The Society of the Irish Motor Industry

INdUSTRY 

IrIsh Motor 

ManageMent 

the soCIetY oF the IrIsh Motor InDUstrY JUlY/aUgUst 2008 

Managing the 

challenges 

ahead - 

interview with 

director general alan nolan 

Building an opel 

Used car sales 

aftermarket 

[ IRISH MOTOR MANAGEMENTJULY/AUGUST2008 1 ]

SIMI disappointed at reporting on wage round 

Members will be aware that SIMI does not normally get involved in 

public debate regarding industrial relations in the industry, preferring 

to carry on our own strategies quietly in a business-like manner. 

We were, though, hugely disappointed at comments, attributed to 

the trade unions in media reports, which appeared to suggest that 

the SIMI Wage Agreement was achieved in the aftermath of the 

breakdown in the national negotiations between the social partners 

and that it was in some way a return to local bargaining. At very best 

this is inaccurate. 

SIMI has never been a part of the National Agreement mechanism 

involving the other social partners but we have been committed 

to our own Motor Industry National Agreements for almost thirty 

years now. Even when there were no agreements reached between 

the other social partners and free-for-all bargaining ensued, SIMI 

continued to negotiate National Motor Industry Agreements. Our 

current agreement has to be seen in this context; part of a national 

system that has continued unbroken for just on thirty years. 

The current round was actually negotiated in the first quarter of the 

year, having carried over from 2007, the agreement being an interim 

one, pending the outcome of the national talks between the social 

partners, which would clearly influence the shape of our own final 

agreement. Our interim agreement was actually finalised before the 

national talks even commenced discussions on the wage increase 

element, so to portray it as a consequence of the collapse of the 

other talks is very far from reality. 

What is most disappointing is that the comments completely ignore 

the timing involved. Our agreement was ratified by our National 

Executive Council much earlier in the year at a time when the 

economic and trading outlook was not as challenging as it has 

now turned out to be. While the industry values the stability that 

our National Agreements provide, it is clear that the trade unions 

CONTENTS 

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry 

5 Upper Pembroke Street, Dublin 2. 

Tel: 01 - 6761690 Fax: 01 - 6619213 

Email: info@simi.ie 

Web: www.simi.ie 

President: Paul Flanagan 

Castrol Ireland 

Deputy President: Mike Finlay 

Honorary Treasurer: Tony Maher 

Gowan Distributors 

Director General: Alan Nolan 

Editor: Bernard Potter 

Commercial Director: Rebecca Markey 

Design: Niall O'Brien 

Production 

Ciarán Brougham 

Martin Whelan 

Michael Ryan 

Barry Sheehan 

Financial Director: Mai Markey 

Accounts: Tricia Murtagh 

Administration & Subscriptions: Zara White 

Photography: Daniel White, Dave Cullen 

Printing: Walsh Print 

Chief Executive: David Markey 

Publishers: IFP Media Limited 

Irish Motor Management 

31 Deansgrange Road, Blackrock, 

Co Dublin 

Tel: (01) 2893305 

Fax: (01) 2896406 

Email: paddy@ifpmedia.com 

The views expressed in this magazine should not 

be interpreted as the official policy of the SIMI or 

of IFP Media Limited, nor does the 

publication of product information or any 

advertisements imply the 

recommendation of the SIMI. 

Copyright IFP Media Limited 2008. 

No part of this publication may be 

reproduced in any material form without express 

written permission from the publishers. 

5 

SIMI News 

New car sales up for July. 

12 

Statistics 

2008’s top sellers. 

14 

Industry News 

Portugal and Renault Nissan 

Alliance in zero emission 

partnership. Merlin launch 

two-lane auction system. 

20 

director General 

Interview 

Alan Nolan, Director 

General, SIMI discusses key 

issues facing the industry. 

would face a far greater challenge delivering any agreement on a 

wage increase in our industry today, than was the case when this 

agreement was negotiated. 

As an industry we have faced the problem of comparisons with 

enormously inflated craft rates available in other sectors over recent 

years and we have at all times worked hard to avoid the trap of 

pricing people out of jobs by agreeing unrealistic rates. Yet at the 

same time we need to value our technicians and reward them to the 

degree that we can continue to attract and retain top class people in 

our industry. 

It was in this context that we took the innovative step of negotiating 

a National Agreement for our industry on total package rather than on 

basic, including a potential bonus element that should deliver good 

earning potential for technicians when they are working efficiently 

and there is a supply of work available. This model provided us with 

a more sensible approach than the excessive rates that may have 

been implemented in other sectors. Although the agreement on 

bonus earnings was finalised over two years ago with the final phase 

implemented in 2007, it appears to have been cited, misleadingly, 

as an additional concession in the current round that would have 

increased the percentage value of the Agreement. 

Having to deal with this is particularly disappointing at a time when 

we are facing very serious challenges in our industry, particularly 

the falling values of used cars in stock and, most important of all, 

seeking to ensure that dealers can clear current stocks in preparation 

for January 2009. I would have preferred if this editorial could have 

focused on those issues but it was important for us to ensure that the 

record is put straight on the wage round issue. 

Alan Nolan, Director General 

23 

Aftermarket 

Aftermarket sector news. 

30 

New vehicles 

The latest on new vehicles. 

32 

SIMI Training Courses 

September/October courses. 

33 

Moving used car stock 

Driving sales in the used car 

sector. 

35 

dealer Management 

sysytems 

An overview of some of the 

leading automotive dealer 

management system (DMS) 

packages available. 

EdITORIAL 

41 

Waste tyre management 

Voluntary compliance 

scheme for tyre industry 

operators. 

43 

Building an Opel 

Opel’s manufacturing 

secrets. 

47 

Finance 

Long-term planning. 

49 

Sports and social 

An invitation to join the Irish 

Motor & Cycle Trades Golfing 

Association. 


neC targets moves to 

drive customer interest 

The recent meeting of the NEC discussed a 

number of ideas as to how the car market 

could be stimulated. Many ideas were 

suggested, including the following: 

l Valuations guide – introduction of a new 

valuations guide for used cars would be 

vital in helping dealers calculate the 

values of their trade-ins; 

l Scrappage scheme by SIMI dealers, 

whereby older high polluting vehicles 

would receive a scrappage discount from 

dealers when they are traded-in against 

a 06 or 07 used car. Alternatively, a state 

scrappage scheme could be introduced 

so that customers buying new cars would 

get a VRT refund when they scrapped 

their old high polluting vehicle. 

l Training and advice from SIMI to 

members on how to sell existing used car 

stock; 

l Promotion of the benefits of buying a 

used Irish car over a used import, noting 

the certainty and protection a customer 

has when buying a car from their local 

dealer. 

SIMI NEWS 

Carhistorycheck soon to be available for testing 

The updated Carhistorycheck website will be available for testing shortly, 

and will incorporate an easy to use dashboard including “warning” flags 

on certain vehicles where appropriate, Emma Byrne, Corporate Services 

Executive, SIMI told the recent NEC meeting. 

Already 60,000 checks had been made by members on the site this year, 

with a number of dealers being in a position to refuse dubious cars as a 

result of information gained from a check. The Society was in discussion with 

suppliers of both Dealer Management Systems and Parts Catalogues with a 

view to integration between these systems and Carhistorycheck. 

The website initiative is designed to reduce the risk of passing on cars that 

are stolen, have had their odometer tampered with, or have been written 

off by insurance companies. 

The SIMI-sponsored site is a joint venture with Experian and is aimed at car 

dealers and others involved in the trade. It requires users to register before 

they can gain access. Once registration has been accepted by SIMI, users 

can search for cars in seconds on the website just by using the car’s Vehicle 

Identification Number (VIN) or its registration plate details. 

The site also provides car dealers with an official SIMI Service History Check 

Certificate and, for a fee, will perform a finance check to ensure there are 

no outstanding finance agreements on the vehicle. 

Because the site requires users to input the current odometer reading, it 

can also be used to build up an accurate picture of the correct mileage over 

a period of time, something that will instantly red flag a car that has been 

‘clocked’. 

The checks can be performed on any car registered in the Republic of Ireland 

or the UK, and details on some imported cars are also accessible. 


SIMI NEWS 

new car sales up 24% for July 

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry have just released 

figures for new car sales for July. The new cars figure sold in 

July 2008 (16,386) was up 24.61% from July 2007 (13,150), 

while sales for the first seven months of the year (140,4 47) 

were 15.4% down on the same period in 2007 (166,031). 

Commenting on the figures SIMI Director General, Alan Nolan 

said:“There is evidence that the new VRT and Road Tax 

systems that had been designed to encourage people to buy 

cleaner cars, are actually working as planned. The average 

new car registered in July 2008 emits 21.4 g/km less CO 2 than 

those registered in July 2007. The fact that the July figures 

have shown a significant increase confirms that the fall-off in 

May and June was as a result of car buyers holding-off their 

purchases until July, to avail of the savings brought about by 

the new CO 2 based VRT system. 

ORL Consultants have been chosen by SIMI to help their 

members reduce communications costs in this difficult 

economic period. ORL Consultants can help you identify 

the response your business might receive from advertising 

campaigns. With dealers carrying out more targeted 

advertising in the current climate, it is now more important 

than ever to measure the response. 

l Real time reports - Allows you to see exactly the number 

of calls you are receiving from a particular advertising 

campaign. 

l Search facility - search the number of calls received by 

date, time, destination and duration. 

l Routing facility - Route calls to pre-defined destinations, 

e.g. to a mobile phone after business hours. 

l Negotiating power - these real time stats will give you 

more negotiating power when and if you decide to renew 

your advertising campaigns. 

l Conversation ratio - these reports will allow you to see 

the number of new business calls that are converted into 

[ 6 IRISH MOTOR MANAGEMENTJULY/AUGUST2008 ] 

The registration figures represent a reduction from an 

exceptional performance last year which should be seen in 

context; the total of new cars to the end of July this year is 

the same level as the total new cars sold in the whole of 2003, 

which was also a good year. 

“As we have previously stated, the Budget changes have 

clearly resulted in great value in the new car market but have 

also delivered incredibly good value for buyers of used cars. 

This provides a very positive base for the Industry, in looking 

forward to 2009.” 

Light Commercial Vehicle registrations for the first seven 

months of 2008 (26,358) are down 26. 57% on the same period 

last year (35,894). Heavy Vehicle (HGV) registrations are are 

down 25.27% (3,070) for the year to date to end of July 2008, 

compared to the same period in 2007 (4,108). 

are you interested in reducing costs now? 

new customers. 

l Remote access - because there is no hardware 

required you can view all the above reports via a web 

portal provided you have an internet connection. 

ORL Consultants have to date saved substantial amounts of 

money for SIMI members by offering independent impartial 

advice on company mobile phone price plans, broadband 

and landline packages that would include identifying 

redundant lines no longer in use. 

Benefits: 

l Independent impartial advice 

l Single point of contact for all your communication needs 

l Proactively monitor your account 

l Manage ongoing relationships with chosen vendors 

l Customer focused 

l Helpdesk support 

For more information call 0818 22 23 24 or email 

sales@orl.ie 

Congratulations and best wishes to Jim and Peggy Barton who 

recently celebrated their 60th (Diamond) Wedding Anniversary. 

Jim Barton, is a Past President (1963 and also 1977-78) of 

SIMI and an Honorary Life Member. At a recent visit to Aras an 

Uachtarain by C.A.R. (Contact After Retirement), Jim Barton 

was elected as their first President. C.A.R. is an informal group 

of people who have retired from the motor trade (Contact Bob 

Prole on 01 2889565).

sIMI strengthen membership entry 

process at first meeting of new neC 

SIMI President Paul 

Flanagan chaired the 

first meeting of the 

new National Executive 

Council. 

The Society held its first meeting of the new 

National Executive Council on July 17th, in the 

Radisson Hotel, Dublin Airport with President Paul 

Flanagan chairing the meeting. 

Before the meeting commenced, the NEC observed 

a minute’s silence as a mark of respect to Dr Tim 

Mahony (Chairman and founder of Toyota Ireland) 

and John Fitzpatrick (Former NEC representative 

for the VRO Section) both of whom had passed way 

recently. 

The business of the day commenced with an 

Extraordinary Meeting of the NEC to discuss rule 

changes with regard to membership. The proposed 

changes had been drawn up by the Membership 

Standards Committee and had been discussed 

at the March NEC Meeting. The changes would 

enhance the process of membership entry, helping 

to ensure only businesses of appropriate standard would gain access 

to SIMI membership. The changes, which were approved by the NEC, 

included a strengthened membership entry code, a Membership Panel 

to review all new applicants prior to their submission to the NEC for 

election, and the introduction of a probationary period of membership 

whereby successful applicants would be granted full membership only 

after serving a probationary period extending until the first NEC meeting 

12 months after their initial election. In addition, new rules applying to 

all members were also introduced, namely the introduction of the power 

of suspension from membership by the NEC and also giving the NEC the 

right to review membership in the event there is a change in control of 

the member or a change in the business operated by the member. 

The subsequent NEC meeting agreed the updated membership entry 

code and also addressed the issue of members’ engagement with the 

Society’s Complaints service, in particular requiring going forward that 

members who have in excess of three complaints in any calendar year be 

required, at the discretion of the Standards Tribunal, to pay €200 for each 

subsequent compliant that year, and also any member who has 3 or more 

complaints in a calendar year upheld by the Standards Tribunal be brought 

to the NEC to have their membership discussed. 

