Castrol recently announced a new partnership with the automotive aftermarket division of Bosch to offer jointly branded workshop pilot tests in the United States and China. The pilot phase will begin in October 2019 in Orlando/Tampa, Florida, and Suzhou, China. The tests are expected to include up to 25 joint workshops in each market.
Both companies will contribute their unique expertise in developing successful workshop concepts. The concepts being tested include advanced, digitally enabled services to meet changing consumer preferences in the maintenance experience, convenience needs and digital choices, as well as sustainability considerations. Expansion of the workshop network beyond the initial test phase will be decided after completion of the pilot program. The operation of existing Castrol and Bosch branded workshop networks will not be impacted by these pilots.
"We are committed to leveraging our long-standing expertise in innovative lubricant technologies, branding and marketing, digital and consumer insights to develop sustainable workshop businesses built around value-adding consumer experiences,” said Mandhir Singh, Castrol CEO. “We are delighted to see this vision shared by our partner Bosch with their complementary values in technology and channel management. The outcome of the pilots will help us create a leading workshop network for the future."
Castrol and Bosch Automotive Aftermarket began working together in 2013 with a mutual agreement in Europe. This cooperation set the foundation for both companies to look at other ways to work together in the rapidly evolving automotive aftermarket.
"Together with Castrol, our two leading brands will join forces for a new workshop concept to serve today’s and tomorrow’s market needs, and to reach more business partners and drivers," said Manfred Baden, president of Bosch Automotive Aftermarket.
For more information, visit www.castrol.com.