The winner of the German Workshop Award 2012 is Dirk Gembe. From a total of 100 applicants, the trade magazine "kfz-betrieb" and the Original Marken Partner (OMP) - Beru, Bosal, GKN/Spidan, Mahle, Luk, INA, FAG, Reinz and TMD Friction/Textar - honored the ten best brand-independent automotive workshops. The award ceremony was a highlight of the Independent Workshops and Service Companies symposium, which took place on October 27 at the Vogel Convention Center in Würzburg. "The award-winning independent garages provide a high quality of service. They are representative of the many dedicated independent automotive businesses in Germany," said "kfz-betrieb" editor-in-chief Wolfgang Michel.



The jury for the German Workshop Award is made up of representatives from the "kfz-betrieb" editorial team and the OMP. After evaluating the questionnaires received, the jury members visited the ten best independent garages on site. They assessed the external and internal appearance of the business as well as the company management, customer approach and customer care. "Once again this year, we have seen that the independent workshops are well equipped, operate professional service marketing and constantly invest in the training and further education of their employees," emphasized Ingo Linka from TMD Friction Service GmbH and spokesperson for the OMP.



The jury was particularly impressed by the customer care provided by the service team at Fahrzeugtechnik Gembe: "The customers of the independent workshop in Unna-Königsborn receive an individual all-round service from the mechanics: each workshop employee looks after their customer from telephone registration and appointment allocation, through order preparation and execution, to vehicle return and invoice declaration. All mechanics in the workshop are in direct contact with the customer and take care of the entire order process.



"We started in good time to familiarize our employees step by step with all service work. This not only promotes personal responsibility, but also the motivation of the mechanics," explained workshop owner Dirk Gembe at the award ceremony. The adventure garden right next to Dirk Gembe's independent workshop and the cooperative marketing with neighboring workshops also impressed the jury. Result: First place in the German Workshop Award.



The best independent workshops in Germany are:

1st place: Fahrzeugtechnik Gembe, Unna-Königsborn

2nd place: Kfz-Finder, Kall

3rd place: ad-Auto-Dienst Moszicke, Bad Berleburg

4th place: Autohaus Bütje, Cuxhaven

5th place: Autodienst Grosser, Samswegen

6th place: Auto Plus, Rennerod

7th place: Kfz-Kurt, Recklinghausen

8th place: Fahrzeug-Fix, Halle

9th place: Auto Fuchs, Regenstauf

10th place: Stransky-Autoservice, Isernhagen



"kfz-betrieb" is the most widely read trade magazine in the automotive industry and has been informing the automotive trade and service sector for over 100 years. "kfz-betrieb" is the official organ of the German Motor Vehicle Trade (ZDK), the professional interest group for around 38,000 car dealerships and workshops. News from the entire automotive industry is available at www.kfz-betrieb.de and in the daily newsletter. The parent company Vogel Business Media is one of the leading German providers of specialist information with over 100 trade journals, over 100 web portals, over 100 business events as well as numerous mobile offerings and international activities. Its headquarters are in Würzburg. The company celebrated its 120th birthday in 2011.