VSG and AAM Auto open training centre for collision repair in Gurgaon

Vehicle Service Group (VSG), a global manufacturer of lifting and collision repair equipment and part of the Engineered Systems segment of Dover Corporation, along with its India market distributor AAM Automotive, inaugurated their first Vehicle Service Group-AAM Auto Training Centre for collision repair of passenger cars in Gurgaon today.

The Training Centre will ready batches of 10-12 prospective technicians for collision repair at car dealerships. Training will revolve around repairing a car in different areas of dentings. For instance, panel beaters using hammers to welding machines with skills imparted on how to restore the impacted vehicle to original shape.

In case of major damage in a collision, it is necessary to understand the structure of the car for which a computer is tapped to access data related to the car’s measurements. Once this is gleaned, then a mix of the right training and use of equipment can do wonders to the affected vehicle.

This is what the VSG-AAM centre plans to do in the long-term – provide quality training on collision repair that forms an important aspect of body shop repair.

VSG, which has three brands – Rotary, Chief and Elektron – enables bodywork shops to increase their productivity while AAM Auto markets VSG’s range of products including rotary lifts, Chief collision repair products and Elektron welders.

According to TK Surya Prakash, sales director - India and South East Asia of VSG, the most important aspect of the bodyshop is training a technician how to do the repair job in the right way.  While there are a large number of bodyshops across dealerships in India, this is an area which is dominated by unskilled workers. At present, there are around 5,000-6,000 car dealerships in India marked by two segmentations – the main workshops controlled by OEMs and the bodyshop which vehicle OEMs prefer to outsource as they lack crash repair equipment and skilled staff.

VSG-AAM is now trying to create an institute to generate a talent pool for the industry that will form part of the skill development industry and the car repair aftermarket. “It is an opportunity for us to be a part of car repair at the dealer’s end and thereby contribute constructively towards enhancing the skills of technicians,” adds Surya Prakash.

Training underway at Hyundai and Maruti Suzuki
At present the 2-week training module comprises 25 percent theory and 75 percent practical hands-on training as most trainees are largely uneducated. Thereafter, a certificate is issued by the car manufacturer. The newly opened centre has started training technicians for Hyundai Motor India dealerships since the past 4 months. However, it has been imparting training to Maruti Suzuki India’s personnel since 2008 at 14 of their regional training centres. “Our team has developed the module and provides them training at their facility,” says Ashish Kanungo, managing director, AAM Automotive.

For Hyundai Motor India, the pilot project is underway in the VSG-AAM facility for service advisors, technicians, body shop managers, general managers and field staff. Upbeat with the training, Hyundai has roped in VSG-AAM to set up training centres at Kolkata and Pune also.  Other carmakers are soon to follow with GM India joining the training programme by end-July.

The technician training for all these carmakers’ dealerships will be staggered across as currently there is a dearth of skilled technicians at dealers’ body shops. At Maruti Suzuki dealerships, 70 percent repair is managed by the OE while the balance is outsourced, while for Hyundai 60 percent is outsourced.  Hence, training companies like VSG-AAM find it a lucrative market with massive growth potential 

An added impetus for VSG-AAM is that it will help market their car repair equipment, which is imports from the USA. At present, this market is worth around Rs 400 crore in which the key players are Elgi Equipment Madhus Garage.  Of the total equipment market in India, Rs 100 crore revenue comes from the bodyshop segment.

VSG-AAM officials say the training centre will give a fillip to their equipment business which will be spearheaded not only by car dealerships but by skill development centres and ITIs as well.

At present, the training centre has two trainers but a pool of 14 trainers exists across India for training Maruti Suzuki technicians. These trainers are mostly diploma holders or hail from ITIs in the mechanical and engineering streams. The trainer programme runs across three months with another quarter dedicated towards hand-holding by experienced trainers.

At a rough estimate, the garage equipment market constitutes 80 percent OE dealerships, 10 percent general workshops with another 10 percent being multi-brand workshops. VSG-AAM is bullish that its equipment business could be well worth Rs 10-15 crore in the next 3-5 years.