Castrol has developed a new garage support package called Portfolio Plus aimed at planning, supplying, installing and financing workshop equipment.

The programme also provides training for technical and front-of-shop staff and offers assistance on waste management and health and safety.

Portfolio Plus includes a range of marketing tools to help workshop businesses attract new customers and retain and increase revenue from existing customers. For example, Castrol provides a self-branded loyalty card scheme that enables workshops to give customers good incentives to keep coming back for scheduled servicing and diagnosis/repair.

Portfolio Plus is available to any workshop consuming 2,000 litres of passenger car oil a year.

David Foster, Castrol manager for the independent workshop sector, said: “We have found a real desire among workshop owners to improve the services the industry provides as a whole, and so to build a sound reputation for themselves, both as professionals and as businessmen.”

Castrol has restructured its equipment services division, which supplies and services garage equipment to workshops in the UK and Ireland.

Under the new structure, the field sales and service engineers will now report directly to Richard Hunt, area equipment manager of Castrol Equipment Services, rather than the lubricant regions.

The division will provide three core services: garage equipment sales, aftersales and customer outsourcing solutions.

  • Nick Harley has joined Castrol with a brief to develop a consultancy service for carmakers and importers, dealer groups, fast-fits and large independents. Services will cover marketing, recruitment and aftersales management.