APRIL 2023 AFTERMARKET 59 www.aftermarketonline.net decided to focus on about 10 or 12 customers that I work for on a regular basis. It's a lot more manageable, and some of those customers have been allocated set times each week. So, Tuesday morning I'll work for one particular chap, Wednesday morning I'll work for another one, and so on. The one on the Wednesday morning has a full morning every week without fail. We're even getting to the stage where one of the younger members of his staff is actually working with me. I'll do an initial diagnosis, but if anything wants stripping like a bumper off or anything like that, he'll do it while I'm doing something else.” Even after John rationalised his customer base, it keeps trying to increase again: “There is a fair bit of work and it's growing all the time. I think a lot of it is still down to the garages that just aren't invested in training and equipment. I've had conversations with customers when I mentioned this retirement thing and they said ‘no, that's not going to happen, what do we need to do to keep you?’ These are very loyal customers. I've been to one today, I’ll ring him up, he says he wants a job doing. I say I’ll come and he will reply ‘brilliant, I'll get the wife to bake a cake.’ It’s that sort of friendly rapport that I have with a customer that I really like.” John started his career at York Council: “I did an apprenticeship on a variety of vehicles; Lawnmowers, tractors, cars, vans, trucks, buses, a good grounding. I then specialised in auto electrical and diesel diagnostic work for a local Lucas specialist. Predominantly what I was doing for them was what we called out work. They had a workshop, but they had a group of lads going out doing work for commercial garages. The majority of what I was doing was trucks and I left there to work for a Mercedes truck dealer to get more experience on the franchised side. Next, I went to work for a Ford car dealership, which again, gave me a bit of grounding on the car side. Then eventually took the plunge and did it for myself. I was initially doing anything that garages were struggling with; Clutches, timing belts, turbos, that sort of thing. As I was starting to invest in diagnostic equipment, I was having to go down that road to get a return on the investment. It's really a case of tailoring your business to the local market. I haven't done everything. I've done what I feel that is needed and what I can make money doing.” Staying ahead As we mentioned, John was the runner-up in 2022’s Top Technician. “I've done it pretty much since 2008. I was in the semi-final in 2011, and then again in 2022, and then went all the way to the final, coming second. In all honesty, some years I tend to put more effort in some years more than others due to the demands of what I'm doing but usually I do reasonably well. When I got to the semi-final last year, I noticed a massive difference between the semi-final I did over a decade ago, and the current one. Obviously, there was a lot more EV and hybrid stuff in it, which is stuff that I'm working on.” As for 2023, he has already entered. So, watch this space. Looking ahead, John intends to stay ahead of the technology: “I want to get more heavily involved in EVs and even hydrogen. I've already registered with James Dillon. He's looking to run hydrogen training classes. I've done the NOx reduction. It might seem like it has got a limited life, because new diesel sales are going to be banned within the next ten years, but they are still going to be out there and will still been repaired. Training, training, training; that's what you've got to do, and try to get as much experience as you can. That is the future. I don't foresee myself taking on premises and working like that because it would be too restrictive. The customers that I work for allow me the use of their garage and all the facilities I would ever need to do their jobs. And, to be fair, my own jobs. I'll still be mobile in another five years. Probably looking towards retirement, to be fair, but I’m going to keep training, keep researching new technology, and hopefully I’ll be working on it and diagnosing it.” Training, training, training; that's what you've got to do, and try to get as much experience as you can ”
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