AUTO LOCKSMITHS
THE AUTO INNOVATORS
When China opened its border in January , Autowave CEO Ravi Kotecha travelled over to catch up with Autowave ’ s manufacturer partners and visit the Chinese office after more than two years of limited direct contact . Having already spent four weeks in China over the course of two visits , Autowave now looks forward to having more face-to-face time in China . Here ’ s Ravi ’ s rundown on the most recent trip …
» DESPITE ALL THE DIFFICULTIES throughout the pandemic , our facilities in China expanded massively . Autowave products are packaged , engraved and assembled in our Shenzhen facility ; recently we began production of our own PCBs for certain remote keys . Leo , the general manager of the Shenzhen arm of Autowave , has continued to expand both our business network and physical presence in China allowing us to better service the UK and EU market with high quality and cost-effective auto locksmith solutions .
We visited all our main suppliers during our two visits and have lots to report .
Xhorse :
Xhorse are probably our largest equipment partner and it is always a great pleasure to visit their offices . Five years ago , Xhorse had less than 100 engineers and were not the super power they are today . Our last visit to Xhorse in 2019 saw some major growth but in 2023 they are off the scale ! Having seen the manufacturing capability and use of technology , Xhorse are in a league of their own , you have to see it to believe it .
As a result of their growth in recent years , Xhorse have become aware that it is sometimes difficult for dealers to service equipment and provide the level of after sales a brand like Xhorse requires . Autowave have been appointed the official UK after sales service and repair centre for Xhorse , the first globally . We are in the process of building a bespoke service centre to repair and service Xhorse products . This service is available to any customer , regardless of where you purchased your item from and Autowave will also be able to honour warranty repairs on behalf of Xhorse .
“ Xhorse have grown exponentially over the last four years and is taking the industry to the next level with thousands of employees and over 80,000m 2 of manufacturing space , Leo ( GM of Autowave Shenzhen ) and I spent a lot of time with Jack ( Xhorse CEO ) and Robin ( Xhorse Senior Bossman ) discussing the industry , products and future plans .” Ravi Kotecha - Autowave CEO
There has recently been some speculation about a new XT27B transponder , let ’ s settle the truth … XT27A is the name given for the Global market Super Chip while XT27B is the name given for the China market Super Chip , there is still only one Superchip you can buy from Xhorse . ( In case you didn ’ t know , Ravi named the Super Chip for Xhorse many years ago ).
As a UK and EU supplier we see devices from a different perspective , so it is refreshing to see our feedback taken into account . We are bound to confidentiality on certain products but to give you a taster here are a few exciting things in the pipeline .
Xhorse are bringing out a powerful new programmer called ‘ Multi Prog ’ that will be released very soon , this device will have advanced programming functions on eeproms / MCUs , ECUs , airbag modules and much more . It will sit at a premium price point higher in the range than VVDI Prog . VVDI Prog will continue to be updated and stay current .
Additionally , there will be a new cloud-based solution that will allow remote programming , already working successfully in China we expect to launch in the UK soon . Xhorse will also be bringing out high quality , competitively priced TPMS sensors and related equipment .
We had the privilege of being the first to see a new mid-range key programming device that will be available from Autowave at the MLA Expo , another device named by us – we wish we could tell you more … details to follow !
In order to protect the interests of local dealers , Xhorse plans to restrict IP for all products with serial numbers from September 2023 . This means that if you buy Xhorse products from China to use in the UK you will not have the ability to update Xhorse software . This should not affect items bought in the past but purchase of devices after September . To retain the ability to update your products buy from Autowave , an Xhorse authorised dealer .
68
MAY / JUN 2023
locksmithjournal . co . uk Issue Takeover
Magazine Sponsor