some of our original Members & Preferred Suppliers
14 When Will We See
Autonomous Vehicles? They may be a little while away
16 2022 GMSV
Chevrolet Silverado
20 Future Ride 22 The Australian Grand Prix The Hummer EV. Yes, that Hummer!
Making a triumphant return!
24 25 Years Young! Capricorn celebrates 25 years in New Zealand
26 Building Your
Network Customer collaboration
28 CAP ezi-parts
Take
another look!
All information, material and content in this edition of Ignition is provided or sourced by Capricorn Society Limited (“Capricorn”) for general information only and is not intended to be advice or comment on any particular matter or subject. Before acting on any information in this edition of Ignition you should consider the relevance of it to your own circumstances and, if necessary, take professional advice. Any opinions expressed in an Ignition article are those of the relevant individual author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of Capricorn. Capricorn makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or reliability of any material (including without limitation, any third party authored article or supplier advertisement in respect of which Capricorn merely acts as conduit) included in this edition of Ignition. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Capricorn, its officers, employees, agents and representatives disclaim any and all liability to you or any other person for any loss or damage whatsoever connected with: i. reliance on any material in Ignition; or ii. any inaccuracy, error or omission in any material in Ignition.
CAPRICORN IGNITION JUNE 2022 3
COOK UP!
Cook up a storm! If cooking’s your passion we have some fantastic products available just for you. Head to capricorn.coop/rewards and check out the extensive range today.
Breville Big One
NutriBullet 1000W Combo Blender
Knife Block with 7 Pieces
Dualit 4 slice Newgen Toaster
Solis Barista Perfetta PluS
Dualit Cordless Jug
Joseph Joseph Switch Scale - 2-in-1 digital scale
*Products subject to availability.
capricorn.coop/rewards Participation in the Capricorn Rewards Program is subject to the Capricorn Rewards Program Terms and Conditions which can be found via the Capricorn website.
TM
Members rally after devastating floods
while others had experienced the total loss of their business. The flooding had been unpredictable. Some areas badly affected by the 2011 floods, like Toowoomba, hadn’t been as badly affected this time around. Other areas, like Rocklea, had copped it badly both times. “In Rocklea, on the Saturday, the water had come up to people’s driveways and they thought they hadn’t done too badly,” Mark said. “Then Saturday night it poured and they woke up Sunday morning and they were two metres under water.” Both Mark and Janice said they’d spoken to Members who’d only just taken out flood protection at their last renewal. “They were extremely grateful, so I’m pleased we were able to have that conversation during the last renewal,” Mark said.
Recent flooding in Queensland and New South Wales has seen Australia’s insurers receive more than 180,000 claims, with an estimated total cost of more than $4 billion, the most expensive repair bill from a flood ever recorded in Australia. The flooding of south-east Queensland and New South Wales in February and March was declared a national emergency on 9 March. In three days, greater Brisbane received a record 676.8 millimetres of rainfall. Some areas received in excess of 1,770 millimetres of rain, with flood waters rising over 14m higher than usual. That’s higher than a 4 storey building. The utter devastation of the resulting floods, which saw some towns, including Lismore in NSW, affected twice within weeks, also impacted more than 200 Members protected with Capricorn Mutual. On the frontline, helping Members understand their coverage and get back on their feet, were Capricorn Risk Services team members Janice Boath in New South Wales and Mark Mommsen in Queensland. “For the first week we were mostly getting panic calls from Members, not sure whether they actually had flood cover,” Mark said. “The good news was that the vast majority of the people who were in those high flood zones did have flood cover and we were able to help. “Then the next couple of weeks was basically making sure they understood what was on their protection, explaining how assessors operate, the kind of information they need to supply, and just holding their hand through the whole process.”
As the clean-up continues, Janice said it would be a long time before many of the affected businesses and homes were fully recovered, especially in places like Lismore. She said those who had taken out business interruption coverage were particularly grateful for the added layer of protection, which allowed them to meet their bills and many other costs while they get back on their feet. She said some Members were faced with big decisions about whether to rebuild where they are or to relocate to higher ground. While many Members faced devastation and a hard road ahead, Janice said she’d also been heartened to see the way Members had helped each other during the crisis. She gave the example of Members in the Garden Street area of Narrabeen, who had all helped each other get vital equipment and vehicles (including customer vehicles) to higher ground as the floodwaters approached. If you’re not already protected with Capricorn Mutual, contact a Risk Account Manager today. If you’re not already protected with Capricorn Mutual, contact a Risk Account Manager today.
Mark said the scale of flood damage differed greatly depending on where businesses were located. Some required just a clean-up, with relatively minimal business interruption,
Contact Capricorn Risk Services 0800 555 303 I info@capricornrisk.com I capricorn.coop/risk Products sold through Capricorn Risk Services Pty Ltd (NZBN 9429041139813) include discretionary risk protection and general insurance products. Discretionary risk protection is issued out of Australia by Capricorn Mutual Ltd. Before deciding to acquire discretionary risk protection you should consider the Product Disclosure Statement to see if it is appropriate for you. This can be obtained from Capricorn Risk Services Pty Ltd by phoning 0800 555 303 via email info@capricornrisk.com or by visiting website capricornrisk.com. General insurance products are issued by a range of insurers and are available through Capricorn Risk Services Pty Ltd as a member broker of PSC Connect NZ Limited. Capricorn Risk Services Pty Ltd is a registered financial services provider (390446) and a corporate Authorised Representative (No. 460893) of Capricorn Mutual Ltd (AFSL 230038).
IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE CAPRICORN NEW ZEALAND IS 25 YEARS YOUNG
As we approach key anniversaries, we often talk about how quickly the time has passed and how much has happened in what feels like a short period of time. Looking back on 25 years of Capricorn in New Zealand, I’m reminded of the phrase, ‘in the blink of an eye’. People are the heart and soul of the Capricorn ecosystem. It’s why we pride ourselves on the relationships we forge with all of our Members and Preferred Suppliers. Without the fantastic people surrounding Capricorn either as a Member, Preferred Supplier or team member, Capricorn would not be the organisation it is today.
ANDREW BAIRD Head of Sales & Supply New Zealand
When we approached a number of Capricorn Members and Preferred Suppliers to help us celebrate our silver anniversary in New Zealand, they all said the same thing: they couldn’t believe it has been 25 years. And what a journey it has been. I began with Capricorn in June 2006 as the Business Development Manager. From our small beginnings in 1997, we now have over 4,800 Members and over 420 Preferred Suppliers. 1997 was a big year in a number of other respects: Dolly the sheep was announced to the world, Titanic led the way at the box office, Princess Diana was killed in a car crash, Auckland’s Sky Tower opened, and New Zealand won the Bledisloe Cup (again). However, when I look back on our journey for the last 25 years, there are some key threads which run through the memories.
6 CAPRICORN IGNITION JUNE 2022
It is also why working with our New Zealand Members and Preferred Suppliers has been an absolute privilege. We’ve gotten to see businesses, families and communities grow over the last couple of decades, and it’s the best part of our jobs to be a part of those journeys. No matter the challenges we have faced as a community, the cooperative business model has given us the flexibility to adapt and provide support to our Members and Preferred Suppliers. We often say we are stronger together and working together over the last few years has seen us weather the unprecedented challenges thrown our way. Whether you have been a Capricorn Member or Preferred Supplier, and whether you have been with us for 25 years or freshly joined, I hope your journey with Capricorn has been a fulfilling one. As always, we continue to strive to support a strong, sustainable automotive aftermarket industry while being mindful of the changing technologies that will confront us along the way. If these past 25 years are any indication for the next 25 years, then we cannot wait.
