Workshops must plan for activity peak in second half of 2021 – GiPA

GiPA UK, automotive aftermarket intelligence organisation, have released the Q2 results of their quarterly Aftermarket Pulse report. The market recovery situation by the end of June 2021 was 2.9 per cent higher than GiPA’s expectations. While in comparison to the same period in 2020, a double-digit recovery in the market has been observed – particularly in the second quarter of the year – the market is far from having recovered its 2019 activity levels.

This decrease was to be expected because the MOT exemptions for 6 months introduced in April 2020 structurally changed the aftermarket’s seasonality. In fact, of all the tests to be performed in 2021 about 40 per cent were carried out between January and June, and 60 per cent will be between July and December (this split was 53 per cent and 47 per cent respectively before the COVID-19 outbreak). In the months to come, to sustain a strong market upturn compared to the disastrous 2020, and to aim to recover the pre-crisis market level, it is paramount for all workshops to capitalise on every opportunity between July and December 2021.

GiPA UK general manager, Quentin Le Hetet says: “The real challenge for the workshops will be during the second half of the year as workshop will face unprecedented volume of MOT tests to be carried out. Levelling up their capacity is going to be challenging when thinking of shortage of staff, pressure on the part supply chain, and increase parts pricing due to raw material price increase. It is important to see every entry as an opportunity and make the most of it.”