Professional Motor Factor

Happy New Year! We hope you enjoyed a wonderful Christmas and are fresh, raring to go for what we hope will be a healthy and prosperous year – why not start 2025 with a bang by taking a look at our January edition 👉 https://lnkd.in/erZHa5ji The first issue of the year is the perfect opportunity for industry stakeholders to predict what will make headlines in the automotive aftermarket – and that is what Sanjiv Shah of Car Spares Factors has done. He believes EVs, sustainability, changes in consumer behaviour and supply chain adjustments are just some of the areas of concern for the trade over the next 12 months. Elsewhere in the issue, GSF Car Parts opens the doors to its new national distribution centre, WAI Global's Richard Welland answers our questions following the company's acquisition of Pos Service Holland, and Motaquip Limited reveals its secrets to success after 40 years.  The batteries and ignition feature includes Ecobat and DENSO Aftermarket Europe, while Morris Lubricants explains why there’s more to antifreeze coolant than its colour. Plenty to get stuck into – let's go! 👊 Tom Henman Alex Dilleigh Robert Gilham Kieran Nee Freya Coleman Kelly Newstead Lydia P. Joe Captieux Matthew B. #PMF #motorfactor #HappyNewYear #2025 #automotiveaftermarket #automotiveindustry #car #motoring #garage #mechanic

🎙️ We previously brought you an interview with the VLS - Verification of Lubricant Specifications Chairman, Harald Oosting. Intentionally, there was an answer left out – which is on the importance of data in VLS’ processes and operations. 🗣️ Harald said: "Data is critical in our investigations. Specifications have limits set for key characteristics, such as sulphated ash content. We have investigated several cases where products have made mutually exclusive claims; for example, API SP is an incompatible claim with VW 502.00/505.00 due to the mutually exclusive phosphorus limits. Using a High SAPS (sulphated ash, phosphorus and sulphur) engine oil in vehicles with exhaust after-treatment devices can interfere with their operation and inhibit their performance. "Several cases have involved the low temperature properties of products and their compliance with viscosity standards, which would reduce their performance and not provide adequate circulation in gear systems or engines." #PMF #motorfactor #VLS #oil #caroil #automotiveaftermarket #automotivedata #garage #car

In Amy Blick FCIPD ⚡️’s previous column, she promised to return with some top tips for businesses, based on the questions she is asked online and by clients of exhilHRate HR Consultancy... ❓ The four-day working-week – how can this work in my business? ❓ Sexual harassment is making the headlines – what does this mean for our business? ❓ Day one unfair dismissal rights – what does this mean? Check out the article to find out Amy's responses ✅ #PMF #exhilHRate #HR #motorfactor #automotiveaftermarket #garage #car #mechanic

🏠 Comline Group, the home of Comline Auto Parts Ltd, ALLIED NIPPON LIMITED and Motaquip Limited, has new digs! Its relocation to Bedford Commercial Park, established as its global headquarters, marks a transformative step – both from a technological and personnel perspective. We were given an exclusive tour by Leigh Davies, who described the move as “a fresh start in line with our business goals”. 🗣️ He said: “The site feels bright, modern and open. It has created a renewed sense of optimism and energy among the team. Although we’ve only been here for a couple of months, it already feels like home.” Part two to follow soon... 😉 #PMF #ComlineGroup #Comline #Motaquip #AlliedNippon #motorfactor #garage #mechanic #automotiveaftermarket #Bedford

💰 We spoke to Schaeffler Vehicle Lifetime Solutions about its ongoing commitment to supporting garages, namely the REPXPERT Millionaire promotion. 📲 Every time a REPXPERT member uses the app to claim bonus points during promotional periods – by scanning the unique OneCode QR code on LuK, INA, or FAG product boxes – they automatically enter the next prize draw for a chance to win one million bonus points! Markhams Garage, a 100-year-old village garage in Herefordshire, was crowned the first-ever REPXPERT Bonus Point Millionaire in May 2023. After heading to the REPXPERT Bonus Shop, the Markhams Garage team invested in a mix of workwear and training. 🗣️ Simon Powney, one of Markhams Garage’s directors, said: “How we’ve managed to spend all the points already, I just don’t know! But we consider this to be a very worthwhile use of our million points.” #PMF #Schaeffler #REPXPERT #motorfactor #REPXPERTMillionaire #automotiveaftermarket #garage #car #mechanic

