Union Motors Tyre Studio.

Union Motors Tyre Studio, Colvale - Your One Stop Solution For All your Tyre Needs

There used to be a time when you could hardly see any cars on Goan roads. Motorcycles and scooters were the most common vehicles seen on the streets of Goa during the 1980’s and the early 90’. However, due to a rise in salaries, as well as income coming in the form of remittances from family members living in the Gulf and other foreign countries has resulted in an increasing number of people in Goa switching to cars.Thousands of cars of different makes and models are seen on the roads of Goa every day. Many people use their cars to commute daily, to and from their workplace. Many road enthusiasts also go on inter-state trips and off-road adventures in their 4x4 jeeps and SUVs. Also, Goa’s rising popularity as a tourist destination has resulted in an increase in the number of tourist vehicles plying on the Goan roads to cater to the mobility needs of tourists.

Due to such heavy usage, many people have started looking for a one-stop solution to get their vehicles serviced periodically, at one place and under one roof, in order to keep them in good condition. Seeing this, Mr. Yash Naik, a young 20-year-old engineering student from Mapusa, decided to find a solution to this problem. He had a strong desire to provide top quality car servicing facilities to people, in one place, under one roof, and at the most affordable rates.

Yash handles the major day to day affairs at Union Motors Tyre Studio. This young student entrepreneur, who is truly an inspiration to all our youth here in Goa, is currently pursuing his third year B.E in Mechanical Engineering at AITD, Assagao. He balances his time between managing the workshop and studying simultaneously.

Due to the pandemic, his college lectures are offered in online mode. This has made it easier for him to manage the workshop, as well as ensure that his academics don't get affected, he says. Balancing online college lectures while handling things at the workshop during the day, he reserves his evenings for studying and completing his college assignments.

He hails from a family in Mapusa, which had been in the business of automobiles and machines for decades. In the 1960s, their business was flourishing. They used to own several lathe machines, buses, mining trucks, tippers, goods carriers etc. However, due to some personal issues, they had to close down their flourishing business.

After their business closed down, they wanted to venture into some other kind of business. It was Yash's grandfather Krishna (Gopi) Naik’s dream to start a business that could provide after-sales services for all types of four-wheelers, under one roof. Unfortunately, he passed away without being able to realise his dream. Yash, with the support of his grandmother Shaila Naik, his father Chandan Naik, and his uncle Sagar Naik, took on the responsibility to fulfil his grandfather’s dream and has successfully converted it into a reality. Although the enterprise is a partnership between Yash, his grandmother, his father and his uncle, Yash is the main brainchild behind the venture.

Currently, they have just started the first phase of the business, providing a few services, such as wheel alignment, wheel balancing, tyre changing, nitrogen gas filling, and ceramic coating of cars. They plan to start full-fledged operations on a much bigger scale in 2023, with a multi-brand and multi-car workshop. Once they expand their operations, they will be providing all types of services such as washing, denting, painting, accidental repair, electrical work, oil changing, interior refurbishment, vehicle restoration etc.

When asked whether he faced any challenges while starting this venture, Yash replied that the only major challenge his business faced was brand awareness. Since they were a fairly new service provider, it did take some time for them to gain recognition and catch the attention of the public.

Another major challenge that they faced was making people understand the importance of proper wheel alignment, wheel balancing, and regular servicing of their vehicles.

The initial response to the business was quite good. The economy was just opening up when the tyre studio commenced operations. Many people started visiting the centre to get their car tyres and wheels checked and serviced. Ever since they started off, they have come a long way and have grown a lot in terms of brand awareness, their reputation as a service provider, their client base, customer popularity, and experience. They have managed to connect very well with their customers and have earned their loyalty and trust.

Yash says that the satisfaction of their customers is their topmost priority. They strive to ensure that the customer gets exactly what he wants. They suggest the best tyres for the customer's vehicle and also provide the best advice to the customer on how he should maintain his car to keep it in good condition. This is the USP of their firm.

“For example, if a client uses his car as a taxi and has a daily running of more than 100 kilometres per day (heavy usage), then we recommend a Bridgestone tyre to the client. This is because Bridgestone is a reliable brand and is made for heavy-duty usage”, says Yash.

However, if a client's daily usage of his car is occasional, they advise the client to go for a slightly lower category of tyres. They suggest the most suitable tyres for their clients' cars, depending on their clients' needs.

Yash says that they have a lot of new services, which they plan to introduce at their service centre in the near future. They intend to provide car servicing to their customers at their doorsteps. They also plan to offer various time-bound service packages, such as 15-minute express service, 1-hour service and also a pick up and drop service, where they will pick up the vehicle from the customer’s location, do the required servicing, and return it to the customer within the promised time frame.

They also intend to incorporate all the latest technologies and software to boost the quality of their services, and also to make it easier for customers to book their services via a website and a mobile app.

They also plan to enter into contracts with various transport companies, government bodies and private firms for annual maintenance and servicing of their fleet of vehicles. Also, once they expand their scale of operations in 2023, they will be offering a lot of employment opportunities at their service centre. This will be very beneficial for our skilled Goan youth, who sometimes struggle to find jobs due to a considerable shortage of employment opportunities in Goa.

So, if you are ever passing by Colvale and you feel the need to get your car's tyres checked or your car serviced, Union Motors, Colvale is the place to go to.