Automotive and Commercial Vehicles

It has been a turbulent period for the UK automotive industry: Brexit had threatened manufacturers and retailers with tariffs on trade with the EU and the pandemic had a severe impact on demand for vehicles and significantly disrupted the supply-side of what is a globally integrated industry.

In the background, the government has ramped up its ambition to move to full electrification by banning the sale of new cars and light vehicles with internal combustion engines by 2030.

On top of these challenges, OE component suppliers must satisfy an extremely demanding (and typically concentrated) client set, maintaining high quality of product and building strong competence in value-engineering. Aftermarket suppliers tend to compete more fiercely on pricing, lead times and branding but clearly must also invest in quality and innovation to maintain their positions in the market. Electrification is impacting all businesses across the automotive supply chain: demand for electrified powertrain systems is growing near-exponentially, while there are knock-on effects to the chassis and body to account for (among other things) the extra weight of the battery pack.

Fairgrove has a wide array of experience in the automotive sector, both horizontally by end-market (from passenger to racing cars and heavy duty commercial vehicles) and vertically throughout the supply chain (manufacture, distribution, retail, and services into the automotive market). Projects include large-scale growth and profitability strategy as well as buy- and sell-side transaction support.

Fairgrove experience

Fairgrove has experience of the following sub-sectors within automotive:

  • Aftermarket Parts Manufacturing and Distribution
  • Automotive Asset Finance
  • Automotive E-commerce Platforms
  • Body-in-white Manufacturing
  • Fluid Transfer Component Manufacturing
  • Forklift Trucks Manufacturing
  • Garage Diagnostic Equipment
  • Low Volume Component Manufacturing
  • Powertrain Components Manufacturing
  • Racing and Performance Vehicles
  • Refuse Collection
  • Vehicle Electrification
  • Vehicle Safety Systems Manufacturing

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