Auto technician sub-sector got a boost on Wednesday, with the formal unveiling of FindMech app, a tech-application aimed at improving access to qualified mechanics on demand, and ultimately help reduce incidences of break downs on the road.
At the unveiling which took place at the Grandeur Events Centre, Lagos, before a large number of motor mechanics, and members of the National Automobile Technicians Association of Nigeria, FindMech Managing Director Mr Dipo Akinfaye said the app is to bridge the gap between the mechanics and consumers of their services.
Describing the app as the new catalyst in town, Akinfaye, who was a Chartered Accountant before venturing into the tech based terrain said the app merely functions as a reliable interface that brings mechanics and those who needs their services together.
Observing that many car owners and motorists had suffered in the hands of many quacks masquerading as motor mechanic, Akinfaye said the Find Mech hopes to onboard NANTA members as well as independent auto mechanic and auto repair shops in a bid to ensure that only those who are proficient are listed on the platform.
He said: “The only thing needed to be done by any mechanic who wants to register with us, is for you to download the app either from the IPhone or android play store and fill in the details; which includes their names, address and upload a profile photograph. Users on the other hand, just needed to download the app, tap their requests, based on the faults or problems they are trying to resolve as well as their location.
If there is any mechanic within the area who is listed on the app, it bops up and the user can then put a call across to the mechanic, once the deal is struck, the mechanic moves in, work on the vehicle and gets paid.”
He said the platform would also have an e-commerce portal where vehicle spare parts as well as sellers and resellers could advertise their wares even as there would be an opportunity for training and retraining of all mechanics on the portal on skills needed to grow their business.
“The app enables you to display your competences. It is a platform that would give mechanics a sense of pride by showcasing their capacity to compete with their colleagues anywhere in the world. We have put together a reliable, verifiable a d secured platform that is free for all mechanic and it is one we are determined to take across the 36 states and the FCT, Abuja,” Akinfaye added.
The App programmer Lekan Dabiri said mechanics that are expected onboard the new app are those with up-to-date technology, possesses problem solving and good diagnostic skills, had all round field knowledge and possesses good communications and good customer relations skills. Above all, they must be professionals who are efficient and are time conscious.
He described the app, which he said has gone live as the the future of car maintenance and repair, and has taken Nigeria much more closer to what obtains in developed nations where people are leveraging on technology to improve their livability standards.
“It is a safer, innovative app that links professional mechanics with consumers of their services and because it is available 24 hours, it gives opportunity for you to make money round the clock, and for consumers, being stranded on the roads, especially where your mechanic is far away would be a thing of the past, as you just need to go to the app, check for mechanics around the area where you are who are on the app, and once you find one, strike a deal that would resolve your vehicle’s fault.”
NANTA State Chairman Comrade Morufu Egberongbe commended the idea behind FindMech, which he said would undoubtedly enhance the opportunities available to his members.
He praised the brains behind the new business for thinking it wise to partner with NANTA and pledged his commitment not only to ensure all his members are enlisted but would ensure other sister associations within the transportation sector also benefits from it.
He however urged the promoters of the app to help do something in the area of procuring original spare parts, adding that a many nightmare presently devilled their services is the prevalence of fake and substandard spare parts.
Egberongbe who said mechanics under his watch have been enjoying regular training and retraining in order to upgrade their skills said technology keeps advancing and any mechanic who wants to continue to be relevant must beep abreast of developments around him.
He said: “We cannot afford to pay behind. That is why we have been encouraging our members to embrace new technology and improve their skills so that they would continue to be relevant. Our industry is under threat by new technology and only mechanics who are constantly proving themselves would continue to be relevant in the scheme of things.
Federal Roads Safety Corps Public Education Officer for the Lagos Sector Command Olabisi Sonusi said most accidents on the roads are as a result of mechanical failure due to substandard spare parts.
While pledging the support of the FRSC to all initiatives aimed at making the roads safer for all users, Sonusi urged the mechanics to up their game by partnering with the FindMech app in order to tap the opportunities that abound in deploying technology to enhance their productivity.
NANTA Chairman for Somolu Local Government Area, John Adekunle said mechanics in the state would support the FindMech app and ensure its success. He asked those behind the new app to make the app more interactive and more user friendly and to ensure greater visibility so that it’s deployment would be a win-win situation for all.