GOLD RUSH WINNERS ANNOUNCED!
Parts Connection Preferred Supplier Bonus Points Promotion Capricorn Preferred Supplier, Parts Connection, continues to give back to Members with their generous prize pool of Capricorn Preferred Supplier Bonus Points worth $30,000. Members who purchased from any Parts Connection supplier received a lucky gold nugget card which put them in the running. The list of lucky winners this month include; 2,500,000 Preferred Supplier Bonus Rewards Points – A jackpot has been won! • Jim Russ Panelbeaters 100,000 Preferred Supplier Bonus Rewards Points • Taranaki Super Motors A big thank you to all Members who participated in the campaign! There is still plenty of opportunity to win, so keep getting your gold nugget cards.
Cooperatives Build a Better World: 2022 International Day of Cooperatives On 2 July 2022, cooperatives all around the world will celebrate the 100th International Day of Cooperatives (#CoopsDay). A decade on from the UN International Year of Cooperatives, which showcased the unique contribution of cooperatives to making the world a better place, this year’s #CoopsDay slogan — “Cooperatives Build a Better World” — echoes the theme of the International Year. “Cooperatives are answering the wake-up call of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who warned that the world is ‘on the edge of an abyss — and moving in the wrong direction’, and exclaimed that ‘to restore trust, and inspire hope, we need cooperation, we need dialogue, we need understanding’. “ For nearly two centuries, cooperatives have been pulling in this direction. This was amply highlighted at the 33rd World Cooperative Congress, held by the International Cooperative Alliance in December 2021, which focused a spotlight on how their shared identity is moving cooperatives to take action to address the world’s problems,” declared
Bruno Roelants, Director General of the ICA. The ICA invites cooperators everywhere to spread the word about how our humancentred business model, inspired by the cooperative values of self-help, selfresponsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity and the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others, is building a better world. Operating all around the world, in many different sectors of the economy, cooperatives have proven themselves more resilient to crises than the average business. They foster economic participation, fight against environmental degradation and climate change, generate good jobs, contribute to food security, keep financial capital within local communities, build ethical value chains, and, by improving people’s material conditions and security, contribute to positive peace. “Cooperatives are the only enterprise model with globally agreed principles that rest on a foundation of shared ethical values,” added Bruno Roelants.
Marked by cooperatives worldwide since 1923 and officially proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on the centenary of the ICA in 1995, the International Day of Cooperatives is celebrated annually on the first Saturday of July. The aim of #CoopsDay is to increase awareness of cooperatives and promote the movement’s ideas of international solidarity, economic efficiency, equality, and world peace. Since 1995, the ICA and the United Nations through the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) have jointly set the theme for the celebration of #CoopsDay. Through #CoopsDay, local, national and global policymakers, civil-society organisations and the public in general can learn about the contribution of cooperatives to a secure future for all. The ICA calls on cooperators and partners around the world to get ready to celebrate #CoopsDay on 2 July and to show the world how Cooperatives Build a Better World.
CAPRICORN IGNITION JUNE 2022 7
25TH YEAR MEMBER & SUPPLIER FEATURES Being a Capricorn Preferred Supplier provides ease of mind The first day in any new job is usually full of nerves and apprehension. But for Bernie Gouldstone, the minute he learnt Chase was a Capricorn Preferred Supplier, it became a far more relaxing affair. Chase is New Zealand’s largest exhaust distributor and has been a Capricorn Preferred Supplier since the cooperative began operating in New Zealand in 1997. “I knew instantly that we would have access to a lot of potential customers and it would be easy for those customers to deal with us, because of Capricorn and how it is set up,” Bernie said. Bernie would know. He had previously worked for Capricorn as a Territory Manager for several years.
Bernie has been with Chase for six years and has been involved with Capricorn in some form for almost a decade. He has seen the cooperative from both sides. At Chase, he’s seen firsthand how Capricorn data helps Chase meet customers’ needs. “We can see if customers’ purchases have gone up or if they’ve gone down and our Territory Managers can use that data and try to find out why,” Bernie said. “Have the exhausts fallen out of favour or are the workshops quiet or there is a need for something more specialist?” Chase has 12 employees and four branches across New Zealand and, in addition to supplying the country’s widest exhaust range, it also supplies a broad range of emission purification products, including catalytic converters, diesel purifiers and DPF cleaning fluid. The company also supplies performance products such as extractors and headers. It caters for New Zealand’s heavy transport sector with a wide range of exhaust products including truck stacks. Chase has been operating for 30 years across the nation, and like many Capricorn Members and Preferred Suppliers , Bernie highly values the cooperative’s low-key trade events when he can sit down for a beer and sandwich with a workshop owner and see how they’re going. The events are also an opportunity to meet new or old Members who might not be aware that Chase has been a long-term cooperative Preferred Supplier . “It’s one of those things that is truly a win-win situation,” Bernie said.
“If you came from the outside and didn’t know what Capricorn was, then it may take you a while to twig onto the value of that, whereas I knew straightaway the value of the cooperative,” he said. Reflecting on his days as a Capricorn Territory Manager, Bernie said he never had to jam his foot in any doors. “It was not a really hard sell,” he said. “What you were doing was explaining what Capricorn could do for them. Ultimately, it was selling a concept.”
8 CAPRICORN IGNITION JUNE 2022
“We know that if you are a Capricorn Member, then you’re a viable business or Capricorn wouldn’t sign you up, and Members know that we’re a reliable and long-term supplier because Capricorn wouldn’t have signed us up if we weren’t.”
Capricorn sparks friendships for supplier Century Yuasa
He said that time and feedback were extremely valuable to him, and to Century. For the first five years after becoming a Capricorn supplier, Century Yuasa turned over $1 million of sales per annum with the network in New Zealand. By 2008 the figure had grown to $5 million a year. Last financial year, Century hit $10 million a year, which Stu said was a proud achievement for the company. He put much of that success down to the relationship with Capricorn. “There’s no doubt that the market understands Capricorn more than it did in 1997, and it has gained more credibility,” he said. “Like all businesses, it’s hard to start. There was a lot of ‘wait and see’. But now its reputation is so high that people are keen to get onboard.” The Century Yuasa team are very supportive of their own customers joining the cooperative.
Being a Capricorn Preferred Supplier isn’t just about doing great business, Century Yuasa General Manager Stu Stanner said. It’s also a wonderful way to make lifelong friends. Stu, who is based in Auckland, said Capricorn’s networking events are among the highlights of his social calendar. “When events are coming up, my wife gets texts from the other wives asking ‘Are you coming down? We’re only going if you go’,” Stu said. “It’s just wicked; it’s great fun. We’ve made lifelong friends, my wife and I, with Capricorn Members, just from being at the conferences.” Century Yuasa formed in 1928 in Australia and manufactures a wide range of batteries for car and passenger vehicles, and for marine, truck, bus and heavy equipment, from its state-of-the-art facility in Carole Park, Queensland. The company entered the New Zealand market 40 years ago and now has 86 employees across the country. It has been a Capricorn supplier since 1997.
