SightGlass

Australia’s automotive aftermarket has won direct representation on the national body that shapes workforce training, even as the industry confronts familiar frustrations over skilled migration policy. Lesley Yates, director of government relations and advocacy at the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), has been appointed to the 16-member Automotive Strategic Workforce Advisory Panel (SWAP) for the … Continue reading Aftermarket secures seat at national skills table as migration debate returns

Viva Energy and Origin Energy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore producing bio-Liquefied Petroleum Gas (bio-LPG) at Viva’s Geelong refinery. The agreement sets out a proof-of-concept project that will assess whether bio-LPG can be commercially manufactured using domestically sourced used cooking oil and other renewable or low-carbon feedstocks. If successful, Viva would … Continue reading Local proof of concept for lower-carbon bio-LPG

The global automotive industry is approaching one of its most profound transformations since the introduction of the moving assembly line more than a century ago, with analysts predicting that the first fully automated, human-free car factory is fast approaching. Known as a “dark factory” or “lights-out manufacturing”, such a facility would build vehicles entirely by … Continue reading Hand-built by robots: ‘Dark factories’ could be building cars without humans as soon as 2030

In electric and hybrid vehicles, frequent battery charging and continuous thermal management mean components such as pumps and valves in cooling systems must operate for 45,000 to 55,000 hours at operating temperature, compared with roughly 5000 hours for typical petrol or diesel cars. These extended duty cycles present new challenges for engineering plastics, particularly those … Continue reading BASF develops durable plastic for EV cooling systems

A major consolidation is underway in the United States refrigerant management sector, with private equity firm J.F. Lehman & Company moving to establish a larger environmental services platform through the acquisition of two specialist operators. The firm has acquired majority equity stakes in Reclamation Technologies USA (RTI) and Tradewater LLC & Affiliates, combining the businesses into … Continue reading US refrigerant management sector consolidates

One of VASA’s longest-standing members and a pioneer of automotive air conditioning, Derek Miller, passed away in February aged 78. His wife Marie continues to run the Cool Cats Auto Air business in Hervey Bay that Derek established in 1994 – where a huge display of VASA membership certificates inside the office records their long … Continue reading Vale Derek Miller

Rowe Auto Electrical technician Charlie Rowe has been named in the Climate Control NewsNextGen 2026 top 20, a program run in partnership with the Australian Refrigeration Council that recognises the best technicians under 25 in Australia’s climate control industry. Mr Rowe is believed to be the first automotive technician selected for the program, which has … Continue reading NextGen recognition for VASA member’s apprentice

When Robert Picone walked into Melbourne Auto-Air’s premises on Camberwell Road on 11 March 1980, the business that would become CoolDrive was still a small operation finding its feet. Forty-five years later, Mr Picone retired from one of the country’s largest automotive wholesalers on 11 November 2025, having helped build it, branch by branch, from … Continue reading CoolDrive veteran Robert Picone retires

Few careers in the Australian automotive aftermarket span the full distance from workshop bench to executive suite.  Shayne Quaile’s does. After more than 40 years in the industry – the first four spent as an auto electrician and air conditioning technician in Brisbane – Shayne retired from his role as general manager of merchandise automotive … Continue reading From workshop floor to boardroom: Shayne Quaile retires after four decades in automotive air-conditioning

The Australian Automotive Service and Repair Authority (AASRA) has been reappointed as Scheme Adviser to support the Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme (MVIS) until 30 June 2027. The decision is seen as evidence that the scheme is delivering practical outcomes for workshops, rather than remaining a policy aspiration, by translating legislated rights … Continue reading AASRA reappointed: Right to Repair momentum builds under MVIS