Interview: Richard Taylor, asTech

bodyshop deputy editor Danielle Bagnall speaks to Richard Taylor, European business development director at asTech.

What does asTech do?

We provide remote access to original equipment (OE) scans and calibrations using the same tools that would be used if the vehicle was driven to a dealer, just without the cost and time involved in doing this. Because our solution is standalone, we have the ability to work alongside the various ADAS calibration kits available and we can also provide digital ADAS kits to support our customers. The patented asTech remote diagnostic device, together with our certified master technicians and OEM factory scan tools, accurately searches for, identifies, and resolves the diagnostic, electronic, and computer-related trouble codes resulting from collisions across all manufacturers – electronic issues that are undetectable via visual inspection.

How long has asTech been in the UK and why has it chosen the UK market?

The business here in the UK was set up in 2018 in order to support the roll-out across Europe for one of our customers. One of the more unique aspects of our solution is that our technology is universal and can work across all European countries. Equally, our support techs work remotely, so it doesn’t matter where they’re located as the service will be the same no matter where the customer is based.

What lessons have you learned from the US market?

We have a close relationship with our colleagues in the US and the OE partnerships we have over there and one of the key areas where we get considerable value is around the new vehicle technology being brought to market. A great example of where these relationships are beneficial to us is around the secure gateways now being seen on a number of vehicles and the result of this technology on scanning and calibrations. Without gaining access to the gateway, you cannot guarantee that all of the fault codes are both found and resolved. There are a lot of synergies in terms of operational process and of course as a business we spend a considerable amount of time reviewing our business processes to ensure that we are as effective as we can be for our customers. A few of these things will be coming to the team here in the UK so that we can provide the same additional benefits as our US customers are getting.

To read more, visit bodyshop’s September issue.