“Capricorn is an integral partner of ours,” he said. “They make everything easier for us and our customers. We’re very happy with the company and very proud to be a part of Capricorn’s supply network.” Stu said the cooperative saved them time and money by handling their accounts payable, so Century doesn’t have to manage potentially hundreds of separate accounts itself. Capricorn has a very professional Business Development team lead by Andrew Baird. ‘Under Andrew’s leadership we have seen exceptional growth for the Capricorn group and Century Yuasa Batteries has significantly gained from this growth’ says Stu. He applauded Capricorn for helping their Members during the COVID pandemic by offering guidance and clarifying government announcements and decisions as businesses tried to negotiate very challenging times.
Stu has been with Century for 19 years and said Capricorn’s networking events have proven to be an excellent opportunity to have one-on-one time with Members. “They tell you exactly what is going on and what you can do better and what you are doing well,” he said. “That’s just gold. At my level you can be so sheltered from the frontline; it’s just the nature of a corporation.”
CAPRICORN IGNITION JUNE 2022 9
Autolab has their cake and eats it too! They’re Members of Capricorn, which gives them access to a huge range of suppliers who have great prices for their workshop. But they’re also automotive part suppliers, so there’s no shortage of options for them. Used spare parts aren’t an issue either because they also run a dismantling yard.
The pair, like most owner-operators, find little time to get away from their business which employs nine staff including two apprentices. But when they find a week or two away, the Capricorn Rewards Points make it a lot easier. Pre-COVID, Lee-Anne, Neil and their son went to Australia to compete in midget racing. Using their rewards points, they saved on flights, accommodation and car rentals.
“When we ran our workshop, people would say they wanted a secondhand (item) because of the cost of the new one,” Lee-Anne said.
“It’s like a hidden savings account,” Neil said.
“They were going down the road and buying it somewhere else, so we saw the opportunity to just do it ourselves and sell it to them.”
Lee-Anne said the rewards points had helped with other areas as well.
Autolab has a one-stop workshop covering a range of services including electrical, tyres and wheel alignments, warrant of fitness, auto transmission servicing, pre-purchase inspections and much more.
“It does work very well, and I think that out of all our rewards points programs, credit cards and that sort of things, it’s way better than that,” she said. “You get things for home, computers for the kids, we’ve done some travel with it.
Lee-Anne can’t remember exactly how she found out about Capricorn back in 1997, but she was onboard after she made that first phone call.
“We cashed in some Bunnings vouchers and did a whole lot of stuff down at the bach (beachside holiday home).”
“The big advantage early on was that we had one account for multiple suppliers,” she said.
The pair enjoy Capricorn’s trade events, but with a busy work and social life, they’ve not had the time to get to as many as they did in the early days.
“We had about 150 suppliers when we first started with Capricorn, which meant just centralising the whole billing system, which saved us a lot of time.
“It’s always good to speak to suppliers outside of work time and you don’t have the time pressure to get stuff done when you just need to order stuff and get onto the next thing,” Neil said.
“On top of that was the added bonus that some of them had extra discounts, and the rewards points came into it as well.”
Lee-Anne said Capricorn’s insurance & protection services and finance products had been a big help to their business as well .
It also saved Lee-Anne’s writing hand when she was spared from writing 150 cheques a month.
To find out more about Capricorn’s risk protection and finance products, head to capricorn.coop.
“Capricorn has been super beneficial to our business and a benefit to the automotive industry as a whole,” Neil said.
Participation in the Capricorn Rewards is subject to the Capricorn Rewards Terms and Conditions which can be found at www.capricorn.coop/terms-conditions.
1 0 CAPRICORN IGNITION JUNE 2022
Making life easier on the road to (eventual) retirement
Hāwera mechanic Andrew Beccard doesn’t do things by halves. He’s been an owner-operator of Beccard Motors with his wife, Jan, for more than four decades. Running your own business would be more than enough for most people, but Andrew has also been a South Taranaki District Councillor for the past 18 years and served as National President of New Zealand’s Motor Trade Association from 2005 to 2006. The 68-year-old also sells e-bikes and Karcher cleaning equipment from his purpose-built workshop and showroom in the South Taranaki Town on the west coast of the North Island. “I don’t know how old I am,” he said. “Seriously, I just enjoy what I do, so I keep doing it. Although we’re getting to the stage now where we want to slow down just a little bit.” Andrew and Jan, who’s a Justice of the Peace, reckon they’ll wind down “in the next three to four years”. They’ve already started to lighten the workload by recently stopping their after-hours breakdown service, after more than 40 years. But they still get the occasional call for assistance. “I enjoy helping people,” Andrew said. “I do most of them (the call-outs). The reason we do them is I wouldn’t want my family to be stuck out somewhere and the vehicle doesn’t go, so we just do it to help people.” Being community-minded is why Andrew and Jan started selling e-bikes and Karcher cleaning equipment in the first place—just because no-one else was doing it. The couple also used to sell mobility scooters, until a shop opened up down the road and Andrew told the owner that there was no point them both doing it.
for that to sort out and clear and then they’d send it. It could take days to get the part.” Since then, Andrew and Jan have enjoyed everything Capricorn has to offer, including the loans and rewards points. They have also purchased automotive diagnostic equipment with Capricorn’s three-month, interest-free finance period.*
“He was quite happy with that,” Andrew said. Andrew and Jan opened their first workshop and service station in Normanby, just 5 minutes north of Hāwera, in 1978. They built their current premises in Hāwera in 2006 and now employ nine people. They specialise in European vehicle repairs and services because they saw a need for that speciality in the area. The couple were one of the first businesses to join Capricorn in the first year the cooperative arrived in New Zealand. They say they joined to make getting parts simpler.
“It’s just handy to spread the cost of a bigger item over three months,” Andrew said. He said Capricorn had made everything easier, with one main account, great deals and friendly, helpful representatives. “I just think that anyone out there who isn’t a Member is missing out on an awful lot.”
For more information on the benefits of Capricorn membership head to capricorn.coop
“Previously you’d have to open an account in Christchurch or Auckland, and it wasn’t easy,” Andrew said. “Quite often you’d have to pay by credit card and then you’d have to wait
*Capricorn Finance offers business equipment finance through Capricorn Society Limited (NZBN 9429038593185). Fees & charges, terms & conditions and lending criteria apply.
CAPRICORN IGNITION JUNE 2022 1 1
Relationships key to family business success with Capricorn Brent Hutchinson went to his first Capricorn event more than 20 years ago, when he was just 19 years old, with his father, Frank. More than two decades later and Brent, now the General Manager of Don Kyatt Group, lives every day by the lesson he learnt that night: relationships are everything.
our history book, just so we’re top of mind for them and bring them on the journey.” Brent has been working in the family business in one form or another since he was 15, when he started in the warehouse working during school holidays.
