"Having access to global insights and regional expertise empowers us to navigate challenges and seize opportunities in our markets."
Working together to create a resilient aftermarket
The independent automotive aftermarket faces significant challenges due to ongoing transformation. Operational agility and resilience are essential to be able to master this highly competitive environment. To achieve this, ATR supports its members in various ways including supplier coordination, market relevant solutions, a focus on regulatory development and driving key strategies.
Coordination
Creating access to markets and bundling purchasing volumes
ATR‘s supplier management offers an active coordination and communication with its suppliers to strengthen relationships with ATR shareholders. The basis for all activities is a framework agreement designed for the development of a long-term partnership.
For over 20 years, ATR has cultivated a comprehensive global supplier portfolio, carefully selecting preferred suppliers for wear and tear parts, thereby offering ATR Shareholders a robust pool of partners for focused collaboration. Our objective, is to further consolidate purchasing volumes and foster the growth of these strategic alliances. To facilitate this, ATR has assembled a panel of experts, the IPAS Steering Committee, that promotes the realisation of potential with IPAS Suppliers.
ATR strategically develops suppliers that provide products in all categories relevant to ATR shareholders trading activities. These suppliers are contracted with global agreements with the aim to identify business prospects while elevating their visibility and importance within the shareholder organisations.
Regional suppliers are supplier partners with an established presence within a limited geographic area. The objective is to work on enhancing their options for broader global cooperation with ATR.
Quality tools and special tools are essential for a workshop to provide a professional service. ATR supports selected manufacturers and suppliers of workshop equipment that includes lifting platforms, tyre changers, air conditioning service units, diagnostic systems, calibration tools, cleaning equipment and many other special solutions.
The commercial vehicle (CV) sector is an important component of the growth strategy for ATR and its partners. Our partner suppliers provide access to premium spare parts and offer solutions that meet the highest standard of durability and reliability. To this end, ATR has assembled a panel of experts to develop strategies to maximise the potential and drive growth - the CV Steering Committee.
ATR's own brand has been successful on the market since the mid-1990s. With Cartechnic, ATR and its sales partners offer workshop customers a low-cost alternative to existing manufacturer brands - and with comparable quality. The programme includes more than 230 articles. Cartechnic products are distributed by ATR's cooperation partners in Germany and abroad.
Digitalisation
Securing the entire value chain
While digitisation is driving efficiency, digitalisation is driving transformation in the automotive value chain creating more opportunities and disrupting existing norms, presenting both a challenge and an opportunity to the automotive supply and repair industry. The founding of ATR Digitisation GmbH in January 2021 illustrates the focus and how important digitisation, and digitalisation issues are for ATR, its shareholders, suppliers, partners and workshops.
ATR has established a panel of experts, the Digital Steering Committee, to identify, investigate and discuss relevant digital topics and solutions for the benefit of shareholders and suppliers. The goal is to secure the independent aftermarket value chain.
ATR Digitisation focuses on a personal and cooperative exchange to implement shared projects and generate added value.
Once a year, ATR hosts the ATR Digital Conference to showcase developments and solutions in the digital transformation and discuss trends and market changes together with shareholders and partners. Be part of the ATR Digital Conference and shape the future with us.
Concepts
Full-Service support of independent workshops
Independent garages are professional businesses for the maintenance, servicing and repair of vehicles and in contrast to authorised workshops, the mostly owner-managed small to medium-sized businesses are not restricted to vehicle brand. They offer drivers an efficient alternative to the vehicle manufacturers' service networks. In this way, they ensure a free choice of workshop, fair competition and a good price-performance ratio.
With our full-service workshop concepts Meisterhaft and AC AUTO CHECK, we support and strengthen independent multi-brand workshops in all essential operations. Through this service, our customers can focus on their trade. What makes our full-service workshop concepts unique? We are always personally there for our customers. You can call us directly, send emails, and also meet us at regular meetings. For each of our services, there is at least one contact person who is well-informed.
Meisterhaft Car Repair
The Meisterhaft Autoreparatur full-service concept was launched in 1997. The workshop partners are independent automotive garages, run by master mechanics or trade association-accredited businesses, who have committed themselves to high standards in reliability and workmanship by joining Meisterhaft. The concept is aimed at start-ups, independent multi-brand garages and formerly contracted garages who aspire to high quality standards.
AC AUTO CHECK
The AC AUTO CHECK full-service concept was launched in 2001. The blue letters “AC” in a yellow triangle are the trademark for AC AUTO CHECK garages. These independent garages, run by master mechanics or as accredited workshops, are committed to customer orientation and high-quality workmanship. The concept is aimed at start-ups, independent multi-brand garages and formerly contracted garages who aspire to high quality standards.
ACC AUTO CHECK CENTER
This international workshop concept ACC AUTO CHECK CENTER devised by ATR is the international counterpart to AC AUTO CHECK in Germany. Workshop partners are supported by their local ATR shareholder, while ATR provides the brand and lends the experience it has accumulated during over 20 years of supporting garages. The first ACC garages opened their doors in 2005, and the network has now spread as far as Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Portugal, Romania, Serbia and Spain.
