DPaschoal launches Brazil's first auto services 'Smart Store' in São Paulo

SAO PAULO — DPaschoal, Brazil's largest automotive service retail network, has a new outlet it's calling a “Smart Store” located in São Paulo's neighborhood of Moema.

The company, Comercial Automotiva SA CNPJ, re-inaugurated its first concept store in March, providing automotive services with what it claimed are “exclusive technologies, not found anywhere else in the world.”

“Visitors and customers will find a more modern and cozy environment, with well-sized facilities and differentiated service, focusing on transparency, trust and sustainability,” said Leandro Richter, Linha Leve's unit manager. The new store, nicknamed “Smart Store,” is the result of eight-year research into unique improvements it could make in the global automotive services market, according to the company. All initiatives were developed by CTTi — DPaschoal's Technical and Innovation Training Center, which is dedicated to research and production of content for the automotive sector.

Highlights include ATE — “Advanced Time Experience,” the brand's exclusive service that allows customers to follow in real time, through a television in the waiting room, the services being done on their vehicles. If a customer cannot wait in the shop, all the information, including the services completed, in progress and deadlines, is sent to his or her smartphone.

“This innovation is a great and exclusive differential, directly related to DPaschoal's policy of transparency with the customer,” said Engineering Manager Eliel Bartes. “In addition, this is a form of better control over the duration of each service in each car in the yard.”

GPS — “Green Project Savings” — is described by the company as “a complex green economy plan” developed by DPaschoal as part of the new concept store's guidelines. It is a set of initiatives that contribute to the reduction of customer expenses and, mainly, to the environmental conservation efforts through the proper disposal of items replaced by service technicians.

“The policy named ‘Measure, Test and Evaluate Before Replacing', for example, helps us to provide our customers with knowledge of sustainability and proper disposal of parts, and, most importantly, a correct diagnosis of the parts replaced in their vehicle,” Mr. Richter explained. “The concept teaches the consumer to measure the size of the problem, to test the part at hand and to evaluate its condition, thus avoiding unnecessary (replacements) and the increasing of irregular item disposals.”

The bays in the Moema store also feature rugs/floor covering made of recycled rubber from scrap tires, with each rug pad the equivalent to one tire discarded and scrapped at DPaschoal retreading units, according to the company. Beyond the bays, the rugs are also adapted to the store's floor covering for its “Kids Space” area. The initiative is part of the company's “ECOFLOOR” project, DPaschoal said, and “was developed to add value to the client's journey.”

 DPaschoal said its goal within a few years is to expand these changes and concepts to its entire network of stores.

The Brazilian company has been operating since 1949, providing specialized automotive services. It has more than 160 corporate-owned stores as well as 800 accredited locations across the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and Goiás.

The firm supplies tires — including the Goodyear brand — services and accessories for passenger cars, trucks, buses, tractors, agricultural and industrial machines, and operates 10 retreading units and 21 truck centers for the agricultural vehicle and truck segment. The DPaschoal group includes the companies DPK, Rede Auto Z, Maxxi Training and Daterra, as well as Educar Foundation. More information is on its website.