New Member Regenerates Industry Service

A unique business has recently opened in Darwin offering the first service of its kind in the NT.

Regen NT specialises in commercial cleaning of diesel particulate filters (DPFs) and other ignition control exhaust components – a service that is not offered anywhere else in the Territory.

“The reason we are doing it is that there is no one up here that is dedicated to commercial cleaning for DPFs,” said owner Jason Stoddart.

Jason and wife Kristie have operated vehicle repair shop Stoddy’s Mechanical for almost ten years.

They saw the demand for a specialist DPF cleaner after an increase in customers experiencing issues.

“We started getting quite a lot of DPF faults at our mechanical workshop and we were having to send them down south, which is a week turnaround,” he said.

“People aren’t happy waiting that long. We thought we would look at doing it ourselves as there is no one else doing it up here.

“With our new equipment we can provide a one hour turnaround on most cleans.”

Located in Pinelands, southeast of Darwin, Regen NT currently shares premises with Stoddy’s Mechanical however separating the two businesses formally was important, as it allowed Regen NT to cooperate with other mechanics, rather than compete.

“Since we started diagnosing and repairing DPF related faults, local mechanics started sending their cars to us due to a lack of tooling, or just struggling to wrap their heads around the new technology,” said Jason.

“The issue was they were bringing their car to us for that, but some of their customers became our customers, and that wasn’t the idea.

“The last thing I want to do is start a war between workshops because we stole one of their customers.

“We decided we will get this machine and then create a separate business.”

Jason believes this approach will enable Regen NT to be part of the solution rather than the solution.

“This will allow workshops to retain their customers,” said Jason.

“I want Regen NT to support NT Workshops.” with DPF faults seen as a headache which might be easier ignored rather than diagnosed.

The target audience for the service is other workshops, with the idea that they can send the necessary parts to Regen NT opposed to the whole vehicle itself.

Jason acknowledges that it will be difficult getting people on board with the service due to the negative stigma around DPFs in the industry.

“Early on I don’t expect massive buy in, maybe one DPF a week, until it slowly builds up,” he said.

“Once the public realises that their car will no longer be roadworthy after a DPF is removed, I think they will be less inclined to ignore it.”

Marketing

Regen NT has set up Facebook and Instagram pages, and created business cards and flyers, with signage next on the agenda.

The venture has required considerable investment, the cleaner costing approximately $25,000. It is capable of cleaning all DPFs.

While vehicles feature an emission control unit, diesel vehicles have the most issues with the component.

“Easily 40% of vehicles in the territory have the potential for a fault,” said Jason, who has been working in motor repairs since the age of sixteen.

Despite the problems owners experience with DPFs, there is a reason why Regen NT is the sole commercial cleaner,

“We are now fully up and running. We have had three customers in the first ten days since opening in early January,” said Jason.

“We have done up to a light truck so far with ease.”

Jason is hopeful that, with the support of the MTA, his business can continue to grow.