Aftermarket October 2022

MONTH 2017 AFTERMARKET 3 www.aftermarketonline.net OCT BER 2022 AFTER ARKET 5 K-Seal hits 10,000,000 milestone A record 10,000,000 bottles of K-Seal permanent coolant leak repair were sold in June 2022 alone, with K-Seal founders Kalimex anticipating even greater sales on the horizon thanks to growing popularity in the U.S. According to Kalimex MD Mike Schlup, this compares favourably with the product’s first month on the market in 2003, when just 24 bottles were sold: “When we launched K-Seal 19 years ago, we were confident we had a product that would become a hit with the trade and with motorists. Of course, any product selling in big numbers will attract competitors and K-Seal was no exception, so we had to up our game with independent authentication of its ability to seal. “In 2011 we approached Brighton University Engineering Division which has a first-class reputation for working in partnership with leading brands in the automotive industry. To cut a long story short the test data showed that K-Seal is capable of sealing 0.025in (0.635mm) diameter holes and 0.010in (0.254mm) wide by 0.5in (12.7mm) long slots satisfactorily in accordance with ASTM D3147 test method. Further testing demonstrated K-Seal sealed the leaks in test conditions 100% of the time. With these results we established K-Seal as a leading player in the coolant leak repair market, successfully holding our own against global brands with much bigger marketing budgets.” Mike observed: “It took several years but with patience, persistence and help from raving fans, we are now a major player in the coolant repair category in the USA.” Kalimex is now focusing K- Seal promotion across the Middle East, Australasia and Africa. Mike added. “In any language the proposition of K-Seal is what makes it sell – quite simply it’s the best, independently evaluated permanent coolant leak repair, with a trade trusted formula that has remained virtually unchanged since we launched it in 2003.” For more from Kalimex, turn to pages 32-33. WAI extends: Bigger Bognor WAI has extended its UK warehouse at its HQ in Bognor Regis, with a view to side- stepping cross-border delays. The extension has given the company an extra 10,000 square, which allows for additional racking for more stock space. WAI UK Managing Director Richard Welland observed: “Our existing European warehouse in the Netherlands remains a key part of our distribution but with the delays in logistics and additional costs faced by customers importing product, WAI has made the investment to stock wider and deeper product ranges in the UK. Our new warehouse can hold up to an extra 900 pallets of stock, meaning our availability is higher than ever before.” He added: “This increased product availability, coupled with our continual investment in the WAI brand, means we’re now one of the largest automotive aftermarket rotating electrics suppliers throughout the UK and a market leader across Europe.” For more information, please visit: www.waiglobal.com Top Technician 2022 finalists The finalists for Top Technician 2022, who will be returning to the Delphi Technical Training Centre on Saturday 1 October for the final, are as follows: Gary Birse, Motech Garage, Forfar, Scotland John Hall, Thirsk, North Yorkshire Oliver Hayward, Mercedes-Benz of Southampton Andrew West, Erme Valley Autos, Erminton, Devon Nigel Yardley, Yardley’s Garage, Sutton-in- Ashfield, Nottinghamshire This group will face a host of 50 minute technical and diagnostic challenges set by the judges through which the runner-up and winner will emerge. We will find out who they are on Saturday 1 October, at the Top Technician and Top Garage Awards Evening being held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Coventry. At the event, the winners will be announced. The winners for Top Garage will also be announced that evening, as the Top Garage final is also taking place at the Delphi Technical Training Centre on 1 October. Garages, classed by size, will compete to be named Top Garage in their group. Congratulations to all five Top Technician finalists, as well as the Top Garage finalists, and thank you to everyone else that has taken part so far. Top Technician and Top Garage 2022 come to you in association with the Garage Equipment Association (GEA), the Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF), the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) and are sponsored by Snap-on, VARTA, Blue Print & febi bilstein, TechMan, Motul and TPS. For all the exciting action from the Top Technician semi-final, turn to our feature on pages 18-19. Sponsored by: