ASE Automotive Solutions opens Australian office

Automotive industry advisor ASE Automotive Solutions has opened an office in Sydney, Australia, as part of its on-going global expansion. 

The company aims to provide Australian National Sales Companies (NSCs) and their dealer networks with expert business management and performance optimisation services. 

Steve McEwan has been appointed as country director, to lead the new site. He has worked extensively in the automotive industry in Australia, helping leading brands and their dealer networks to understand their composite financial data and adopt actionable improvement plans to maximise profitability and performance.

Robert Jones, CEO, ASE Automotive Solutions, said: “For nearly 50 years we have solely concentrated on the automotive industry and we believe our clients in Australia can benefit from this laser-like focus.  We have developed business management services that can extract crucial insights to drive retailer profitability and combined with Steve McEwan’s in-depth local market expertise we believe our clients will be able to identify opportunities to improve margins and turnaround struggling operations.”

The Australian automotive market is a mature sector, which has created significant competition and consolidation between brands and their dealerships to grow and retain customers. 

ASE will use KPIs to enable its Australian clients to understand their composite financial data and identify trends, which will drive efficiencies and support sales strategies that drive growth. 

The company will also work with dealer networks to create Performance Improvement Programmes, which address critical requirements including sales training, capital management and upskilling staff.

McEwan added: “I am delighted to be joining ASE as its reputation as one of the leading advisors to the world’s largest automotive companies sets it apart from the existing consultancies in the Australian market.

“While this market is stable its maturity means that NSCs and their dealers have to be on the top of their game if they are to identify new market opportunities before their competitors.  If your sales are slowing or flat ASE can examine your financial data forensically to allow you to quickly and accurately understand the impact of your policies on the network’s total and individual trading experiences.”

ASE is recruiting experienced automotive consultants for the Australian market, as it seeks to ramp up its operation. It is supporting a number of automotive brands locally, including JLR, Maserati, Bentley and Rolls Royce, but it also looking to provide its services to new customers, who want to drive performance improvement and maximise retail profitability.