Repair and Overhaul of Car Electronics
Auto Elektro Salland
Repair and Overhaul of Car Electronics
Auto Elektro Salland was founded in 2016 by Tijs Wagemans and Noortje Kolkman from Lettele. The company specialises in repairing and revising electronics in cars and motorhomes. In practice, this mostly involves repairs to printed circuit boards (PCBs). The company has grown rapidly since it was founded.
Tijs: ‘We have noticed that we have developed an expertise that is high in demand. There are just a few companies in the Netherlands that offer PCB repair services.’ Thanks to a large mail campaign to all garages and motorhome companies combined with an online campaign strategy, they have built up a clientele of approximately 450 clients. This client base grows weekly with the addition of new clients.
With good reason, because repairing a PCB is much cheaper than ordering a new one. A new PCB can easily cost 5,000 euros, depending on the type. A repaired PCB can also easily be re-installed. With a new PCB, everything needs to be configured, which also costs extra time and money. Sustainability is another factor: you don’t have to throw anything away. And sometimes systems are so old that repairing the PCB is the only remaining option when new PCBs are no longer available for that model.
Many PCBs are sent by mail, repaired, and then sent back to the client. The focus lies on automotive customers, but PCBs from other systems are also increasingly being sent to Auto Elektro Salland. Tijs: ‘A PCB is a PCB, so theoretically it doesn’t matter what we get. For instance, we have repaired PCBs for industrial doors, farming equipment and telephone switchboards.’
In additional to local clients (such as Ford dealers), more and more international clients are discovering Auto Elektro Salland. An increasing number of clients from Scandinavia and German-speaking countries are coming to Auto Elektro Salland via internet. Many Dutch residents also reside (on a semi-permanent basis) abroad in their motorhomes; they also know where to find Auto Elektro Salland.
The future
Auto Elektro Salland wants to expand further into the German market in light of the increasing demand from Germany. The first step is to develop a German-language website.