Aftermarket May 2022

NEWS 6 AFTERMARKET MAY 2022 www.aftermarketonline.net DVSA to work with IAAF as illegal brake parts revealed Three out of eight aftermarket brake pads tested by the DVSA’s Market Surveillance Unit failed to meet UNECE R90 performance requirements, and the government body says it will work with the IAAF to address the problem. DVSA was testing the compliance of both OEM and aftermarket braking components. Additional investigation exposed that approval documents for the three failed parts were bogus, and that the component and associated packaging were incorrect as they showed an unrelated approval number. The brands in question were ordered to remove the brake pads from sale, and the approval authority was also told about the incorrect use of their approval. Ian Bartlett, Senior Engineer, Vehicle Safety & Market Surveillance Unit, said: “The findings from this work have proved that the current quality systems used by these producers and distributors have allowed the sale of incorrect brake pads. We will use this period to educate the market to ensure that corrective action can be taken to prevent further occurrence.” IAAF Chief Executive Mark Field added: “It’s clear that more work needs to be done on re- educating parts of the market on the requirements of regulation R90, both for pads and discs, something which IAAF will look to support the market with in the coming months. It’s also evident from DVSA that every business in the supply chain – garages, motor factors, suppliers – has a responsibility to ensure the parts they sell and fit meet the regulations for which they were intended.” The IMI has published the final Report from its Diversity Task Force, which cited the lack of diverse role models in the automotive sector as a key problem, and has set out five steps that could change the situation in the industry. The Diversity Task Force is led by IMI President Professor Jim Saker and IMI Chief Operating Officer Lesley Woolley and is sponsored by IMI CEO Steve Nash. Commenting on the findings, Professor Saker said: “What has been particularly striking is that the lack of diversity, which unfortunately is already poor in our sector, becomes even more pronounced the higher up the pay-grade.” New analysis from the IMI has found that automotive vacancies have hit more than 23,000 or around 4% of the workforce. This is the highest level in 20 years. Analysis of ONS data for the sector has found that the 5% of non- white-British in senior roles in automotive retail is much smaller than non-white-British individuals in senior roles not in automotive, which sits at 13%. Meanwhile, 19% of senior roles are occupied by women in automotive compared to 39% in the non-automotive workforce. Lesley Woolley added: “All the Task Force working groups said that culture needs to change, behaviours need to change. That change needs buy-in from senior leadership. Each of the working groups also call for the industry to openly share more data on the make-up of the workforce to provide the benchmark to reflect on and measure against.” The five steps suggested by the report that could change the situation are: 1. Strategic Importance: Put diversity and inclusion on every board and senior leadership team agenda 2. Know your Workforce: Understand staff through better data collection/communication 3. Small changes, big difference: Ask staff what changes would make a big difference 4. New Perspective: Review everything through a lens of diversity, equity and inclusion, and collaborate to create an inclusive environment 5. Change Perceptions: Showcase diverse senior leadership team or use diverse role models in outreach programmes for schools. Professor Saker concluded: “Through the enormous commitment made by so many, both from within and outside automotive, we have been able to deliver a Report that I believe provides the catalyst for organisations to make changes that will make a real difference.” To download the Diversity Task Force Report, go to: https://bit.ly/3JtUpvB IMI publishes Diversity Task Force Report Follow us on Facebook @aftermarketmagazine