Forty years ago when Klingshield opened it's doors and started to promote the benefits of it's window film products, the motor dealers only sold cars and were not interested in any add on products to make a second gross . As the market became more competitive with more and more manufactures popping up as well and margins were being squeezed, dealers started to look for other areas to make extra money.
Today second gross products play a big roll in the profits of car dealers and some car dealers even fit second gross or add on products in their own dealerships. Others outsource them to smaller fitment centres or utilise mobile operators who come and do the work at the dealers premises.
Audio systems in the old days were the number one aftermarket product installed in cars. Many cars never even came fitted with a radio and car radio shops were a dime a dozen. Sunroofs were very popular as an add on product in the early eighties, as vehicle manufactures never fitted sunroofs, not to talk about convertibles!
Installation of electric windows and air-conditioning was for the rich and famous at that time. Then came window tinting for cars which was a very specialised installation only done by Klingshield, the window film company. Special trained installers were brought into the country to train our locals. Thereafter Klingshield opened a window film and window tinting school in South Africa.
Hundreds of window installers were trained at the window film school in Johannesburg. Klingshield opened tinting shops and appointed agents all over the country to install window film on all types of vehicles.
At the beginning of the nineties the Finance and Incidentals people were brought into dealerships to deal with finance and aftermarket products. These staff members were know as F & I and were established in Dealerships to deal with all extras, besides the sale of the metal as it is know in the industry.
Today Smash and Grab window tinting is the number one aftermarket product in the motor industry because once the film is applied to vehicle windows it strengthens the glass making it more difficult to penetrate. Here in South Africa we have the highest number of smash and grab attacks on vehicle windows in the world and it is imperative for drivers to safeguard themselves and their family members.
In today's times with technology like it is there are new aftermarket products coming onto the vehicle market every day and Klingshield the window film company has launched many of these products to add to their product mix over the past twenty years and keep adding more and more.
Liquid Paint protection is polished on to the surface of the complete body of the vehicle to give a special coating leaving a natural sparkle for years. Paint protection film known as Stone-shield is applied to the body of the car to stop chipping and scratching from road debris and bad road surfaces. The poor road conditioning make this a must.
Fabric-shield is a liquid guard coating that is sprayed on to the upholstery to stop stains from all types of liquids which are accidentally spilt on seats or carpets. Spilt milk especially is extremely difficult to clean and the smell could ruin the ambience of the interior of a vehicle.
Fancy high tech sound systems are popular with the youth and blue tooth is also being fitted in many car with hands free sets for mobiles. TV screens with DVD players are being installed to enable the kids to watch some of their favourite programs or TV games while travelling.
GPS, satellite navigation and reverse alarms bleepers are now becoming popular especially with women drivers. Tinted film applied to front lights in a number of colours or extra fog lights are also being installed by enthusiasts.
New legal front windscreen window film to stop the heat from entering and reducing the inside temperature of the cabin is being utilised by consumers who spend many hours in their vehicles.
Identi-dot technology is applied to all parts of the vehicle to reduce the chance of cars being stolen, as once applied 15000 dot identifying the owners details are impossible to remove .
Vehicle tracking systems are being used to track the whereabouts of
company vehicles and should the vehicle get hijacked it can quickly be recovered. This is a part of fleet management.
Stayalert, which is a driver support system, will be available on the market soon. It will recognise driver fatigue at an early stage and signal a warning that the driver needs to take a break.
New high tech reflective roof film can be applied by Klingshield at their window tinting centre. This is applied to the roof of dark coloured vehicles to reduce the temperature, creating a user friendly cool vehicle.
New High performance ceramic safety window film will improve the cooling down of the interior of vehicle. This new technology smash and grab is now available from Klingshield and is all part of Klingshield’s iniatitive towards “green” vehicles.
Last but not least is Klingshield liquid glass coating which is applied to the interior and exterior of vehicle windows to reduce the cleaning of the glass. This product is known as Kleenshield and it provides clearer visibility in rainy conditions.
Well, what will be the next invention to add on as a second gross for car dealerships?
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