P. Baudin, Amerigo International: “Manufacturer and OEM parts: a very powerful dual lever at Amerigo Group”

Philippe Baudin: We will end the year on an even keel, with 50 members in 30 countries and 35 suppliers. But at the beginning of 2025, we will be integrating twelve new distribution partners based in Africa (Benin, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Togo and Tunisia), the Middle East (Israel, Oman and the United Arab Emirates) and Serbia. And while we added two new European members in 2023, our current focus is on Africa and Latin America.

P. B.: We currently do 60% of our business with Tier2 suppliers. In 2024, we added five new equipment suppliers, some of them premium suppliers, so that we now have a portfolio of thirty partners. 2025 will mark quite a significant change for us. I spent 2024 in discussions with Tier1 equipment suppliers, around ten of whom should be joining our portfolio. And more agreements should follow, as my objective is to significantly increase the share of these suppliers in our business portfolio.

P. B.: To develop their market share and enter markets where they are not represented and where Amerigo is present. Our strength lies in our willingness to sign an agreement with an equipment supplier for just a product family or a region (or even a country), without being dogmatic, and not steering them exclusively towards global agreements. Our members, in turn, are looking for regional, local, national or even continental development opportunities, with products that will enable them to achieve profitable growth. By entering the Amerigo sphere, they gain access to brands that they might not have had access to on their own. There are therefore clear points of convergence. We are reaffirming our position as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for our members.

P. B.: Amerigo Global Parts, a member and majority shareholder of the group, has historically distributed original manufacturer parts (Stellantis, Renault, Iveco, etc.) in authorised countries. In these markets, our members can combine their purchases of OEM parts with those produced by vehicle manufacturers, which they can easily find in our E-reliable electronic catalogue. This dual positioning is extremely important to us.

P. B.: No! We have every reason to be confident for the next few years about the aftermarket, which is doing well and will continue to develop positively.  If we look at the world's vehicle parc, which stands at over 1.5 billion vehicles, of which just 2% are electric, we can see that the aftermarket players who deal with the older parc have a good twenty years‘ business guaranteed, because in ten years’ time, 90% of the parc will still be internal combustion-powered. It's true that new products dedicated to servicing the burgeoning electric fleet will appear, but the needs will be covered and that will mean additional volume. 
The parts suppliers currently in difficulty are investing heavily in new technologies, and we can't blame them. On the other hand, from the outset we have remained cautious with regard to the all-electric frenzy. The current slowdown in energy transformation is proving us right... and now everyone's worried! We were too quick to write off diesel, overlooking the fact that the new generation is clean. All the more so since it’s fossil fuel - and diesel – engines that motorists want to buy and still can buy. 

P. B.: We're working on it, because although nothing has yet materialised on our side, we're convinced that the need will arise for parts to maintain Chinese vehicles. So we need to plan for that. 

P. B.: The professionalism of repairers remains the greatest strength of the IAM business. They know how to train up and integrate new technologies to improve their skills, and so they remain the bedrock of our business. Given the geographic coverage they provide for consumers, who inevitably need to be close by, it's unlikely that we'll ever see an ecosystem without them. In this context, electrification and connectivity are not and will not be a barrier to the development of IAM activities. And in fact, with our E-Reliable tool, we offer a global solution, including for repairers.