While many body repairmen struggle to make ends meet in Ireland at present, the services of experienced bodyshop technicians are in big demand in countries such as Australia and Norway. But if you really want to get in on the ground floor of a rapidly expanding industry, then you might like to consider offering your services in the Chinese Aftermarket.

International Bodyshop Industry Symposium, Global Focus Report on China for 2011, highlights how the market there is set to take off and the major opportunities it will present to equipment suppliers and anyone with bodyshop expertise that are prepared to travel.

As recently as 2000 China had only around 1 million private cars. Today this figure stands at 85 million and it is expected to be 450 million by 2040. Add to this the fact that driving standards in China are generally low and you can see that the bodyshop market there will be booming for many years to come.

The report states that China has approximately 100,000 repair facilities, but of these only 15,000 are termed 4S facilities (capable of manufacturer warranty repairs). The others are generally thought to be outdated, with staff with very limited training and with most cars still in warranty, this is proving an issue.   

The IBIS report, believes the Chinese collision repair industry offers huge potential, but is also surrounded by uncertainty. The used car market in China is virtually non-existent at present, so how these vehicles will be serviced and repaired in the future remains unclear.

The report also highlights how the concept of customer service in the Chinese after market differs from Europe. It says customer service is a low priority, repair times are pretty much indefinite, and there are no courtesy vehicles.