December 2020

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2021 AFTERMARKET 11 Above: Wendy Williamson www.aftermarketonline.net transport, the purchase and use of private cars is on the increase, meaning that the future is looking bright for the local independent garage as the demand for their value for money services is likely to be on the up, as we are seeing the average age of cars on the road increase.” Hybrids and EVs What people are driving is changing though, as Frank observed: “Hybrids and EVs continue to grow in popularity, as we are seeing new car sales grow for vehicles in this segment. It would seem logical that more of these vehicles will be finding their way into local garages for their MOTs, repairs and maintenance. This will give the forward-thinking independents an opportunity to capitalise on this expanding market, and we are seeing an increase in demand for EV training and qualifications. “ADAS is another technological advancement in vehicles that is only going to keep growing. We know that these systems affect, or are affected by, virtually every repair or maintenance operation on current vehicles, from simple tracking adjustments to windscreen replacement and all the way through to accident repairs. It is vital that our sector keeps up to date with these new technologies and has access to the technical information required.” “In terms of technician knowledge and specialist equipment, garages will need these to provide their customers with the confidence that their local garage can keep their vehicle operating as it should.” “So as a roundup of some of the things we can expect throughout the coming year, it is likely that COVID-19 and the challenges it presents will be with us for at least the first half of 2021. Vehicle technology will continue to advance which will lead to an increased need for technical training and access to technical data and private vehicle use is likely to expand; meaning that the demand for the services of good, local independent garages is likely to increase correspondingly.” Frank concluded: “No matter what next year holds, the IGA will be here to support the sector through it all.” IMI Staying focused on the long-game is paramount in 2021 according to IMI CEO Steve Nash: “Coronavirus notwithstanding, the march of technical change continues unabated for the aftermarket. Electrification is gathering serious momentum ahead of the new EU emissions regulations to be introduced in 2021 and mirrored by new UK regulations. The IMI remains committed to support these advances with the IMI EV TechSafe Standards, giving technicians an easy way to certify their EV competence. “The application of ADAS is also taking a much larger share of the market with those operations that want to handle insurance business needing to be compliant with the Insurance Industry Requirements for the Safe Repair of ADAS equipped vehicles (IIR) no later than 31 March 2021. “We have already launched IMI ADAS Accreditation to help ensure technicians have the expertise to work with ADAS features in vehicles. And the ADAS Advisory Group the IMI chairs aims to ensure that continuing advances in ADAS are properly accommodated in training of technicians across all parts of the automotive aftermarket.” Talent shortage Then there is the skills shortage: “The demand for people remained one of the sector’s key challenges right up to lockdown” said Steve. “While the pandemic has affected this significantly in the short term, the underlying issues have not gone away and the need to develop new, young talent for the future remains paramount. Indeed, many of the people issues experienced prior to lockdown could be traced back to lack of apprentice recruitment in the years following the financial crash. We want to avoid that cycle being repeated, but with apprentice recruitment in the sector down more than 80% this year, there could be a serious talent shortage if carried forward into 2021 and beyond.” Right now, making any sort of commitment to future training will be a daunting prospect, but there are routes to funding that can really help with that, as Steve explained: “The IMI offers solutions across more than 20 apprenticeship standards and is working with businesses right across the sector to help them capitalise on any government funding available.” Another important issue as we head into 2021, according to Steve, is MOT tester training: “Garages and MOT test stations must ensure their testers have completed the mandatory Annual Training before 31 March. These businesses may also consider using the inevitable hiatus during next April to August 2021, caused by the forward effects of 2020’s MOT exemption, to get their staff qualified early for 2022 and the IMI’s online training and assessment tools provide an ideal solution to get this job done for both years.” Opportunities “Finally,” concluded Steve, “I think the changing dynamics in car ownership as a direct consequence of the pandemic, could be a welcome business opportunity for the sector. We’ve already seen garages busy in the post-lockdown period, not just with the MOT backlog, but making cars that had not been used for months roadworthy. Going into 2021 – just as in the years following the financial crash – many customers are likely to opt to hold onto their cars rather than replace them. And that could provide the aftermarket with additional servicing opportunities.”

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