LKQ, the bodyshop industry’s leading and only complete service provider, has described 2024 to-date as ‘a year of deepening its partnerships’ with customers as it aims to better understand and deliver on their needs. 

Supporting customers as they tackle industry-wide challenges such as skills shortages, rising operating costs and changing vehicle technology, alongside helping futureproof their profit margins amid declining work volumes, has been top of the agenda for the business over the past nine months. 

LKQ has made a significant investment in its Platinum collision parts offering as a result – in terms of the number of SKUs and the scope of BSI approvals across the range – as well as optimising customer operations for deliveries, through a new, central distribution model and shifting the cut off time for next day delivery from 10am to 4pm. 

The Platinum range from LKQ offers a lifetime warranty, along with comprehensive end-to-end aftersales support, and has grown by more than 2,500 new SKUs in the last 12 months, including enhanced coverage for EV and hybrid. This increases the scope of LKQ’s Platinum range to more than 18,000 parts – all part of the business’ commitment to being a supportive partner for bodyshops in a changing world. It has also bolstered its wider collision range with the addition of over 3,000 body panel and lighting parts in the last year. 

This year has also seen LKQ continue to help bodyshops maximise throughput and minimise key-to-key times with its Workshop Solutions proposition, which includes the specification and installation of large equipment like spray booths, wheel aligners and lifts. This removes the need for outsourcing and minimises overheads and additional costs through better energy efficiency and reduced reliance on courtesy cars.

New and upgraded equipment – and the associated training – also allows bodyshops to enhance their capabilities and open new revenue streams like intelligent repair, which is becoming increasingly popular as vehicle owners seek cheaper alternatives to rising insurance premiums and excesses. LKQ is planning to release a prospectus later this year, supporting its customers by outlining the steps bodyshops can take to offer intelligent repair, including kits and associated training. 

Supporting its efforts is LKQ Academy – its sister training business – that launched a new proposition earlier this year to support bodyshop technicians at every stage of their career, from apprentices right through to those who have mastered body repair techniques and want to expand their knowledge and skills in specific areas, including hybrid/EV. 

A first-of-its-kind ‘Sustainability in the Bodyshop’ has seen unprecedented demand in 2024 – from independent and multi-site operators – and has been proven to help bodyshops save up to 95% on carbon emissions and costs, across products, processes and equipment. 

Chris O’Rourke, Managing Director at LKQ, said: “While challenges like skills, operating costs and changing vehicle technology – and just as importantly, the opportunities they open up – apply across the board, each bodyshop’s experience of them is different. And that means there is no one-size-fits-all approach to support. 

“At LKQ we’re always listening to the specific needs of each of our partners and customers, and our scale – and the expertise, innovation and resources we have – means we are uniquely able to adapt to them faster than anyone else. 

“In my first nine months in role, I’ve been bowled over not just by the entrepreneurial spirit of our industry, but by the commitment of my colleagues to leveraging our brilliance and difference with a view to unlocking profitable and sustainable growth in partnership with our customers. 

“We’ve got a unique proposition – but it’s only as good as the people delivering it. We’re proud to have customer relationships spanning decades, so as well as investing in our range, and the breadth of support we offer customers, we’re investing in our people too. 

“I want LKQ to be an amazing place to work, so we can deepen our expertise, strengthen our relationships even further and remain our customers’ partner of choice.”