“I still remember very clearly from that night the people talking to Frank were talking about dealing with us 20 years earlier when we did Bedford parts,” he said. “There they’d be, rattling off part numbers to old vehicles.” Brent’s father co-founded Don Kyatt Spare Parts with the late Don Kyatt in 1969, in Moorabin, in the Australian state of Victoria. The automotive spare parts supply company went international 17 years later, when in 1986 it entered the New Zealand market. It was only the company’s third branch, with the original in Victoria and another in South Australia opened just three years prior. The Don Kyatt Group now has 150 employees and 17 branches in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, France, Papua New Guinea and South Africa. It will be opening a South American branch in the near future. Brent said that Capricorn has been a key part of that success, particularly in the last five years in New Zealand. “We’re growing more in New Zealand than anywhere else in the world, so it’s a really important market for us,” he said. “Last calendar year we grew by 37 per cent and this calendar year we’re at 15 per cent. “We’ve been able to do a lot more trade shows in the last 12 months than we were able to do in the 12 months before and our brand, Terrain Tamer is gaining in recognition.” “And we share that success with Capricorn Area Managers, not only making them aware of us, but sharing that success. Whenever we have a big month or year we send them a small gift of thanks, such as
1 2 CAPRICORN IGNITION JUNE 2022
As the group’s General Manager, he gained an MBA and studied marketing, but it’s the skills that he has gained from working in the family business for decades that he said are key to the group’s success. “A lot of what we do is about how the customer feels,” he said. “It’s about how does the mechanic or the workshop owner feel about that correspondence with us? Let’s make sure that the customer is looked after. It’s not about brand and how it’s perceived on the showroom floor; it’s about that relationship, that communication.” Brent said Capricorn’s cooperative model aligned with the family values of the Don Kyatt Group, which is still headed by his father, Frank, who at 74 years old still works six days a week. “We like to think that we are a perfect fit for the Capricorn way of doing business, which is why Capricorn sits at the top of our priority as a business.”
A long and rewarding journey for Spillman Automotive
“A lot of the suppliers we originally had before Capricorn have all come onboard along with a lot of new suppliers. Which gives us a lot of options when ordering parts. “Before, we had all these invoices from all these different companies and now basically at the end of the month you get one statement. Obviously, they’re all in there, but it’s just one statement and you’re done.”
As a dad of three young children, Spillman Automotive’s Marcel Preisig can sometimes find attending Capricorn’s major events a bit tricky. But when he’s managed it, he’s had a great time. “I’ve been to a couple of general shows that they have over here, which are really good,” Marcel said, enjoying catching up with other Preferred Suppliers and mechanics. But, thanks to reward points, Capricorn still has plenty for a father of three to enjoy. Marcel has used his points to buy school computers for his two eldest children, who recently started college. Spillman Automotive, in Onehunga Auckland, is a one stop automotive workshop that services and repairs petrol and diesel vehicles as well as light trucks. Marcel started his apprenticeship at Spillman when he was 17 years old, under the Auckland workshop’s original owner, Roy Spillman. Roy offered Marcel a six-year contract after he finished his apprenticeship. It was a big commitment for someone in their early twenties, but Roy’s offer included 20 per cent ownership with an additional five per cent each year. “It gave Roy some freedom and obviously made me work as well, and made me work hard as well,” Marcel said. “It definitely worked well and has worked well ever since, to be honest. It’s been great.”
Marcel said Jonty Cooper, his Capricorn representative understood how his workshop worked and was helpful and down-to-earth. He also credited Capricorn with making life easier during COVID by providing timely information and advice on how to keep staff and customers safe during the pandemic. “After the first lockdown, business has continued to grow and is still going strong two and a half years later. I have a great staff which makes running a business a lot easier.”
At the end of his six years, Marcel bought Roy out and twenty years later he’s still running the workshop, with three mechanics and an office administrator. Capricorn has been along for the journey from the very start.
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When will we see autonomous vehicles?
Self-driving cars, or autonomous vehicles (AVs) seem like science fiction to most of us. And it’s exciting to feel like we may be living in Back to the Future or the Minority Report soon. But fully autonomous vehicles may be a little way away. So, when can we expect them? And what’s coming in the meantime? SAE International developed the Levels of Driving Automation to explain the progression from human operated vehicles to fully automated vehicles. The levels detail the features required for each of the 5 stages of vehicle autonomy. Projections from PwC at the 2021 AASA Vision Conference give us a good idea of when we can expect different levels of AVs. Using projections from the US is a good indicator for Australia and New Zealand, as it’s considered that the US market influences development schedules for vehicle manufacturers.
Current hurdles to vehicle autonomy To understand when we will see AVs, it’s important to understand the challenges still to be overcome. As with any new technological development, how quickly we are able to jump these hurdles will impact when we can expect to see high level 4 or 5 AVs appear on our roads. Here are the four key hurdles facing AVs currently:
1 4 CAPRICORN IGNITION JUNE 2022
Technology and cost What happens when the roads aren’t great? What kind of data will AVs require? How much will AV technology cost? And how long will it take to develop? These are the types of questions we ask when we think about the technology required to facilitate AV function.
operated vehicles. And those expectations are going to lead to new challenges for vehicle manufacturers faced with greater responsibilities than ever before.
Standards and infrastructure
A lot of time and effort is currently being expended by vehicle manufacturers to answer these questions. With many manufacturers teaming up with themselves and with Silicon Valley to keep pushing these developments along.
The regulation and infrastructure required for AVs will need to be established and managed. We still need to decide what standards will be required for AVs, who they will be established and changed by, and who is going to enforce them. There is also the question of the infrastructure required for AVs, who is responsible for its development, and who will pay for it?
Installed base
So, when do AVs arrive?
The installed base is influenced by the uptake of AVs by the population and how existing vehicles will be affected. How will AVs interact with human operated vehicles? What will an AV aftermarket look like?
Like most things over the last couple of years, Covid-19 has had a major impact on AV development. As the Bosch Chairman noted in May 2020, ‘a lot of partners are suspending investment in AVs, preferring to invest in existing functions and up to Level 2 autonomy.’
With average vehicle ownership of 10 – 14 years, and over 24 million vehicles on the road across Australia and New Zealand, how quickly will we see AVs penetrate the car parc? In a similar situation to electric vehicles, the true potential will be revealed when most of the car parc are fitted with L4 or L5 systems.
Liability and ethics AVs will require us to ask some difficult ethical questions, with equally difficult answers. We will be asking technology or machines to make life or death decisions. And it’s still unclear and untested who is responsible in an AV accident, or who will be responsible for decisions programmed or made by AVs.
In reality, a fully autonomous world is still a way off. However, in the meantime we can expect to see a drastic increase in L1 – L3 vehicles on the roads. PwC project over 70% of new car sales in 2030 to be for L1 – L3 vehicles, making up over 40% of the total US car parc . L4 and L5 vehicles aren’t expected until after 2030. But don’t fret, PwC expected plenty of testing in the interim. Which means we will start to see some of the technology developed and showcased over the next decade. So, whilst we may not be expecting to purchase an autonomous vehicle in the next few years, we will begin to see what a future autonomous world could look like.
