An interview with the NEXUS CEO, Gael Escribe
2018 was the year of the digital revolution. It is no secret that new technologies are massively impacting the aftermarket business and we can say that in recent years, digitization and digitalization have affected the development of this sector.
Marketplace, telematics, connected vehicle, we are all aware of these new aftermarket trends. Technology is shaping the future of the aftermarket and the New Year will be again marked by it. Especially, it is the customer expectation which is changing generating a disruption of the value chain, a transformation in end consumer access and a shift in profit pools.
As first article of the IN!SIGHT blog, we talk about the aftermarket megatrends with the NEXUS CEO, Gael Escribe.
Following the automotive aftermarket megatrends, what is NEXUS position regarding the consolidation of the aftermarket?
Consolidation is progressing and transforming the aftermarket landscape. In the last two years we saw acquisition and merging activities among large automotive suppliers and distribution networks which created opportunities but also some concerns. More consolidation leads automatically to the creation of new distributions approaches to the market and to more investment capacities.
NEXUS is entertaining an open dialogue with all the aftermarket actors: car makers, suppliers, repair network, online networks, distributors, etc. We believe that consolidation can be both a threat for our Members, not being able to reach critical size, but also an attractive occasion to grow and generate values.
We are therefore always ready to support our community to help them on their strategic initiatives.
What is your strategy to face the digitalization of the market?
One of the three NEXUS pillars is “Innovation” as we work on strategies aimed at simplifying our community daily life but also to increase their growth and business. Digitalization / digitization are somehow synonymous of innovation. Through digitization we saw that a significant impact was on the disruption process, creating a new way to distribute parts and to avoid fragmented markets.
We have launched an online platform, www.marketparts.com, with the aim at giving as much opportunities as possible to our community, to be part of the change in the aftermarket panorama. “In order to provide a full community experience, we have also created IT tools such as the digital NEXUS Contact Book 2.0 or the NEXUS App -for our annual congress- that enables real-time communication between members and suppliers. CON!NECT 2.0 was created in 2016, and it is an intranet platform to connect our global community in one click. We are currently working on an upgrade of it.
All the actions that we take are aimed at simplifying and boasting all our projects, from the N! Academy trainings to the NEXUS workshop networks. Everything is connected and we can’t leave behind any single elements.
And what about mobility? Is NEXUS involved to face this trend?
We are aware that mobility is changing, especially in Europe, but also globally speaking. Mobility is impacting the aftermarket and therefore vehicle usage and maintenance.
Despite the average age of the cars is significantly increasing, the shift from parts to services is in process causing a more professional and less fragmented aftermarket service model. Here, to win the game, education is at stake and the N! Academy trainings are designed to embrace the opportunities and challenges of mobility to better train and prepare the NEXUS community.
NEXUS has established as well a N! Telematics project team which is already actively involved and have met major players in connected vehicle technology, to have a global overview of the connected vehicle for tomorrow in term of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
