An automotive company is investing in a new training centre in Coventry – to teach professionals and enthusiasts the perfect way to clean their car.
Morelli is a family business which was established in 1957 in the south east of England and has grown to be one of the biggest body-shop suppliers in the UK, with 14 branches supplying clients from automotive giants such as Jaguar Land Rover through to independent garages.
The company has chosen its Coventry branch, off Stoney Stanton Road, to be its training hub where it will run a series of courses on ‘detailing’ through its sister brand, Slim’s.
Detailing is the practice of cleaning and finishing a vehicle to bring it up to a showroom standard and has grown massively in the UK over recent years on the back of popularity in the USA.
The firm has made a significant investment in the training academy, which was officially opened by Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, during a visit to the branch.
Andrew Moring, Slim’s Marketing Director, said Coventry was the perfect location for its new training centre.
He said: “Our detailing business, where we were selling products online, started in 2014. We quickly identified a need for qualified training and teamed up with the Institute of Motoring Industry (IMI) to establish an accredited course.
“This new training centre is the culmination of this course and how popular it has become and the need to add more courses for detailing professionals and enthusiasts.
“Detailing has been growing rapidly in the UK ever since and as well as needing the products to carry out detailing on vehicles, there has been a growing call from customers to learn how to use them properly.
“We launched a three-day course on detailing which runs three times a month and it made sense to create our own training centre to deliver the programme in a bespoke detailers environment.
“It’s aimed at a mix of automotive professionals along with keen car enthusiasts who are looking to either restore a vehicle or keep the one they have in pristine condition.
“Another area of the market that is growing is with younger car owners, to many of them their car is the biggest investment they have made to date and they are keen to invest in accessories and making sure their car is in perfect condition.”
Andrew added: “Now the training centre is officially launched, we will look to offer more courses such as one-day workshops on individual elements of detailing, which we are confident will be popular.
“This is a significant investment into Coventry and will lead to new employment opportunities.”
Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “The West Midlands is the UK’s leading automotive region employing more than 46,500 workers, and so it is great to see another company putting its faith in us with fresh investment.
“I wish Morelli every success and I am sure the company’s confidence in Coventry and the West Midlands will be rewarded with further growth.”