AUTOCLIMATE, the Shrewsbury-based air conditioning servicing specialist, is aiming to set an industry standard for the maintenance of air conditioning in vehicles through a network of bodyshop-based centres.

The company says air conditioning in vehicles has undergone a revolution in recent years but service centres are not keeping up with developments. Autoclimate chief executive Russell Wellings said: 'Workshops are buying in equipment for the servicing of air conditioning equipment with very little training or back-up. This is what we are trying to change and, by the end of this year, we hope to have 500 centres around the country, rising to 1,000 over the next 18 months.

'At the centres, we will not only supply the servicing equipment but also supply the support and training needed, setting a new industry standard.' Wellings, who says the company is now contacting workshops and major fleets in an attempt to win business, added: 'About 60% of cars bought now have air conditioning, by 2002 six million cars will have it and, by 2003, we predict that 93% of all new cars will be fitted with air conditioning. It is no longer something that can simply be left to look after itself.'