Earlier this week, we launched our new Autotech Connect division to the media and key aftermarket professionals. Held within the leading motor industry test and event venue of UTAC, Millbrook, the sounds of the vehicles of tomorrow being tested at speed around the track provided the ideal backdrop to a discussion around the challenges facing the industry today.Â
We were delighted to be joined by many of the automotive aftermarket media including Motor Trader, CAT magazine, PMM, Autotechnician, Aftermarket, Garage Wire, Auto Repair Focus and Garage magazine. We appreciated the time taken out of busy schedules to attend our event, but equally their presence was demonstrative of the continued support and shared ambition by the media to create noise around the challenges the aftermarket continues to face. It was also great to see Sandy Burgess from the SMTA and the IAAF’s Mark Field showing their support too.Â
Layered on top of the skills shortage, the aftermarket now faces even more risks as a result of software-defined vehicles entering the market and as the proliferation of connected vehicles continues. Every 39 seconds a business suffers a cyberattack and they don’t just go for large organisations – low hanging fruit which are ripe for the picking are increasingly targeted, and aftermarket businesses are not immune.
To help mitigate risk, garages must engage in building a robust digital infrastructure and embrace the possibility of what technology can help them achieve. This is why we created Autotech Connect – to help build awareness, offer training to ensure aftermarket businesses have the rights skills to tackle issues head on, and bring knowledge and expertise from people and organisations who are prolific in creating hardware, software, training and IT solutions for other industries, including government, banking, and healthcare, into the automotive aftermarket.Â
During our event, specialists spoke about the different challenges and solutions facing the industry, and we would like to thank them for attending and sharing their thoughts and expertise. Including Jason Cohen, Head of Business Development at Hamilton Leigh Insurance Brokers, Francis West, CEO Westtek, Vince Galvin, Digital Transformation Specialist, Neos48 Consulting and Derrick Sawyer, Regional Director for Northern Europe, RealWear Inc.
Look out for further news from Autotech Connect.