Interview with the management board of the MEKO Group.

1. What do you mean by safe and sustainable mobility?

   

   Pehr Oscarson: If you pick up a dictionary you can read that “mobility” means somewhat close to ”the ability to move or be moved freely and easily.” At MEKO, our vision is “We enable mobility – today, tomorrow and in the future”, and it’s our guideline for our business. “We enable mobility”, means that we shall be the best and most comprehensive partner for all who are serving and maintaining cars. We shall meet the needs of workshops and car owners in a way that is easy for them, without them needing to look elsewhere​ – today, tomorrow and in the future. We also want to take responsibility and enable mobility in a safe and sustainable way – so that we set the right conditions for people and planet.

2. How does MEKO provide this mobility? What are the key priorities of the company in the domain of mobility?
   
   Pehr Oscarson: Our logistics, brands and people give us a unique strength. We have the capacity to service, repair and ensure a better, sustainable life for any type of car. MEKO is the market leader in Northern Europe and have a proven track record and over 50-years history that our work is not limited by national borders or economic cycles. We offer a wide and easily accessible range of innovative solutions and products for workshops and car owners. And we are already today in the forefront of the green transition with electric cars. To strengthen our position over time and be proactive we run Academies and upper secondary schools to make sure our workshops have the right expertise to service and repair all cars – regardless of the fuel or technology.
3. Taking into consideration the growing market of electric vehicles, what skills should the employees have in order to deal with the repair and maintenance of such fleet?

   

   Petra Bendelin: MEKO is dedicated to train workshops, ensuring the supply of spare parts for electric and hybrid cars, and developing services for electric car owners. Today, we offer a full range of products for electric and hybrid cars and through the Group’s leading training academies, workshops are continuously trained in new technology. In 2021 MEKO launched E+, a standard for handling, maintaining and repairing electric cars. This standard is built on different levels of knowledge. When the mechanic is approved in the highest level yet, they have the right knowledge to handle an electric car and even to make repairs in the battery in a correct and safe way.

4. What are the challenges you feel the market will need to face in the upcoming years?Petra Bendelin: There are several major trends that affect the market and, of course, the direction of the development. We frame them in three areas; Big data & Digitization, New technology & Zero emissions, and New customer behaviors. Data creates the conditions to understand customer needs and a streamline automation. New technology creates the conditions for more sustainable alternatives for the environment and people. New customer needs create new services and business activities. We need to meet this trends and continue to develop in order to stay up to date.