Maintenance is becoming more expensive

Never before have the fleets in the Netherlands been so old. With an average of 11 years, the fleets will need quite a bit of maintenance in the coming years.

Despite the fact that more cars were sold in 2022 than in the years before and the rising demand for maintenance. The automotive industry cannot take full advantage of this growth. Prices for parts and staff are rising, but the shortage of chips and delivery problems are also having a negative effect on prices.

Partly because of this, the costs of a repair or MOT continue to rise, while there is no more money to invest in obsolete fleets.

Nevertheless, developments in the automotive industry are moving at top speed. The main causes of these rapid changes are sustainability, innovation and ever-changing laws and regulations.

These developments bring opportunities, but are also cost factors. Perhaps there are mechanics who need to be trained, the car dealer needs to invest in a larger showroom, or the garage needs to be renovated to comply with the new laws and regulations.

Hospitality industry prepares for summer

The first months of 2023 are over. Time for the hospitality industry to get started with the preparations for the summer season. At the first rays of sunshine, the Netherlands enthusiastically braves the terrace. But such a full terrace requires measures. To prevent dissatisfied customers, you need enough staff, inventory and maybe you need to check the permits again to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Even though consumer confidence is low and the costs of purchasing, staff and energy are still high. Nevertheless, a volume growth of 5% is expected in 2023.

Increasing liquidity

For example, investing in a fleet of vehicles or getting your hospitality business ready for the summer can be a major cost. If the Corona crisis has made anything clear to the entrepreneurial Netherlands, it is how important sufficient liquidity is. When you want to invest in a major project such as maintenance, you often know that in advance. Just like getting your hospitality business ready for the summer, you do this every year so you know it's coming.

Recent years have made it clear to us how quickly situations can change; a terrace full during the summer season was suddenly no longer so obvious. Now with the high costs of purchasing, personnel and energy costs, it makes it difficult to make a profit now that it's all possible again. A bridging loan can help with this. Invest in projects where you know you will earn back the investment. This way, you increase your liquidity and your company can grow again.

Swishfund business loan

Swishfund believes in entrepreneurs, does your fleet need maintenance, do you want to upskill your staff, or do you need funding to prepare your restaurant for the summer season? Opt for a business loan by Swishfund. On the tariffs page you can see what the options are for you. Do you want to know what the exact options are for your company. Apply for your loan.