Sun Auto Tire & Service Inc. has partnered with Anyline by integrating Anyline’s Tire Sidewall Scanner and Tire Tread Reader technology across the company’s 480 United States retail locations.
Anyline announced the Sun Auto Tire partnership, as well as the results of a recent survey of key challenges technicians are facing, at the 2024 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, Nev.
Sun Auto Tire’s partnership with Anyline is expected to enhance technician efficiency and improve communications with customers by eliminating errors associated with manual data entry. Anyline’s technology platforms will also enable technicians to share tire data with customers more transparently and quickly.
“We were impressed with Anyline's technology and are eager to integrate their solution with our existing platforms," says Michael Toth, chief technology officer of Sun Auto Tire & Service.
"The speed and accuracy of the Tire Sidewall Scanner and Tire Tread Reader have opened up significant opportunities for us. We're looking forward to seeing the positive impact of these solutions across our rapidly growing footprint of 480 locations, enhancing both our operational capacity and customer satisfaction."
Sun Auto Tire & Service operates over 20 retail store brands that will benefit from integrating Anyline’s technology across the western U.S., including Caliber Auto Care, Lamb’s Tire & Automotive, Tate Boys Tire & Service, Driver’s Edge Complete Car Care, TGK Automotive Specialists and more.
Survey Results: Technicians' Burdens
According to the Anyline survey results, 70% of today's technicians say half of their daily tasks depend on technology and 68% feel comfortable using diagnostic tools. (The company gathered data from 224 participants over a 10-day period in October.) Most of the participants — 63% — work in a general repair facility, and about a third of the technicians are also shop owners. Most (78%) were experienced, long-term technicians with more than 20 years of experience.
“Our survey confirms a growing enthusiasm among technicians for technology’s role in shaping the future of automotive service,” says Chris Garcia, head of U.S. automotive at Anyline.
When asked about using a smartphone to instantly measure tire tread depth, a new technology platform from Anyline, 60% of techs expressed interest in incorporating this tool into their daily workflow.
The tire sidewall and tread depth scanner from Anyline is an AI-powered platform that integrates with existing digital vehicle inspection and point-of-sale systems. It provides actionable insights, optimizes automotive service operations and reduces human error.
The Anyline platform can also measure tire tread depth from any smartphone or mobile device.
Technician shortages are also a challenge. Nearly half of the survey respondents cite a technician shortage as the biggest challenge they’ll face over the next decade.
“Anyline’s vehicle and tire scanning technology helps address the industry’s labor challenges and technicians’ needs head-on,” says Garcia.
“Shops that deploy digital tire and vehicle inspection platforms are better positioned to recruit and retain highly sought-after technicians. These tools eliminate manual data entry and streamline operations so technicians can spend more time under the hood doing the parts of the job they enjoy most.”
Over half of techs today (57%) still manually log tire information into point-of-sale systems and customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, and almost three-fourths of those surveyed (72%) say manual data entry is time consuming for automotive service technicians.