ATR’s top suppliers have been supporting our workshop concepts AC AUTO CHECK and Meisterhaft for many years.
Experten Trophy
Experten Trophy is a further free training programme on cutting-edge topics for all qualified automotive technicians and master mechanics in independent garages in Germany and Austria. The challenge brings more knowledge about current and future techniques and technologies into the workshops through further training and promotes dialogue between participants.
Camp der Champs
Camp the Champs is a young talent development programme for prospective automotive mechatronics technicians in training. The camps are free training and competition in one. It last two days, is free of charge and is open to all trainees. The camps are an ideal supplement to the vocational school curriculum.
Aftermarket
For a sustainable market
The independent aftermarket has always been robust and able to meet the challenges of an ever-changing environment. These challenges include the increasing technology and changing transmission in vehicles, increased environmental regulations and evolving data and competition legislation, new competitors and a decreasing talent pool to name just a few.
Sustainability goes beyond reducing environmental impact; it entails cultivating economic stability through a competitive market that flexibly caters to evolving consumer preferences.
Achieving a sustainable and resilient automotive aftermarket demands a comprehensive strategy that encompasses environmental, economic, social, and technological dimensions while upholding regulatory standards and ensuring customer contentment.
The services that our shareholders offer support the vehicle owner or owners throughout the entire lifecycle of the vehicle, thereby contributing to sustainable mobility in an affordable manner.
The regulatory framework within the EU is constantly evolving to keep pace with the rapidly changing landscape. This framework is crucial, as it ensures a level playing field, enabling the Independent Aftermarket (IAM) to compete fairly with vehicle manufacturers and their authorized networks. In this context, ATR and its members actively participate in national and international associations, contributing to the broader success of the IAM.
The environmental regulations for our industry are becoming increasingly extensive and strict. ATR is a member and an active participant in various national and international associations and initiatives. Together we identify, assess and develop solutions for a sustainable automotive aftermarket.
For many years we have been promoting technical expertise in the automotive workshops with our own free training initiatives. These are aimed at trainees (Champ der Champs) and qualified specialists (Experten Trophy) and take place at more than 30 locations throughout Germany. Every year we develop new training courses on top current topics to keep young talents and mechatronic engineers up to date.
Based on the successes in Germany and Austria, this training initiative is also being rolled out step by step in other countries.
Given the fast-evolving nature of the automotive aftermarket, attracting top talent is crucial to ensure a sustainable future. That’s why ATR is a member of Talents4AA whose objective it is, to promote the sector widely, elevating it to be an attractive place to work for all ages, origins, gender, and skills.
Once a year ATR hosts the ATR Symposium, a platform for industry experts, thought leaders and distributors to interact and network with each other on the hot topics affecting our industry. A platform where they can listen to and learn from inspirational speakers and participate in thought-provoking panel discussions. The development of legislative compliance on sustainability, the evolving and aging car parc, the increasing prevalence of electric vehicles (EVs) and new technologies are all examples of topics that have been addressed at previous symposiums.
Once a year, ATR hosts the ATR Digital Conference to showcase developments and solutions in the digital transformation and discuss trends and market changes together with shareholders and partners. Be part of the ATR Digital Conference and shape the future with us.
Committees
Expert panels for Innovative Solutions
Expertise forms the cornerstone for navigating a complex global market landscape. ATR has assembled subject experts and seasoned specialists, onto various panels to provide guidance in strategic planning, supplier management and the design and assessment of innovative business solutions.
The IPAS Steering Committee, composed of ATR Shareholders, plays a pivotal role in the program's success and is responsible for identifying and selecting preferred partners specializing in wear and tear parts to provide a reliable and strategic network for focused collaboration.
The ATR CV Steering Committee is instrumental in driving the development of the CV (Commercial Vehicle) sector, providing ATR Shareholders access to premium spare parts and solutions that meet the industry's demanding standards. This includes, fostering strategic partnerships, focusing on emerging trends such as alternative drive systems and sustainability to implement forward-looking strategies that support long-term growth and innovation in the CV sector.
The ATR Workshop Equipment and Tools (WE&T) Steering Committee plays a vital role in driving the development of this sector, ensuring that shareholders have access to high-quality, innovative solutions that meet the industry’s evolving demands for efficiency, safety, and reliability. Its key responsibilities include identifying and selecting suppliers specializing in workshop equipment and tools, building strategic partnerships, and implementing forward-looking strategies to unlock the sector’s full potential.
The Digital Steering Committee is instrumental in driving the development of concepts for digital business models for ATR shareholders and, where applicable, the IAM in general. As an established panel of experts, the committee plays a central role in identifying, investigating, evaluating and discussing relevant digital topics and solutions for the benefit of both shareholders and suppliers with the goal to secure the independent aftermarket value chain.