"AD Poids-Lourds: Revolutionizing Industrial Vehicle Maintenance with Electric Accreditation and Professional Training"

2023-05-22 02:03:51

As part of its last congress bringing together nearly 4,000 participants in Marrakech (Morocco), Auto-Distribution has set the bar very high. The new Enaggement 2027 strategic plan will support the ambitions of the network head, repairers and distributors for the next 4 years. The industrial vehicle sector was represented by the AD Heavy Duty network of 35 distributors, 121 distribution sites and 206 service points.

The activity of maintenance of industrial vehicles and distribution of spare parts housed within the Auto-Distribution group continues to evolve by constantly expanding its territory and its activities driven by a multi-brand strategy making possible the maintenance of vehicles of all truck and utility brands and also trailers. In this category, know-how is recognized and valued.

One of the key announcements during the congress, which ended on Saturday May 20 in Marrakech, was made by Guillaume Faurès, general manager of the truck business: “We are interested in all energies, starting with electricity. Thus, AD Poids-Lourds becomes a repair network partner of Volta Trucks, manufacturer of electric trucks which also develops dedicated services. This makes it possible to support the increase in skills of the network with the ambition that each site has electrical accreditation. A first contract was signed between AD Poids Lourds Ile-de-France in Goussainville with Volta Trucks. »

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The heavyweight continues to evolve. From a fleet currently at 98% thermal, it should be in 2028 at 90% thermal and 98% Euro 5/6. In addition, new engines are being developed, B100, electric, CNG, ED 95, hydrogen. They will require an evolution of skills and expertise on the part of technicians. But today, industrial vehicle mechanics are among the professions in high tension. So AD Poids-Lourds decides to anticipate in order to support the changes to come, but also to allow new employees to join the network. Hence the launch of training in maintenance and repair of industrial vehicles.

The objective is to enable young people to take an interest in the profession and to value it in their eyes. The training offered by AD Poids-Lourds is set up in partnership with the Issac de l’Etoile school in Poitiers, which issues a certificate of professional qualification as an expert after-sales technician for commercial and industrial vehicles, level BAC+2. This is a free and remunerated professional training contract aimed at all students with a vocational baccalaureate in mechanics or equivalent. The professional qualification contract is spread over 13 months of training at the rate of two weeks of training per month in Poitiers. Students are welcomed in one of the 220 AD heavy-duty repair workshops to complete their course. The goal is to complete two promotions per year.

Another priority of the network is to strengthen the profitability of the workshops. To cope with an inflationary context, AD Poids-Lourds is undertaking a reflection on the revaluation of the hourly rate within a range of 7 to 15 euros. This increase makes it possible to maintain hourly rates competitive with those of manufacturers. In order to increase efficiency, there is also talk of a training and skills development program so that 100% of technicians master the Euro 6 standard and that 100% of sites are EV/NGV-certified, with a training plan in addition at 3 years old with 5 themes: CNG, B2L, Euro 6, Bosch diagnostics, Texa diagnostics. Skills assessments are also planned.

Finally, to maintain a competitive momentum in spare parts, the Isotech brand now has 7,000 references and 48 families across all ranges of light vehicles, light commercial vehicles, heavy trucks, equipment and workshop consumables. It is a question of reinforcing the development of the whole range, in particular concerning the brake calipers, the pivot kits, the brake references or the air cushions.