Without the natural pull of an OEM badge over the door, building a successful aftermarket business can be challenging. However, the role of high-quality workshop equipment shouldn’t be under-estimated in helping identify job opportunities, communicate with customers, improve efficiencies and develop a lean operating environment.
After a winter of discontent in 2017/18, potholes still blight the UK’s roads and causing numerous problems for wheels and tyres alike. Not only can they cause damage to the internal structure of the tyre – wheel rims can also suffer damage too, resulting in imbalance and vibration issues for the driver.
20 members of staff from wheel servicing equipment specialist Pro-Align have received an intensive week of product and service training at equipment supplier Hunter’s head office in St Louis, Missouri. The UK distributor of Hunter wheel alignment, balancing and tyre changing equipment said the largest ever delegation to such an event reflects the growing size of the business. The majority of the group were visiting Hunter for the first time.
Pro-Align has launched a new commitment to visit customers with a valid aftersales agreement within two days of receiving a reported issue on Hunter equipment. For customers where a visit cannot be completed within the agreed time frame, no charge will be made for the resulting repair. The garage equipment distributor said the new commitment has been made in response to a growing number of workshops’ reliance on Hunter wheel servicing equipment for profit maximisation.
Pro-Align has launched the latest Hunter wheel alignment system, developed through widespread customer feedback to merge mid-level imaging with a fully upgradable package. The UK distributor told Tyres & Accessories that the new Hunter PA200 ACE has been developed for budget conscious workshops keen to enter the world of premium Hunter four wheel alignment servicing, receiving the best of the American brand’s alignment features in a mid-level system – a result of feedback from UK workshops.
Pro-Align’s recent distribution agreement with ADAS diagnostic and calibration tools supplier TEXA shows how garage equipment specialists are adapting to the rapid development of the connected car. Yet the staple equipment remains a vital part of the equation; greater accuracy in the tyre changing and wheel balancing processes can help ensure the full functionality of downstream systems. In addition, Pro-Align tells Tyres & Accessories that balancers and changers are often overlooked in terms of their potential for a workshop’s efficiency and profitability.
Workshop equipment distributor Pro-Align’s support for the Skills Show has stretched to half a decade, including the last five years in succession. Trainee vehicle technicians competing in this year’s show were able to gain valuable hands-on experience using some of the most advanced wheel alignment and diagnostic wheel balance systems currently on the market, thanks to this ongoing support. Held over three days at the NEC, Birmingham, competitors took part in a diverse range of practical skills and knowledge tests such as beauty therapy, bricklaying, landscaping, and games design.
Hunter garage equipment supplier Pro-Align will bring a new concept to Automechanika Birmingham (stand 19D80), designed to show how workshop spaces, even on the smaller side, can be transformed to offer profitable wheel alignment and wheel servicing. The interactive concept has been designed to give technicians and business owners a real-world experience of its systems, emphasising the ability of smaller businesses to deliver quality Hunter and customer service levels or returns. The company will demonstrate live award winning equipment like the Hunter Elite TD wheel alignment system, in addition to launching the new Hunter Road Force Elite and Pro-Align TCLine tyre changer systems.
Pro-Align has announced independent workshop, K Brown Auto Repairs in Kings Lynn, as the winner of its 25th anniversary competition. The workshop will receive a Hunter PA200 Plus wheel alignment system with a list price of £15,000. Pro-Align states the addition of the aligner will enable K Brown to expand its service offering and grow its wheel alignment business.
Garage equipment supplier and exclusive UK distributor of Hunter products, Pro-Align has marked its 25th anniversary at its Towcester headquarters. The company unveiled a new slate sign outside its offices, while each member of staff was presented with a 25th anniversary decanter and 1991 bottle of vintage port, marking their contribution to the firm’s growth and success. Pro-Align’s aftersales team also recommissioned one of the first wheel alignment systems the company sold back in 1991.
Mercedes-Benz has given the Hunter three-axle commercial vehicle alignment system OEM approval. Available exclusively in the UK through wheel alignment specialist Pro-Align, Hunter states that its system is the first and only wheel aligner available capable of providing live alignment readings on three axles simultaneously, reducing the time needed to conduct an alignment check. The aligner can be used on all Mercedes-Benz trucks, buses, trailers and vans, including those with multiple steering axles. The CV approval follows Mercedes-Benz making Hunter’s car focused aligners available to dealers last year.
Pro-Align has boosted staff numbers to a record level for the company, having created a number of new support and aftersales roles. The distributor states that the new appointments are the result of growing demand for Pro-Align’s range of Hunter wheel alignment and wheel servicing systems. “As well as providing innovative and technologically advanced products, […]
Garage equipment brand Hunter’s UK distributor has launched a new wheel aligner targeting workshops “starting out” in the provision of the service. Pro-Align says the new entry-level Hunter PA200 will allow more tyre shops to “enjoy the financial, efficiency and customer service benefits that result from ownership of a Hunter wheel alignment system.” The PA200 features a two-camera system and uses the same imaging technology found on the company’s popular, range-topping Elite TD system.
Pro-Align has expanded its range of Hunter garage equipment for commercial vehicle tyres, launching a heavy-duty tyre changer. The new changer follows the Hunter commercial vehicle aligner, which Pro-Align added to its range in 2015, announcing its entrance into the commercial sector. The supplier will present its products at The CV Show for the second consecutive year. The tyre changer has been designed to make the tyre changing process more efficient, and safer and easier for technicians carrying out the work.
Wheel alignment equipment specialist Pro-Align has opened its inaugural facility in Ireland. Located in Plato Park, Dublin (just off the M50), the facility provides a new base for its sales, servicing and installation teams, and includes demonstration and training areas which allow the company to demonstrate the Hunter range of complete wheel servicing equipment to workshops.
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