February 2022

I GA Head of Member Services Frank Harvey observed: “As an industry we have had to deal with unprecedented events over the last 20 months. Who would have thought that the government would extend MOTs by six months? As a sector, independent garages have shown they have the ability to rapidly adapt to the needs and demands of their customers, and also to the changes imposed upon them by the regulatory and enforcing bodies that are part of their everyday life. The Q2 dip in MOT demand should level itself out over the next couple of years, along with the increased demand in Q4, in fact we are already seeing the start of this.” Frank continued: “What is more of a challenge is attracting quality, technical staff to cope with the increase in demand, while making sure that the financial pressure additional staff adds can be supported throughout the full year. One key factor to financial well-being is both staff and business efficiency. In many smaller businesses, looking to measure efficiency can itself impact the business and it can be a learning curve for some. However, the payback, in terms of bottom line, can be well worth climbing that curve. “DVSA had a number of consultations out in 2021 and they are using these to gauge the trade’s view on potential changes for the future. One area they are closely considering is expanding the option of connected equipment. They view this as a win-win for both themselves and Testing Stations. For DVSA, connected equipment helps reduce errors, while the Testing Stations save a small amount of time double-keying information and also an element of time correcting the occasional error.” Frank concluded: “It has to be for each individual business to consider any investment in equipment and take a view on the potential pay back, however any small gain in efficiency should be considered given that the lack of skilled and competent staff is currently the sector’s greatest challenge.” Demand Commenting on the impact of the pandemic on MOTs, Anthony McAteer, Trading Director at LKQ Euro Car Parts said: “Over the last two years, the traditional MOT curve has been turned on its head. We’re anticipating this new curve to be around for many years to come yet, thanks to the reduction in new cars sales having an impact on the MOT market. It’s vital that garages are prepared to manage this demand.” Proactive Anthony continued: “The first step will be for garages to review their customer databases and identify exactly when customers’ MOTs are due. Vehicles are eligible for their service up to a month in advance of the official due date, so to streamline demand, we urge garages to proactively 42 AFTERMARKET FEBRUARY 2022 MOTS www.aftermarketonline.net The ongoing effects of 2020’s MOT Exemption and the roll-out of connected equipment continue to affect how MOT Test Stations operate KEEPING UP WITH THE MOT schedule drivers in for their tests. It can help to maintain revenue in quieter periods by spreading out work and ensuring a steady stream. This is doubly important when considering the upselling opportunities that MOT servicing creates. “Data has an important role to play in helping garages keeping on top of their workload which is welcome, when inbound work volumes are less predictable than they once were. Our garage management software CarSys, is fully integrated with HaynesPro, and it includes stock management, parts ordering and invoicing features to streamline workflow.” Then there is the issue of staffing: “If garages have total clarity and control over demand, workload and scheduling, they can identify whether more staff are needed, or if they have enough resource in-house already. Being able to bring in highly skilled replacements is key, to ensure garages don’t have to turn work away or keep customers waiting. That’s why we recommend Autotech Recruit, which can provide pre-screened, highly skilled technicians for temporary or permanent placements, during periods of high demand.” Common sense For GEA Chief Executive Julian Woods, the key issue around MOTs continues to be the DVSA’s ongoing roll-out of connected equipment: “The DVSA connected equipment programme was developed to help MOT stations by reducing the incidence of input errors when entering results into MTS, and obviously it also speeds up the process for the MOT tester. You need to ask yourself, why, with modern computer testing equipment, does an MOT Tester have to manually enter test results from either a printed results sheet or manually noted on a job sheet during the test, and then enter them into the DVSA MTS terminal to complete the MOT test? When using modern technology to generate testing results, the testing equipment should simply send these test results directly