This year’s Collision Repair Expo had a special guest from ‘across the pond’. Bill Hanvey, the President and CEO of Auto Care Association (ACA) USA made his way to Australia to speak at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Hanvey represents the entire supply chain of the independent automotive aftermarket in the United States.
With a jam packed schedule, Hanvey presented on panels across three seminars, including the Right to Repair, Global Automotive Aftermarket Trends and Skills Shortages.
NCR sat down with Hanvey at the Expo to gain further insight into Hanvey’s extensive knowledge in the automotive aftermarket.
“I feel very honoured to be brought here to talk about the United States and pass on our knowledge,” Hanvey says.
Hanvey is a strong advocate for unifying the industry through solid communication and collaborative work.
“The key thing that we can learn together, whether you are in Australia, or in the States, or New Zealand, is that our industry’s similarities are much more aligned than our dissimilarities.
“And that we can work collectively on the issues that face our industry is more productive.”
With over 35 years in the automotive industry, Hanvey broke down three keys pillars in pushing the sector to the next level.
“The key pillars are identifying good talent to work in the industry, elevating the image of the industry, and thirdly, understanding the issues that are in play on both sides of the pond,” Hanvey says.
“The main message from me, is that if we collaborate and work on these issues together it is much more effective.”
Identifying good talent also means finding good talent to support the industry. Hanvey, the ACA, and the AAAA are focussed on lifting the image of automotive careers, one that is not just about ‘getting your hands dirty’.
The high-tech industry is something to be celebrated, however, public perception still needs improvement.
“Unfortunately, the perception of the industry has not changed as quickly as the technology has in the industry. That is something that the AAAA is working on in Australia, and Auto Care in the United States is also working on.”
“It is really important to communicate to young men and women when making career choices how technologically advanced the industry is.”
“Education is a crucial mechanism to ensure our industry is sustainable and continues to grow.”
Hanvey outlined how Australia’s industry differs from the United States, with diversity being a key difference.
“Australia has a much more diverse vehicle population than the United States. There are a lot of different players. New Zealand also has tremendous diversity in their vehicles in operation. So yes, I think that the Australian automotive industry is an agile one.”
Despite the differences in the aftermarket and legislation, Hanvey is dedicated to collaborating with Australia and New Zealand in growing the capacity of the automotive industry.
“We can all learn from each other.”