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Autogem Earn Industry Praise as ‘TPMS Expert’ Captures Imagination

Automotive retail bosses and industry experts have praised Autogem for raising standards and awareness about TPMS systems, after its nationwide competition to discover the UK’s ‘TPMS Expert’ concluded in style.

More than 1,000 retail sites entered its first-ever TPMS Expert competition and 12 regional finalists put their problem-solving skills on show in front of hundreds of onlookers at the Garage & Bodyshop Event at the NEC in Birmingham on Wednesday June 8.

A judging panel consisting of motoring journalist Rob Marshall, Chief Executive at the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) Stefan Hay and Autotech Training Director Dave Walker observed and questioned each finalist after they tended to a specially prepared car on the Autogem stand, with scores being given for all aspects of their performance.

Merityre’s Liam Gaynor was crowned the TPMS Expert (large retailer) along with Hometyre’s Craig Schwartz (small retailer), while all 12 finalists were praised for their ability in detecting various TPMS faults in a quick and efficient manner and communicating them clearly thereafter.

Autogem’s Managing Director Prashant Chopra said: “We’ve gained so much from TPMS Expert and the competition really couldn’t have gone any better. The idea has been in the making for some time now; the category hasn’t had much attention over the years and we’ve been banging the drum about raising standards for a long time. We’re now at a point where there’s enough momentum in the marketplace warrant a nationwide competition like this because more and more people are engaged with TPMS.

“We’ve been so impressed with the finalists. The sense of professionalism and pride has been great to see. It’s so nice to know that people are asking us about next year’s competition now as well. This is just the beginning, so watch this space.”

NTDA Chief Executive and official Stefan Hay added: “Autogem has done a terrific job in organising this event. TPMS is a very specialist area and growing in importance. It’s an essential tool for motorists and the technicians themselves, and to see the expertise first hand has been phenomenal from independents through to national companies.

“TPMS systems have been developed to assist us and there is a certain amount of ignorance when it comes to them, but by raising awareness through events like this, it will come to the forefront more.”

Jon Dennis, Regional Director at Micheldever Group, said: “Something like this has been long overdue to be honest, and Prashant and the Autogem team have done an excellent job in bringing TPMS to the forefront of people’s conversations. Two of our team made the finals which is impressive considering the amount of technicians who entered, so I’m very proud of them both.

“TPMS is safety critical and part of the MOT test. It is important to raise awareness, which is what Autogem have done so well here.”

Prashant concluded: “TPMS Expert was two of three years in the making and a great deal of hard work went into making this concept a reality, but it was worth all of the effort when looking at the final.

“It gave me an immense sense of pride to see so many talented technicians taking such passion in their work and demonstrating so much ability when it comes to TPMS. We wanted to raise awareness and standards when it comes to the issue and remind the aftermarket about the importance of TPMS as a vital safety feature.

“It’s safe to say that we achieved our goal and we now want to build on this event for the future.”

 

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