5 months ago
17
There have been calls for the motor vehicle repair sector in Jamaica to be overhauled in light of the influx of Chinese vehicles to the island as well as the interest generated by a new Chinese repair outlet in Ferry, St Catherine, which was subsequently closed.
Whole Hearted Company Services Limited, a Chinese-owned garage located at Ferry, St Catherine, which attracted long lines of Jamaicans eager to take advantage of the excellent service and lower prices was suddenly shut down by the Ministry of Labour and Security last month after investigations revealed that the establishment was operating illegally.
Labour Minister Pearnel Charles Jr said last week that the outlet will be allowed to resume operations once the proprietors meet all legal requirements.
Wayne Chen, president of the Jamaica Employers Federation, JEF, says the excitement caused by the Chinese-run repair shop exposed a gap in level of service on offer to the Jamaican public and represents a business opportunity to be filled by local stakeholders.
He said skilled workers should be imported from abroad where a shortage exists.
“If we will advertise for workers locally, and in a timely manner, if we are not finding the degree of local talent, we must be allowed to move with alacrity to get that talent from overseas,” Chen told the Financial Gleaner.
The JEF head said no employer will hire someone from abroad if that competence is already available locally.
“If it’s one thing that business is always focused on is value for money. If we have an equally experienced, talented, competent Jamaican, already resident in Jamaica they will always get the first priority,” Chen said.
He said because of the influx of new and used vehicles to the market there appeared to be a shortage of competent auto repairs which triggered the interest in the Chinese garage.
“There is no doubt that the (auto) dealers have specialized knowledge about the vehicles that they sell. But it’s also an open secret that the dealers have tended to be expensive once the cars were out of warranty. This suggests that there is a huge need for servicing in the wider market for cars that don’t go through the regular dealer network, which is a large percentage of vehicles because they come in as second-hand vehicles,” Chen said.
The JEF boss said horror stories abound of Jamaicans having been ripped off by inconsistent service by mechanics.
“There is a lack of transparency and consistency in the Jamaican auto business, and here I believe that you have stakeholders that can come together, including from the insurance community to make sure that the vehicles they cover are properly maintained and repaired, perhaps under the guidance of the Ministry of Transport and other relevant ministries,” Chen suggested.
Chen said with the number of China-made cars and trucks on the market, it was a huge opportunity for entities to partner with the Chinese in training and certifying Jamaicans in the repair and maintenance of the vehicles.
“So the lesson here is not whether it was a Chinese business or not a Chinese business. The whole ecosystem is in need of disruption.”
Meanwhile Jacqueline Stewart Lechler, chair of the Automobile Dealers Association Jamaica, ADA, said more information was needed about the operation at Ferry to comment as to whether there was need for changes in the motor vehicle repair market.
“The impression that I got (from the news reports) was that they were doing mostly quick service that doesn’t require any spare parts or diagnostics versus a more complicated repair. For us to have that discussion as to whether dealers are offering excellent value for money, we would have to look at the various types of service that we’re giving,” said Stewart Lechler.
“I think that based on the amount of training, investments, and spare parts that the motor vehicle dealers have for their industry, that they’re definitely the best bet and they should be supported.”
Stewart Lechler said the ADA members offer a full service inclusive of selling parts and offering routine maintenance.
“I would love to say to the public at large that your new automotive dealer is mandated to go through a lot of certified training, so you can be rest assured that you and your car are in good hands when you support your authorized dealer,” she said.
She acknowledged that there was a shortage of very qualified technicians locally as some had taken up offers to migrate particularly to Canada and the United States.
She said ADA would welcome any partnership out of China or any other country to train mechanics locally, just as how the German government had partnered with Jamaica in establishing JAGAS, the Jamaica German Automotive School, in 1975. JAGAS is run by the HEART/NSTA Trust.
Meanwhile Andre Hylton, founder and CEO of Andre’s Auto Supplies and former chairman of the Motor Repairers Association of Jamaica, MRAJ, cautioned against the introduction of the Chinese-run garage to Jamaica, which he suggested may have deliberately come into the market at a low price point to attract customers.
“Based on the kind of prices I’m hearing, it could be a bait-and-switch situation where people come in at a very cheap price, and then later on they change,” said Hylton.
He conceded that the MRAJ was in need of revamping and that meetings were being held with that in mind.
Hylton said the MRAJ had done a lot of work in the past in the areas of professionalism, customer service, training of technicians and managers, and pricing structure.
“We had a massive programme to educate our people on what it costs to do a job. We did time and motion studies for each job, so for example if you’re going to change a water pump on your car, and the manufacturer recommends based on their study 1.5 hours to do it; if I am charging you $6,000 an hour, then the charge would be $9,000. So there could be no guesswork about the charges,” he said.
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