🏅 Schaeffler Vehicle Lifetime Solutions’ UK clutch production team has won a prestigious internal company award, recognising the fact that not a single clutch disc made at the factory was returned over the previous two years. In acknowledgement of this achievement, the team has been given the company’s highest possible award, the ‘Fit for Quality’ silver medal, which Schaeffler only bestows on the best performing facilities. 🗣️ Sales and Marketing Director, Matthew Selby, said: “At Schaeffler, our success is driven by the excellence and expertise of our workforce. Schaeffler’s prestigious ‘Fit for Quality’ silver medal demonstrates the focus on customer satisfaction and the keen eye for detail that our colleagues at our clutch production facility in Sheffield have." #PMF #Schaeffler #motorfactor #clutch #LuK #automotiveaftermarket #automotiveindustry #car #workshop #garage

We're just going to leave this here, Ben Automotive Industry Charity 🎄😉 #Ben #PMF #12DaysofChristmas

🎂 This year, DENSO marked its 75th birthday, so we took a trip down memory lane and discover the journey the company has been on, where it stands today and what it hopes to achieve in the future. Kev Peacocke AAE MIMI, sales manager at DENSO Aftermarket Europe, answered our questions. 🗣️ We started by asking how DENSO has company evolved over 75 years – Kevin replied: "In 1949, NIPPON ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENTS CO. LTD split from Toyota Motor. Co. Ltd and established itself as a separate entity, initially called NIPPONDENSO, before becoming DENSO in 1996. “Throughout the fifties and sixties, DENSO established the foundations of today’s corporation with the expansions of its service plants, technical centres and production plants. It also established its ‘quality first’ culture that culminated with the company being awarded the Deming Prize in 1961. “The seventies and eighties were exciting decades with an international expansion and the opening of its European headquarters in the Netherlands in 1973. Seventy-five years and 39,000 patents later, DENSO now encompasses 193 companies in 35 countries, but its goals remain revolutionary, and its products are still relied upon by millions of people across the globe.” #PMF #DENSO #DENSOAftermarket #motorfactor #automotiveaftermarket #automotiveindustry #car #garage #mechanic

🎄 KYB Europe is helping distributors and workshops to get into the festive spirit by giving them the chance to win prizes in their annual 12 Days of Christmas competition! ⏱️ Until 11:59pm on 20th December, anyone who has either sold or fitted KYB product can visit this link – https://lnkd.in/geUdX_md – every day to be in with a chance of winning. From a Sony Playstation 5 and GoPro Hero 12 to workshop tools, there are a range of prizes on offer. It’s easy to enter: contestants just need to click on the relevant door on KYB’s virtual advent calendar and enter their details to be in with a chance of winning the prize for that day. 🗣️ Jordan Day, senior European marketing manager at KYB, said: “2024 marks the fifth year of our 12 Days of Christmas competition, and each year we’ve been able to offer our customers some fantastic prizes. What started as a small initiative in 2019 has grown into a highly anticipated event. This year, we’re excited to offer an even more impressive lineup of prizes, all of which we have carefully selected to appeal to a wide range of car enthusiasts and professionals alike...” #PMF #motorfactor #automotiveaftermarket #KYB #12DaysofChristmas #KYBEurope #car #adventcalendar

👔 Harald Oosting is the chairman of VLS - Verification of Lubricant Specifications. He hasn’t been in post for long, but he’s firmly got his feet under the table and was happy to take on our questions. 🗣️ We opened the interview by asking what inspired him to take up the role – he replied: “I joined the VLS Board in 2018, and it has been fascinating seeing VLS develop over the past six years. As an organisation, we have navigated the challenges of COVID, taken a proactive approach to product testing, investigated an influx of cases during the 10th anniversary year and supported members in a changing industry. “Over the past 18 months, the diversity of cases received has been greater than ever before, with investigations into hydraulic oils, transmission oils and a metalworking cutting fluid, as well as engine oils and brake fluids. This demonstrates the application of VLS right across all industry sectors from automotive to industrial and metalworking products." #PMF #VLS #motorfactor #oil #automotiveaftermarket #automotiveindustry #car #motoring