ELK GROVE, Calif. — ALLDATA has announced plans to enter the European market.
A market leader in the U.S., ALLDATA says it will expand to Europe with licensed original manufacturer automotive repair data. The company has hired three industry experts who are experienced in processing technical data, as well as the open automotive aftermarket. Uli Zehnpfennig, Michael Stopka and Michael Krampe form the European core management team for ALLDATA’s European launch in Cologne, Germany. The team has held management positions for the data expert TecDoc for many years.
"ALLDATA’s European market entry is an exciting next step in the evolution of ALLDATA and in the use of technical information in the European aftermarket," said Bill Rhodes, chairman, president and CEO of AutoZone Inc., ALLDATA’s parent company. "This new venture will focus on delivering high-quality technical data directly from the manufacturing source using ALLDATA’s intuitive common user interface supported by their industry leading customer support."
As in the U.S., ALLDATA’s information is based on the original vehicle manufacturer’s data and will be available online. Access to this information will fulfill a large need for European repair shops, ALLDATA says, giving them the ability to repair vehicles to manufacturers’ standards. In particular, where service and recall data is concerned, independent repair shops are challenged with gaining access to the latest data. That lack of information can sometimes result in services not carried out according to manufacturers’ guidelines.
"With ALLDATA, technicians will have the ability to verify their work was completed according to manufacturers’ specifications," says Uli Zehnpfennig, managing director of ALLDATA Germany GmbH. "ALLDATA is committed to bringing its high-quality standard to Europe as it has done in the United States."
"The GVO (group exemption regulation) and the provisions in regard to Euro5/6 laid the positive foundations in Europe for the supply of technical information for repair shops. In the U.S., we are the market leader with more than 80,000 subscribers and we want to provide European shops the same quality data," added Jeff Lagges, president of ALLDATA LLC. "We have been an active part of the U.S. market since 1986 and we have gained extensive expertise in publishing automotive technical data. Together with our parent company, AutoZone, we are excited about expanding into Europe."
ALLDATA has established licensing agreements with manufacturers that cover the majority of the European vehicle population and has plans to publish the information in multiple languages. ALLDATA also plans to integrate with existing standard interfaces to increase ease of use for customers.
To learn more, visit www.alldataeurope.com.
