PMM Editor’s Viewpoint March 2018.
MOT and emissions are the flavours of the month in this March issue – and with good reason. It’s T minus three months until all MOT stations are required to adhere to new lower levels of emissions, as dictated by the Euro 6 standards. No doubt you’re already au fait with these standards, but it can’t hurt to cast your eye over pages 47 and 54 for guidance on the updates you might have to make to workshop equipment and software.
“With the repair trade becoming increasingly complex and competitive, diversification into lucrative new markets is a route worth exploring if you’re concerned about the longevity of your garage.”
Whilst evaluating whether your workshop is Euro 6-compliant, you might also want to consider your business’ sandwich consumption. Stay with me. This somewhat bizarre advice is based on a recent study, carried out by researchers at the University of Manchester, which examined the carbon footprint of sandwiches and uncovered some startling results. The researchers estimate, for instance, that a ready-made all-day breakfast sandwich generates 1,441g of carbon dioxide equivalent. That’s about the same level of emissions that would be generated from driving a car 12 miles.
It’s about time other industries came under as much scrutiny as the automotive sector on the subject of emissions. Perhaps supermarkets will soon have to adhere to their own version of the Euro 6 regulations!
Moving swiftly on to something altogether more serious; this issue contains valuable insight into the untapped potential of light commercial vehicle servicing (flick to page 22). Andy Savva, a man who needs no introduction, has been there and done it when it comes to winning local fleet work and generating extra revenue. In an exclusive article, he reveals the secrets behind his success. With the repair trade becoming increasingly complex and competitive, diversification into lucrative new markets is a route worth exploring if you’re concerned about the longevity of your garage.
On the topic of longevity, I recently stumbled across a news feature online which considered the probability of full-scale automation in various lines of work in the next 20 years. Upon searching for ‘automotive technician’, the following result appeared: 65% likelihood of automation. If this is to be believed, there is a two in three chance that technicians will be losing their jobs to robots by the late 2030s.
If you’re the owner or manager of a workshop, you’ll be delighted to hear that your outlook is far more positive – there’s only a 25% chance that you’ll lose out to a mechanised rival. Quite how this is considered a possibility, I don’t know. For a robot to actually ‘own’ a workshop, it would presumably have to consult an accountant, open a bank account, make you an offer, and then begin running the business. Unlikely, I would say.
And as for me. Well, I thought I was safe from the robot job invasion until I heard about a recent issue of Stylist magazine, which was apparently written entirely by robots. The editor’s viewpoint was a bit sketchy (imagine that…), but the overall end product was frighteningly accomplished.
In this issue there’s plenty of useful technical, business and product information to arm yourself with. The robot overlords aren’t wrestling this industry off us without a fight!