Director General Alan Nolan addressed the meeting on the current state 

of the motor industry. The new car market was down 15.6% year to date, 

with July registrations helping to improve the market and commercial 

vehicle registrations also down on 2007 – LCVs down 26%; HGVs down 19%. 

This downturn reflected the economy as a whole, but undoubtedly part of 

the fall in car registrations was down to the confusion caused by the midyear 

change to the VRT system. Perhaps more worryingly, an independent 

survey carried out by Sion Consulting, indicated that dealers were 

carrying on average 21.5% more used stock than last year with asking 

prices for vehicles also declining – petrol models down 14.8% on last year; 

diesels down 10.6% on last year. 

The Society had met with new Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan TD, to 

discuss the concerns of the industry. It was emphasised at this meeting 

that if more changes were made to the VRT system by changing the bands 

and/or VRT rates in the hope of generating extra Government Revenue, 

this would in fact have a negative impact on both the industry and tax 

revenues. The Society had indicated to the Minister that it was seeking 

no change to the VRT rates or bands in December’s Budget, as stability is 

going to be a key issue in any recovery next year. Also discussed with the 

Minister was the issue of Irish residents driving foreign registered vehicles 

– this illegal practice was hampering members’ ability to do business, 

while at the same time resulting in a loss to Revenue. 

SIMI NEWS 

Motor & 

allied trades 

Benevolent Fund - 

Ben Ball 2008 

Following on the success of last year’s Ben 

Ball at the Shelbourne Hotel, this year’s 

event returns to the same venue on Saturday 

October 25th 2008. This year’s event is being 

planned to give guests a memorable evening 

out whilst raising much needed funding for 

all those people in the industry in need of 

financial help and assistance. 

The Shelbourne Hotel has been chosen once 

again to host this year’s BEN Ball as it is 

undoubtedly one of Dublin’s finest hotels and 

promises an exciting night of gourmet food, 

music, gala charity auction, entertainment 

and fun to lighten up the October holiday 

weekend and kick start the winter social 

diary. 

Entertainment on the night includes: 

l Hit Connection – Ireland’s premier dance 

band 

l After dinner entertainment with Tara 

Novak, renowned violinist 

l Reverse bingo with superb prizes 

l Charity auction – bid for unique 

experiences! 

l Table draw 

l Sumptuous gala dinner 

Ticket prices remain unchanged from last 

year at €160 per person. Special overnight 

rates are available for those attending the 

Ball. Deluxe King Rooms are €255 per room 

for two people including full Irish Breakfast. 

Tables up to 12 persons, or individuals 

and small groups are welcome and can be 

catered for. 

For further information or to book a table 

please contact Con Dalton, Honorary 

Secretary, BEN on 01- 6761690 or at 

cdalton@simi.ie 


OBITUARY 


John Fitzpatrick 

Friends, colleagues and the motor industry community were deeply 

saddened by news of the recent death of John Fitzpatrick. May he rest in 

peace. 

John was the man behind Fitzpatrick Recovery, a name synonymous with 

breakdown services in Ireland. He died in July after a short illness. 

A lengthy convoy of more than twenty recovery vehicles driven by friends 

in the business - including Derek Beahan, Eamonn Kelly, Dave Holmes and 

Wayne Dalton - formed a poignant cavalcade at John’s funeral. 

Breakdown service owners - business rivals, but lifetime friends - came 

from as far as Newcastle and Scotland to honour his memory and 

achievements. 

The funeral cavalcade, which included two recovery bikes, led the 

thousands in attendance from the Church of the Way of the Cross, Togher 

to his final resting place of Chetwynd cemetery, near the Viaduct. 

John was in his early fifties and living in Lehenaghmore, Togher. He set up 

Fitzpatrick Recovery in 1994 with two trucks, a Ford Cargo and an Iveco. 

Within 10 years the firm was known as one of the most efficient and 

reliable breakdown services in Ireland, with a fleet of recovery vehicles 

on the road 24 hours a day. He had an impressive range of clients in Cork 

and beyond over the years including AOC Commercials, D Dennehy Motors, 

McCarthy’s of Watergrasshill, Kevin O’Leary Motor Group, Wilton Motors 

and PJ O’Hea’s. 

John is survived by his wife Cathy and their three children, Cliona, Sean 

and Ciaran.

OBITUARY 

The longest day of the year brings 

sad news to motor industry 

The late Dr. T.P. Mahony, Chairman of Toyota Ireland (right) seen here with Mr.Fujio Cho, Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation Japan during 

his visit to Ireland in July 2006, together with the then President of SIMI and Deputy Managing Director of Toyota Ireland, Mr. Jim Cusack. 

One of the industry’s best known individuals, Dr. Tim 

Mahony, passed away on June 21st, 2008 after a short 

illness. 

Tim Mahony was Chairman of the Killeen Motor Group, which 

holds the franchise for Toyota and Lexus in Ireland. His death 

closed a 35-year chapter in the most significant success story 

the Irish motor industry has seen. 

His clear vision, commitment and determination brought a 

fledgling company with an unknown Japanese brand from 

small beginnings in the early seventies to market leadership 

by the mid-eighties.Key to his strategy for success was the 

establishment of a strong professional and loyal dealer 

network, which became the backbone of Toyota’s market 

performance over the years. 

Indeed, his achievements for the Toyota brand in Ireland 

became legendary throughout the Toyota global family 

and are revered by the top management of Toyota Motor 

Corporation in Japan.He was well known for his strong 

leadership and unique style of management, which focused 

on simplicity rather than complexity. He was held in 

such regard that senior Toyota Executives in Europe were 

encouraged to follow the example Tim Mahony set in many 

areas of the business from market share to customer care. 

He was passionate about customer care and always instilled 

in his management team a philosophy of putting the 

customer first at all times. Also he brought a new marketing 

approach to selling cars which was both creative and fresh, 

often writing his own copy or coming up with an appropriate 


slogan for advertising campaigns. 

Outside of his business life, he was quintessentially a 

wonderful Irishman and a great contributor. He had a love 

of all things Irish, with an infectious enthusiasm for its 

language, sport and music.The Munster Hurling final each 

year was always an important date in his diary and he 

enjoyed the whole occasion of the day, which he rarely 

missed over the years. 

He also had a lifelong love of classical music, which lay 

behind his sponsorship of the National Youth Orchestra of 

Ireland since 1979. He was a patron of the World Music 

Centre at the University of Limerick and the Helix Centre in 

Dublin City University, where the main auditorium is named 

the Mahony Hall. 

His focus on continually strengthening the Toyota brand 

brought about the sponsorship of Munster Rugby four years 

ago and he oversaw Toyota Ireland’s sponsorship of the All 

Ireland Senior Football Championships. 

Outside the motor companies, Tim Mahony had other 

business interests, including the development of Mount 

Juliet in 1990 which hosted three Irish Open Golf 

Championships (1993 – 1995) and two American Express 

World Golf Championships in 2002 and 2004. 

Overall, his contribution to the Irish motor industry was 

immense and he will be sadly missed by all who knew him 

as a humorous man and a larger-than-life character with a 

vision of Ireland at its best. 

Ní bheidh a léitheid arís ann, beannacht Dé ar a anam.

STATISTICS 

Top ten 

10 

selling cars - 

2008 

Corolla 5,987 4.8% 

1 Focus 5,903 4.8% 

Golf 5,618 4.5% Mondeo 5,526 4.5% 

Avensis 4,521 3.6% 5 Astra 4,156 3.4% 

Passat 4,009 3.2% 7 Auris 3,478 2.8% 

Corsa 3,240 2.6% 

3 

9 Qashqai 3,162 2.6% 

2 

4 

6 

8 

10 


Top selling cars - June 2008 

Position Model range Units sold market share (%) 

1 Corolla 665 8.4 

2 Avensis 644 8.1 

3 Focus 457 5.8. 

4 Mondeo 357 4.5 

5 Auris 285 3.6 

6 Golf 268 3.4 

7 Astra 255 3.2 

8 Corsa 251 3.2 

9 E Class 227 2.9 

10 Grand Vitara 153 1.9 

Marque 01/06/08-31/06/08 01/01/08-31/06/08 market share(%) 

Alfa Romeo 46 278 0.22 

Audi 103 3361 2.71 

BMW 126 3295 2.65 

Cadillac 0 0 0.00 

Chevrolet 57 1215 0.98 

Chrysler Jeep 21 155 0.12 

Citroen 255 1903 1.53 

Daihatsu 52 432 0.35 

Dodge 2 35 0.03 

Fiat 105 1617 1.30 

Ford 957 15543 12.52 

Opel 761 10646 8.58 

Honda 74 2391 1.93 

Hyundai 191 4541 3.66 

Jaguar 39 302 0.24 

Jeep 8 74 0.05 

Kia 69 2724 2.19 

Land Rover 159 1386 1.12 

Lexus 113 918 0.74 

Mazda 178 3774 3.04 

Merc-Benz 346 3679 2.96 

MG/Rover 0 1 0.00 

Mini 13 780 0.63 

Mitsubishi 38 1568 1.26 

Nissan 275 9431 7.60 

Perodua 1 8 0.01 

Peugeot 88 4048 3.26 

Porsche 4 53 0.04 

Renault 204 5339 4.30 

Saab 87 819 0.66 

Seat 161 2101 1.69 

Skoda 189 3367 2.71 

Smart 0 0 0.00 

Subaru 52 258 0.21 

Suzuki 238 2578 2.08 

Tata 0 0 0.00 

Toyota 1769 18319 14.76 

VW 608 13413 10.80 

Volvo 363 2566 2.07 

Others 155 1228 0.99 

Total June 2008 7,907 Year to 30/06 124,146 


2008 change 2007 -7,492 Year to 30/06 -28,792 

% change 2008-2007 -48.65% Year to 30/06 -18.83%

STATISTICS 

Top ten selling cars - to date 

Light commercial registrations - Jun 2008 

Marque 01/06/08-30/06/08 01/01/08-30/06/08 % Share 

Chevrolet 15 120 0.49 

Chrysler 4 48 0.19 

Citroen 64 817 3.31 

Dodge 1 25 0.08 

Fiat 94 1055 4.27 

Ford 469 5013 20.28 

Opel 160 1484 6.00 

Hyundai 33 748 3.03 

Isuzu 17 109 0.44 

Iveco 6 73 0.30 

Jeep 2 30 0.12 

Kia 20 370 1.50 

Land Rover 40 565 2.29 

LDV 1 32 0.13 

Mazda 4 67 0.27 

Mercedes 130 1344 5.44 


Nissan 85 2172 8.79 

Peugeot 50 697 2.82 

Piaggio 2 2 0.01 

Renault 187 1248 5.05 

Rover 1 7 0.02 

Seat 4 57 0.23 

Suzuki 2 64 0.26 

Toyota 167 3120 12.62 

VW 234 3572 14.45 




2008 change 2007 -1,687 Year to 30/06 -7,975 

% change 2008-2007 -46.13% Year to 30/06 -24.39% 

Bus and coach registrations - Jun 2008 

Marque 01/06/08-30/06/08 01/01/08-30/06/08 % Share 

Autosan 0 0 0.00 

DAF 6 65 24.90 

MAN 0 0 0.00 

Mercedes 1 14 5.36 

Scania 7 62 23.75 

Temsa DAF 0 0 0.00 

Volvo 0 21 13.29 


Private 4 99 37.93 

Total June 2008 18 Year to 30/06 261 

Total June 2007 20 Year to 30/06 158 

2008 change 2007 -2 Year to 30/06 103 

% change 2008-2007 -10.00% Year to 30/06 65.19% 

Heavy commercial registrations - Jun 2008 

Marque 01/06/08-30/06/08 01/01/08-30/06/08 % Share 

Avia 2 45 1.69 

DAF 28 308 11.60 

Hino 9 139 5.24 

Isuzu 17 55 2.07 

Iveco 21 228 8.59 

Man 24 223 8.40 

Mercedes 32 209 7.87 


Renault 15 136 5.12 

Scania 48 534 20.11 

Volvo 41 452 17.02 


Private 20 157 5.91 

Total June 2008 270 Year to 30/06 2,655 

Total June 2007 524 Year to 30/06 3,670 

2008 change 2007 -254 Year to 30/06 -1,015 

% change 2008-2007 -48.47% Year to 30/06 -27.66% 

This table has been generously sponsored by Navigator- 

Just in Time Logistics Service for the Irish Motor Industry. 

Tel: (01) 7034343 / 7034348 Fax: (01) 7034349 


INdUSTRY 

Portugal 

and renault 

nissan alliance 

announce 

zero emission 

partnership 

The Government of Portugal and the Renault Nissan Alliance 

recently announced a partnership to promote zero emission 

mobility across that country which might provide a model for 

other countries such as Ireland. 

Portugal is the first partner to join the Alliance in a direct 

program of this type. Under the commitment of the Alliance 


Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates 

to be the global leader in zero-emission vehicles, this 

initiative aims to bring together the public and private sectors 

to create the necessary conditions to make zero-emission 

vehicles a viable and attractive solution for consumers. 