Consumer expectations and societies tolerances for safety are going to be very different with AVs in comparison to human
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DRIVELIFE
2022 GMSV CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 LTZ PREMIUM Written by DriveLife
The ute market in New Zealand is huge, so much money is spent on all sorts of trucks and then a lot spent after on a mind-boggling range of accessories. As far as general utes go, there is a line in the sand around capabilities; the utes that can tow up to 3.5 tons , and the utes can tow more than 3.5 tons. Why does anyone need to tow more than 3.5 tons, I hear you ask? Well, much like the RV has evolved so have caravans and horse floats, they are a lot bigger these days with some already over 2 tons. Most fifth-wheel trailers generally push over the limit too, leaving you few options. Fred from DriveLife owned a 34-foot fifth wheel RV he bought new in the USA, and loaded it weighed in at 6 tons. There are a lot of options if you only need to tow up to 3.5 tons, but once you go over that, the market options shrink a lot leaving you with only two real options, both American brands: Ram and Chevrolet. After the launch of the new range of Chevrolet Silverado in New Zealand, we got a chance to spend a few weeks in the 2022 GMSV Chevrolet Silverado LTZ Premium, where we plan to put it through its paces of everyday life - and some towing, too. 1 6 CAPRICORN IGNITION JUNE 2022
WHAT’S IN THE 2022 GMSV CHEVROLET SILVERADO RANGE? There are three variants available for the New Zealand market: • Chevrolet ● Silverado 1500 Trail Boss – $119,990 • Chevrolet ● Silverado 1500 LTZ Premium – $130,990 • Chevrolet ● Silverado HD LTZ Premium – $159,990 Across the range there are two main differences; the Trail Boss and LTZ Premium both have the 6.2-litre Ecotech V8 petrol engine and the HD has a 6.6-litre Duramax V8 diesel engine. Both engines are paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission, which should greatly help to improve fuel economy. The Trail Boss and LTZ Premium are very similar vehicles, with the Trail Boss having
a slight height advantage with a 2-inch lift kit. Both vehicles produce 313kW and an impressive 624Nm of torque from the 6.2-litre Ecotech V8. Both have a 91-litre fuel tank and have the same overall dimensions and weight. (Length – 5931mm, Width – 2063mm, Weight – 2481kg – Height – 1963mm, LTZ Premium is 1933mm). The maximum payload rating for each variant is a little different; the Trail Boss is 752kg, the LTZ Premium is 760kg and the HD is 743kg. Tow ratings are the same up to 3,500kg, but the top-end tow limits for each vehicle are different. All three models are rated up to 3,500kg on a 50mm tow ball. However, above that, there are variations. The Trail Boss can tow 4,260kg, and the LTZ Premium and HD can tow 4,500kg on a 70mm or equivalent rated hitch. GMSV indicates that a weight-distribution hitch
is required when towing above 3,175kg. Best Bars have teamed up to supply and fit the pintle system, which can push the HD rating to 6700kg. This system also has the ability to have an easy swap out tow ball system for 40mm and 50mm tow balls. This is not a GMSV part, but it can be requested through the dealers when purchasing.
The front seats are very comfy, well-shaped and have a great level of adjustment to get that right fit. Cramped is not how it feels, there is so much room that I even had to pull the driver's seat forward to find the right seating position. Both front seats have heating and cooling, while the two outer rear seats have heating.
The HD is another beast altogether, even though all of these trucks are huge compared to what is on the road in New Zealand, the HD is bigger again. Powered by the 6.6-litre turbo-diesel Duramax engine, that produces 332kW and a monstrous 1,234Nm of torque. To feed this beast, it has a huge 136-litre fuel tank. The HD is much heavier than the other two models, coming in at 3,752kg, which pushes it over the WOF requirements and into COF territory. It does not require an H2 license, however, if your towing is more than a combined vehicle and trailer load of 6 tons, an H2 license will be required.
In the rear of the Silverado, it feels just as big as the outside. There is a lot of room in the back, 3 adults across without being squashed and enough legroom that their knees will never touch the seats in front of them, no matter how tall they are. Like the front, there are grab handles on the pillars so that you can use these to help with access to the vehicle. Our review car had heated seats, a 12v car socket, and a standard USB and USB C port for the rear passengers. One thing that was noted from the rear passengers, was that there is no way to shut off the air to the rear of the cabin. The second row of seats also folds up out of the way allowing for a lot of storage space in the back. The floor is not entirely flat, as there is a bump in the floor which creates a small cubby area just under the rear of the seat, where the jack is stored.
Including the optional equipment our review car’s retail price is $132,600. For a full list of specs and options available for the 2022 GMSV Chevrolet Silverado LTZ Premium jump on over to the GMSV New Zealand website.
THE INTERIOR In the front of the cabin, it feels like you're on the bridge of a ship. There is a lot of space up there, so much that you could easily exchange the center console for another seat. The dash is very American, buttons for everything. Unlike most European or Asian brands which aim for less buttons or multifunction buttons to reduce clutter, American vehicles tend to need a single use button for everything. Despite this, as the cabin and dash are so big it does not feel overly cluttered. But there are buttons everywhere.
The central console is where all the action is inside the cabin. As mentioned, the US market does not seem to be going in the same clutter-free direction many of the European vehicles are going, there are buttons for everything. It starts from the top with an 8” touch screen display, which is where the majority of standard features can be accessed. Audio, Phone, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Camera and Settings. Below the screen, you have the typical array of air distribution controls, air conditioning temperatures and audio volume controls. Then a line of buttons which include lane assist on and off, parking assistance on and off, engine start-stop, tailgate open and close, hazard lights, traction control on and off, 220v plug power, and CAPRICORN IGNITION JUNE 2022 1 7
front left wheel and the passenger door as the vehicle is so wide. But this is where the camera system steps in and offers a huge range of different views, 15 in total. When parking you now have a 360-degree camera view of the entire truck so that you can be confident that you know what's all around the vehicle. The vehicle itself suffers from a lack of storage cubbies and spaces. Yes, the rear of the cabin can be used for storing things, but the rear seats suffer from that. The only real storage space in the cabin is under the centre console armrest, which is a huge space, easily twice or three times the normal space in other cars. You can however purchase a storage bin for the rear deck which will allow for additional space which can also be locked. hill descent control. Under that, there is another line of things, with trailer braking controls, USB and USB C ports, and a 12v socket. Last but not least you have the tray at the bottom which is split in half, with one area to store coins, pens etc, and the other side is a wireless charging pad for your phone. Android Auto was nicely integrated into the LTZ Premium via bluetooth, unlike the Trail Boss which only works when connected via usb cable. Within Android Auto you are able to control a wide range of phone features, navigation, communication and the best was the ability to talk to Google Assistant and request songs or locations on the map or to read out and verbally reply to text messages. The one thing that I really did like, that I mentioned in the launch event article, 2022 Chevrolet Silverado Launched in New Zealand, is the handy feature they have set up for when you are using the phone. Once you make a call, the air conditioning automatically sets itself to a low setting, still on but very quiet so it does not interrupt or cause you to talk over the sound of the unit working. You might think this is only needed for hot countries, but we all know if a car is left in the sun during summer in New Zealand, it becomes an oven and we all crank the AC up as soon as we jump in. Visibility all around the cabin is great, you are high up and the windows are huge so you have a great view of almost everything. Visibility out the back is good, however, it does take a bit of time to get used to how high the vehicle is compared to other vehicles. Vehicles can seem closer as you only see their roof in the rearview mirror, but they are still a safe distance away. The only area that is hard for the driver to gauge is the area between the 1 8 CAPRICORN IGNITION JUNE 2022
The rear deck is a very large space, fully lined with a coated deck-liner for heavyduty use. The tailgate is powered, one click of the button and down it goes, and one press of the button again and it closes up. A rather nice feature to have as it takes away the issues of the tailgate dropping too fast due to its weight. There are a lot of tie-down hooks around the deck which is great to see, something that I feel most utes do not have enough positions as standard. The deck itself is limited to 760kg, which I thought was a little on the light side for such a big truck. The weight might be limited, but the space is big enough for a full pallet to be loaded in.
THE DRIVE The Silverado is a bit of a beast, which is clear from the 6.2-litre badge on the bonnet. Yes it's a big motor, the 6.2-litre petrol engine is naturally aspirated American muscle. This engine pushes out 313kW of power and 624Nm of torque. It's also paired with an all-new 10-speed automatic transmission, which is good news for those long-haul drives.
