February 2021

onto the IAAF’s recent activities with Head of Membership Mike Smallbone. As in previous years, IAAF membership growth was covered. However COVID-19 has done its work here too, so the industry briefing sessions he normally discusses had already moved online, while the IAAF golf days had given up on 2020 entirely and jumped into the future. 2021 promises to see things begin to move back to normality, so keep your golf clubs handy. Last up was IAAF President Terry Knox, with the IAAF Pride of the Aftermarket Awards. The IAAF Annual Dinner, usually held in the evening after the conference is the regular home for such things, but in 2020, this shifted to lunchtime. Terry then closed the conference with a few thoughts: “This year, more than ever, we have seen the true colours of the aftermarket showing through with generosity and support in the face of adversity.” With Brexit looming, Terry concluded: “As well as representing us in the UK, it should be remembered that Wendy also represents us in Europe, through FIGIEFA. It is imperative that we remain engaged with our European federation, to stay on the front foot and face all the challenges ahead, whether it be digital developments or vehicle electrification. It’s good to know that regardless of Brexit, Wendy will be keeping us in Europe.” www.aftermarketonline.net FEBRUARY 2021 AFTERMARKET 45 www.aftermarketonline.net On EVs he said: “Last year, 10% of newly registered vehicles were either EVs or hybrids. We had the announcement this year that the UK government would ban the sale of ICE vehicles by 2030.” 2030 is still a decade away though, and older cars do not disappear overnight: “You will see more older diesel and petrol vehicles coming into the workshop, with good technical issues that need addressing.” On the rise of EVs and hybrids, he added: “It is very important to start planning ahead. You invest too early, and you won’t see the right cars in your workshop. Do it too late, and it’s going to be too late. This is about finding the right balance, as well as training technicians to work on those vehicles.” Moving over to people, we had a trio of figures from across the sector who were looking at the impact of COVID-19. We started on the recruitment side with Glen Shepherd from Glen Callum Associates and Andy Lees from PG Automotive, who were then joined by Rachel Clift from Ben who looked at the effect the pandemic was having on mental health. Attack of the Cyber? After a slightly longer break, enough time even for a coffee, Ronan McDonagh, Technical Director at FIGIEFA was up, talking about cyber security threat, and what the latest United Nation Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) cyber security legislation could mean for the sector. “A typical vehicle today will have maybe 100 million lines of software code,” he explained, “and 150 different ECUs inside the car. “They are being more and more defined by their software. At the same time, cars are becoming connected over wi-fi to the outside world, and also the car are becoming autonomous. All of those factors increase the risk of a cyber attack. “The fact that the vehicle is defined by its software provide the means for having a cyber attack. The fact the vehicle is becoming autonomous means potentially that the impact of a malicious hack could be very serious. I think cyber security is very relevant for us in the automotive industry, and is required in order to protect the vehicle, the driver and road users in general. “We have some new rules coming in that have been defined by the UNECE. For us in the aftermarket, the indications are significant. Everything in one way or another will be affected by the regulations.” Parts that are electronic in some way will be impacted: “The first question to ask will be is the component electric or electronic. If it’s not it won’t be affected. If it is, there will be a number of questions, such as does the part have an interface outside of the vehicle? Is there a significant safety impact related to that component? Does it have wireless sensors? Does it use, access or store data? Is it a network component? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then the part will be subject to cyber security rules. That means you need to take some action. The first thing would be the requirement to put a cyber security management system in place. This is about defining processes. “In the end though, you will need to fit that component to the vehicle, and in order to do that you need the requirements from the manufacturer to integrate it to the vehicle. If there are digital certificates, you will need to know that.“ Cyber security is likely to impact on parts manufacturers in a big way according to Ronan: “Some of the traditional reverse engineering that we have done to make parts is going to become more and more difficult, if not impossible.” True colours After that cheery thought, we moved