A Doncaster company is mounting a challenge to aftersales market leaders with a range of workshop and other products sold under the Sol-X brand name.

Richard Mason, managing director, said: “After a year we’re trading profitably, developing new products and starting expansion into mainland Europe.”

Mason declined to forecast the company’s 2008 turnover but Sol-X has appointed distributors in the UK, Ireland and Holland, and wants to recruit more.

“We are confident of growing through a combination of marketing good products well, and sales are going mainly to independent garages, but also to franchised dealers.”

Mason and operations manager Sean O’Neill have combined experience in the automotive aftersales sector totalling almost 30 years. Sol-X develops some products alone and collaborates with different manufacturers to produce others.

Freeze Eaze is proving to be one of its most successful lines. A spray chills rusted bolts or nuts to -45°C, which cracks the corrosion.

“There are rival products but workshops like ours,” said Mason. “We’re also selling engine flushers that add oomph to a car’s performance. Marketing is key in this sector, and so is providing products that provide customers with a noticeable improvement in the performance of cars.”

Mason and O’Neill said they understand the importance of providing more than products and have a Sol-X range of marketing tools that include fragrant screen washes, tax-disc holders, hanging air-fresheners and sweets.

Sol-X is also providing on-site training for garages as part of a programme of customer support. Analysis of the profitability is also included.