September 2019

and will be linked to windscreen replacement." Glass thickness decreased greatly over the last 15 years, while the size of windscreens has increased. With ADAS sensors being placed in windscreens, there is more strain on a larger, thinner component that is being asked to do more than ever before. This makes proper bonding of replacement windscreens vital for safety on a number of levels, as well as the right glass. This session included a demonstration of how windscreens can be scanned to check it is correct. This all helped to build a picture of how central ADAS is becoming to any number of sub-sections within the broader aftermarket. On our way to finding out about the new offering, The next session provided a picture of the customer journey in a form of live performance, wryly described as a "scripted reality B right sunshine, blue skies, and 25°C. You could not have picked a better day for a live automotive event, featuring outdoor demonstrations of equipment, and more pertinently for readers of Aftermarket, the launch of a new ADAS solution. That is what Autoglass had on offer, when it launched its ADAS Total Calibration solution featuring what it describes as 'over the air' support at its Autoglass Live event in July. You couldn't pick a better setting either. Parent company Belron International's Milton Park HQ, just off the M25 near Egham is an impressive modern venue. Something had to give though: "In preparation for this event," said Autoglass Sales and Marketing Director Neil Atherton, "we made a request to our head office colleagues that they work from home today. So a big apology to them, as I think Thursday is Yoga and Pilates day." You can't have everything then. 200 decision makers from across the insurance, fleet and automotive industries were there instead, on hand to see a number of presentations from the glass provider. These four sessions divided into zones looked at the customer journey, the aforementioned Total Calibration Solution that we will go into in more depth later, operational excellence, and minimising risk. It was here, in zone 4, that Aftermarket started the day. Minimising risk For us, the most interesting element was the ADAS side. The purpose of this session was to look at the trends impacting on vehicle glass, no pun intended. It also looked at the risks around quality and safety. This included the effect of increasing glass complexity, and of course the ADAS factor. "Windscreen repair is more important now than it has been in the past," observed Eddie Irvine, Operations Director, Franchise 58 AFTERMARKET SEPTEMBER 2019 ON THE ROAD www.aftermarketonline.net LOUD AND CLEAR Above: Autoglass demonstrates its Total Calibration Solution Autoglass used the recent Autoglass Live event launch its ADAS Total Calibration Solution, and Aftermarket was there to learn more Markets, at the start of the session. Autonomous driving will also have an effect. "On the 1-5 scale of autonomous driving," said Ernst Bakker, Sales Development Manager, "we are around level 2. Here we have cruise control, emergency braking etc, all the systems that help the driver. At level 5 you no longer have a driver, you have passengers." Eddie observed: "This is being driven by the need for safer cars, which is why we are seeing more and more ADAS penetration. To get a EuroNCAP 5 star rating, a vehicle has to have a minimum of one ADAS system. "The ADAS market in Europe is expected to double by 2025. This causes the automotive industry some real challenges to move towards safer cars. About 9% of the current UK car parc is fitted with a forward-looking camera. SPD predict that by 2024 it will be 29%. That's massive growth,