After two years, in which everyone has been affected by the consequences of the pandemic, 2022 is looking like an uncertain year for bodyshops, mainly due to the following factors:
- Fewer cars have been manufactured as a result of the lack of semiconductors.
- A breakdown of the logistics chain, caused by a global lack of containers, which has increased transportation costs.
- Fewer new vehicles and more used vehicles.
- Increase in electricity and fuel costs, which has an impact on the cost of running a business.
- Older vehicles, which are repaired less.
Despite all these problems, it is also presented as the year we will overcome the pandemic, a year in which the bodyshops will return to a certain degree of normality.
Challenges for 2022
Here are the main challenges facing bodyshops in 2022.
The Age of the Automobiles on the Road Is Increasing
More than half of the cars in Spain are more than 10 years old and only one in four repairs are carried out. These repairs are not very profitable as they are based on the economic factor. New vehicles, on the other hand, cover more kilometers and therefore have a higher accident rate. This benefits the bodyshop because the customer is more interested in having it repaired, not only for aesthetic reasons, but also because it is usually fully insured and the insurance companies cover the repair.
Bodyshops with fast services
Half of the repairs carried out in Spain are bodywork repairs such as scratches and minor bumps. Only 25-28% of bodywork and paintwork repairs are done with fast services, compared to 76% for maintenance and 46% for mechanical repairs. This means that there is plenty of scope to channel them through fast services.
Adapting facilities to these types of services does not require any investment in refurbishment, only the creation of differentiated flows and the use of more efficient products for these services are necessary to be able to offer fast body repairs.
Use of Fast Products
Bodyshops are placing increasing importance on speeding up processes and becoming more efficient and productive, with the aim of freeing up working hours, reducing waiting times and cutting costs of supplies such as electricity, with products that focus on air drying. Fast repair processes such as Roberlo’s Tempus Process are the best option to increase productivity in the bodyshop.
Training in ADAS systems, digitalization and connected vehicles
From July 2022, 10 ADAS (Advanced Driving Assistance Systems) systems, such as automatic emergency braking, intelligent assistants, automatic controls, etc., will be mandatory in Europe. This means that bodyshops will receive more and more cars which incorporate these systems, which will be a great challenge for professionals training in this area and for them to have the equipment to carry out the calibrations.
The Age of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles
The increasing number of electric and hybrid cars on the road is already a reality and this will continue to grow. For mechanical workshops, this is a major change in their daily work. Bodyshops, however, will also be affected, but to a lesser extent. They will mainly need training in de-energizing for certain cases (see the webinar The Secrets of the Electric Vehicle here) which will be carried out by an authorized worker, as well as adapting the PPE, equipment and signage of the workplace.
2022 An Uncertain Year Towards Recovery
Despite the difficulties we are experiencing, 2022 looks set to be the year of recovery, in which pre-pandemic levels will be achieved. Nevertheless, it is still expected to be a difficult year due to the lack of supplies, the aging automobile market, rising costs and the impact of ADAS and electric vehicles, among others. Being aware of the 5 challenges facing the bodyshop in 2022 can help greatly towards being able to adapt and get through the year successfully.
