Launch UK is aiming to kick-start the jump starter market with its new ESP-150 Battery Booster. Released in time for the winter season, the ESP 150 is designed for those moments when a vehicle just won’t start. It’s portable and has a battery capacity of 1500mAh to enable it to jump start a car up to 10 times.
MAHA UK has launched a LinkedIn page and subsequent advertising campaign to complement the brand’s Facebook page, which has reportedly been “an excellent tool to generate new leads and sales, as well as sharing updates from equipment installations and news from within the UK and other MAHA subsidiaries around the world”. Indeed, MAHA UK has pledged to not just increase its visibility online, but to provide followers with “valuable and exciting material”.
Randstad has introduced the AJD Tools brand into the UK aftermarket. Through AJD Tools technicians can purchase specific automotive and diagnostic tools. Technicians can also access a large product range from the well-known manufacturer, Hubitools, including inspection devices such as (video) endoscopes, videoscopes or electronical stethoscopes. AJD Tools has been created as a legacy to Randstad founder Anthony (‘Tony’) John Dowd, who sadly passed away at the start of 2021.
Recognising the proliferation of ADAS within the car parc and the servicing demand it brings, Corghi has expanded its product range, with the release of the Proadas. The new product enables the calibration of safety-critical front sensors such as camera, radar and lidar, and targets businesses ready to enter ADAS servicing with an “easy to use” solution. The Corghi Proadas is available in the UK via distributor Rema Tip Top and is compatible with most equipment produced by the brand’s parent company, the Nexion group.
The rise of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems within the European car parc is a fast-growing trend. Not only are many cars already fitted with ADAS, the standardisation of various forms of ADAS on new vehicles, coupled with their adoption within the fast-growing electrified car parc, ensure that the demand for ADAS-enabled vehicle servicing will continue to rise. Therefore the ability to service increasingly connected vehicles remains the most prominent consideration for servicing equipment suppliers. Everard, the UK distributor of Beissbarth equipment, notes that ADAS recalibration represents a necessary step in many routine maintenance jobs, calling it a natural extension to wheel alignment services. Altering wheel alignment often changes the alignment of sensors and cameras; for ADAS to work as vehicle manufacturers intend, it is vital that these components are carefully and accurately recalibrated.
New multinational “portfolio company” Repairify is making its industry bow at the US Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas. The company, part of Kinderhook Industries, LLC, includes asTech, the Texas automotive technology firm specialising in remote diagnostics that acquired Dunstable-based RED (EU) Ltd in March 2021, as well as other businesses engaged in automotive servicing, such as adasThink, BlueDriver, FleetGenix, and Mobile Tech RX. Repairify represents Kinderhook’s new strategic initiative to align this family of brands, with the aim to “emerge as a global leader in Automotive Technology and Intelligence to help the automotive collision, mechanical, and dealership sectors master the modern vehicle.”
Autogem has been praised as “an indispensable partner in the aftermarket to a great number of businesses” following its victory in the Tyre Industry Awards 2021 Aftermarket Equipment Supplier of the Year category. The UK provider of automotive chemicals, fasteners, hand tools, workshop consumables, and TPMS solutions was recognised for its adaptation during the pandemic as well as its investment in products and training support.
Marco Kempin – formerly managing director at Beissbarth GmbH – recently announced his departure at his own request after 14 years. However, it is now clear where he gone. The team at our German sister publication Reifenpresse.de citing Kfz-Betrieb report that he has therefore taken over the management of Hunter Deutschland GmbH succeeding Martin Adams in this position who retired in the spring.
After 14 years with the organization, Marco Kempin – Beissbarth GmbH managing director and CFO – has decided to leave the company in order to “embark on a new business role and challenge”. Kempin will leave the company at the end of September 2021.
Following the launch of its new “‘pay as you calibrate’ equipment”, it is worth considering where this move fits in terms of the company’s current business strategy. For anyone wondering, asTech is a Plano, Texas-based automotive technology firm specialising in remote diagnostics. So the first question we asked was who is asTech?
asTech launching what the company says is the industry’s first ADAS ‘pay as you calibrate’ initiative. The company is offering ADAS equipment with no upfront cost, and repairers will be able to pay as they use the equipment based on a small number of calibrations per week.
One of the UK’s leading independent vehicle repair groups, Motofix has extended its four-wheel alignment capabilities with a new Hunter wheel aligner, supplied and installed by UK distributor Pro-Align. The Towcester firm recently completed the latest installation at one of Motofix’s repair facilities in Northampton, allowing customers to access premium four-wheel alignment.
Launch UK has introduced a new diagnostic tool designed for challenging workshop conditions, the X-431 Euro Turbo. The tool is an upgrade of the Launch Pro S. Developed for the European market, the tool features Launch’s diagnostic software, which includes wide model coverage, powerful test functions, accurate test data, and numerous special functions.
Team Rosberg has been using products from Munich-based garage equipment specialists Beissbarth for years. Now, however, the cooperation has now been extended and means: Team Rosberg can further optimize its performance on the racetrack, while the Beissbarth developers can rely on the experience of a professional and successful racing team. This team is now using the RaceScales electronic corner weight scale and the innovative Q.Lign wheel alignment device and the employees were enthusiastic from day one.
The Tire Industry Association (TIA) board elected Keith Jarman, president of AME International in Brooksville, Florida, as secretary on 23 June during its summer board meeting in South Dakota. A TIA Board member for nine of the past 12 years, Jarman’s election places him in line to become the association’s president in 2023-2024. He currently chairs the board’s membership committee. Jarman will begin his year as secretary in November and will move through the various officer positions until he becomes president.
Launch UK
Maha UK
AJD Tools
Corghi
Beissbarth
asTech
Beissbarth; NRZ, Christian Marx
Beissbarth
asTech
Beissbarth
TIA