Under the framework agreement, the Portuguese government 

focused on three core areas: 

l To study with the Alliance how to create the right 

conditions to make electric vehicles an attractive offer for 

Portuguese consumers; 

l To examine the infrastructure and related organizations 

required to create a nationwide network of charging 

stations for electric vehicles; and 

l To identify the most effective communication and education 

channels to raise awareness of electric vehicles. 

The Alliance has agreed to mass market its electric vehicles 

to consumers in Portugal, starting in 2011. Portugal will be 

one of the lead global markets for the introduction of unique 

models of all-electric vehicles from the Alliance. 

“Portugal has become a leading country in renewable energy. 

This agreement with Renault-Nissan will place Portugal also 

on the front line in terms of sustainable mobility with zero 

emission vehicles. Promoting electric cars in Portugal will 

reduce our dependence on imported oil and will contribute to 

a cleaner environment,” said Portuguese Prime Minister José 

Sócrates. 

Renault and Nissan have already targeted Israel and Denmark 

as pioneer markets for its electric cars from 2011, those plans 

including Project Better Place, an Israeli company dedicated 

to establishing the necessary infrastructure for electric cars. 

The rush to alternative-powered vehicles is set to gather pace 

in the face of sky-high oil prices and little prospect of their 

return to levels enjoyed in previous decades. Expectations of 

an oil price permanently above $100 a barrel, and perhaps 

much higher than that, has suddenly and significantly 

increased the viability of alternative technologies 

Carmakers are now pushing ahead on the development of 

all-electric vehicles while expanding the range of existing 

petrol-electric hybrids. Hydrogen fuel cell cars are in the mix 

too, expected to be long-term alternative to the fossil-fuelled 

internal combustion engine. 

Industry analysts have predicted electric cars will be 

ready for mass market around 2010-11 but the re-charging 

infrastructure remains the biggest obstacle. 

Electric car development is based on the use of high-storage 

lithium-ion batteries that Nissan says will deliver similar 

performance to a 1.6-litre petrol engine.

BMW efficient 

Dynamics means 

savings for Irish 

consumers 

Irish customers buying a new BMW or MINI can 

expect to make significant savings under the new 

Vehicle Registration Tax system thanks to its new 

EfficientDynamics strategy, the company claim. Of the 

standard/entry level transmissions on the 253 BMW 

models, 172 will fall in price, or 68 percent of the 

range. Of the 13 MINI models nine fall in price, or 69 

percent. 

Under the banner of the EfficientDynamics strategy, 

BMW says its vehicles employ a range of technologies 

such as brake energy regeneration, auto start-stop 

and electric power steering to help cut fuel bills and 

emissions. An optimum gearshift change indicator is 

included to encourage economical motoring. 

These innovations are in addition to high-precision 

direct injection engines on some models that further 

aid engine performance. Instead of producing oneoff 

models or the occasional concept car, BMW has 

introduced EfficientDynamics across almost all of its 

range in 2007. 

In Europe, around 40 percent of new vehicles, or 

22 models manufactured by the BMW Group have a 

maximum emission of 140g CO 2 /km for model year 

2008. According to a company spokesperson: “The 

BMW Group is on target to meet its commitment to 

reduce the CO 2 emissions of the combined fleet by 

30 per cent by the end of 2008 compared to 1995 

figures.” 

The BMW EfficientDynamics programme has recently 

been honoured with a global award. 

A jury consisting of 47 motor journalists from 24 

countries has awarded the BMW 118d, a model 

that displays all facets of EfficientDynamics, with 

the “World Green Car of the Year” at the New York 

International Auto Show 2008. 

Judges of the World Car of the Year Awards praised 

BMW and its 118d for offering buyers a model with 

a range of innovative technologies that reduce fuel 

consumption and cut CO 2 emissions as standard. 

The three- and five-door BMW 118d record 4.5l/100km 

on the combined cycle with CO 2 emissions of just 

119g/km - putting it into the A band for VRT. 

INdUSTRY 

Pictured (l-r): Shane Doyle, Chief Engineer, Dublin Bus, Moyagh 

Murdock, Deputy Chief Mechanical Engineer, Bus Eireann and Pat 

Curran, Managing Director, Bridgestone Ireland. 

Bridgestone to supply 

Dublin Bus and Bus eireann 

Bridgestone Ireland has won an exclusive three year contract to 

supply tyres to Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus. The contract, which 

was awarded to Bridgestone after a competitive tender process, 

is the largest commercial tyre supply contract in Ireland, valued 

at approximately €3 million per annum. 

“We believe we were successful in securing this contract 

because Bridgestone was able to offer the best package of both 

product and service at a competitive price,” says Pat Curran, 

Managing Director, Bridgestone Ireland. “Bridgestone has made 

a significant investment in its operations in Ireland over the 

last five years and I believe this gives it a competitive edge in 

servicing large vehicle fleets.” 

Bridgestone will supply tyres for around 2700 buses between Bus 

Éireann and Dublin Bus. The tyres will be fitted by Bridgestone 

personnel based in the bus company’s 15 depots around Ireland. 

In addition, technical and logistical support will be provided by 

Bridgestone personnel based at its headquarters in Balbriggan, 

County Dublin. Two Bridgestone mobile van units will service 

and monitor school buses throughout the country. 

The tyres supplied for the buses in the contract will be a 

mixture of new and retreaded tyres and they will be supplied 

under a price per kilometre arrangement. Approximately 30,000 

tyres will be supplied during the contract period. 

Volkswagen 

appointment 

Volkswagen Group Ireland has 

announced the appointment 

of Carol Davis to the position 

of Volkswagen Area Sales and 

Marketing Representative for 

Volkswagen passenger cars. 


INdUSTRY 

Pictured (l-r): Alan Nolan, Director General, 

SIMI; Minister for the Environment, Heritage 

and Local Government, John Gormley TD; 

and Tony Maher,Treasurer, SIMI. 

new vehicle labelling system launched 

Mr. John Gormley, TD, Minister 

for the Environment, Heritage 

and Local Government recently 

launched the new vehicle 

labelling system which applies 

to all new cars at the point-ofsale 

since July 1st, 2008. This 

new national labelling system 

is very much in line with what 

is anticipated from the EU in 

the coming year and the seven 

colour coded bands should be 

familiar to consumers from 

the energy labels already 

in use for certain electrical 

goods. The overall approach 

is intended to assist buyers in 

evaluating the environmental 

impacts of different cars, as 

well as providing guidance 

for them on purchase and 

running costs. 

Following on from the 

introduction of changes to 

the Vehicle Registration Tax 

(VRT) and annual motor tax 

for new cars registered on 

or after 1st July 2008, a 

seven emission/tax bands 

have been 

created and the VRT and motor tax payable will be 

determined by the relevant band for each vehicle. 

Minister Gormley said: “The clear objective of the new CO 2 - 

based tax structure for cars is to influence the purchasing 

decisions of consumers by rewarding the buyers of lowemitting 

cars and charging a premium on less efficient 

vehicles. From 1st July, anyone buying a new car can make a 


positive choice on investment 

and environmental grounds 

by purchasing a low CO 2 

emitting vehicle. As well as 

enjoying the benefits of a 

lower rate of motor tax and 

any saving on the pre-July 

purchase price of the car, they 

will be making a very positive 

personal contribution to the 

national response to climate 

change. Anyone who makes the 

choice to purchase a high CO 2 

car will have to pay a higher 

rate of motor tax, in addition 

to any price rise as a result of 

the VRT changes.” 

The new vehicle labelling 

system has been introduced 

initially on a non-statutory basis, 

in cooperation and with the 

agreement of the Society of the 

Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) and 

applies to all new cars at point 

of sale. It is intended that the 

new system will be established 

on a statutory basis later in the 

year. Minister Gormley stated “I 

see the improvements in vehicle 

labelling as a positive step in 

enabling Irish motorists to make a 

direct personal contribution to combatting climate change.” 

The Minister concluded “I very much welcome the support 

of SIMI in introducing the new label from 1st July and I look 

forward to continuing to work with the motor industry in 

making this very positive step a success.”

INdUSTRY 

Classic car auction held 

to honour dedicated 

employee 

Eighty year old Norman Colfer refuses to have an easy life. 

Despite his advancing years, the auctioneer is still putting 

cars under the hammer at Merlin Motor Car Auctions. In 

gratitude for his many years of professional and dedicated 

work, Merlin Motors held a very special Classic Car Auction in 

his honour. 

Norman, one of the most famous auctioneers in Ireland, is 

a pinnacle of the entire industry and Merlin decided it was 

fitting to hold a specialist auction in his honour. On his 80th 

birthday, July 16th, Merlin Car Auctions hosted a classic car 

auction where Norman took to the podium doing what he has 

done for over 50 years and overseeing the entire auction. 

Cars auctioned included a 1974 BMW 2002Tii, a 1972 Fiat 

850 Spider Bertone Convertible, as well as the more recent 

1992 Alfa Romeo Spider S4 and a 1994 VW Corrado VR6 2.9 

Sport Coupe. 

Norman Colfer was born in New Ross in 1928 where he was 

educated in Glenstal Abbey School. His education continued in 

Trinity College where he studied law. It was during this time 

he reaslised that auctioneering was his passion and decided to 

specialise in auctioneering with Smith Griffin. 

It was in 1974 that Merlin Car Auctions (then Windsor) came 

into being with Norman at its helm. Now 34 years on and 

celebrating his 80th birthday, Norman still wields the gavel 

and has been responsible for an astounding one million 

vehicle sales at auction. 

Besides vehicle auctioneering, Norman has auctioned across 

several industries, the most notable being Goffs and Thos and 

Adams in Blackrock, which he still does today. 

Norman Colfer in the mid-sixties... 

…in 1979. 

…in 1989. 


Merlin set to double the 

action at auction 

Merlin Auctions have announced they are launching a new 

two-lane auction system. Under the new system, vehicles will 

be divided into two auctions running simultaneously. In the 

existing auction hall, Merlin will run through finance and exfleet 

stock while all trade, retail and private seller vehicles 

will run through the new second lane. 

The new two-lane auction system was welcomed with great 

enthusiasm by traders and private buyers alike according to 

Merlin O’Reilly, CEO of the Motor Group: “Over 300 vehicles 

ran though the two lanes and the auction finished in record 

time with 200 successful sales. Our new two-lane auction 

is just another step in maintaining our position as the most 

innovative auction company in Ireland. 

“It is imperative to always stay one step ahead in order to 

succeed and our next exciting new service is the Merlin Car 

Swap, which allows customers trade in any vehicle against any 

purchase at Merlin Car Auctions. No other auction in Europe 

has anything like this and we are all really excited about its 

launch.” 

The idea for the two lanes arose because most buyers are 

interested in a particular type of vehicle and have a predefined 

budget. This new system means sellers are showcasing 

their vehicles to a specific, targeted group of buyers and 

in turn buyers are watching an auction that contains only 

vehicles fitting their requirements. The other main benefit to 

the two lanes, according to Merlin, is that there is twice the 

selection of vehicles in half the time. 

For more information on Merlin Car Auctions you can phone 

Sales on 045 988 700 or log onto www.merlincarauctions.ie 

and in 2008.

A native of Navan and a resident of Athlumney, Bob is widely 

acknowledged as one of the most popular and admired figures in 

the Irish motor industry. 

Appointed chief executive for Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda 

some 13 years ago, he has overseen the development of all four 

franchises, including the expanding Volkswagen light commercial 

vehicles division. 

In that period, he instituted a multi-million euro dealership 

development programme which has seen Volkswagen and Audi 

dealers provide state-of-the art showrooms and facilities for 

customers throughout the network. He also masterminded the 

establishment of a national independent Skoda main dealer 

organisation. 

On the sales front, he helped establish a top-three position 

for Volkswagen in both passenger car and light commercial 

sales, strengthened the position of Audi amongst the top three 

in luxury car sales and last year brought Skoda into the top 

ten in terms of overall unit sales for the first time since its 

reintroduction here in 1993. 

His early career with the Motor Distributors organisation was 

spent in administrative functions associated with the company’s 

car assembly operations at Naas Road. In the intervening years, 

he held a number of senior appointments within the company. 

These include a spell as Distribution Manager as well as periods 

as Sales Manager for Volkswagen, Audi and Mercedes-Benz. 

In a letter to dealers and staff, Motor Distributors Group 

Managing Director Tom O’Dowd put on record the company’s 

heartfelt appreciation of the contribution made by Bob in 

the course of his life-long career with the Motor Distributors 

organisation. “In every role that he has held since joining our 

organisation some 43 years ago, Bob has performed his duties 

with honour and distinction as befits the person that he is,” Mr. 

O’Dowd said. 

“As chief executive responsible for Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda, 

he has overseen an unprecedented growth of all four franchises, 

Volkswagen light commercial vehicles included, and spearheaded 

a dealership investment and development programme that is 

unparalleled in the history of the Irish motor industry,” he said. 

Commenting, Bob thanked Motor Distributors and the O’Flaherty 

family for giving him the opportunity to work ‘for one of the 

finest organisations in Ireland, in one of the world’s most 

exciting industries.” 

He also expressed gratitude to members of their dealer 

organisations, his colleagues within the company and all those 

who worked with him and supported him in his career, including 

members of the wider motor industry here and overseas. 

