Industry Issues

So, what's been going on with ASBN this year?

Well, quite a bit and not enough.

First, earlier this year, the reality finally sunk in that this network wasn't just a place to store and distribute resources for our local shops and techs; it's a hell of a lot more than that.

We are the Web Center for the Automotive Aftermarket Service Sector, British Columbia.

That was a huge reality check. It is beyond imagination to think that our little network could be responsible for coordinating such a large and multi-faceted industry. But, when you think about it, that's precisely what I set out to create. I just didn't fully realize how encompassing this would be. 

It started as just a simple premise. First, our shops and people need continuous resources to keep up with the changes we experience daily. So, create libraries to catalog these resources and allow our members to add to these libraries continuously. Second, since our businesses depend highly on a vast array of products and services suppliers from all points of North America, we should offer them the opportunity to connect directly to their commercial customers within this particular market.

They are, no doubt, symbiotic partners in this business and have storehouses of resources we could use. Plus, we could bridge the communications gap that has seriously widened over the years. 

Of course, we can't forget the vast numbers of small, local commercial suppliers we depend on daily to serve our local business communities. Besides knocking on doors, they have no practical way of promoting what they offer, and we don't know they exist. A simple business directory would be the solution. Add up-to-date Morning News feeds and a list of popular links to that, and I should be ready.

Then, more ideas and member suggestions started coming up.

What about;

• if members wish to connect individually or create unique interest groups?
• our bad parts issues? We need a way to identify them as a group and then bring in the manufacturers to be accountable and willing to solve the problems
• the shortage of staff? We need a better way to find qualified people.
• our education system? It's failing us, and nobody is listening to what we need.
• training? Where are the trainers? Where are the courses? We need a way to choose the courses we need when we need it.
• a classifieds? Tooling and equipment are always in high demand, and sending perfectly good parts to the scrap yard isn't an answer.
• instructional videos? How best to use the assets on the site and info on new ones.

It became obvious that this simple website was not going to be adequate. It was already stressed to the limit. Then, when you consider the rapidly changing market to electrics, hybrids, autonomous, AI's, and God knows what else, it's clear that we are not prepared. On top of that are the political changes happening south of the border, which, I don't doubt, will affect us in one way or another. 

It is also very apparent that to solve many of our issues here on the front line, we will have to get up close and personal with the manufacturers, service providers, trainers, and educators. We must also develop a close relationship with our associations and Government representatives. 

So, the production of a new site was in order. One that was cleaner and had the room to expand and adapt to whatever our changing needs demanded.

We also changed servers to handle our future growth, was closer to home (Victoria), and supplied site technical management to avoid the potential pitfalls we experienced in the past.

I also hung up my tools for good. This is going to need my full attention.    

Our original focus hasn't changed. We're just going to get better at it.

So, if you haven't seen the new site, check it out. I hope you will be impressed.

2025 is going to be really interesting.