From our own perspective, we can say that this year was very positive
We sum up the past year and think about the plans for 2021. Motofaktor.pl asks the aftermarket industry representatives how they assess the past twelve months of 2020, what changes have occurred in their companies and what challenges are ahead of the industry in the coming 2021.
Interview with Maciej Oleksowicz, President of the Management Board of Inter Cars S.A.
How do you assess the past year on the aftermarket in Poland and other European countries?
I personally think that from our perspective it was a very positive year. Despite numerous restrictions and dramatic decline in mobility in some of the months, we end the year with increases. It is worth noting that at the same time, the entire aftermarket has as such grown strong with regard to OE showing that the most important thing is a good service and availability of parts.
Already at the beginning of the pandemic, Inter Cars decided to significantly increase the number of orders that can protect us from limitations on the part of production and any potential breaking of the supply chain. We have taken the risk, but today, we know that this was a good decision. In critical moments, we tried to help car services cooperating with us as much as we could, hence the idea of e.g. #pomagamypomagać campaign [“we help in helping”] run together with suppliers as part of which we have sent protective packages to 10,000 car services all over Poland as well as provided them with knowledge during webinars and marketing materials.
At the end of the year, we started a second edition of the initiative, this time 8,500 workshops will receive special safety packages. We want our partner workshops to be well prepared for consumer service during the current pandemic.
What are the three most important changes that occurred in the company last year?
Inter Cars is returning to its roots and focuses primarily on providing car workshops with the best possible service. We optimise each detail of all processes in order to ensure the highest quality of service under the best possible terms for our clients. This, of course also involves the development of our e-tools: we are constantly modernising and developing new, innovative tools – e-Cat that will enable clients to order parts in their browser, without the need to install any additional software. The tool will first be available in a mobile version, and then, within next few months, in the desktop version, as well.
At the same time, last year, thanks to the optimisation of internal processes, we managed to lower the prices of many products, so that they could be better adapted to the market. Internally – as an organisation – we have learnt to make crucial decisions faster.
What are the challenges the industry will face in 2021?
The future of the industry looks optimistic. We are not able to foresee the impact of the pandemic and the economic perturbations on the mobility of the society all over the world. We do not know the new restrictions which surprise each of us. However, I know, that strong aftermarket is the guarantee that a driver will get the best service at a reasonable price. As always, the challenge will be to quickly adapt to the rapidly changing surroundings.
