More often than not within the pages of Aftermarket, we will refer to the fact that the internal make-up of vehicles has changed greatly in recent years, and that the shift towards electrification is accelerating the process further. No one knows this more than companies making parts, be they OE, Tier One or going straight into the aftermarket. Wanting to show the world more about the work that go into producing the EGR valves, air mass meters, exhaust pressure sensors and many other parts that they make, SMP Europe recently invited the press to take a peek inside their UK engineering centre in Nottinghamshire in order to shed some light on how their products go from an idea to being a physical item in the hand. With manufacturing taking place both at home and in Torun, Poland, the primary purpose for touring the UK site was to find out how the team take products from idea to prototype at as rapid a pace as is practical, get them tested and then get them into full production. The company chose a good time to open the doors too, particularly when looking towards the EV side. With electric cars of all types becoming more common, garages are 56 AFTERMARKET APRIL 2023 ON THE ROAD www.aftermarketonline.net SMP Europe recently pulled back the curtain, and Aftermarket was there to learn more about all the work that goes into producing all those parts starting to think about the need to get parts, and realising that it is not easy. SMP Europe are already thinking in this direction, and they have even put in an EV garage on site for testing on the vehicle itself, but we are getting ahead of ourselves here. We will come to that later. Above: Inside SMP Europe Nottingham TO THE HIGHEST STANDARD
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