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You may have seen, heard or felt the grapevine twitter with news of news that John has been working on a “network” for Amica.
For the benefit of this room and, I so hope, this room only…
The calls have started but, there’s a lot not already in the wild as it were so a little bit of a heads up here.
We are not building a “network” (dear God I so hate that term as it’s been so misaligned with the reality of the meaning in this industry) but what we are doing is facilitating, as I/we have always done, the manufacturer or source of work dealing directly with the repairers.
What this means is that the repairers get the maximum revenue possible. End of story, that’s the object of the thing.
I/we can earn in other ways that doesn’t impact the repairers, just as I have always maintained that we can and, I intend to stick to that thinking and to ensure that UKW, ISE and Uncle Tom Cobbly do too.
I have always stated, quite categorically, that UKW would never, ever take money from the independent repairers (the small ones anyways) for any basic services we delivered that didn’t deliver something tangible. I’ve not changed my opinion on that score. To that end, we won’t be taking a “management fee” of any sort from anyone that comes to us but, we will screw whoever to pay the maximum to the repairers. That is the way it should be IMO, we can earn revenue in other ways.
It is however true that we have been asked by Amica, as partners in the endeavour, to organise service work on their behalf. This is simply because we do things a bit differently from the rest of the pack and it’s a lot more involved than most offerings. By that I mean, Amica are much more involved that they would typically be.
There are also other benefits to UKW/ISE but the big one for me, personally, is that a pukka manufacturer sees things the way I do. They aren’t forced to go down a well trodden path to get mediocre results when they can choose to do things just slightly differently and perhaps get outstanding results.
My opinion is simple. Independent repairers dealing directly with manufacturers and the backup that brings deliver results and, results that are by far and away superior to any other route, end of story.
John, Sean and I have, to a degree, stuck our necks on the block to prove this with Amica. Those two, along with a few other lunatics and radicals that seem to think that this industry can actually change are well up for giving this a punt and proving that things can change. I left myself out there as everyone knows I’m both a lunatic AND a radical. 🙂
What John primarily and I have managed to pull off is industry leading rates, again. All the work to independents. Good communication directly with factory. Spares and tech info freely available. Training we hope either locally or at factory although we’ve yet to get that confirmed. And, a heap of other things that is all good.
In time we also hope to have seller-service in play for Amica. They’re keen to do it but that’s going to take some months to get sorted out so everyone’s happy.
Parts will be held by UKW as per ISE. I’m not saying we’re perfect by any stretch but we have to start somewhere on this and I wasn’t comfortable handing over the spares and tech stuff to anyone else and, that’s not a slight on anyone at all. I just think that, given time, we can do better than what’s out there now. What I will promise is no stupid mark ups on spares to trade or, even the public. It will be sensible.
In the end though a lot of this is in the hands of the repairers. If they do a good job and don’t take the proverbial, we’ll all be fine. If they c0ck it up, we’ll never escape the stigma of it.
It really is that important.
So please, if you do get some Amica work or, anything else that may float our way, don’t c0ck it up!
For once we do actually have it within our power to start a change in the industry. It’s only a start I grant you, but it’s better than no hope of change at all.
What I have in mind going forward is still more radical and, to some extent, the gloves are off, the shackles removed and I’m in a fighting mood.
Due to that, Amica isn’t the only company that’s curious, intrigued or just plain interested in what we’re doing. I’d like the repairers to capitalise on that, I’m sure I don’t have to lecture on what that means we have to do.
K.
Re: Work Offer Stuff
How radical do they want the network to be?
I’ve said this before several times and it’s worth repeating. Just issue, say, the top ten spares movers in each product group throughout the spares network and watch the “turn up and fix it first time” rate soar.
Amica will look good, repair network looks good, customers will be happy.
And, as we all know, spares really cost pennies anyway.
Sooner or later, somebody has to see the easy, obvious logic to this.
Chris.
Re: Work Offer Stuff
I don’t know if we can replace the “networks” mentioned, I really don’t. I wish I could be more “we can do it” or telling you all that we had a bunch of work to hand out. I wish we did but, small steps…
What I’ve been trying to do is build a structure that will endure. I don’t just mean for a few years, but for decades. I don’t know if I can pull it off and I don’t even know if it’s possible. Or, if it will work.
What I do know is that nothing was ever lost from trying something new. Any way the chips fall, you learn.
I also know that just little old me can’t do sh1t on my own. I need others to help. I can do the strategy, deliver the tools to move forward but I need a lot of help from others to prove what I am pitching.
My goal, is to build a pool of engineers for contract work, sure. But not in the traditional sense of a so-called “network” as we understand the term now, as misaligned as it is. I also would like things to be a lot more targeted to the skills and geographies than they currently are (to maximise repairer efficiency and profit) and, there are ways to accomplish that. Has been for years, just nobody appears to want to think outside their own little kingdom. I’ve no interest in building around that model, I do however have an interest in building things to suit the repairers, all of them.
I want to be inclusive as possible, not as most are as things stand now, as exclusive as possible.
I can guarantee you that there are people that won’t like this way of thinking or working at all but, you can’t please all the people all the time. So, some folk are just plain not going to like what I’m up to as it involves change. I’ll bring myself to live with that.
Some of the stuff I’m up to people just sit with their jaw dangling wondering why in the hell it’s not been done before and at the thought of just how radical what I’m trying to get to actually is. That says to me I’m doing something right.
Shock and awe baby, can’t beat it as the Yanks would say! 😆
Sadly, we have to tread lightly so I can’t do that. 😕
Amica is only a piece of a larger puzzle. It’s a start basically. Well, actually, repairs@ was the start of it, but I’ll gloss…
ISE is another part of what’s in my head, but only a part.
Most things I do and say form a part of the tapestry. You just need to have a little patience and a bit of trust in what I’m trying to do. To explain it is nigh on impossible without writing a book.
But I did say right at the very start that I wanted to change the industry for the benefit of the repairers. The traditional vehicles, I don’t think, are designed for the benefit of the repairers, more like they are designed to benefit everyone but the repairers but hey, that’s just my personal opinion of things.
And, like so many things, I haven’t changed in that opinion.
I also haven’t changed in my opinion that the guys that have multiple engineers, sole traders and everyone in between can all co-exist quite happily together. The trick is to act as a collective of engineers, not as disparate groups or individuals all fighting over the same slice of the pie.
Maybe, just maybe, if we can act as a professional collective with respect and integrity perhaps, just perhaps, we can beat the incumbents at their own game. Who knows.
I think it’s worth a punt.
To that end, I’m investing rather a lot of time and a fair old bit of my own cash on betting that we can.
Just remember though, please, I can’t do this alone. If you really want to upset the industry and force change, hopefully for our benefit, I will need a bit of help and backup. It’s a team sport.
K.
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