Conference “Car repair at the center of the automotive market revolution. Prospects and development opportunities”.

Source: press office Confartigianato Imprese Marca Trevigiana

CAR REPAIR AT THE CENTER OF THE AUTOMOTIVE MARKET REVOLUTION. PROSPECTS AND DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Conference Thursday 20 July 2023, 8.30 p.m. headquarters of Confartigianato Imprese Marca Trevigiana – Piazza delle Istituzioni 34/A, Treviso

The future, between risks and opportunities, of car repair and body shops. A sector grappling with the new scenarios of the automotive industry to which is added the revolution in the sale of cars and spare parts and will explore these focuses at the conference “CAR REPAIRS AT THE CENTRE OF THE REVOLUTION OF THE AUTO MARKET. PROSPECTS AND DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES”, organised by the Car Repair Group of Confartigianato Imprese Marca Trevigiana, which will take place on Thursday 20 July 2023 at 8.30 pm at the headquarters of Confartigianato Imprese Marca Trevigiana in Piazza delle Istituzioni 34/A in Treviso.

We car repairers are called upon to quickly prepare ourselves to face the paradigm shift taking place in the automotive world – says Gianluigi Buosi, president of the automotive group of Confartigianato IMT. The technological innovations introduced by electric mobility and emission reduction regulations, together with the commercial revolution in the world of car sales, have a significant impact on our work.

These problems are in addition to endogenous risk factors, from the chronic shortage of specialised personnel to the lack of generational change. There is a revolution underway in the entire car maintenance sector – adds Gianluigi Buosi – where even the central role of dealerships is being called into question. This could even open up opportunities to increase their strategic role within the automotive ecosystem.
The big transformations and mergers taking place within the commercial networks, added to the increase in online sales, are already causing problems related to the availability of maintenance and repair services in the territory. We believe –  emphasises President Buosi – that closer cooperation between independent garages, body shops and dealerships could be the key to solving these problems. We are convinced that garages that know how to govern these changes and manage communication effectively, by improving their business organisation, will be able to continue to operate in the market profitably and develop successfully.

The aim of the meeting promoted by Confartigianato is precisely to provide useful indications to those garages that want to enter this development perspective. During the evening, in fact, the commercial strategies being implemented by car manufacturers, the impact of technology and the main automotive drivers (connected cars, assisted driving, new forms of mobility) on the daily work of garages, as well as the role of the major players in the spare parts market will be analysed.

A focus will be dedicated to the needs and behaviour of our customers –  says Antonio Danesin, president of the bodywork community of Confartigianato Imprese Marca Trevigiana, who still need ‘traditional’ services, but who are simultaneously ready to use the available technology. The advent of the electric car will not affect our work any time soon. Things will change, with a drop in annual maintenance costs of around 40 per cent and a reversal of the typical ratio of spare parts to labour, but not before 2030, when the percentage of electric cars on the road is expected to be around 15 per cent. Looking ahead – Danesin concludes – we believe there are still opportunities to meet the challenges of the market. Paths of change in the company organisation towards a more entrepreneurial model appear to be fundamental, while from a strictly technical point of view it will be necessary to further increase investment in staff training and in digital skills.