On the road the Silverado is so much bigger then you expect, almost a lane wide and a carpark and a half long, you need to be aware of your surroundings. But even with that in mind this is not a hard truck to drive. The engine is effortlessly smooth, with a lovely low gurgle when you apply the power. The truck itself is heavy, but the engine power offsets this making it as easy to drive as a midsize SUV. Even on the open road I thought it would have a level of drift to it, needing continuous correction. But I was wrong again, the drive felt really good, which gave you a very strong level of confidence while driving this massive unit. The ride quality was decent too, when empty it was a little on the hard side, but when there was some weight in the back, like most utes the ride improved as there was more weight on the suspension. A big part of the selling factor for the new Silverado is its towing ability and towing features. I towed a few vehicles with this truck, using a fully enclosed vehicle trailer on loan from The Surgery in Tawa so we could see what the Silverado was all about. As standard, the Silverado comes with a 70mm ball for its 4.5 ton towing limit, as we didn’t have any trailers with a 70mm ball I swapped over my hitch tow ball from my Discovery to the Silverado, which now let me tow with a standard 50mm ball. Over the course of a few days I was able to tow several vehicles in the enclosed trailer, from an old Skoda Trekka to a 1957 Chevy Bel Air, all of which put the Silverado through a good test. The weight of the trailer caused the Silverado no problem in pulling any of the loads as they did not exceed the 3.5 ton towing limit of the tow ball. The Bel Air was the heaviest but really made no difference thanks to the huge torque available from the 6.2-litre V8. The engine however is not the best features of the Silverado when towing, it's the trailer tech and new camera system, which is very much like the eyes in the skies. The Advanced Trailering tech flaunts an impressive list of features: Auto grade braking, tow haul reminder, trailer theft alert, auto & cruise grade braking, stabiliTrak electronic stability control, automatic locking rear differential, hill start assist, trailer sway control and tyre and temp trailer monitoring. Many of these features can be accessed via the central display in the Trailering App. This app pops up once you hook up a trailer, which you edit and save as individual trailer profiles settings to be recalled later. You can also do a full trailer light test on your own, with the trailer light test feature. Which turns on all lights while you do a walk around of the trailer. This app also helps with pre-
DRIVELIFE
2022 GMSV CHEVROLET SILVERADO
departure checklist and service reminder dates. The trailering camera system is what really impressed me, you have 15 unique views around the vehicle, which is pretty epic if you think about it. These views include; • Surround ● view (360 around the vehicle) • Hitch ● view (straight down on the tow hitch) • Rear ● view (reversing rear view) • Bed ● view (the rear deck of the ute) • Front ● view, (right on front of the front bumper) • Rear ● side views (shows down the side of the vehicle for reserving and or lane changes), • Front ● side view (showing each front wheel) • Front ● top-down view (a close up top down views showing right confront of the vehicle) • Rear ● trailer view (looks through a camera on the trailer) • Inside ● trailer view (looking at a camera inside the trailer) • Transparent ● trailer view (allows the driver to see though the trailer from the rear of the car if paired with a onboard camera trailer) • Picture ● in picture (overlaying multiple camera views in the same view) There were so many views and options that there is something for every situation. I also really liked the rear side views which would come on when indicating. These were especially handy when going around corners at intersections, which allows you to keep an eye on the path of the trailer, making sure you don't come too close to the kerb or side of the road. From the driver's seat most areas are clear to see, with the exception of the area around the front left wheel, which is hard to see from the driver's side, and the areas
behind the A-Pillars, which are rather thick, and on many occasions they completely hid a car from my vision. I had to make sure to lean both ways to just check there was nothing there on a roundabout. Thankfully there were no issues, which is also helped by the range of driver’s aids and blind spot monitoring. The really impressive thing about the Silverado is how quiet it is. For a big American truck with a 6.2-litre V8, I was expecting it to be rather loud and droney inside the cabin. That couldn't be further from the truth, it's really quiet, so quiet that, unless you floor it you don't even know when the engine start stop is cut in and starts the engine up again. The cabin had really great sound insulation which was also great when on the open road, as the condition of the road was not transferred via sound into the cabin. Very impressed with this, as there are many luxury vehicles on the market that do not offer this level of sound insulation. Nighttime driving the Silverado has a few pros and cons. On the exterior and in the deck itself, there are a lot of lights that help to illuminate the big vehicle. There is also a strip of LED lights around the tow ball, which is great when you hitch or unhitch at night. In fact, I found all of the exterior lighting very good and practically thought out for everyday situations. Inside the cabin is the only place where I came across an issue. The central display in the cabin I found to be very bright at night, even in its night mode. I found that as you drive along and your eyes try to get used to the dark outside the car, there is a glow in the side of your vision inside the cabin, coming from the central display. I found it best to just turn the screen off in these situations, which is not ideal.
DRIVER TECH
9
ECONOMY
6
HANDLING
7
INFOTAINMENT
8
INTERIOR
8
PERFORMANCE
9
RIDE
8
SAFETY
8
STYLING
7
VALUE
7
as that's not the type of vehicle it is. This vehicle is not designed for someone to just cruise around in, it's a truck with a purpose, and that purpose is towing big loads. I drove the Silverado for just over 950km over 3 weeks. During this time I towed a few vehicles on trailers for maybe 100km in total. My average fuel consumption during the full three weeks was 14.9-litres per 100km. Which is ok: it's not great and it's not bad either. However to do that 950km, it requires 2 full tanks, which added up to 180ish liters of petrol, give or take $500 at current fuel prices. I will be honest it did freak me out refilling it, as a 91-litre tank is a big tank, but I was also expecting the Silverado to score much worse on the consumption test. If you have the need to tow big loads, fuel bills like this should not be a surprise to you.
The big question many of you want to know is what fuel consumption is like. Well let's all be honest, it was never going to be great, CAPRICORN IGNITION JUNE 2022 1 9
FUTURE RIDE
GMC TERMINATES HUMMER'S GASGUZZLING REPUTATION ROADSTER, OUTSIDE AND INSIDE What you’re looking at here is an electric Hummer. Yes, Hummer. That most masculine of SUVs—a vehicle inspired by the US military’s Humvee, a vehicle literally created at the behest of The Terminator actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the ultimate gas-guzzling all-American vehicle that’s about as big as your average beach house—is now electric. If you’re one of those with your petrolhead buried in the sand, denying the future of vehicles is electric, then we regret to inform you the battle has now clearly been lost. You’ve just answered the door to Arnie, agreed your name is Sarah Connor, and been blindsided by the consequences. The argument is over. But can this new Hummer EV really be the electric “supertruck” GMC claims it to be? The first thing to note is General Motors is no novice at electric drive trains. The new Hummer includes the brand’s proprietary Ultium batteries and drive units, which are now several generations into development. What does that get you? 620 kW (830 hp) and 15,591 Nm of torque. That’s generated by a 205 kWh battery pack between the two main frame rails and three motors (two on the rear, one at the front). The range? About 480 km on full charge. It recharges
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pretty fast, too, thanks to an 800-volt DC capability of up to 300 kW. It’s no wimp when it comes to towing, either (up to 3,400 kg). It is, of course, still absolutely massive. The SUV version is five metres long (without the spare tyre), has a 3218 mm wheelbase and (if you count the mirrors) is 2380 mm in width. The pickup version is slightly longer and wider. Good luck getting that into your average city multistorey car parking space! The ground clearance is more than 40 cm, and it rides on 18-inch wheels and 35-inch tyres. So far, so cool. But here’s where (to overcook the Terminator analogy) the Hummer EV gets a little bit “T-1000” compared to the old “T-800”. The Hummer EV has 4-wheel steer, so its rear wheels can turn up to 10 degrees in either direction, allowing the vehicle to drive diagonally at low speeds. It also has what GMC calls “extract mode”, where drivers can add an extra 15 cm or so of height, using the adaptive air ride suspension. Both of those features will be fantastic for offroading. Then there’s all the usual kinds of modern bells and whistles: the surround vision cameras, the digital key, the infotainment system, a whole heap of off-roading widgets, SuperCruise for hands-free driving and automatic lane changing, and some 200 or so customisable features.
