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electric vehicles will enter the market. The great news for the independent workshop is that people are keeping their cars for longer.” Other technologies, such as ADAS are also having an impact: “You all know it from your cars. What we know for sure is that it will affect collision for the aftermarket. Once repairs happen, it means they will be more expensive in the future.” The rise of shared mobility will also affect businesses going forward: “We will have to work together to enable more sharing and offer up regulation to create new business models.” Digital natives Customers are changing too: “We have to face a new kind of consumer E arlier this year, the parent company of LKQ Euro Car Parts, LKQ Europe, threw open the doors at its new Innovation and Service Centre, based in the former industrial city of Katowice, in southern Poland. The aim is to centralise the digitisation of the LKQ business across the whole continent, and provide a hub for new ideas and products to help garage businesses thrive. Fast-forward to September, with travel slightly easier for many, the company wanted to show off its new facility, and show what it can do for the sector. LKQ Europe CEO Arnd Franz was among the dignitaries, and he observed: “We are moving towards a 56 AFTERMARKET NOVEMBER 2021 ON THE ROAD www.aftermarketonline.net INNOVATION IS THE NAME OF THE GAME LKQ Euro Car Parts recently held an official ribbon-cutting for its Innovation and Service Centre. Aftermarket was there, digitally-speaking pan-European network spanning north to south, east to west. We are doing more and more business with intermediaries, fleets and OEMs. This all leads to our 2030 vision of being the leading automotive service provider in Europe.” On the location of the Centre in Katowice, Arnd said: “We are in Poland, and Poland is the biggest economy in central Europe. It is not located ‘somewhere’, it is right in the centre.” The changing face of the car parc is one of the reasons why the company opted to open the Centre, according to Arnd: “The independent aftermarket will do more things digitally. It is very important that we secure a competitive environment. A lot more Above: LKQ Europe CEO Arnd Franz