INdUSTRY 

Bob o’Callaghan 

announces plan to retire 

Popular motor industry executive Bob O’Callaghan has announced his intention to retire from his position as 

chief executive of the Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda division of Motor Distributors Limited after an unbroken 43 

years career with the company 

Merlin 

Bob O’Callaghan 


INTERvIEW 

Industry ready to 

meet challenges of 

new vRT system and 

used car sector 


Alan Nolan, Director General, SIMI talks to Paddy 

Comyn about the key issues facing the industry 

and the strategies that the organisation are 

employing to deal effectively with them. 

While the timing of the implementation of the new 

VRT system has complicated the lives of SIMI members, 

Alan says the long-term positives have to be recognised 

too. “I think all of us would agree that the Budget and 

the changes that it brought to VRT and road tax were 

surprisingly positive. Traditionally, the motorist and 

the industry were perhaps seen as the problem and 

as a source of easy revenue. There was a fear that 

the change to environmental taxation could involve a 

lot of punishments and very little reward. We at the 

SIMI worked hard to try and carry the argument that 

incentives would work better. 

“The new VRT system does have some very positive 

aspects to it and does recognise that people can make 

good choices and that we in the motor industry can be 

part of the solution and actually help Ireland to deliver 

on our environmental commitments. The new VRT 

system appears to recognise that if you reward people 

for making good choices then that might make a positive 

and longer lasting difference. There also seems to be a 

strategy to encourage a mix in vehicle technologies and 

to encourage people to change their cars for cleaner

ones as being positive steps for the environment. 

This is a far more positive context for the future 

as it is now obvious that any return to further 

burdening of new cars with tax would be clearly 

counter-productive.” 

Alan emphasises that the industry hasn’t just 

been talking a good game, it has backed up its 

words with hefty investment: “The industry 

spends billions every single year in order to 

produce vehicles in line with future emission 

targets and measures that reward cleaner 

technologies which certainly encourage 

manufacturers to keep producing lower emission 

cars. It is self-reinforcing in many ways. It will 

encourage people to buy cleaner cars but it will 

also spur manufacturers to supply more of them.” 

Of course, there are some very serious issues for 

members that have arisen from the changes and 

Alan feels the system could have been introduced 

with a far better timing that would have allowed 

the industry and car buyers to deal with the 

changes better. 

“Despite all of this, SIMI has remained positive. 

In the long run, there is no doubt it will be good 

for the industry but equally, without doubt, the 

changes have brought significant challenges. The 

timing really was appalling. I think everyone 

would accept that a longer lead-in was needed in 

order for the industry to clear existing stocks and 

for government and the Revenue to get their new 

registration system in place. 

“A better approach would have been to announce 

mid-year what the changes would be. Ideally, 

we would have liked the announcement of the 

bands in the middle of last year to come into 

effect on January 1st of the following year. I 

think the industry, consumers and the State would 

have benefited to a much greater degree from 

that. I accept that Budget time is traditionally 

in December, but, in instances like this one, 

there was a case for making announcements as 

important as this earlier in the year.” 

But we are where we are, and Alan’s primary 

objective now is to face the challenges ahead 

and deal with them effectively: “One of the main 

problems is the fall in the values of used cars 

and the big supply of used cars in dealer stocks. 

Obviously used car values have dropped because 

INTERvIEW 

VRT has dropped. But very few people would 

have anticipated the extent of the fall that has 

occurred. The fact that Vehicle Registration Tax 

is down is very good for the long run, but for now 

there certainly are serious issues to be faced by 

dealers such as the level and value of their used 

car stocks. 

“On the plus side, we are starting to see a much 

better value for good quality Irish used cars as 

compared to the equivalent imported models and 

this is a very positive message for consumers. Our 

survey indicated a drop of around 15 percent in 

used car asking prices, which is great news for 

car buyers as we are talking about cars with the 

security of a known Irish history.” 

What about the challenge right now? “Serious 

issues are bound to arise when the values of used 

cars fall by such significant amounts and for the 

industry we are now in a period of real challenge 

in relation to those values. It has been a year of 

many challenges for us and with Hire Drives, for 

instance, we did deliver something of a victory 

in getting a concession on a delayed payment of 

VRT on cars that were anticipating a reduction 

in VRT while retaining the option to pay the VRT 

at the time of registration on cars where the VRT 

was increasing. Similarly, the concession on Road 

Tax that we achieved early in the year, which 

allowed customers to benefit from the new lower 

Road Tax Rates, was very important for car sales, 

particularly in the first quarter. 

“Since early in the year we have also worked hard 

at carrying strong public information about the 

new VRT and Road Tax systems. We had a million 

hits on the special VRT and Road Tax information 

section that we provided on our website within its 

first three weeks in April. Here consumers could 

find out information about the new system in a 

simple fashion with a question-and-answer section 

and this has continued to be popular right up 

to today. We have, since May, been carrying the 

message to consumers that there is great value to 

be had in used cars from SIMI members. We are 

also looking at other aspects of the situation to 

see, for instance, if there is any relief available 

for dealers in relation to the used stock issues, 

many of which have been caused by the change in 

VRT.” 


INTERvIEW 

Alan adds a note of caution: “The drop in 

secondhand values and the fact that the 

market is slow means that dealers will be 

increasingly careful about the value that 

they put on trade-ins. While the reductions 

in used car values are likely to produce 

great savings in the price a consumer will 

pay for a new car, their own trade-in is also 

likely to have reduced in value so that the 

cost to change might not alter all that much 

from before. In the long run however, it will 

be to everyone’s benefit. Used cars will be 

cheaper to buy, new cars will be cheaper to 

buy and the amount of finance that people 

have to commit in buying their cars will also 

be reduced. Similarly, some commentators 

have said consumers have suffered a fall in 

equity in relation to their own cars but in 

reality, when they go to change their car, it 

is not likely that it will cost them any more 

to change than previously and it may, in 

fact, cost them less. 

“We have been meeting with the Minister 

for Finance and Revenue over many of 

these issues, and also on the issue of Irish 

residents driving cars with UK numberplates 

and of illegal roadside trading, which 

adversely affect the compliant professional 

industry. We have been rattling that 

particular cage with Revenue and Finance 

but there is an issue with regard to road 

safety as well. Effectively, many of these 

cars have no registration number and are 

not traceable having been deregistered in 

the UK. We have even heard of people who 

have paid VRT on their car but continued to 

drive on the UK number plates thus avoiding 

speeding fines, penalty points, parking 

tickets and, of course, barrier free tolling in 

due course. This also needs to be addressed 

as a matter of urgency.” 

He continues: “On the environmental side, 

we have been working enthusiastically in 

the implementation process. We helped to 

implement the labelling system for cars. We 

were very happy with the level of support 

and commitment from all members in 

ensuring the success of that project and as 

a result we are ahead of many European 


countries on this. Our system allows the 

selling dealers to log on and print out the 

environmental labels of all of the cars for 

sale in their showrooms. The labels carry 

information on the C0 2 emissions, the VRT 

band, the Road Tax and the fuel consumption 

of each car. The Irish motor industry has 

taken a strong lead on this. 

“Irish motorists look for a car based on their 

needs and not everyone can choose to drive 

a small car. This labelling system allows 

consumers to take account of the relative 

environmental performance of the cars in 

the range that they need to purchase from 

to suit their lifestyle or business needs.” 

To help members face all of the challenges, 

SIMI has also been actively looking at areas 

such as cost savings that members can 

make and also at initiatives to stimulate 

the market. Ultimately, Alan concludes 

that helping to cope with these types of 

situations is what SIMI is all about: “We 

would all hope that this is a relatively shortterm 

situation, primarily down to the issues 

that this year has presented to us. The 

industry is quite seasonal with a new sales 

year facing us all in January 2009. We will 

work with members and through our various 

committees to help those in the industry 

through the short-term challenges that 

face us over the rest of this year. In the old 

days, having a bad few months was not the 

end of the world, but where members have 

made significant investments in their future 

by developing their premises, the higher 

overheads mean that leaner months can feel 

a lot tougher. 

“We have worked hard this year to get 

feedback locally from members in every 

centre in the country. I made sure to 

attend every centre meeting myself this 

year because I need to hear the views and 

concerns of members, first hand, at a time 

like this. I want members to be reassured 

that I am fully aware of the situation out 

there around the country and to underline to 

members that SIMI is your organisation and 

we in head office are here to help you with 

all these concerns in any way that we can.”

Aftermarket 

PAINTS PRODuCT NeWS l BATTeRy ReCyCLING l eNFORCING DeCOPAINTS ReGuLATION 


AFTERMARKET 

Envirobase offers waterborne technology 

The PPG paint system range, available from National Autoparts, now 

offers the latest in waterborne technology, Envirobase. Using normal 

guns and techniques, Envirobase offers a choice of application methods 

to suit individual bodyshop needs. In addition, the final light coat 

application gives excellent aluminium laydown and a consistent colour 

match. according to a National Autoparts spokesperson. 

“The outstanding opacity of the product range means that you’ll need 

fewer coats, saving time and money together with material savings of 

up to 35 percent over conventional MS systems. This new system now 

features a genuine ten-minute bake option, giving maximum process 

efficiency. 

“But the benefits don’t stop there. The gloss hold out has been 

improved so that you get a high quality repair whilst reducing the 

need to polish. The colour matching accuracy of the tinters has also 

been improved and ensured that they align to current and future OEM 

trends.” 

Coatings based on nanotechnology 

Nanovere Technologies has developed a complete line of ready-to-spray 

clear coatings based on nanotechnology. Zyvere Clear Nanocoatings 

were specifically designed to extend the life of Automotive OEM, 

Automotive Aftermarket, Fleet, Tractor, ATV & Custom Bike surfaces, 

by producing a extreme scratch resistant and self-cleaning paint 

surface (oil, dirt, stain and ice repellency). 

Laboratory tests, cited by Nanovere, show that Zyvere Clear 

Nanocoatings for Automotive require 60% less cleaning, have 75% better 

impact resistance, 476% better solvent resistance, and 45% better 

abrasion resistance than the closest automotive clear coat competitor 

(tests performed at Stonebridge Technical Services). 

Glasurit enhance undercoat range 

Glasurit, whose products are available from Team PR Reilly, have 

updated their undercoat materials range, which they claim is now 

easier to sand and dries faster. 

The new primer fillers have had their drying times reduced by up to 

17 percent. Their improved sandability also has a positive impact on 

process times. 

Along with the new primer fillers, Glasurit has developed new filler 

hardeners. The Glasurit 929-55 HS Filler Hardener fast is ideal for 

minor touch-up jobs and use in low temperatures. Glasurit 929-56 HS 

Filler Hardener normal is a good solution for fairly large panels and 

higher temperatures. 

The new filler hardeners are multi-purpose products that are 

compatible with all existing 285-X undercoat materials. That is why 

they will ultimately replace the existing standard hardeners 929-51 HS 

Filler Hardener fast and 929-53 HS Filler Hardener normal. 


Bodyshop 

equipment and 

paint suppliers 

A listing of some of the leading bodyshop 

equipment and paint suppliers: 

AD Ireland Ltd 

520 Beech Road,Western Industrial Estate, 

Dublin 12 

Tel: 01-4260552 

Advanced Garage equipment & Supplies 

Twill House, Albert Quay, Cork 

Tel: 021-4847909 

Apaseal Ireland Ltd 

Coe’s Road Industrial Estate, Dundalk, 

Co Louth 

Tel: 042-9335069 

Hella Ireland Limited 

Unit 6.1, Woodford Business Park, Santry, 

Dublin 17 

Tel: 01-8620000 

National Autoparts 

Camac Close, Emmet Road, Inchicore, 

Dublin 8 

Tel: 01-4541700 

Reilly, Team PR Ltd 

Karkraft House, Kilbarrick Industrial Estate, 

Kilbarrick, Dublin 5 

Tel: 01-8320001 

Roe, D & S Ltd 

Unit D15, Ballymount Cross Industrial Estate, 

Ballymount, Dublin 24 

Tel: 01-4564410 

Serfac Ltd 

Hilary House, Cookstown Industrial Estate, 

Tallaght, Dublin 24 

Tel: 01-4598700 

Shop Bodyshop Direct 

Unit 17, Mullaghboy Industrial Estate, Navan, 

Ireland 

Tel: 046 90 93800 

Snap On/Sun Ireland Ltd 

Louth Village, Dundalk, Co Louth 

Tel: 01-4523711 

Tech Plus Ltd 

Unit E9, South City Business Park, 

Whitestown Way, Tallaght, Dublin 24 

Tel: 01-4049060 

Top Part Kingdom 

Motor Factors Ltd, Upper Rock Street, 

Tralee, Co Kerry 

Tel: 066-7122700 

Two Pack Supplies 

12-13 Monkstown Farm, Monkstown, Co 

Dublin 

Ph: 01 280 4621

AFTERMARKET 

Battery recycling scheme 

WEEE Ireland, the national compliance scheme 

for waste electrical and electronic recycling, has 

announced the launch of a battery recycling scheme 

for battery retailers and the automotive industry in 

advance of the new battery regulations which are due 

to be transposed into Irish law on 26th September. 

Under the new regulations, any retail outlets which 

sell batteries are obliged to provide facilities for 

their free take-back. All waste batteries of similar 

type sold must be accepted, regardless of their origin 

and with no obligation on the consumer to purchase. 

Batteries which fall under the scheme include 

portable batteries, batteries embedded in cordless 

electronic devices, and automotive batteries. 

