Facing down the tech challenge

The latest ARC360 webinar focused on vehicle technology, and while electric vehicles and ADAS were inevitably identified as key issues, the fundamental message to come out of the session was that development in this area is as broad as it is fast, with virtually every aspect of the vehicle affected.

“I think steering and suspension are just about the only things that haven’t changed in the last 10-15 years,” said Franco Iannotta, Bodyshop Development Manager at Volkswagen Group UK.

He was joined on the panel by Andrew Hooker, Head of Technical at Solus Accident Repair Centres and Phil Peace, Managing Director (International) at Repairify, both of whom agreed that change was taking place across the board.

Winners and losers

Andrew said, “Technology is moving forward and it’s very diverse. Of course, there is lot of noise around EVs and ADAS, but materials and structure is another area where there is great change and I think it will challenge repairers, creating winners and losers.”

He also introduced a new term to the automotive lexicon – the snowflake car – which describes how ‘function on demand’ is becoming more and more prevalent, creating a situation where no two cars are exactly the same.

“This will be a significant challenge for the insurance sector,” he warned, explaining that some drivers will turn off or disconnect certain features while other drivers might install upgrades, creating vastly different insurance propositions from what is fundamentally the same product.

Underlining the diverse nature of the challenge facing the sector, a live online poll asked attendees to name the area of their business most impacted by vehicle technology, with answers split across the board. Less than one in three (30%) said processes, 27% said the impact was mostly financial, 36% said skillsets, with customer care (10%) and recruitment (seven per cent), also factors.

EVs

But despite that, there is no doubt that the most fundamental change impacting vehicle technology today is the electrification of the car parc. A second poll saw 69% of respondents cite EVs as the stand-out factor, ahead of ADAS (40%), connectivity (36%), and materials/structure (27%).

The need for training and tooling to safely repair these vehicles has been well-documented, but Andrew said that if the industry is going to respond positively to the surge in EV demand then it needed to remember who it was working for.

Clarity and communication

He said, “There has been a lack of clarity and communication with the customer around ADAS for a number of years; we mustn’t make that mistake with EVs. We need to remember we’re working for the customer, and that the whole idea is to get the driver back in their car quickly and efficiently, and at the same time build confidence that we – as a sector – can handle EVs. To do that we need to stop operating in silos. Working together is more critical than ever and that means getting the right tools and the right knowledge to the person who is managing the customer.”

Franco agreed but said that true co-operation will only happen when all sectors of the industry appreciate the implications of repairing EVs. He pointed to the difference between disconnecting and de-energising a car, saying that one takes less than a minute and the other can take more than an hour.

He said, “The industry needs to be educated about the safety implications of EVs so it will allow technicians time to do the right thing.”

Online poll: What are your concerns around EVs?

  • 54% – skills and knowledge
  • 47% – site facilities/charging options
  • 30% – vehicle recovery/handling
  • 25% – handling information
  • 18% – customer experience
  • 8% – volumes

Attitudes

In many ways then, adapting to EVs and the myriad other changes taking place within car development is a matter of attitude. The automotive aftermarket is well-versed now at dealing with change – “As an industry, we’re very open,” Andrew said – but it could be that lasting adaptability will depend on new blood entering a sector that is restricted by an ageing workforce.

Phil said, “Mindsets are evolving, but are they evolving as quickly as technology? Possibly not. That’s no one’s fault, but it is a massive challenge because the skillsets we’re going to need in the future are also changing. Somehow we need to start bringing through new blood. We really can’t do that quickly enough.

“So how do we attract people to the industry? We need to take the industry to them. We need to go to schools and colleges and show the younger generation how exciting the sector is and build new career paths around them.”

Investment

Of course, this has been the objective for a number of years, with only limited success so far and ultimately every business will have to take it upon themselves to ensure they are future-proofed and relevant going forward.

This will require investment in both people and facilities, and for many business owners the biggest quandary is knowing where to invest.

Franco said, “It all comes back to the why: why should people bring their cars to you, why should people come and work for you? You need to understand the why before you can do anything else.”

Delving deeper into this, the next ARC360 webinar will take place on Wednesday, 27 April, when People and Skills will be under the spotlight.

ARC360 would like to thank its Corporate Partners BASF, BMS, CAPS, Copart, Emacs, Entegral, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Innovation Group, Mirka, Nationwide Vehicle Recovery Assistance, S&G Response, and Sherwin Williams as well as Partners asTech, The Green Parts Specialists, Indasa and Prasco UK, and associate partners Gemini ARC, Thatcham Research and Trend Tracker.

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