The Executive Board of Axle Group Holding Limited are pleased to report significant progress in the roll out of it’s three-year, £12m inward investment strategy, which it announced in March.
The strategy had three core pillars;
The first pillar was investment in Axle’s network infrastructure including a significant capital investment in refurbishing its 240-strong National Tyres and Autocare branch portfolio. Axle Group reports that works are already underway with a significant proportion of the network now designated and prioritised for refurbishment. The first three branches fully completed are Crewe, Orpington and Altrincham. The programme builds substantial momentum in Q1 2019 as planning applications are approved.
The second pillar was investment in equipment driven by technological advances and the increasing complexity of vehicle repairs, particularly within diagnostics and wheel alignment. The Group confirms that a network-wide rollout of a new diagnostics tool is due to be completed by the end of the year. The new tool, the ServicePad 8, is one of the most reliable and all-encompassing diagnostic tools available on the market today. Its vast vehicle coverage and powerful specialist test functions coupled with its large 8” screen and Bluetooth capability has been specifically designed for ease of use in the workshop environment and has been extremely well received by National’s autocare technicians.
In addition, the first phase of new wheel alignment equipment is being rolled out to almost 50 branches between now and the end of February. The British made Supertracker STR130RW 6-sensor wheel aligner has one of the most extensive vehicle databases available, it produces both graphical and tabular printouts of alignment readings, including simultaneous camber, castor and toe measurements; is accurate to within 0.01mm and provides technicians with three dimensional help screens to aid the re-alignment process.
The final pillar was upgrading IT systems, which plays a pivotal role in the business, helping to realise operational efficiencies and improve the overall customer experience. After extensive research, the Group has now agreed a strategy which will see its legacy systems replaced with a new bespoke and modular resource planning system (encompassing finance, accounting, human resources, inventory management etc.); a new font-end EPOS system for its branch network and a custom built management information system, all of which will be interactive, intuitive and scalable.
Additionally the company has already introduced new tablet devices across its entire mobile tyre fitting fleet which is already delivering important improvements in customer service and operational productivity.
Alan Revie, Chairman of Axle Group commented, “I am delighted to report significant progress with our inward investment strategy and I now expect to see momentum build as the fundamental building blocks are now agreed. As a business we are on course to deliver a record sales performance in 2018 in spite of challenging market conditions. This performance is a testament to the strength of the brand; our customer service culture; our continual investment in the business and our operational and management expertise.”
A copy of the press release and images can be found here Axle Group provides progress update on £12m investment strategy.zip