As far as we know if you reduce it to liquid metal, the Hummer EV doesn’t reconstitute itself, but at this stage we wouldn’t put anything past GMC. They really do appear to have thought of everything. So, the final question is, will anyone buy it? To which the only answer is, they already are. People seem to be as enthusiastic about the Hummer EV as Schwarzenegger was about the original Humvee. The Edition 1 version of the Hummer EV has already sold out in the US. By April this year about 66,000 people had put in an order for one and, according to reports, most of those orders were from people who’d never owned an EV before. Of those, more than 80 per cent planned to tow or go off-roading in their Hummer EV. Which just might go some way to showing the EV doubters, the “head in the sand crew”, that the impending death of the internal combustion engine might not necessarily mean the death of a fun weekend. When it comes to electric vehicles, judgement day is coming— whether we like it or not. Like Sarah Connor, we all need to be prepared for it. Driving a Hummer EV seems like a pretty cool place to start.
CAPRICORN IGNITION JUNE 2022 2 1
THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX MAKES A TRIUMPHANT RETURN
by Paul Marinelli
Following the abrupt shutdown of the 2020 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne after just one day, more than two long and locked-down years slowly passed by without one of the city’s most exciting international sporting events.
Now take that season-long battle that included several major crashes, including one (at the British Grand Prix) where Verstappen’s car registered an impact of 72G and another (at the Italian Grand Prix) where Verstappen’s car drove over the top of Hamilton’s car — leaving tyre markings on the Mercedes driver’s helmet, among several other smaller skirmishes.
Both the 2020 and 2021 Formula One seasons continued in a truncated form and produced some outstanding racing, particularly last year as the season ended with seven-time World Champion Mercedes AMG team driver Lewis Hamilton and his Red Bull Honda powered rival Max Verstappen tied on points at Abu Dhabi’s final round.
Then we add to this mix the completion of the fourth incredibly successful season of the Netflix “Drive to Survive” Formula One fly-on-the-wall documentary/reality TV series, which has been a global sensation, delivering millions of new fans to the sport. So once the Australian Grand Prix returned as the third event of the 2022 World Championship, the most legendary team in the sport, Scuderia Ferrari, finally returned to race-winning competitiveness in a city with a huge first, second and third-generation Italian community.
We all know the madness that followed, with Formula One’s Australian race director, Michael Masi controversially playing an integral role in how that epic title fight was decided. 2 2 CAPRICORN IGNITION JUNE 2022
All of these factors, combined with Melburnians’ neverending desire for major sporting events, combined to create a perfect storm for the 2022 Australian Grand Prix organisers. All Saturday and Sunday tickets to the event were sold out well ahead of the event, along with all corporate hospitality placements; this even with the addition of several new facilities for the 2022 return of this world-renowned motor racing event. It is hard to believe that this event marked the 26th anniversary of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne (albeit with 24 races held) and the two-year wait brought the fans out in droves.
The numbers were truly remarkable, with 55,107 spectators present on Thursday (with no formula one cars on the track), 112,446 on Friday and a staggering 123,247 on Saturday. Sunday’s race day crowd totalled 128,294 fans, making a total of 419,114 for the event. This easily eclipsed the previous record set back at the very first Melbourne Formula One event held in 1996 that saw 401,000 racing fans make their way to the Albert Park Street Circuit.
Contrary to many incorrect media reports following this year’s race, this was not the highest-ever Australian Grand Prix crowd. That illustrious record remains with the city of Adelaide that hosted an amazing total of 520,000 people at the 11th and final Australian Grand Prix held in the city of churches back in 1995. Making the 2022 Australian Grand Prix even more incredible was the vastly improved form of the Scuderia Ferrari team, which saw the sport’s first and only Monaco born and bred driver, Charles Leclerc, race to a dominant victory. This sent the many thousands of passionate Ferrari fans at the event into a red frenzy along with many millions of “Tifosi” all over the world. For Australia, a welcome return to top six form for Western Aussie McLaren team driver Daniel Riccardo capped off a truly remarkable and memorable event, one that all Australians should be very proud of. The success of the 2022 Australian Grand Prix was also proof that the absence of this and other major sporting events had a major impact during the pandemic-induced lockdowns, ensuring that these events will not be taken for granted in the future.
CAPRICORN IGNITION JUNE 2022 2 3
25 YEARS YOUNG
NEW ZEALAND'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY 25 years sounds like a long time, but it has passed us by very quickly. It seems only yesterday we were launching into New Zealand with our first Member. Since then Capricorn New Zealand has grown exponentially, and moved from strength to strength. Here are some of the stand out moments from the last 25 years.
NEW ZEALAND'S FIRST MEMBER DIRECTOR New Zealand's first Member-elected Director, Russell Green is appointed as Board Chairman.
CAPRICORN ARRIVES IN NEW ZEALAND
CAPRICORN SURPASSES 1,000 MEMBERS
The first New Zealand Member, joins Capricorn in June 1997, with a NZ$500 share purchase. At the time they only had four suppliers to choose from.
By the end of June 2003, Capricorn has welcomed over 1,000 Members in New Zealand, with one staff member and over 200 Preferred Suppliers.
1997
2003
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2005 CAPRICORN SURPASSES 2,000 MEMBERS
CAPRICORN MOBIL FUEL CARD LAUNCHED
New Zealand's membership grows beyond 2,000 Members and Member purchases exceed NZ$100 million for the first time.
Capricorn launches the Mobil Fuel Card in New Zealand, which has grown to provide Members over $5m of fuel in 2022.
2009
2015
2016
2020
2020
New Zealand Director and former Chairman, Russell Green was inducted into the Capricorn Hall of Fame.
From June 2020, Capricorn Members can now place their Mitre-10 purchases on their Capricorn Trade Accounts.
CAP ezi-parts, Capricorn's parts finding service exceeded 11,000 requests in June 2020.
RUSSELL GREEN INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME
2018
CAPRICORN WELCOMES MAJOR SUPPLIERS 2018 saw the Capricorn team appoint new exciting Suppliers and surpasses 4,000 Members.
2018
NEW ZEALAND MEMBERS ENJOY CAPRICORN'S LARGEST CONVENTION
CAPRICORN PARTNERS WITH MITRE-10
CAP EZI-PARTS EXCEEDS 11,000 REQUESTS
2021
NEW ZEALAND'S FIRST CAPRICORN RISING STAR Hailing from Rangiora, North Canterbury, apprentice Ben Brown demonstrated outstanding problemsolving capacity, commitment to excellence and a genuine love for automotive, to be named the 2021 Capricorn Rising Stars, Apprentice of the Year.
