Epyx has reported a significant influx of new motor manufacturers to its core Service, Maintenance, and Repair (SMR) platform, 1link Service Network. This platform is utilised by fleets comprising over four million cars, vans, and trucks to manage their SMR processes, collaborating with thousands of franchise dealers, independent garages, and fast-fit service providers.
Greg Tucker, head of OEM and dealer management at Epyx, announced that five manufacturers — BYD, GWM, SsangYong/KGM, Omoda, and Seres — joined the platform over the past year. He also noted ongoing discussions with several additional manufacturers interested in joining.
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“In a typical year for 1link, we may have one or two new manufacturers come on board, so this is very much a unique moment and one that is creating quite specific pressures in meeting fleet needs when it comes to SMR,” said Tucker.
Tucker highlighted that a significant number of new entrants, primarily from China, as well as the US and other regions, are recognising the importance of fleets in the UK market.
“Because it is effectively the industry standard for fleet SMR, they want their vehicles and dealers added to 1link as soon as possible,” he explained. “Effectively, this needs to be in place as soon as they start selling cars and vans, so that fleets and service providers can process the SMR that keeps businesses moving.”
The process of integrating new manufacturers into 1link involves several key steps, such as sourcing new repair data from independent experts to estimate the cost and time required for SMR tasks and recruiting franchise dealers for each new entrant.
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By GlobalData“Creating the right data and adding it to the platform takes time but so far, we are pleased to say that we have been able to provide an SMR infrastructure on 1link for the vast majority of these new manufacturers and fleets using their vehicles in a timely manner,” Tucker stated.
Tucker also emphasised the platform’s scalability and adaptability, which has been developed over the past two decades. “While it wasn’t designed with the expectation that so many manufacturers would be added in such a short time, our technology is performing well,” he added.
