Absolute Alignment, suppliers of wheel alignment equipment to UK motor workshops, has just celebrated a Perfect Ten years in business and is looking ahead to a Perfect Future. The company was started in the back bedroom of Technical Director Chris Dear's home, and has grown to be a major player in the industry with a nationwide operation run from offices in Farnborough.
Chris attributes this success to concentrating on its core business. "We are The Experts, and by specialising in just wheel alignment equipment we can give in-depth advice to all our customers plus be on hand to sort out any after-sales questions."
This focus on the customer is another driver of the company's growth. "We take time with workshops selecting the most suitable products from a range of aligners to fit most requirements and budgets," continued Chris.
The company broke new ground in having aligners available for next day delivery very early in its life and this policy continues today. The challenges of both Brexit and Coronavirus have been met by increasing stock to ensure the customer isn't inconvenienced, and this has resulted in an expansion of storage capacity as well.
Chris thinks this is a major USP for Absolute Alignment. "If a workshop has made the choice to invest in its future, it needs to be earning as soon as possible. We want to help them earn money from Day One."
Absolute Alignment is about more than just the sale. With an excellent after-sales service comes marketing support in the form of on-line marketing, POS information and PR, helping customers to maximise their investment. The company's consumer web site www.absolutewheelalignment.co.uk contains useful information that can be used by workshops plus a searchable map to show local Absolute Alignment Approved centres.
The future of wheel alignment is changing, and Absolute Alignment is at the forefront of the change. The company was an early adopter of equipment to calibrate ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) sensors on the latest cars. ADAS covers many gadgets that make driving easier or safer such as automatic parking, lane change warnings, adaptive cruise control and emergency brake assist. All these systems rely on wheel alignment for safe operation and Chris and team have been at the forefront of offering the latest technology to meet the latest requirements.
Far from looking back, ten years is the chance for the company to look forward. "We've grown so much in ten years, but it's how we're growing in the future that's so exciting."