WEEE Ireland’s new scheme will involve establishing 

over 10,000 waste battery drop-off points including 

battery retail outlets such as convenience stores, 

supermarkets, jewellers and hardware stores, 

as well as garages, motor factors, distributors, 

other stockists and civic amenity sites to facilitate 

consumers who wish to dispose of their waste 

batteries. 

WEEE Ireland will coordinate the collection of 

these waste batteries, and facilitate their sorting, 

treatment and recycling. It is estimated that over 

2,000 tonnes of batteries are sold in Ireland each 

year – the equivalent in weight terms of 80 million AA 

batteries – with most being discarded in rubbish bins 

instead of being recycled due their small size. 

Automotive batteries or lead-acid batteries generally 

consist of lead, sulphuric acid and plastic casings. 

If these batteries are not collected and treated in 

a safe and appropriate manner they can potentially 

cause serious damage to the environment and human 

health. 

“Batteries are one of the few products which 

traditionally have slipped through the recycling 

net. With the support of producers, retailers and 

trade associations in rolling out this new initiative, 

batteries of all kinds, including those in the 

automotive industry, can be deposited by consumers 

for free at specified drop-off points where WEEE 

Ireland will organise for their collection, treatment 

and safe recycling,’ states Leo Donovan, CEO, WEEE 

Ireland. 

When batteries are collected by a permitted waste 

contractor and sent to a licensed treatment facility 

dedicated to battery recycling, they will go through a 

variety of processes aimed at recovering material for 

use again. Much of the original battery components 

(plastic, lead, and various metals) can be reused to 

produce new batteries, thus reducing the strain on 

natural resources. 

WEEE Ireland is one of two authorised national 

compliance schemes for electrical and battery 

recycling. The scheme was founded in 2005 by 

producers of electrical and electronic appliances 

to comply with the WEEE Directive. WEEE Ireland 

organises the processing and recycling of household 

waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) 

on behalf of its members from recycling centres, 

electrical retailers and other collection points 

covering over 80% of the geographic area of the 

Republic of Ireland. 

Any household item that requires a plug or battery 

to function and is at the end of its life is considered 

waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). 

Such items can be deposited at any of 80 civic 

amenity sites nationwide for free recycling. For 

further information on WEEE and battery recycling, 

log on to www.weeeireland.ie 


AFTERMARKET 

Enforcing the decopaints 

regulation 

By now everyone operating in the bodyshop sector is 

likely to have heard about the deco-paints regulation 

arising from the EU Directive. The EPA has just 

completed an extensive search for all such premises 

in Ireland. All addresses identified have been written 

to with information about the new regulations and 

how to comply. 

This exercise augments a similar campaign 

undertaken in 2005 in connection with the solvents 

regulations, which then applied to bodyshops. The 

new database with these addresses will be posted 

on the EPA website at www.decopaints.ie for all 

to see including the sectors, accredited inspection 

contractors, local authorities and the general public. 

Pilot audits were also carried out in 2005 and the 

results were widely disseminated. 

In 2007, an extensive consultation process was 

undertaken in developing the “Best Practice 

Guidelines for Vehicle Refinishing for Repair 

Installations” culminating in a national seminar. Mr 

John Gormley T.D. Minister for the Environment, 


Heritage & Local Government, has since formally 

approved this document. Finally, an extensive media 

and advertising campaign was undertaken by the EPA 

including national newspapers, specialist journals 

and a national radio advertisement run over several 

weeks. 

In addition, the EPA has engaged extensively with 

the manufacturers and importers of paints for the 

bodyshop sector. Such materials must by law have 

Volatile Organic Carbon (VOC) or solvent content 

below the permitted amount and must be clearly 

labelled. It is now an offence to offer non-compliant 

product, whether by way of excessive VOC content or 

incorrect labelling, for sale. An operator or retailer is 

obliged to report to the EPA if non-compliant product 

is supplied to them. Similarly, it is also now an 

offence for any vehicle refinishing operation to allow 

use of non-compliant product. 

EPA inspectors have already undertaken inspections 

throughout the country at premises supplying paints/ 

materials to the bodyshop sector. Notifications of

AFTERMARKET 

non-compliance have been issued where irregularities 

have been identified. For the most part, noncompliances 

have been rapidly corrected and further 

action may not be warranted. However, if recurring 

or systematically uncorrected non-compliances are 

identified, the EPA says it will not hesitate to take 

these to the attention of the Courts as necessary. 

In May, a national workshop was held with all local 

authorities in the Environmental Enforcement 

Network under the Office of Environmental 

Enforcement. This was held in order to advise local 

authorities of the results of the bodyshop database 

research, and to co-ordinate enforcement in the 

future. The local authorities were apprised of all of 

the work completed by the EPA to implement the 

regulations and to alert all affected operators in each 

of their areas. 

The local authorities will now be at the forefront of 

ensuring that all bodyshops register and undertake 

their AIC audits on time. It is estimated that the 

number of bodyshops now registered exceeds 500. It 


should be noted that all of the major motor insurance 

companies have provided assurance to the EPA that 

they will only include registered bodyshops in their 

list of approved repairers. Steps are being taken 

also to ensure that all public bodies commissioning 

vehicle repairs will only use the services of registered 

bodyshops. 

Anecdotally, many of the component parts needed 

to prepare high solvent paints are running out so any 

bodyshop persisting with such practices are unlikely 

to be able to guarantee quality results for their 

customers in the medium term. 

Apart from that, there is the ongoing worry, which 

unregistered bodyshops have, that enforcement 

action may shut their businesses down and be 

followed by legal action. 

So, according to the EPA, the best advice to any 

bodyshop is to undertake that AIC audit without 

delay, register with your local authority and only use 

compliant products from a responsible supplier.

Why reduce vOC emissions? 

AFTERMARKET 

VOCs pose a risk to health and the environment. In still, sunny conditions and in the presence of 

nitrogen oxides (contained in vehicle exhaust gases), VOCs react to form ground level ozone. Ozone is 

one of the components of summer smog and harms human health through respiratory illness, crops and 

the general ecosystem. Ozone can be transported over long distances, possibly hundreds of kilometres, 

from where it is formed. It is estimated the introduction of the Directive will reduce the VOC emissions 

from decorating materials by approximately 297k tonnes per year is 2010. 

vehicle Refinishers: Who does what?* 

Vehicle Refinishers are responsible for: 

• Undertaking compliant AIC audits and registering 

on-time 

• Maintaining compliant operations on an ongoing 

basis 

• Reporting instances of non-compliances to 

authorities including noncompliant product offered 

for sale 

• Encouraging all players in their sector to comply 

• Providing information to Authorities on noncompliers 

Accredited Inspection Contractors are responsible 

for: 

• Maintaining accreditation and offering inspection 

services in a professional, impartial and fair manner 

• Reporting Vehicle Refinishers who refuse to 

undertake audits or to register to the Authorities 

• Providing feedback on the scheme and how it is 

operating 

Suppliers are responsible for: 

• Supplying only compliant product to the sector 

• Encouraging all operators supplied to undertake 

audit and registration on-time 

• Considering cessation of product supply to those not 

registered - based on end-customer service quality 

and supplier reputation risks 

• Providing information to the Authorities on noncompliers. 

Insurance companies are responsible for: 

• Engaging the services only of Vehicle Refinishers 

who are registered 

Local authorities are responsible for: 

• Registration of all Vehicle Refinishers within their 

functional areas 

• Pursuing non-registered Vehicle Refinishers 

systematically 

• Engaging with the OEE/EEN Solvents Group 

• Undertaking inspections and legal action as 

required. 

EPA is responsible for: 

• Engaging with all players to assure the success of 

the AIC scheme 

• Publishing guidance for review and agreement 

• Developing capacity in local authorities for 

registration and enforcement (OEE/EEN Solvents 

Group) 

• Encouraging local authorities to pursue noncompliers 

• Undertaking inspections and legal action only where 

necessary to support local authorities and the 

scheme 

• Leading the enforcement of the Compliant Product 

aspects of the Regulations. 

Department of the environment, Heritage & Local 

Government are responsible for: 

• Oversight of Regulations and the scheme 

• Providing necessary resources to enable Local 

Authorities to fulfil their roles 

• Introducing amendments to Regulations if necessary 

• Issuing authorisation for the placement on the 

market of non-compliant products for restorative 

purposes 

• Reporting to the EU Commission on compliance with 

the Directive. 

*Based on SI 199 of 2007, this is a non-exhaustive list of roles but is indicative of the multi-stakeholder 

nature of the AIC Scheme. 


NEW vEHICLES 

VW Scirocco 

Rebirth of an 80’s icon 

Variant: Sports Coupé 

Price: Expected to 

start around €32,000 

Engines: 1.4-litre 

160bhp petrol, 2.0litre 

200bhp petrol, 

2.0-litre 140bhp diesel 

Transmission: 6-speed 

manual, 6- and 

7-speed DSG 

Competition: BMW 

1-Series Coupé, 

Hyundai Coupé 

Comment: Agile, 

good-looking and 

bound to be a hit 

Mitsubishi 

Lancer 

Sportback 

Mercedes rival to the 

all-conquering M3 

Variant: Performance 

Saloon Car 

Price: €99,505 

Engine: 6.2-litre 

457bhp V8 

Transmission: 

7-speed automatic 

transmission 

Competition: Lexus 

IS-F, Audi RS4, BMW 

M3 

Comment: An 

incredibly powerful 

and thunderous 

saloon 


Ford Focus ST 

Ford gives the Focus the RS 

treatment once more 

Variant: Performance 

hatchback 

Price: TBA – circa €50,000 

Engine: 2.5-litre turbo with 

300bhp 

Transmission: Six-speed 

manual 

Competition: Mitsubishi 

Lancer Evolution, VW Golf 

R32 

Comment: Bound to be a 

masterpiece

BMW 7-Series 

BMW’s latest flagship 

unveiled – coming to 

Ireland in November 

Variant: Luxury saloon 

Price: TBA 

Engines: 3.0-litre diesel 

245bhp, 4.4-litre V8 

petrol, 3.0-litre petrol. 

Transmission: Six-speed 

automatic 

Competition: Mercedes- 

Benz S-Class, Lexus 

LS600H 

Comment: New styling and 

a host of new features for 

the flagship Beemer. 

Alfa Romero MiTo 

Alfa Romeo’s answer to the Mini 

Variant: Premium Supermini 

Price: Under €20,000 starting off 

Engines: 1.4-litre 155bhp petrol, 

1.6-litre 120bhp diesel 

Transmission: 6-speed manual 

Competition: Mini, Audi A1 (when it 

comes) 

Comment: Likeable entry-point into 

the Alfa Romeo range 

NEW vEHICLES 

Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart 

Don’t call it an Evo-light, it’s a super 

Lancer! 

Variant: Performance saloon, hatch 

Price: Around €55,000 

Engine: 2.0-litre turbo petrol 225bhp 

Transmission: 6-speed dual-clutch 

automatic 

Competition: Ford Focus ST, VW Golf 

R32 

Comment: Halfway to an Evo, but 

the price might go against it 

Lancia Delta 

Lancia return with a larger Delta than 

we remember 

Variant: Family hatchback 

Price: Likely to start at around 

€25,000 

Engines: 1.4-litre petrol 120bhp, 1.6litre 

120bhp diesel, 2.0-litre 165bhp 

diesel, 1.8-litre 200bhp petrol. 

Transmission: Six-speed manual 

Competition: Ford Mondeo, Citroen 

C5, BMW 1-Series 

Comment: Sits a little awkwardly 

between segments but will appeal to 

those wanting something unique 


TRAINING 

SIMI TRAINING COURSES: SEPTEMBER ANd OCTOBER 

SIMI Short Courses 

uPDATe TeSTeR TRAINING - CPD 

Mandatory Update Tester Training has been officially renamed as 

CPD (Continuing Professional Development) bringing the training 

in line with other compulsory training for professional bodies. 

The training will continue to be a half-day for Light Vehicle 

Testers and a full day for Heavy Vehicle Testers. CPD training 

will commence in early autumn. Please see course detail listed 

below. 

Vehicle Tester Network VTN – Mandatory Continuing 

Professional Development for HGV and LGV Testers 

Dublin – Wednesday 3rd September 

HGV CPD – Bewleys Newlands Cross, Dublin 

Dublin – Thursday 4th September 

LGV CPD – Bewleys Newlands Cross, Dublin 

Mallow – Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th September 

HGV – Springfort Hall Hotel Mallow 

Mallow – Tuesday 16th and Wednesday 17th September 

LGV - Springfort Hall Hotel, Mallow 

Sligo – Tuesday 23rd September 

HGV – Radisson Hotel Rosses Point Sligo 

Sligo – Wednesday 24th September 

LGV – Radisson Hotel Rosses Point Sligo 

Athlone – Tuesday 30th September 

HGV – Creggan Court Hotel, Athlone 

Athlone – Wednesday 1st October 

LGV – Creggan Court Hotel, Athlone 

Kilkenny – Tuesday 7th October 

HGV – Days Hotel Kilkenny 

Kilkenny – Wednesday 8th October 

LGV – Days Hotel Kilkenny 

Duration – HGV 1 day 9.30 am to 5 pm Fee: HGV €165 

Duration - LGV Half day 9.30 am to 1pm Fee: LGV €115 

SeLLING FINANCe CPD 

In compliance with the IFSRA regulations regarding individuals 

who sell or provide advice on financial products, individuals 

must either have a relevant qualification such as Foundation 

Certificate in Consumer Credit or by virtue of experience 

have availed of their ‘Grandfathering Arrangements’. In each 

case there is a requirement to complete CPD (Continuing 

Professional Development over a 3-year cycle. The latest date 

for commencement of this cycle for ‘grandfathered individuals’ 

was 1st January 2008. SIMI have developed a programme of CPD 

training aimed at individuals who availed of the ‘grandfathering 

arrangements’. Module 1 was well attended and module 2 is 

planned for early autumn. Please see course detail listed below. 

