February 2022

FEBRUARY 2022 AFTERMARKET 55 www.aftermarketonline.net Double-focus Leaning into the ongoing influence of Europe on the sector, Manager for Governmental Affairs at FIGIEFA Pierre Thibaudat, along with Technical Director Ronan McDonagh were up. They had a double-focus; The importance of maintaining and modernising the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation (MVBER) beyond 2023, when it expires, as well as the impact of SERMI. Pierre said: “The MVBER is directly affecting your business and is quite high on the legislative agenda. In your case, the CMA is working on the future legislation. The MVBER really is the backbone to competition in the automotive aftermarket. Repairers are free to source OE parts or aftermarket parts. Unfortunately this legislation is due to expire in 2023. As FIGIEFA, we are asking for the MVBER to be renewed way beyond 2023, to enshrine competition in the automotive aftermarket. “We want the Commission to look at the issue of captive parts, as well as access to technical information. Our main objectives are to make sure that OEM captive parts are made available not only at retail level, but also at wholesale level, while also making sure parts are not made artificially captive through proprietary technical means, such as RMI, or through abusive warranty conditions.” On why it still matters in the UK, Pierre added: “It is EU legislation, true but not only. It applies to Norway, Lichtenstein and applies to other countries that are further away that have an Anglo-Saxon law tradition, like Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, etc, where they have applied the principles.” Ronan took over at this point to discuss SERMI: “SERMI is a new EU scheme designed to provide harmonised EU- wide certification for independent operators. Currently independents need separate authorisation for each VM. The manufacturers are likely to adopt SERMI in the UK too. Authorisation would be granted to businesses ands staff, and SERMI is expected to be operational by July 2023.” Ronan added: “We see scope in the future to expand SERMI to other areas, like cyber-security, but that needs to be discussed with the VMs.” Final remarks Following on from the FIGIEFA segment was former Dyson CEO Martin McCort, who had some interesting things to say about how to be a successful disruptor in an already- disrupted sector. He was followed by Mark Field, who was back to make his final remarks: “Our IAAF year begins on 1 August, and we are extremely active in a number of areas, but we are only getting started, and we want to go further in 2022. We want the IAAF to make a real, tangible positive impact on your businesses. We are going to recruit more garages into membership. We will promote our council, our CV section and our garage section. An area I am really passionate about is skills and recruitment. We will do more to support members with training and promote our trade to a wider audience. Finally, the IAAF will embark on a very ambitious networking programme in 2022.” He was himself followed by IAAF President Richard Welland, who concluded: “We are moving forward and the IAAF is embarking on a lot of projects.” We have the 2030 target, but at the moment it is a date without a plan ” IAAF Pride of the Aftermarket Awards The event concluded with the announcement of the IAAF Pride of the Aftermarket Awards for 2021: Car distributor Winner: GSF Car Parts Runner-up: Motor Parts Direct (MPD) Service provider Winner: Autotech Recruit Runner-up: Boswell Insurance CV supplier Winner: Robert Bosch Runner-up: TMD Friction CV distributor Winner: Fleet Components Runner-up: HGV Direct Car supplier Winner: Schaeffler Automotive Aftermarket UK Runner-up: First Line Outstanding individual achievement Winner: Steve Fisher, Apec Braking (awarded posthumously)