We kindly invite you to read an interview with Adam Kapek, Vice President of Moto-Profil.
1. How could you rate the past year on the aftermarket in Poland?
At the beginning of the year, during the annual meetings with ProfiAuto partners, we discussed the fact that we live in a time that scientists refer to as ‘VUCA’. It is a theory, according to which the modern world is characterized by variability, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. These times require business agility and the so-called ‘Anti-fragility’, which allows you to quickly adapt to a changing environment. We did not assume then that life-changing events in every dimension would come so quickly and that the organization's readiness to deal with such situations would be verified.
During the first months of the pandemic, there were radically different responses to the new reality on the market. For example, at the same time, we observed increased orders from some partners (dictated by fear of limited availability from producers), while others decided to significantly reduce them - fearing limited demand. There were arguments for each of these scenarios that seemed plausible, but none of us could clearly define what the future would look like. We have decided that during this period, it will be crucial for Moto-Profil to ensure the continuity of supplies, as well as maintaining stable trade conditions for our partners. Together, we kept the routes and financial conditions for the cooperating mechanics. We have also found out, again, that by operating within the group - ProfiAuto and ProfiAuto Serwis - we better cope with challenges in difficult times. The pandemic affected individual areas in which we operate to a different extent, but in retrospect, the overall sales result turned out to be very good and this is optimistic.
It is certainly pleasing that the aftermarket industry is still, and now perhaps even particularly, so much needed that the current turmoil in the economic market does not adversely affect the demand for our services.
2. Describe three most important changes that have occurred in the company in the past year.
We are moving forward to the next stage
We are an organization with a long history, many experiences and achievements. However, this does not mean that we do not see the need for change. We started last year by analyzing the effectiveness of all areas of our business. This analysis was multidimensional and concerned both our internal environment and Moto-Profil's relationship with the market. We translated the conclusions into action. This is, among others, the result of the ‘Moto-Profile through the Customers’ Eyes’ survey, carried out in the second half of this year, in which we thoroughly examined the opinions of customers about the cooperation. The conclusions drawn from the survey are a signpost of the changes that we will implement in 2021.
The dynamic development of the ProfiPower brand
At the beginning of this year, the ProfiPower brand, so far associated with batteries, expanded its offer with products such as brakes and filters. The market success of the new product categories initiated work on new ones, which will be implemented in the coming year.
IT and technology - Agile methodology
IT and technology have always been an important pillar in Moto-Profil, determining business development. At the same time, it is a matter in which the so-called the silo, i.e. vertical management style is no longer effective. Therefore, we implemented the Agile work methodology in IT, meaning an agile approach to activities, assuming faster verification of their effects. Thanks to this change, our systems will be modified faster, and their functionalities will respond to the real needs of the market. The ProfiAuto Catalog, the ProfiBiznes warehouse management system, the PAS24 software for mechanics and the application dedicated to drivers are becoming one coherent ecosystem. An example of implemented innovations may be the ProfiAuto Pay service, in which the driver can pay for the repair in the application or spread the payment into installments. It is a solution tailored to today's times, available to services associated in the ProfiAuto Serwis network.
3. Challenges for the automotive industry for 2021.
For some time it will surely be further operation in the currently developed model and further effective actions, despite difficulties and limitations. We already know how to do it and we are convinced that we can maintain business efficiency, so it will be easier in this respect. In the long run, not only for our industry, but for all sectors, the biggest challenge will be getting back to business as usual. Although the world will probably never be the same again, we would all like to have the opportunity to meet in a larger group, discuss plans and strategies for the future, but also simply smile humanly at each other, shake hands and ask ‘what's up?’. Conferences on the Teams platform will definitely stay with us and will improve many processes, however, when the possibility of live meetings, trainings and conferences returns, we will all catch the wind and develop cooperation as dynamically as we would expect - which is what I wish for us, our partners and the entire industry.