New Zealand Members enjoy Capricorn's largest Convention, held for the first time in Salou, Spain.
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Building your network by Jeff Smit Do you have any idea where you and your workshop are heading with the increase in technology in which our aftermarket industry is struggling? The solution you are looking for may well be collaboration. For those like me who have been in this industry for many years, the dramatic changes in vehicle technology that never seem to end are hard to believe, and even more difficult to keep up with. Technology really has taken over the modern motor car — as if you hadn’t noticed. The only logical reaction by workshop owners and their technicians must be that we all have to change the way we approach everything we do during our working day. This applies particularly to the process of diagnostics, which has really become our main trade. We have progressed from those early years of fierce independence and secrecy by learning how to network. This has 2 6 CAPRICORN IGNITION JUNE 2022
made the working day more tolerable, but is that enough? If not, what’s next? The next step has to be ‘collaboration’. But what’s the difference? The broad definition of collaboration is the process of two or more people, entities or organisations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal — just like cooperation. Collaboration has long been one of the main drivers of business success. More often than not, businesses that put in place the right strategies and tools to promote and facilitate collaboration in business and knowledge sharing are more likely to come up with innovative ideas, form beneficial long-term partnerships and move ahead of the competition. Within such businesses, employees are often asked and even expected to collaborate, both internally and externally.
Professional aftermarket workshops need to adopt a program of collaboration now, to cope with the future. In my view, the most meaningful collaboration begins with employees. Internal collaboration involves individuals within the workshop or company working together on a problem car or project. This is otherwise known as teamwork, with workshop owners, managers and technicians playing like a team, even though their skills may be diverse. External collaboration, on the other hand, refers to the exchange and sharing of knowledge and expertise outside the workshop walls, with the aim of helping to solve diagnostic problems. Along with the technicians, different parties can be involved in this process, ranging from suppliers to other workshops who in the past might have been seen as competitors.
External collaboration is something workshops may need to learn because it will be a foreign concept to many. Its process is a bit more complicated and challenging than internal collaboration. Like thinking outside the square, the workshop will need to involve more diverse stakeholders. Strategically, workshops will need to determine which of their challenging job functions might benefit from involving external partnerships and their expertise in order to improve performance and productivity. Once you begin this process, it doesn’t take long to identify the partners that will benefit your business. Usually, those who adopt this form of collaboration will find that the immediate benefits are less stress in the workplace and better productivity, which of course lead to better profits. Collaboration can be taken to another level, with more formal strategic partnerships and alliances. This is where a workshop will have an agreement (formal or informal) with one or more other workshops or businesses. The aim is to share resources and expertise for the sake of the whole partnership. This type of collaboration is the future for this industry. Workshops that form strategic alliances do so to diversify their service offerings, mitigate the risks associated with undertaking new types of work and lessen the impact of skill shortages. The overall effect is to futureproof competent automotive service for all customers. It must be obvious to all that it is no longer possible to undertake all types of automotive repairs under one roof with internal staff. The solution is collaboration. Begin this new road to collaboration by asking yourself three questions: Where are we? Where do we want to be? How do we get there? There are no right or wrong answers, nor is there a onesize-fits-all answer. Answers will differ to reflect the size of the company and perhaps the career stages of the participants, among many other reasons. Collaboration will obviously come in different shapes and forms and could involve very different people who you have yet to meet. And don’t forget that despite the perception that everything can be replaced by digital technologies and artificial intelligence, emotional and social intelligence remain uniquely a human capability. The human element will always be at the forefront of the automotive aftermarket. The future philosophy of your workshop will involve working closely with others, and to do that effectively the talents needed will be empathy, the ability to collaborate and communicate clearly. Exciting times are ahead.
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BUSINESS BUILDING
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It’s busy out there right now! 2022 is flying past incredibly quickly, along with the customer vehicles. In the State of the Nation 2021 report, 69% of Members had plans in place to grow their businesses in the next 12 months. 61% of those Members planned to do so by improving their efficiency. So, get started improving your efficiency with CAP ezi-parts, which makes finding car parts easier through its email-based car parts finding service. Submit a request to multiple Capricorn Preferred Suppliers to locate parts and prices all at once. CAP ezi-parts helps you get the right part the first time with accurate vehicle descriptions. Search fields will pre-populate when you enter the plate number, and Preferred Suppliers can tell where Members are located, for faster service. Best of all, CAP ezi-parts is free for Capricorn Members and if you use CAP ezi-parts in May or June 2022, you can go into the draw to win a Smoko Shout*. To get started, log in to your myCAP Portal.
Promotion runs from 1 May 2022 – 30 June 2022, with three Smoko Shouts to be won each month. Includes morning tea with food and drink provided. *Eligible Members receive 1 x entry per purchase made on the Capricorn Members Trade Account, using CAP ezi-parts. Winners are selected from a random draw of eligible Members. Contact your Area Manager for more information. The financial value is at the discretion of the Capricorn Area Manager.
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WIN A SMOKO SHOUT
Use CAP ezi-parts in May or June for your chance to enter the draw*. Three Smoko Shouts to be won each month!
CAP ezi-parts is free and exclusive for New Zealand Members only. Save time finding the best deal. Login to Capricorn and submit your CAP ezi-parts request. Our Preferred Supplier network will then respond with prices and delivery times. 0800 401 444 | info@capricorn.coop | capricorn.coop Promotion runs from 1 May 2022 – 30 June 2022 with three Smoko Shouts to be won each month. Includes morning tea with food and drink provided. *Eligible Members receive 1 x entry per purchase made on the Capricorn Members Trade Account, using CAP ezi-parts. Winners are selected from a random draw of eligible Members. Contact your Area Manager for more information. The financial value is at the discretion of the Capricorn Area Manager.
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Get the right cover for the right price. See how you’re better off with mutual protection through Capricorn Risk Services. 0800 555 303 | info@capricornrisk.com | capricorn.coop/risk Products sold through Capricorn Risk Services Pty Ltd include discretionary risk protection and general insurance products. Discretionary risk protection is issued out of Australia by Capricorn Mutual Ltd. Before deciding to acquire discretionary risk protection you should consider the Product Disclosure Statement to see if it is appropriate for you. This can be obtained from Capricorn Risk Services via capricornrisk.com. General insurance products are issued by a range of insurers and are available through Capricorn Risk Services Pty Ltd as a member broker of PSC Connect NZ Limited. Capricorn Risk Services is a registered financial services provider (390466) and a corporate Authorised
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N R O C I R P A C
LAST MONTH'S ANSWERS LAST MONTH'S WINNERS 1st Prize - 4,000 points Suburban Mechanical 2nd Prize - 2,000 points Hi Tech Auto Service
Email your answers to ignition@capricorn.coop before the 25th of June. Winners will be selected by a lucky hat draw of correct entries. Please ensure you include your Member number and email address when submitting your entry.
WORD Find the 15 words hidden in the jumble. They could be horizontal, vertical, diagonal or backwards. See if you can find them all!
ANNIVERSARY COOPERATIVE HOIST HUMMER COLLISION BRAKES AUTOMATION CHAMPION
SERVICE NETWORK TYRES AFTERMARKET MILESTONE RISK WORKPLACE
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Participation in the Capricorn Rewards Program is subject to the Capricorn Rewards Terms and Conditions available at capricorn.coop/tc. Products subject to availability.
