Bosch Ghana, the local subsidiary of one the most distinguished brand names in the world with regards to automotive parts, earlier this week held a half day training workshop for its dealers, on spark plugs. The workshop, apart from continuing Bosch’s long standing technical support for its dealers, was part of an ongoing watershed initiative by the company to collaborate with its major product dealers to create unique independent workshops that can provide both genuine Bosch spare parts and excellent maintenance services across a full range of each, based on a “bumper to bumper” and a “quick fit” concept whereby motorists and drivers can get all the genuine parts and maintenance services they need in one place rather than the current situation whereby they have to go to various workshops each of which specializes in particular types of parts and maintenance services.
This week’s training workshop which was held at Holiday Inn in Accra, attracted wholesalers and retailers in the company’s wide range of spark plugs, both current and potential, as well as vehicle workshop entrepreneurs. Attendees at the training event were primarily drawn from Accra although some came from places as far away as Cote d’Ivoire.
The training came in the wake of a wider one, hosted by Bosch Ghana a fortnight ago at Accra City Hotel, which aimed at enlightening spare parts dealers, vehicle workshops on the whole new concept of certified independent one stop servicing shops the company is now in the process of introducing into Ghana.
This week’s training took participants through various topics and issues regarding the spark plugs market in Ghana, including key technical characteristics of various spark plugs products, market trends and future technologies. The company also conferred a best customer award to Spriint Tech as its best dealer in Bosch spark plugs for 2018.
Both training programmes are part of Bosch Ghana’s preparations to commence close partnerships with independent dealers in the company’s spare parts and maintenance service workshops with a view to creating”Express Bosch Car Service” and “Bosch Car Service” workshops that offer a range of genuine spare parts and top class maintenance services, rather than leaving motorists and vehicle owners to have to go from one specialist dealer or workshop to another to meet their various needs, some of which offer fake parts.
Importantly, under the impending new concept, Bosch will publish the recommended retail prices for all its various spare parts on its Auto parts website which is set to roll out in Ghana, Nigeria and Ivory Coast for the first phase.Currently, many vehicle owners erroneously perceive Bosch products to be significantly more costly than other brands of spare parts made in Europe or Japan, on the basis that superior product quality must necessarily be accompanied by premium pricing.
However, Bosch executives insist that this is not actually the case. According to Julien Lacoste, Bosch’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, the company’s products are competitively priced compared with competing products of similar quality, indeed in many cases, more or less the same price. He further points out that Bosch’s superior product quality ultimately results in lower vehicle maintenance cost because both maintenance and outright replacement of parts are required less frequently. Bosch offers a one year warranty on all its spare parts.
Following the anticipated successful commencement of a network of certified workshops in Ghana, Mr Lacoste plans to replicate the initiative across the other west and central African countries under his purview.
