Why Prioritizing Profitability Doesn’t Have to Mean Sacrificing Customers While car dealerships are constantly working to keep their labor rates in line with market demand, often raising costs for customers as a result, smaller independent shops do not operate in the same manner. For many, especially mom-and-pop repair operations that... Read More +
Awaiting Funding, Chips for America Act to Invest $52 Billion in U.S. Chip Manufacturing Amid an ongoing semiconductor shortage that continues to significantly impact the ability to complete vehicle builds for automotive and fleets, automobile industry leaders and unions have linked up to push Congress to move on the Chips... Read More +
Chasing 100% Could Have Opposite Effect if You Lose Sight of Customers Attaining a 100% absorption rate continues to dominate conversations in and around the automotive sector – as it has for years – but hitting the mark remains exceedingly rare. With only about 1% to 2% of dealerships nationally... Read More +
SCL Explores Three Major Issues + Three Predictions for Automotive in 2021 While major players in the automotive industry offer an optimistic outlook for 2021, dealerships and service departments throughout California poised to rebound continue to play the waiting game with state-mandated closures. The solid victories that came out of... Read More +
New Product Line Offers Biodegradable, High-Performance Product Options While the use of biodegradable lubricants has long been required by law to protect coastlines and offer protection for consumers in food-grade manufacturing, a new line now available through SCL from Renewable Lubricants offers more environmentally friendly options for companies that want... Read More +
Save Your Customers Time and Provide a Much-Needed Revenue Stream For years in the automotive industry, the response to car battery troubles was largely reactionary. When vehicles broke down, customers would call a tow truck, tow their vehicle to a service shop, and the service shop would then test the... Read More +
In Effect Since May, New Specs Focus on Improving Fuel Economy, Reducing Greenhouse Gases Following requests from automakers for more robust engine oils adept at meeting the demands of today’s engines, new ILSAC GF-6 and API SP specifications for motor oil have now been in effect for over five months,... Read More +
With 4th Quarter Looming, Person-to-Person Contact Down, Positivity Up for Some As 2020 moves along, budgets tighten and operations change, SCL is seeing a major shift in the way our customers operate and the trends they’re experiencing in business. From automotive to construction, here are eight patterns in industries across... Read More +
Lubrication Engineer Credential Helps Customers Diagnose Problems, Find Solutions With another certification under his belt, SCL Industrial Development Manager Troy Hudson is now a double threat when it comes to helping industrial partners not only assess the overall health of oil and the machines they run, but to also make... Read More +
6 Short-Sighted Decisions and Alternative Solutions for the Long Term The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on everything from small business owners to entire industries and racial unrest has only further stifled consumer buying across the board. The gut reaction for SCL customers may be to batten down the hatches... Read More +
4 Areas of Focus That Can Make All the Difference in a Season of Rebound More than just instituting social distancing practices and measures like solo test drives to abide by state coronavirus (COVID-19) guidelines, there’s still marked uncertainty for SCL partners in the automotive industry. Auto sales of all... Read More +
City, County Officials’ Push Includes In-Store Retail, a Win for Automotive In light of a recent announcement by Gov. Gavin Newsom that counties will be allowed to re-open businesses faster in Stage 2 under new criteria, San Diego County leaders presented their case to move at an accelerated rate and... Read More +
Sector-by-Sector Rundown Shows Employers Required to Provide Face Coverings, Disinfectants and Other Specifics by Industry As Gov. Gavin Newsom and state officials continue to roll out California’s Resilience Roadmap, businesses identified in stage 2 are now opening their doors – county by county – with adapted operations to account for... Read More +
New Procedures Focus on Safety, Ingenuity to Continue Delivering for Customers As businesses nationwide begin to eye ways they can start ushering customers back into their doors, numerous questions still exist about how long social distancing guidelines will govern how companies conduct day-to-day operations. Until those questions are answered, SCL... Read More +
Enhancing Communications, Connecting with Routine Services Will Be Key While uncertainty lingers about when and how restrictions surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will begin to ease, car dealerships and automotive shops should already be brainstorming ways to bring in customers. In California, as Gov. Gavin Newsom and local governments begin... Read More +
With Sales Down, Dealerships and Shops Reduce Staff, Expenses to Remain Open Although some SCL partners reported a spike in new car sales immediately following a move by the Federal Reserve slashing interest rates to nearly 0%, most in the industry are relying heavily on their service departments to carry... Read More +
SCL Offers Perspective as Coronavirus Continues to Disrupt Business Operations The federal government has lowered interest rates, national sport leagues have suspended games, travel from Europe to the United States has halted, and businesses nationwide are trying to calm customers as fears surrounding the global spread of coronavirus (covid-19) build.... Read More +
Shipping Delays, Disruptions in Manufacturing and Logistics Already Being Felt As China and now several other countries continue to experience devastating health effects of the coronavirus, impact is also being felt among American businesses, including automotive, manufacturing and oil. As industries across the board experience shipment delays and disruptions in... Read More +
Environmental and Transportation Regulations Demand Intact, Drip Dry Drums Customers in nearly every industry receive 55-gallon drums of oil, lubricants or chemicals from SCL on a regular basis. From automotive to construction, agriculture to industrial manufacturing plants, 55-gallon drum deliveries are a crucial part of doing business. But what about... Read More +
Here’s Why It Should Be An Indicator, But Not The Indicator Over the past 20 years, the term absorption rate has risen in prominence throughout the automotive industry. With the changing landscape of dealerships – which have gone from primarily focusing on new and pre-owned car sales to now serving... Read More +
Leer en EspañolSouthern California Business Leaders Share What Keeps Them Up at Night After a devastating financial crisis in 2007 and 2008, not many investors could have predicted the rewards that came this decade. U.S. stocks are now on record as experiencing the longest bull market ever, and according to Bloomberg Businessweek, “gains... Read More +
Southern California Isn’t Often Prone to Extremes But Care Should Still Be Taken The care vehicles require during the winter months in Southern California isn’t as extreme as the care vehicles in colder parts of the country merit, but safety and effectiveness still demand steps be taken. For automotive service... Read More +
Educating Customers About Oil Choices Can Build Trust and Loyalty According to a 2018 survey by a leading tire manufacturer, about 1 in 3 customers is not confident enough to select the right oil for their vehicle. A significantly lower percentage than that feel equipped to perform basic car maintenance,... Read More +
Leer en EspañolFor Subject Matter Expert and automotive service department manager Gary Fenelli and his team at family-owned Frank Toyota in San Diego, California, running an effective automotive service department is all about one thing – Service. Ranked number one out of 76 Southern California automotive dealers, Frank Automotive Group was... Read More +