CPD for Financial Services Providers – Module 2 

Mallow – Wednesday 17th September 

Dublin – Wednesday 1st October 

Cavan – Wednesday 8th October 

New Ross – Wednesday 22nd October 

Limerick – Wednesday 29th October 

Dublin - Wednesday 5th November 

Sligo - Wednesday 12th November 

Trainer: Keith Browne – Industry Finance Specialist 

Duration 1 day Fee: €275 


VAT AND VRT 

Wednesday 10 September 

Bewleys Hotel Newlands Cross Dublin 

Trainer: Eoin Fizgerald BDO Simpson Xavier 

Duration 1 day 

Fee:€365 

Service Advisor – exceptional Customer Service 

Tuesday 16th & Tuesday 23rd September – Dublin 

Trainer: Stephen Simpson – Industry Specialist 

Duration 2 days 

Fee€650 

Vehicle Appraisal 

Tuesday 21st October 

Best Western Sheldon Park Hotel, Dublin 10 

Trainer: Gaetano Forte Industry Specialist 

Fee:€365 

Sales Training – Vehicle Sales Management 

Wednesday 29th & Thursday 30th October 

Dublin (2 day programme) 

Trainer: Brian Milsted – Industry Specialist/Saleslynx 

Fee €650 

Workshop Management 

Tuesday 4th & Wednesday 5th November 



Fee €650 

Budgeting for 2009 

Tuesday 25th & Wednesday 26th November 



Fee €650 

Sales Training – Route 101 

Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 3rd December 

Regional (2 day programme) 


Fee €650 

Car Seat Fitting Seminars planned for late September 

A one day/half day programme on the correct fitting and 

selections of Child/Baby Car Seats is currently being planned 

for September. The RSA are keen for SIMI to deliver this type of 

training, both to heighten awareness of the safety issues and to 

encourage the public to look to qualified professionals to advise 

them in relation to Child seats in cars. Funding is being sought 

for this training Skillsnet, more details to follow. 

Please note that this list is not exhaustive as additional 

programmes may be run from time to time throughout the year 

– for further details contact the Training Department SIMI 01- 

6761690 Email raining@simi.ie

Used car 

management - 

getting it right 

While there are broad economic factors beyond 

the individual motor retailer’s control impacting 

on sales in the used car sector, this makes it all the 

more urgent to re-examine those elements of the 

business that the dealer can control. Pearce Flannery 

of Pragmatica Business Solutions spoke to Editor 

Bernard Potter about revisiting some tried-and-true 

principles to help move used car stock. 

The first step is to examine what contribution your own 

systems and practices are making to the high level of used 

stock. It can be surprising how a streamlining of these systems 

can reduce losses and even mitigate broader market trends. 

According to Pearce, there’s a detailed checklist that needs 

to be reviewed. Some of the points are obvious, some less 

so, but it’s important to thoroughly think through all factors 

that may be influencing the stock levels: “Is there regular 

age analysis of stock? This is important. Sometimes in these 

situations you find there’s no stock turn or liquidation policy, 

no written appraisals or valuations.” 

When you look at your books, ensure that there’s an adequate 

write-down against new vehicle profits and that your pricing 

policies are effective. Initiate daily progressing of used unit 

conditioning if it’s not already in place. Try to avoid any undue 

delays in deciding whether to trade or retail part-exchanges 

and then ensure that the vehicles undergo good preparation 

and appearance conditioning. 

There are many elements that combine to impact directly and 

indirectly on sales, accroding to Pearce. “It’s important to 

provide realistic incentives for salespeople to move overage 

units. Their overall motivation is further enhanced if they see 

that there’s sufficient and effective advertising being carried 

out to attract customers. Look again at their training and the 

techniques they’re employing. Make sure that the display area 

is large enough and effective in displaying the vehicles to best 

effect.” 

Ensure that there is a balance between the number of 

units and the level of physical and other resources of the 

dealership, i.e. salesmen, display and workshops. 

With those supports in place, you need to look for consistent 

USEd CARS 

and effective sales enquiry follow-ups and good frequency of 

used vehicle prospecting from the sales team. And finally look 

at your opening hours, are you staying open long enough and 

are you well resourced with sales people at lunchtimes, etc? 

Make certain that enquiries for vehicles not in stock are 

handled, as those vehicles may well be available through 

other dealers/traders. There also needs to be a detailed 

awareness throughout the sales team of specific seasonal 

demands. Overall, monitor your sales team’s productivity. 

Look at your full range of options, use traders, auctions and 

other specialists to liquidate slow moving stock. 

Another key factor to look at is your pricing, is it out of line 

with local competition? Are the warranty and after sales 

facilities acceptable? How adequate is the maintenance of 

stock on display? It’s important that there is a maximum level 

of co-operation between departments - parts/service/sales. 

Be careful about the units you take on, used car conditioning 

of low quality will cause delays while being rectified. Dealing 

in “problem” units with parts supply problems is another 

drag on stock turnaround. Avoid deploying cars on the used 

stock list as loan cars or company transport. If used cars 

are employed as company or hire vehicles then make sure 

that maintenance, repair, service and fuel costs are clearly 

identified as vehicle expenses, and not allocated to cost of 

sales. 

Good information management systems are essential in the 

drive to reduced used car stock, Pearse explains: “On the most 

fundamental level, sales people need up-to-date information 

concerning used vehicle stock. But more detailed information 

also needs to carefully managed. Have an efficient write-down 

policy for overage. Ensure that there’s up-to-date information 

concerning analysis of stock by price, model, colour and type. 

Have sufficient pre-planning of fleet buy-backs in place to 

avoid creating stock imbalance. 

“Does your average current unit stock value relate to your 


USEd CARS 

average unit cost of sales? If it doesn’t, that implies a stock 

imbalance as a result of age or price. Is the gap widening when 

the results are trended?” 

The next step is to focus on your used car profitability. Do 

retail sales include any trade or semi-trade house sales? Are 

appraisals on part-exchanges being carried out? It’s crucial 

to ensure that appraisals are accurate when checked against 

actual reconditioning costs. 

Pearce advises that appraisals need to clearly identify the 

specification (including extras) of the vehicle part-exchanged 

and that specification must be checked upon initial receipt 

of the car. Are detailed instructions given to the workshop in 

connection with reconditioning work? Do these instructions 

relate to the original appraisal? 

Workshop invoices have to be checked to ensure that 

only instructed work has been carried out and the service 

department needs to keep the sales department informed of 

any additional work required, prior to carrying out the work. 

Such work should only be carried out after an authorisation 

process from the sales department. 

There are also a few important comparative checks that can 

be made, Pearce says. For instance, how does the cost on 

“non-franchise” reconditioning compare with other dealers? 

How do times charged for reconditioning work compare with 

the flat rate manual? How do the selling prices of used vehicles 

compare with other dealers? How do existing used stock values 

compare with auction prices? 

Look at your policy on all older trade-ins (say over two- 

years-old). Is there a firm policy that all such trade-ins are 

appraised by the workshop? An adverse stock model mix will 

affect project margin. In part-exchanges, it’s vital that your 

salespeople are making correct valuations. If not, you need to 

ask are excess allowances charged against the original sale too 

low? A disciplined valuation policy must be put in place, Pearce 

emphasises. For example, potential part-exchanges, which are 

desirable and those which are not should be identified clearly 

and reflected in the valuation policy. “Valuation policy also 

needs to take into consideration the existing used car stock 

balance.” 

When appraising a used car it should be clearly identified 

whether it will be traded or retailed and if so, the valuation 

should be assessed accordingly. 

It’s not good enough to just accept bids from visiting traders 

there has to be a thorough, disciplined trade-out policy that is 

clearly communicated to all the team and an implementation 

process that’s carefully monitored to ensure it’s adhered to. 

Monitoring your mark-up is another important discipline.When 

establishing retail prices is sufficient mark-up being applied 

to allow for reconditioning costs? Is sufficient mark-up being 

applied to allow for Value Added Tax or other government sales 

taxes? Is sufficient mark-up being applied to allow for further 

trade-ins? 

Re-focusing on sales, you should encourage your sales team 

to actively expand the number of trade contacts, particularly 

those with retail outlets. 

Constant analysis of sales also reaps benefits, for instance, 

[ 34 IRISH MOTOR MANAGEMENTMAY/JUNE2008 ] 

analysing sales to to traders to identify whether you are selling 

to any particular trader consistently at a sizeable loss or 

breakeven only after excessive write-down. 

Look at what you normally do and see where you can be 

innovative. Consider using auctions, other than car auctions, to 

dispose of trade vehicles. Look at the feasibility of carrying out 

“parcel deals” with used car traders to unload less desirable 

vehicles as part of an overall trade deal. 

Monitor the timing of fleet/lease buy-backs to ensure that used 

stock balance is not adversely affected. 

Attention to detail can add up to a significant impact on your 

bottom line and Pearse itemises a number of areas that can be 

usefully addressed: 

Are gross profit margins distorted by house charges in 

comparison with the composite? 

Do reconditioning costs included in cost of sales wholly relate 

to vehicles sold, or has an element of late reconditioning been 

included in the result? 

Do part-exchange values, before excess allowance write-off, 

account for Road Tax refunds? 

Are all extras, accessories and Road Fund Tax, provided freeof-charge, 

specified as such on the invoice and authorised by 

the sales manager? 

Is the sales invoice structured to ensure no over-payment of 

government sales taxes? 

Are margins adversely affected by high reconditioning costs 

associated with slow moving stock? 

Have you checked the Used Unit Inventory Analysis to establish 

the extent of slow-moving stock? 

Do you have a policy for subsequent, additional write-down of 

slow-moving stock? 

Overall, Pearce advises an approach where you re-examine 

all aspects of the business, obvious or not, for any hidden 

inefficiencies and costs, as well as hidden opportunities to 

enhance overall performance and profit delivery. 

He believes that effective used car management is critical 

to the long-term success of any motor dealership and the 

implementation of workable used car programmes will be the 

building blocks for dealership profitability in the years ahead. 

Pearce Flannery is the founder and Chief Executive Officer 

of Pragmatica, a company that provides the following 

services exclusively to businesses in the automotive sector: 

l management consulting; 

l training and development; 

l marketing development programmes; and 

l recruitment services. 

Since their inception in 2003 they have developed into a 

leading solutions provider to the automotive sector and now 

have offices in Galway (Head Office), Leixlip Co Kildare and 

Northampton in the united Kingdom. For further information 

and free management advice to the motor industry log on to 

www.pragmatica.ie

dEALER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS 

Enhancing 

efficiencies in 

your business - 

the dMS solution 

An overview of some of the leading automotive dealer management system 

(DMS) packages available in Ireland and a look at how they can enhance 

efficiencies throughout a dealership’s processes. 

Given today’s competitive and demanding business 

environment it is important to ensure that you are 

maintaining maximum efficiency and dependability in your 

day-to-day trading. DMS packages can make a significant 

contribution to the achievement of practical management 

solutions. 

SCALABLe PRODuCT 

Autoline is described by distributors ADP Dealers Services 

Ireland as a proven Dealer Management System with close to 

three thousand installations worldwide and twenty-five years 

of progressive development behind it. Vanessa Worrell of 

ADP outlines the basics of the Autoline system: “A focused 

and scalable product, it suits all types of outlet, single- or 

multi-franchise and virtually any number of locations. It 

has a unique track record of success, making it the widely 

respected benchmark standard and industry leader, with 

extensive manufacturer recognition and endorsement.” 

ADP has recently launched the Autoline System in an 

Application Service Provider format to the Irish market. 

This allows the dealer to use the Autoline System via a 

connection and eliminates the headache of purchasing and 

looking after a server and the need for any IT expertise 

on site, Vanessa explains. “The dealer can get on with the 

business of selling and servicing vehicles while ADP looks 

after hosting their Dealer Management System.” 



dealership managers 

and management 

teams now need 

systems which 

isolate problem areas 

immediately. 

uPCOMING DeVeLOPMeNTS 

Upcoming developments in Autoline 9304E include: 

l the contact management module combines with, and 

improves on, the call centre functionality within Autoline 

and highlights include integrated, simple, centralised 

service booking and simplified user interfaces for contact 

management; 

l the showroom module focuses on enhancements with 

improved searching, display, selection, communication 

and stock profiling and features such as line-by-line quote 

presentation and customer handover management; and 

l the workshop management module addresses the 

management of exception loading situations including 

commercial vehicles extended repairs, production centre 

concept and the ability to manage a mix of repair types in 

a given day. 


