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Q: What makes this product innovative?
A: What's really innovative about Ultimate ADAS is the fact that we've had out on the market for years our Hawkeye Elite Aligner, and we've taken what worked really well with our alignment system and expanded that to ADAS capabilities. Not only can you do all-around the vehicle placements of fixtures for ADAS, but you can also complete a full-wheel alignment with the piece of equipment as well as potentially, if you need, address steering angle sensor resets.
Q: What was the inspiration behind creating this product?
A: Hunter always likes to innovate in the market space, and we always look for the problem. If there's a problem, there has to be a solution. The problem was twofold: how do we execute the calibration and then how do you place the targets or fixtures for it? We found that the executive of the calibration was done with the scan tool, so we partnered with Bosch. I wouldn't say that's an easy solution by any stretch, but what was more difficult was to figure out the compound angles and distances and those types of things that need to be addressed when placing those fixtures. So Hunter looked at that. That's also the bulk of the time required for an ADAS calibration, figuring out these distances and angles. What was really the inspiration was to provide a solution to the market.
Q: How will this product improve the lives of technicians and shop owners?
A: Let me just tell you this, as I've aged, bending down and working on my knees and things of that nature, that's not fun anymore. On a technician level, it's nice because now it takes all of those manual movements where you're dropping strings and plumb bobs and pulling lines, and really that back-breaking labor, it removes all of that. It makes it a lot easier for the technician to do. It makes it faster and easier for the general population as well. We think that the way that the system works all around the car, that's really what's changing the industry is making it easier. It's not as likely to be ignored or overlooked, now the customer is able to get a car returned to them so that they can have really good documentation included. They know what was done to the car, and they have a sense of confidence. The shop that provides this can now make a profit because they're able to do this quickly and easily. The technician is going to want to do these things because they're not as difficult for them to do. So, again, it's just that circular help.
Q: What has the feedback been like from technicians that have purchased this tool?
A: So far, our feedback has been tremendous. We've been able to do some really nice testimonials on YouTube. People are really happy. As a matter of fact, we actually even had one of our customers hug somebody. Hugs in the automotive field are few and far between, so when that happened we knew we'd knocked it out of the park.
Q: Is there anything else that our readers should know about the product?
A: Hunter is always innovating. Right now, ADAS is on a growth spurt as far as prevalence in the marketplace [and] how many cars it's on. How Hunter is attacking that is [by] not resting on its laurels. We know that there are going to be new procedures and new targets, and the whole scope is getting larger. So we didn't just produce Ultimate ADAS and say, 'Here it is,' and then left it. It's changing daily, and it will be updated with more coverage, more targets, and new procedures, for perpetuity until a task goes away, and I don't think either of us see that happening anytime soon.
To view the full interview, visit VehicleServicePros.com/55275974.
