NEWS
NEW ACQUISITION FOR 4X4 AFTERMARKET AUTO ACCESSORIES GROUP This is the fourth strategic acquisition for the Aeroklas Asia Pacific Group Aeroklas Asia Pacific Group (AAPG) – a division of Aeroklas – recently completed its fourth strategic acquisition in the Australian 4x4 automotive accessories market, which it says places the business amongst the industry’s largest players. With an eye on international growth, the Aeroklas Asia Pacific Group says it has big plans for the Australian Market. On the 1st of July, AAPG acquired a 100 percent shareholding in 4 Way Suspension Products Pty Ltd. 4 Way Suspension Products designs, manufactures and distributes suspension products including shock absorbers, coil springs, leaf springs and other accessories for four-wheel drives and SUVs under the “Tough Dog” brand. Aeroklas, a manufacturer of light weight premium dual skinned plastic canopies and ute liners for major OE vehicle manufacturers, has made several significant acquisitions in the Australian 4x4 accessories market. It first acquired well known 4x4 accessories retailer TJM in 2015, and then in 2018 the business added Flexiglass (fiberglass canopies) and Bocar (aluminium trays and accessories). The company’s latest acquisition looks at the underside of off-roading and further complements
the business’ complete offering to the four-wheel drive market. These acquisitions represent an overall investment in the Australian automotive parts manufacturing sector of over $100M in the last seven years and the company plans to continue to grow both locally and within the lucrative Asian, US and European markets. Within Australia the AAPG business has more than 100 retail outlets throughout the country, most recently opening new Aeroklas fitment centres in Western Australia and new TJM locations in Tasmania. Locally, Tough Dog will continue to enjoy a strong relationship with automotive retail groups and independent automotive retailers throughout Australia as the brand continues to grow and expand. The owners of 4 Way Suspension Products have been retained under an earn out provision as part of the deal. Tough Dog will continue to operate independently from other Aeroklas brands to ensure the ongoing success of the brand in its key markets. It is for this reason Aeroklas will also be retaining the Tough Dog management team. Group General Manager of the Aeroklas Asia Pacific Group, Greg Kelly, spoke about the acquisition and where the group is heading.
“The Tough Dog brand is a well known and wellloved Australian made product with excellent growth prospects and wider distribution opportunities both at home and in overseas markets,” Greg said. “The business has a proven track record of developing innovative and market leading suspension products for over 30 years and is a welcomed addition to the Aeroklas Group’s already extensive range of high-quality four-wheel drive accessories. “In recent years we have seen a shift in consumer preferences towards four-wheel drives, utes and SUV models. We know that with the addition of Tough Dog, coupled with our other market leading brands, our business is well placed to service the growing needs of consumers in this market. “Aeroklas is in an excellent strategic position to provide our customers with the very best in 4x4 automotive accessories so that they can optimise the performance of their vehicles with specialised light weight and durable products to get the most out of their motoring experience.” For more information, visit www.aeroklasasiapacificgroup.com
WEBFLEET MOBILITY CONFERENCE A VIRTUAL HIT Webfleet Solutions presented the first global edition of the annual Webfleet Mobility Conference Webfleet Solutions, one of the world’s leading telematics solutions providers and part of Bridgestone Mobility Solutions, presented its first global edition of the annual Webfleet Mobility Conference virtually recently. Under the theme ‘Mobility 2032: Are you ready?’ industry experts from across the fleet and mobility landscape shared their insights and best practices to equip fleet decision-makers and business leaders with knowledge, inspiration and practical tools to design the fleet of tomorrow. To open the conference, Bridgestone Mobility Solutions Chief Executive Officer, Jan-Maarten de Vries, took a dynamic look at the rapidly changing world of mobility and the challenges fleets will need to overcome to thrive in this time of constant disruption. The following keynote speeches then shone a light on the evolving mobility landscape from different angles: • Urban mobility in smart cities with Greg Lindsey: the future of urban mobility promises to be filled with scooters, stores and drones seemingly
with a mind of their own. These technologies are already transforming the way we see, understand and get around cities. Greg Lindsay, an internationally known futurist and urbanist, took a trip through the smart city as it will look in 2032 and explained how to get ready to do business in it. • The truck of the future with Volta Trucks: from autonomous platooning to alternative fuels and everything in between, technology is changing the trucking sector. The team from Volta Trucks, a cutting-edge manufacturer, revealed their innovative new electric commercial vehicles and explained how they differ radically from the traditional urban delivery vehicle. • Partnerships: The key that can unlock the full potential of mobility solutions: experts from Mercedes-Benz Connectivity Services, project44 and EasyPark discussed how data interconnectivity and integrations between Software-as-a-Service mobility providers will unlock the true, full potential of mobility across
the coming decade and what it means for commercial fleets and suppliers. The one-day virtual conference was free of charge and held simultaneously in 21 countries globally. Alongside the international presentations, local experts tackled various mobility themes in more than 50 sessions including roundtable discussions, interviews and best-practice presentations. The subject matter ranged from adding electric vehicles to commercial fleets to sustainable data solutions and new product integrations as well as country-specific advice on how to deal with existing and future legal requirements. For more information, visit www.webfleet.com Australian Automotive Aftermarket Magazine July 2022
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