Telephony integration is unique to this release. Integrated 

telephony enables outbound customer calls to be initiated 

from point-of-sale by clicking on the telephone icon. An 

inbound call will ‘screen pop’ any associated repair order 

allowing the user to select and load the repair order and 

answer the call or to redirect it. 

ReTAINING exISTING CuSTOMeRS 

Autoline’s customer relationship management (CRM) module 

is a comprehensive marketing and analysis tool to help 

improve sales performance, business processes and customer 

management. It incorporates a range of carefully selected 

facilities and enhancements especially designed to assist in 

capturing and analysing customer and prospect information. 

The customer is key to a dealer’s profitability and a good 

customer perception of the dealer is crucial. Customer


facing staff have a huge impact on this 

perception. With telephony installed, 

both the user and the dealer can gain 

from improved customer service and 

increased efficiency from inbound and 

outbound calls. Outbound calls to a 

customer can be activated from point 

of sale, inbound calls will also ‘pop’ 

to the user any customer details and 

any associated work in progress and 

provide options as to whether the call 

is answered or redirected. 

Vanessa concludes: “It is more 

important than ever to have an 

excellent CRM system which enables 

the dealer to keep track of every 

aspect of business with their customer. 

The Autoline system is a fully 

integrated system which addresses all 

of the stages in the business cycle.” 

AuTOMASTeR’S MODuLAR DeSIGN 

AutoMaster is a modern and flexible 

management system designed for 

main franchise dealers and importer 

business. Modularly designed, based 

on Windows and SQL technology, 

AutoMaster is a scalable solution 

capable of supporting large multisite, 

multi-franchise operations. 

With installations in 37 countries 

worldwide and integrations to over 30 

vehicle makes, Automaster is the most 

experienced Dealer Service Provider in 

Europe in handling the needs of multimake 

dealerships. 

In Ireland AutoMaster is distributed 

by Callan Computers who have 

supplied systems to the Irish motor 

trade for over 25 years. According to 

Don Hammond of Callan Computers: 

“The company has a large customer 

base with installations in every 

county in Ireland and has a tradition 

of supplying competitive solutions 

with knowledgeable staff utilising 

innovative and modern methodologies 

to maintain and support its customers. 

FRee PROGRAMMe uPGRADeS 

“AutoMaster differentiates itself 

from the competition by focusing 

on value for customers with free 

program upgrades, free manufacturer 

integration and free price updates. The 

management system has endorsements 

from most of the major manufacturers 

in Ireland and Europe because of the 

level of integration with the dealer 

facing systems,” says Don. 

Some of the innovative features 

within AutoMaster include vehicle 

information, which can be fed directly 



A screenshot of Autoline’s showroom module. 

The Autoview perspective 

Walter Hinds of Systems Design, who 

distribute the DMS package Autoview, offers 

his perspective on the sector. 

The retail motor business has always been a complex 

low margin one, where planning has to be good and 

mistakes are expensive. Obviously, in the current financial 

environment this is even more the case than ever, and the 

dealer needs all the help he can get. It is the function of 

the dealer management system to provide this help. Now, 

more than ever, the dealer needs a DMS which does more 

than print invoices and provide reports analysing sales and 

stock. Dealership managers and management teams now 

need systems which isolate problem areas immediately 

and present business options clearly. The DMS must not 

only answer questions asked by management, it must 

prompt management to ask the right questions. In the 

current environment the questions are difficult to ask 

and the clarity with which data is presented is vitally 

important. 

From an operational point of view the DMS must provide 

enhanced capability at lower cost. Dealership staff must 

become more effective without increased overhead in 

training or support. Autoview achieves this by providing 

an intuitive, easy-to-use interface. Customers can be 

contacted by email, text or letter as the circumstances 

from a key reader onto a workshop job 

card, thus saving on duplication and 

typing errors 

AutoMaster Feelback is an automated 

customer satisfaction survey 

application. It integrates into 

AutoMaster processes so that the 

customer’s feedback can be obtained 

directly after the customer contact. 

The FeelBack system will give the 

dealer principle accurate and up-to- 

date satisfaction results from all areas 

of his business, Don explains. 

OTHeR FeATuReS 

The Call Centre feature is a multisite 

extension to the time reservation 

require, all effected by just a few clicks. Operational 

ease has the vital effect of enabling staff to focus on the 

customer. Customer relationship management has always 

been of interest in this business but now it is regarded as 

a primary component of the dealerships’ business process. 

The Autoview system incorporates a CRM module which 

unites all departments in their approach to the customer. 

Now that customers have become more scarce it is 

necessary for all customer-facing staff to present the 

dealerships’ unified and informed approach. At this 

critical time, business models must be reviewed and 

refined. It is necessary for management to set realistic 

targets and to monitor these closely. Autoview targeting 

provides the means to achieve this at a detailed level 

with a minimum of operational cost. Here again the 

system shifts management effort from maintaining 

operational control to decision making. 

It has often been said that the motor business has not 

developed as quickly as the computer business. Perhaps 

this is so in the case of computer hardware but in the 

case of software the analogy works the other way round. 

The modern motor vehicle presents a very pleasant, 

useful and easy to understand interface to the driver. The 

Dealer Management System needs to do the same for its 

user. Autoview, in its constantly evolving form, is moving 

steadily in this direction. 



module. It enables the user to manage 

the time reservations of several 

different sites by a single running 

application. 

AutoMaster messaging is an application 

that enables messages to be sent 

through SMS to a customer’s mobile 

phone or email. 

AutoMaster mobile computing features 

the option to utilise portable and 

wireless readers. Using these units the 

central business processes of parts 

sales can be managed from anywhere 

in the workshop or parts stock area in 

real time. 

The AutoMaster ASP service centre has 


been created to offer dealers a modern 

information system cost effectively 

and without risk. Customers can safely 

concentrate on their core competence 

when a professional Automaster 

solution provider is handling their 

information technology needs. 

eService is a fully integrated webbased 

time reservation management 

system for workshops, which gives 

customers a convenient and fast way 

to make reservations for service and 

repairs 

eStock is an application which replaces 

partly or completely the customer’s 

parts ordering process. 

Boyne 

valley Cars 

Boyne Valley Cars, who first 

opened their doors for business 

in January 2007, selected 

Automaster as their dealer 

management system. As a 

new entrant to automotive 

retailing in Co. Louth, they 

needed a system that fitted the 

profile of their business and 

one which not only provided 

strong management control, 

but could aid them in delivering 

exponential growth through 

structured marketing, lead 

generation and customer 

management.

TRACS was introduced following the new Waste Management 

Regulations in January 2008 to monitor the movement of 

waste tyres within the industry, promote their legitimate 

reuse and encourage recycling. 

There are over 35,000 tonnes of waste tyres generated in 

Ireland each year and this was uncontrolled. It was not 

known where significant numbers of waste tyres were ending 

up. The tyre industry recognised its responsibility in this 

area so they approached the Government and proposed a 

voluntary industry initiative to track all of the tyres and 

waste tyres on the market. 

Following discussions between the Department of the 

Environment and relevant stakeholders, and a public 

consultation process, regulations on the monitoring of tyres 

and waste tyres came into force on January 1st, 2008. These 

regulations support the environmentally sound management 

of waste tyres by providing a regulatory framework for 

comparing quantities of waste tyres arising with the 

quantities placed on the market and in tracking their 

movement. 

TRACS 

TRACS keeps waste tyre 

management on track 

TRACS, the Tyre Recovery Activity Compliance Scheme, is a voluntary compliance scheme for tyre industry 

operators. Fiacra Quinn, Director, TRACS writes about the background to the development of the scheme and 

explains how it works and the benefits he believes it delivers. 

TRACS was approved by the Minister for the Environment 

John Gormley in January 2008. Since it has been established, 

over 300 importers, manufacturers, retailers and waste 

collectors have registered with TRACS so we have surpassed 

our target of 50% of operators by the middle of 2008 and are 

well on track to register all tyre industry operators by the 

end of the year. 

There are enormous benefits for operators registering with 

TRACS. The regulations impose obligations on people who 

supply tyres to the Irish market, whether as manufacturers, 

wholesalers, suppliers, traders or retailers, and on the 

collectors of waste tyres. These obligations include the 

submission of information as prescribed in the regulations, 

and in the format provided for in the guidance concerning 

SI 664 of 2007, by the 10th day of each quarterly period. 

They will also be required to prepare and present waste 

management plans and reports when submitting applications 

for registration and submit a report to the EPA by the 

28th of February each year. Anyone who registers with 

TRACS is exempt from these obligations. TRACS will report 


TRACS 

collectively and in aggregate on tyres placed on the Irish 

market, waste tyre collection and subsequent recycling on 

behalf of its members. 

Tyre industry operators who have already joined recognise 

the benefits of being registered with TRACS as it means 

they are exempt from the preparation of these reports and 

submission of paperwork which can be very time consuming. 

We are now calling on those that have not yet registered 

to come on board as we can save them time and money 

and ensure that their obligations are being met. At €125 

per annum for retailers and 8c per tyre for importers the 

cost is relatively low, it ensures compliance and reduces 

administration so, all in all, it is very beneficial for all 

concerned. Another benefit is that the regulations don’t 

impose an environmental levy but allow the market to 

decide the cost of collection and reprocessing. This means 

retailers now have the legitimate ability to cover a waste 

management overhead. 

So what exactly does TRACS require from each participant? 

To reconcile the mass flow of tyres through the supply 

chain, all we require is information from each operator on 

quantities and categories of tyres being supplied in Ireland 

from point of import. Concerns were raised over what 

information would be required from importers but all we 

need to know is that the tyres were imported and not the 

country of origin, supplier details or the brand of tyres that 

have been imported. Also, we do not need to know anything 

concerning values or commercial arrangements. 

After import, TRACS needs to know additional details of 

tyres sourced in the country for wholesale concerning where 

the tyres came from and where they are going to. At the 

point of retail, TRACS needs to know additional details 

of tyres sourced in the country for replacement fitting, 

concerning only where the tyres came from, but not the 

customer, as it is at this point that a waste tyre is generated 

from a replacement fitting. Further information is required 

from the waste collector concerning customers collected 

from, quantities and categories. In this way the movement 

of tyres through the supply chain will be reconciled. Some 

may have difficulties with providing this information, but 

TRACS is there to help and be as flexible as possible. 

Some concerns have also been voiced over security but 

TRACS has adopted best-in-practice security and data 

management systems and procedures to ensure that any 

information submitted by members is kept completely 

confidential and secure. Strict controls ensure no 

information can be reproduced other than in aggregate as 

required under the regulations. Anonymity is guaranteed. 

The waste tyres currently generated per annum in Ireland 

can be put to many beneficial uses. Crumb obtained from 

recycled tyres has many uses such as in playgrounds, as 

equine bedding or on football pitches. Tyres can also be 

baled for engineering purposes. 

Farmers use waste tyres to anchor silage and they are used 

at marinas as boat fenders. The regulations make provision 


to enable the farmer to store up to eight waste tyres for 

every square metre of his silage pit without the need for a 

waste permit. Farmers cannot obtain waste tyres directly 

from a retailer anymore, but must obtain these tyres from 

a registered waste collector. Others requiring waste tyres 

for genuine re-use can source waste tyres subject to the 

approval of local authorities and compliance with waste 

permit regulations. 

TRACS is a not-for-profit audited company that has been 

approved by the Minister as a compliance scheme. It has 

a required number of subscribers (trustees) and a Board 

comprising independents and some involved in the tyre 

industry. Subscribers and/or Board Members from the tyre 

industry have no involvement in the day-to-day management 

and operation of TRACS. 

Independent directors include Brian Cooke of SIMI, who will 

also chair sub-committees. This is the initial structure of 

TRACS, but we would like to see as wide a representation 

as possible on the board and encourage active participation 

from all members. 

CONTACT 

TyRe SPIN 

l Over 35,000 tonnes of waste 

tyres generated each year 

l TRACS approved by Minister 

for Environment Gormley in 

January 

l 300-plus importers, 

manufacturers, 

retailers and waste collectors 

registered so far 

l Crumb from recycled tyres 

has uses in playgrounds and 

on football pitches 

For any queries about TRACS please contact: 

Brenda Maher 

TRACS 

Unit 25, Guinness Enterprise Centre, 

Taylor’s Lane, Dublin 8. 

Tel: 353 (0)1 4100601 

Fax: 353 (0)1 4100550 

Email: brenda.maher@tracsireland.ie 

www.tracsireland.ie

The cars were made from wood and the objectives 

were clear – safety, efficiency, accuracy and quality. 

Talking about build quality is always somewhat subjective. 

If something feels well built it tends to come from Germany 

and it tends to have a very solid feel to it. But why is that? 

Well thanks to my new certificate I know why. 

At Opel’s Rüsselsheim manufacturing plant we were given 

the task of learning the essential assembly skills required 

to make an Opel that meet the company’s standards of 

excellence at its Simulated Work Environment (SWE) Training 

Centre. We split up into teams and each team was assigned 

a team leader who would show us how the assembly line 

would work and what our task was. The cars were made 

from wood and the objectives were clear – safety, efficiency, 

accuracy and quality. 

I got a power screwdriver, which will obviously make any guy 

happy. With it, I had to remove the screws and ‘lights’ and 

‘bumpers’ from the cars as they passed the assembly and put 

BUILdING A CAR IN OPEL 

The team from Ireland listen carefully to their instructor in the 

Simulated Work Environment (SWE) Training Centre. 

