Automotive component distributor Magneti Marelli Parts and Services has joined as the latest addition to the Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) membership. The trade body’s service membership has continued to grow throughout the year and the latest expansion sees the Italian company, with its strong heritage in the automotive industry, joining to support the Federation’s lobbying initiatives and industry networking events.
Halfords Autocentres’ recent expansion into the top-table of tyre retail is indicative of a wider move towards mechanical work in tyre-orientated garages. Now, many fast fits generate somewhere around 50 per cent of their income from non-tyre business.
According to the latest SMMT data, the UK aftermarket turns over an annual £21.1 billion – making it the ninth largest in the world. And what’s more there are said to be north of 40,000 points of sale in the UK, which means the wider tyre business’s recent shift towards more mechanical work means that aftermarket space is as competitive as ever. Still, the ongoing outlook is good and the aforementioned growth figures are increasing at the same rate as the UK’s growing car parc. As a result, SMMT projections suggest the UK aftermarket sector’s value is set to rise to £28 billion by 2022.
A swap and a new addition – that’s how the changes amongst the top 10 largest automotive suppliers by turnover worldwide can be summed up. Places one to five stayed the same as last year. That means: Bosch leads the top 10, followed by Denso, Continental, ZF Friedrichshafen and Magna. Behind them, Hyundai Mobis, now sixth, and Aisin, now seventh, have swapped places compared to the ranking published last year, before Michelin and Bridgestone follow unchanged in eighth and ninth place respectively.
Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd., the well-known Japanese brake manufacturer, has admitted “inappropriate conduct” relating to periodic inspection reports destined for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) dating back to January 2001.
Garages are not required to close during lockdown since the aftermarket has been assigned ‘key worker’ status. This, combined with the delay in MOTs, will lead to a “very busy” fourth quarter of 2020, according to Klarius CEO and former Goodyear UK MD, Mark Brickhill.
Brembo is to supply brake calipers and discs for the new Polestar 2. Specifically, Brembo is to produce the two-piece four-piston aluminium front calipers and Brembo’s exclusive dual-cast floating brake disc for the Polestar 2.
British aftermarket parts brand, Comline, has reaffirmed its commitment to copper-free braking with the announcement of an Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) ‘N’ rating. This rating confirms Comline brake pads as containing less than 0.5 per cent of copper by weight and permits the brand to use the AASA LeafMark ‘N’ icon in promoting its comprehensive range of all makes brake pads.
Schaeffler reports that it had well over 2,000 requests for its “BACK > ON TRACK” workshop essentials packs in the first few days since the support began at the end of May.
Following the launch of its One Box start-stop battery testing and installation solution at Automechanika Birmingham last June, Ecobat Battery Technologies (Ecobat), has further developed its offering with the release of a free start-stop battery training, assessment and certification.
Britishvolt has shortlisted Bro Tathan in South Wales and one other site for the UK’s first 30 plus GWh Gigafactory. Britishvolt eliminated 40 other proposals in the process. When the project is finalised, the company says the initial wave of £1.2 billion of investment into the site will eventually lead to around 3,500 jobs.
As more and more vehicles are being fitted with technology to assist drivers, this is impacting the way technicians work. One of these components is the ABS sensor, which is often located next to the brake discs and now needs to be considered and checked when changing the discs. With this in mind, Borg & Beck have offered the following advice:
The European car parc comprises more than 40,000 different models, which means – according to battery maker Varta – that not even workshop experts are able to identify the right battery for every single one of them. This is where the Varta Partner Portal comes in and provides assistance with finding the right fit. Varta has now updated its reference application database with an additional 7,176 vehicle models from 165 brands, representing 19.8 million additional vehicles on Europe’s roads. The database now covers 94 per cent of the models in the European market and no fewer than 99.6 per cent or 381 million of the registered vehicles. Customers and workshops can now search for 38,000 car models and their batteries on the industry leading Varta Partner Portal (www.varta-automotive.com/en-gb/business-portal).
Switching from aluminium to zinc alloys could greatly improve longevity and sustainability of automotive parts, according to a new study conducted by Cranfield University’s Sustainable Manufacturing Systems Centre.
Original equipment (OE) manufacturer, Trico, is highlighting valuable sales opportunities for the workshops, despite the huge drop in the number of vehicles being MOT tested.
To undertake service or repair work on a vehicle’s braking system, technicians need to be sure they are fitting a brand they can trust, with the product quality that both they and their valued customers can depend on. First Line Ltd is a well-known aftermarket supplier and under its Borg & Beck brand offers a range of Becktec coated brake discs and double rubber shimmed brake pads that provides the ideal solution for the discerning professional.
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Klarius
Brembo
AASA
Schaeffler
Ecobat
Northvolt
Varta
Trico
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