As we close out 2024, we are proud to reflect on a year of growth, resilience, and continued success in the automotive aftermarket industry. Despite facing a challenging economic landscape, European Exhaust & Catalyst Ltd. has navigated the difficulties with a clear focus on innovation, customer satisfaction, and operational excellence. Here are some key highlights and challenges from our remarkable year.
2024 marked a year of exciting product development and strategic partnerships. We expanded our product range, introducing several new and innovative solutions that cater to the evolving needs of our customers. Our R&D team worked tirelessly to bring to market products that not only meet the highest standards of quality but also align with emerging trends in the industry. The fastidious work applied by our R&D team throughout 2024 will enable us to make 2025 a record year for new parts releases.
One of the cornerstones of our success this year has been our unwavering focus on customer satisfaction. Our customer service team continued to go above and beyond, building long-lasting relationships with partners and customers alike. The key to understanding customer service excellence is a deep appreciation of customer needs and expectation. A shining example of this has been through the delivery of our technical training and support. We’re very aware of the benefit of offering customers the ability to speak directly with seasoned technical professionals for product support and be tutored in person by engaging facilitators rather than spend time wading through monotonous online content with no option of direct interactivity. We have the best technical knowledge in the business and our aim is to share it.
Just like all other businesses, European Exhaust & Catalyst Ltd. has faced ongoing challenges related to supply chain disruptions. The ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with geopolitical tensions and rising raw material costs, have impacted the availability of parts and increased lead times. While it is true that many aftermarket components are imported, we have managed to build resilience through diversification and local sourcing, minimising our exposure to delays and pricing volatility. Of course, in the latter part of 2024 we’ve seen a change in Government and the first budget delivered by the Chancellor that will pose financial challenges to all businesses in 2025, especially regarding labour rates and National Insurance…
Through 2024, we have observed a surge in the importation of low-cost imports within the aftermarket emission sector. Concerningly, we have seen that some of the product is accompanied by certification of questionable provenance and more worryingly, some product carries no certification at all. This is a growing concern for the automotive aftermarket and while we and our fellow UK manufacturers align with all relevant UNECE Regulation, we would advise caution when considering the purchase of low cost, imported product. If something appears to good to be true, it usually is…
2022 and 2023 saw some regulatory changes within Europe with regards the measurement of particulate matter via the introduction of a particulate number test (PN-PTI Test). The test involves measuring the number of particluates emitted from DPF equipped vehicles and initially introduced in Belgium, The Netherlands, loosely followed by Germany and Switzerland. We are aware that other European countries will follow, and the UK Government is currently in the process of testing equipment capable of accurately measuring particulate count. The introduction of this test is something we are very much looking forward to, not only because it will drive substandard product out of the market but more importantly, the positive impact the change will have on air quality and public health. We are looking forward to a vibrant and fruitful 2025
