Invest in the professionalism of operators, in technological innovation, and be resilient. For Gianfranco Crosta, Pgm of Vamag, these are the elements on which the self-repair sector must focus in order to be increasingly competitive in a rapidly changing world.
President Crosta, we know that you do not prefer the term 4.0, but do you not think that it is from what lies behind this concept that we must start if we want to remain competitive in the field of self-repair.
“I think the term 4.0 most used in industry has been excessively abused where it indicates a trend in industrial automation that integrates some new production technologies to improve working conditions, create new business models and increase the productivity and production quality of the plants. A definition that is ill-suited to commercial and artistic activities, much less to tyre dealers rather than bodyworkers. However, we believe that in the definition of Industry 4.0 there are the prerequisites for growth also in the craft and commercial sector to which our production refers, our Dynamic Acceptance is a concrete example, which integrates new production technologies, improves the working conditions of the customer thanks, among other peculiarities, to the "OneStop" system and the innovative proprietary software capable of processing in a few seconds data and information collected from the dynamic test generating a complete report on the state of health of the vehicle and therefore offering commercial opportunities in a highly professional manner. It is true that Acceptance alone does not do justice to the innovation needed if it is not supported and integrated by a design that redesigns not only spaces and workflows, but above all the working method that must be reviewed at the heart of its own business, which must lead to the professional growth of customers transforming them from artisans to entrepreneurs ".
Next year you will celebrate 40 years of activity. What were your strengths?
“The distinctive features of these years have been two: professional skills and technological innovations. In forty years we have always tried to invest in these two aspects so as to remain competitive on the market. Today we are able to design a complete workshop, sit with customers and offer targeted advice not only on the equipment but also on the customer's business growth ".
How do you support your customers?
“We help them increase processing and services, automate work processes and digitize their business. When we define “Workshop Connected 4.0” as a workshop designed by us, we mean it in its last stage of growth, equipped with equipment that can connect to each other and that can provide data and numbers. We are convinced that the real and useful goal for the customer, starting today, is to always collect data, at every entry and processing, because with these they can immediately transform them into potential sales rather than processing them later to understand the numbers of their company, study room for improvement, do marketing, optimize the purchasing processes of spare parts and consumables and much more ".
It seems that “data analysis” is essential for your business and for the support you give to your partners.
“Yes, we put connectivity and data collection at the heart of the business. The entire range of our production, wheel aligners, power test benches, all the revision tools, acceptance, is able to do all this and from each of these equipment we collect essential numbers and generate useful reports for the choices and solutions to be adopted. We are aware that it may seem too futuristic, but we are also convinced, also because of Covid, that time has arrived: either you change quickly or there is no longer a chance of obtaining sufficient margins for survival with current working and commercial habits. Workshops are slow, yes in processing but even more so in commercial and marketing activities, now a fundamental weapon to generate income, margins and strategies ".
You said “futuristic vision”. However, there are activities that move slowly in the field of innovation. Isn't there a risk that many will fall behind?
“Yes, there are activities thirty years old and over, managed by those who have dreamed of leaving their work history to their children without nullifying years of sacrifice that are now at a crossroads. It is towards them, given the trust that many of them have given us over the years using our equipment, that we feel that we have a moral obligation to accompany them in a new phase of their activity. Focusing also on the younger generations who are more enterprising, accustomed to using technology, more “smart” and probably graduates. We have already started an awareness-raising process for a long time. Through our network of distributors we are organizing forums and meetings directly with the market throughout the country in order to share ideas and perspectives with them so as to define together the workshop that will come. Start a growth path with them, being able to immediately help them change the current business model, make them real “multiservice", make them “dynamic” in acceptance, add skills and maybe “graduate” them at the new "Vamag Academy", increase their automation and connection in small steps until reaching the goal. It will be a huge change ”.
