News - Autoclimate 2012 New Product Introductions

RAPS allows Autoclimate to get an honest and fair appraisal of a product before taking it to market – essentially allowing them to sell products which the market demands rather then offering alternatives which they believe may be required. It is hoped that the vast majority of products tested, are not only essentials that are required, but will also offer either additional revenue streams, or cost saving measures into the repairers workshops.

Operating continuously throughout the year, new products are introduced into the process each month and taken for evaluation at repairers that are willing to test the products over a 2-4 week period. Recent examples of products which have passed through RAPS in the previous 12 months include both the Hella Mega Macs 42 diagnostic tool, and the Vacufill coolant exchange unit.

Chris Phipps, Head of Sales & Business Development stated the importance of the RAPS process:
“Today’s market place is challenging, for both end users and suppliers alike, there are many variants offered in any one product area. The vast array of choice being offered, this can cause confusion, and in many instances, it is not clear what the differences are between alternative products. Unfortunately this means that price seems to be the determining factor, and not the quality or performance of the product. Through RAPS, working with our customers, we strongly believe we can develop a strong understanding of what is a quality product and what will genuinely help to improve the repairers workshop cycle time and revenue stream.”

A major benefit of RAPS is that it allows Autoclimate to explore product ranges which previously we had not supplied, or considered offering to its customers, due to our own lack of knowledge. However with the RAPS scheme repairers are asking us to investigate products for them to test. The first quarter of 2012 is already marked down to be a busy period, with key Coders, Battery Testers, Memory Savers, Inductors, Static Guns and a full range of Battery Products (Chargers through to support units) either already out for testing or benchmarked to be tested in the coming months – all of these products are new to Autoclimate.

 “The true beauty of RAPS, is that we get an honest appraisal from the customer, if the reviews come back negative, then we discuss with the supplier and explain the issues or problems. In these cases the result is we do not launch the product. Suppliers have bought into the scheme and really appreciate the feedback received as this is an independent review as to what is good about their product or how they could improve it, whilst customers like the scheme as it puts something new in their hands on a regular basis, and once released for sale, can be sure these products have been approved in real conditions and by repairers they know (All RAPS repairers can be found on the Autoclimate Access website)”

Products which do pass successfully through RAPS are fully supported and launched by Autoclimate with full product support materials. Special introductory offers are offered through direct mail and e mail to those customers who subscribe offering significant discounts.

For more information on RAPS please call 0345 50 50 900 or visit its specific webpage here