Pull the handle to get 

the quality right 

Paddy Comyn visited Opel’s Rüsselsheim plant where he uncovered some of the marque’s manufacturing 

secrets. 

the parts into the right boxes. Sounds easy enough, but our 

team failed miserably on the first round. 

Our team leader Harald, who was short on English, but 

scared me enough to want to work harder, pointed out that 

we had failed through lack of attention. The training drills 

show that glitches and flaws are not tolerated. “We really 

make the point to our workers on the line not to create any 

quality problems, not to accept any cars with any potential 

problems and certainly not to pass them on,” explains Ralk 

Tischka, Opel’s Director of Programme Quality for Global 

Mid-Size Cars. 

Each worker on the line has the ability to stop the line if 

they find a problem. If you spot an issue there is a cord 

above your head, known as the ANDON cord, which, when 

pulled, alerts a team leader who can halt production to help 

put a problem right. Our team didn’t pull the handle enough 


BUILdING A CAR IN OPEL 

in light of the problems spotted later. After a post-mortem 

a new procedure plan was hatched, which involved simple 

changes to the line up. 

Changing small things, like where we placed our hands, how 

we used our drill and where we stood, improved safety, 

productivity and the all-important ability to spot and 

counter mistakes. After three hours I joined 5,355 people 

with a “zertifikat” in quality systems. I felt rather proud, 

even if I am not quite ready to join the factory floor just 

yet. 

THe ANDON SySTeM 

According to the company, the GM Global Manufacturing 

System is an important building block of an integrated 

strategy to develop products that excite customers in 

markets around the world. GM is bringing together what it 

calls the best, most competitive manufacturing practices 

from around the world and leveraging what it has learned as 

it moves to a common global manufacturing system for all of 

its new plants and existing facilities. 

When implemented, the objective is that the GMS principles 

should maximise performance in the areas of people 

systems, safety, quality, customer responsiveness and cost. 

At the heart of the system is the operator in the plant - the 

person who builds the vehicles. Plants and processes are 

designed around providing support for the operators and 

teams on the plant floor, so they can efficiently build great 

vehicles that provide customers with top quality, value 

and responsiveness. In accordance with the GM Global 

Manufacturing System, every employee on the production 

l i n e i s o b l i g a t e d t o p u l l t h e A N D O N c o r d i f a p r o b l e m o c c u r s . 

ANDON is a manufacturing term referring to a signboard 

incorporating signal lights, audio alarms, and text or other 

displays installed at a workstation to notify management and 

other workers of a quality or process problem. GM’s Quality 

and Material ANDON system consists of two similar but 

separate subsystems. The Quality ANDON subsystem enables 

employees to request help when a product or process quality 

problem is identified. The action of pulling a cord sends a 


signal back to the operator interface, illuminating a section 

of a large display called an ANDON board that indicates 

where the problem exists along the production line. It also 

sounds an audio alert. 

The Quality ANDON subsystem supports the synchronous 

manufacturing principles of built-in-quality, utilising 

in-station repair rather than final process repair. The 

Material ANDON subsystem allows each production area 

to automatically or manually request material before 

inventory is completely consumed. Employees manually 

request more material by pressing a button. The manual or 

automatic request sends a signal back to the Material ANDON 

System, which displays the request in the material storage 

area. ‘Driverless carriages’ then deliver the requested 

material to the location, again supporting the synchronous 

manufacturing principles of just-in-time delivery. 

Both the Quality and Material ANDON systems feature a 

built-in tracking and reporting capability that compiles the 

number of ANDON calls, the number of line stops, and the 

resulting downtime. Problems are detected and resolved 

quickly and inventory is minimised. The ANDON system 

avoids the high cost of idle equipment and people due to 

production problems and drastically reduces the opportunity 

for errors and necessity of re-work. 

“Respect good ideas and stable processes, but, particularly 

in terms of quality, control is always good,” says GM 

Poland Managing Director and Opel Poland Plant Director 

Romuald Rytwiński. In line with this, GM has European 

Quality Calibration Auditors, who arrive unannounced to 

look over the shoulders of the quality auditors in each 

individual plant. Should they identify deficiencies in a car 

deemed defect-free by the internal quality audit, “things 

get uncomfortable”, says Rytwiński. To view quality only in 

terms of production quality would certainly not be enough. 

“It is very clear to us that we can only make significant 

progress in the various aspects of quality when we also 

completely satisfy our customers regarding what we call 

perceptual quality and the entire image of the car,” says 

Rytwiński. 

Paddy’s “zertifikat” in quality systems.

Irish Motor Management has an unrivalled readership of motor industry professionals. If you 

have a vacancy at any level and wish to attract only the highest calibre of applicants, then 

contact Commercial Director, Rebecca Markey, on 01-2893305 to place your advertisement 

and avail of the special recruitment rates available to SIMI members.

Recent figures compiled by the Central Statistics Office indicate that 180,872 

new cars were registered in Ireland during 2007 

Each entrepreneur may have a different long-term goal for 

their business. Some may wish to realise value through selling 

the business. Others wish to pass it on to a partner or family 

member. The operations of an owner-managed business 

should be geared towards achieving the owner’s long-term 

goals for the business. Business owners must plan to ensure 

they reap the rewards of their years of work and effort. This 

is particularly relevant for owners of the many motor retailer 

businesses in Ireland. 

CuRReNT TReNDS 

Recent figures compiled by the Central Statistics Office 

indicate that 180,872 new cars were registered in Ireland 

during 2007, the highest figure since a record 225,000 in 2000. 

The number of new cars licensed during the period starting 

1 January 2008 and ending 30 April 2008 decreased by 7.9 

percent compared with the same period during 2007. The 

Motor 

FINANCE 

retailers - 

achieving 

long-term 

goals 

Michael Neary, corporate finance partner with Grant 

Thornton, writes about the importance of long-term 

planning in ensuring that a motor retailer’s financial 

strategy is effective and successful. 

2008 figures represent a 1.8 percent decline for same period 

during 2006. However, car sales are typically strong during 

this period. As a result, the performance of the motor retail 

industry for the remainder of 2008 is difficult to predict. It 

appears the used car market is one that smaller dealers must 

aim to develop as consumers become more price conscious in 

an uncertain economic period. 

ReLATIONSHIP WITH BANK 

There are many specific issues which motor retailers must 

deal with. Motor retailers can be asset rich and cash poor 

businesses. Due to the nature of their business, motor 

retailers must maintain a good relationship with their banks. 

A flexible relationship helps the business to operate in an 

efficient and profitable manner. 

Managing the bank’s expectations in the short-term and 

presenting the business as a viable long-term entity are 

key functions for motor retailers. A good business plan can 

persuade the bank of the business’ prospects and lay the 

foundation of a good working relationship between the two 

parties. 

LONG-TeRM PLANS 

It is important that motor retailers consider their ultimate 

ambitions for their business. Many car dealers operate their 

business on a short-term basis without considering how they 

intend to get rewarded for their years of hard work. They may 

wish to retire comfortably with the returns from a profitable 


FINANCE 

business, sell their business or simply pass a strong business 

on to a family member. 

CASe STuDy 

John Smith,* 55, owned and managed a successful car 

dealership in Dublin for more than 30 years. John had pension 

investments valued at €450k. He also owns some commercial 

and residential properties in Dublin valued at €2.1m. There 

were mortgages of €1.5m outstanding on these apartments. 

John’s business had a turnover of €15m in the most recent 

financial year and an operating loss of €250k principally 

due to used car stock write downs. Also, John’s bank was 

beginning to put pressure on him with regards to the various 

facilities both he and the business, had with the bank. The 

company owned a premises worth €3m and there was €1.5m 

of loans outstanding. There was €500k worth of used cars and 

the stocking loan was €400k and the business was close to its 

maximum overdraft level. 

The company and John personally owe the bank a good level 

of debt. John was very anxious about the performance of 

the business. He decided to approach Grant Thornton to help 

ease the pressure from the banks and to help him plan his 

retirement. 


To achieve this we set about preparing a paper to outline 

the options. Once a clear strategy was agreed we prepared 

a business plan which included cutting costs and dropping 

unprofitable business lines. The plan highlighted how the bank 

was to be repaid. John’s bank was satisfied that the business 

plan was achievable. 

This eased the pressure on John and the business 

considerably. The business plan, and options paper helped 

John to manage his business in line with his long-term goals. 

John recalls the positive impact Grant Thornton had on his 

situation at the time. 

*Although the name is fictitious, this case study is based on a composite of 

client situations. 

Michael Neary is a corporate 

finance partner with Grant 

Thornton, he has advised 

several motor retailers. 

Michael can be contacted 

at 01 6805797 or 

michael.neary@grantthornton.ie

The IMCTGA is recognised as a major association for the Irish 

Motor Industry. While it is primarily a golfing association, 

it also provides a social element for the wide range of its 

membership which includes golfers of all ages, both male and 

female, currently working in the motor industry as well as 

many who are enjoying retirement from it. 

This year’s President, Fergus Murphy, is renewing the request 

made a couple of years ago by Gerry Caffrey the then 

president of the IMCTGA to recruit new members into the 

Golfing Association. 

While we still have a good membership we do need more 

people playing in our various outings at top class golf courses 

throughout the country. 

We need to increase our membership to add to the enjoyment 

of the various outings. We can accommodate up to 128 people 

for our shotgun start outings which we are arranging more 

so now than ever before. This enables members to enjoy 

dinner as a group after golf and gives us the opportunity to 

acknowledge our sponsors in a proper manner. 

The President is appealing to all of our current members to 

contact a friend or colleague in the industry and who would 

like to join our Association. This appeal for new members 

will increase the numbers of our already well-supported 

Association and will be to the benefit of all. 

New members will be most welcome provided they are 

recognised with a GUI handicap. They need not be the world’s 

best golfers as long as they are happy to be in good company 

SPORTS & SOCIAL 

Are you a golfer? 

Join now and enjoy all the benefits of membership of the IMCTGA 

Recently elected President of the Irish Motor & Cycle Trades Golfing Association, Fergus Murphy, extends an 

invitation to golfers in the motor industry holding a GUI handicap to consider joining one of the oldest and 

largest golfing associations in Ireland, established in 1914. 

and enjoy a great day’s golfing 

This September we will be travelling to County Wexford, 

to the famous links of Courtown and our second day’s play 

will be at the Seafield Golf and Country Club. Our Christmas 

outing is of course the highlight for all our members and is 

scheduled this year to take place at the home of the AIB 

Irish Ladies Open, Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links in early 

December. 

We are fortunate to have on board again this year a great 

line-up of very generous sponsors, such as Independent 

Newspapers, Coyle Hamilton Willis, Hibernian Insurance, 

Friends First, ADP Dealer Services Ltd., Goodyear Dunlop, 

Gowan Distributors and A D Ireland. These very generous 

sponsors continue to support and enable us to provide top 

class outings at top class venues for all members. Because of 

this, it is important that we support when at all possible all of 

these companies who give our Association great support. 

We are constantly looking for new sponsors who will add to 

the overall enjoyment of the Association and would welcome 

the opportunity to discuss sponsorship options with any 

potential sponsors. 

As Fergus points out, “it is not all about winning or indeed 

golf. Everyone is made to feel extremely welcome no matter 

what their golf handicap may be.” So why not consider 

becoming a member of this illustrious Golfing Association by 

contacting Con Dalton, Secretary IMCTGA at the SIMI Offices 

on 01-6761690 or e-mail: cdalton@simi.ie 

Competition - Win a dvd player 

What car am I? 

I’m my company’s response to the Mini. My name combines references to two Italian 

cities, one where I was designed, and the other where I was built. My petrol versions 

are a normally aspirated 1.4-litre engine with 95bhp and two turbo-charged versions 

with 120 bhp and 155bhp. I’m arriving in Ireland next January and will boast a number 

of technological innovations including, a device that acts on my engine, brakes, 

steering, suspension and gearbox, allowing for three different vehicle behaviours for 

performance situations, normal situations and tough weather conditions. What car am I? 

If you think you know the make and model mentioned here, then e-mail your entry 

along with your name, address and telephone number to bernard@ifpmedia.com or fax 

it to 01-2896406 by September 5th. Good luck! 


SPORTS & SOCIAL 

Pictured (l-r): Damien Smyth, Airside Ford, receiving the Dunlop Cup from the President of the Irish 

Motor & Cycle Trades Golfing Association (IMCTGA) Fergus Murphy, following his win at the IMCTGA 

outing at the Hermitage Golf Club in June. Many thanks to our sponsors on the day - Independent 

Newspapers, Coyle Hamilton Willis and Hibernian Insurances.. 

Terry Lilly, Terry Lilly Commercials, Dublin with Peter Mongey, 

Mongey Plunkett Motors, Dublin on the Hermitage outing. 

(L-r): Declan McVeigh, Drogheda, Keith Martin, 

Dublin and Michael Holcroft, Drogheda. 


Enjoing the day’s golf (L-r): Brian O’Neill, Tech-Plus Ltd., Joe Donnelly, 

Crofton Motors, Tom Shanahan, Tool Auto Equipment 

and Terry Lilly,Terry Lilly Commercials. 

(L-r): Fergus Murphy, President IMCTGA, Jim Farrell, 

Motor Distributors Ltd. and Joe O’Grady.

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry

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