By JESSE GRAHAM
A HEALESVILLE mechanic has been recognised for his work, with manufacturer Bosch awarding his workshop as one of its best in the state, and country-wide.
On Saturday, 23 July, Clint Rose Motors received the Victorian-Tasmanian Bosch Service Excellence Award at a ceremony in Melbourne.
Mr Rose, the owner and namesake of the workshop, and fellow mechanic Ricky Lachowitz also received certificates from the Bosch Diagnostic Technician Program from the manufacturer on the night.
“It was something that I wasn’t really striving towards, but everything that Bosch have sort of suggested to me in regards to my business, whether it’s through mechanical knowledge or business knowledge, I’ve taken on board and tried to implement it,” Mr Rose said.
“I think that’s what happens along the way – you do that sort of thing, you step up through the ranks a bit and you get a nice reward for your efforts.”
The award was determined following an audit of the business and mystery shopper visits to the workshop, both of which have to result in high scores.
The workshop was also the runner-up for the Australia-wide award.
Mr Rose told the Mail he got started in the industry when he was about 16 years old, commuting from Healesville to Surrey Hills and back each day for work, and that a love of cars had pushed him towards his career.
“I’d always had a bit of an interest in cars as a kid, but it’s an industry that’s changing so quickly – the dynamics and the technology that’s coming into cars is phenomenal,” Mr Rose said.
“From that point of view, it’s a very challenging industry to be in – but with the right equipment and the right support, you can work your way through it.”
Mr Rose said the next five years would see dramatic change to the industry, including a greater shift to hybrid and electric vehicles, as well as fully-automated vehicles in the coming five years.
“Whether it’s full-electronics or the micro hybrids as they call them now, that’s definitely the way of the future,” he said.
His advice to car enthusiasts interested in getting into the industry was to be patient, to be switched on and to not leave it too late, with workshops often taking in school-leavers from the age of 15-16.
“You’ve got to have a lot of patience – you certainly need to be able to have some tolerance for working on cars. They’re not getting any easier to work on in that sense,” Mr Rose said.
“And you’ve got to be pretty switched on for it, too, nowadays. It’s no longer an industry where you can blunder your way through.
“The technicality and, in the future, the electronics that can go with it can be very dangerous if things aren’t done properly.
“Mainly, it’s about the right attitude.”
