Trost Auto Service Technik SE

Trost Auto Service Technik SE was a German automotive aftermarket wholesaler and workshop equipment supplier headquartered in Stuttgart. It was formed on 1 April 2009 through the merger of Eugen Trost GmbH & Co. KG and KSM ServiceTechnik GmbH & Co. KG. The Trost family held 60% and the Hamburg-based Joachim Herz Stiftung held 40%. The company was a full-range supplier of branded automotive parts, tools, diagnostics, workshop equipment, workshop concepts and services for the independent workshop market. It operated three logistics centres in Winsen (Luhe), Uffenheim and Nýřany (Czech Republic) with a total area of 74,000 m², and supplied customers in Germany and the Czech Republic several times daily plus one overnight delivery. Its product range included own brands such as Masteroil (engine oils), Repstar (wear parts), Mastercare (chemicals) and Monochrom (workshop equipment). It also offered the web-based parts and technical catalogue and workshop software repdoc, which contained around 2.5 million articles. In April 2016, WM SE of Osnabrück acquired all shares of TROST SE from the Trost family and the Joachim Herz Stiftung, retroactively to 1 January 2016, and TROST Fahrzeugteile became a brand of WM SE. The last branch of the TROST Fahrzeugteile brand was converted to the WM Fahrzeugteile brand in 2022.

The origins of Trost Auto Service Technik SE trace back to 1904, when Ernst Misol founded one of Germany's first automotive parts wholesalers in Bad Cannstatt. In 1934, his son-in-law Eugen Trost joined the company. After the business passed to Eugen's son Fritz Trost, a phase of expansion began. The founding of the joint venture TEMOT Autoteile Trost & Völlm KG created synergies in product range policy. In 1971, Trost co-founded TEMOT Deutschland, and in 1994 TEMOT International, an alliance of independent aftermarket parts companies. In 1996, the workshop concept Autofit was developed as a full-service concept for technical, organisational and communication services. In 2005, the Truckfit brand for commercial vehicle workshops followed. In 2007, further workshop concepts Autoauto, AutoGo and Autonetto were introduced. Through the acquisition of the Meteor Group in April 2008, Trost expanded its distribution network into Eastern Europe. KSM ServiceTechnik GmbH & Co. KG was formed on 1 January 2000 through the merger of the Bosch wholesalers Kruse (Hamburg), Schöberl (Lübeck) and Maurer (Hannover) as well as the former Bosch sales house Berlin. The aim was to bundle wholesale and workshop equipment businesses and to uniformly supply workshops with automotive parts and accessories. KSM customers were also offered the workshop concepts Bosch Car Service and 1a autoservice. Trost Auto Service Technik SE was created on 1 April 2009 through the merger of Eugen Trost GmbH & Co. KG and KSM ServiceTechnik GmbH & Co. KG. The Trost family held a 60% stake and the Hamburg-based Joachim Herz Stiftung held 40%. The company was a full-range supplier with branded automotive manufacturers in its portfolio. TROST also offered own brands in the areas of engine oils (Masteroil), wear parts (Repstar), chemicals (Mastercare) and workshop equipment (Monochrom). Repdoc (stylised as repdoc) is an online-based parts and technical catalogue and workshop software from TROST. The parts and technical catalogue of Repdoc contains around 2.5 million articles and provides vehicle and spare parts data as well as technical data such as maintenance plans or recalls from various manufacturers. The Repdoc workshop software supports the processes of an automotive workshop, such as order acceptance or monitoring of payment receipts. The company operated three logistics centres in Winsen (Luhe), Uffenheim and Nýřany (Czech Republic) with a total of 74,000 m². In Germany and the Czech Republic, TROST supplied its customers several times daily and once overnight (Innight delivery). For automotive workshops, the company offered marketing and service services. The following workshop concepts were distributed: Autofit, 1a autoservice, Autoauto, Bosch Car Service, AutoCrew and Truckfit. In addition to service and repair hotlines, around 1,200 training sessions with around 8,000 participants were held annually. In April 2016, WM SE, headquartered in Osnabrück, acquired all shares of TROST SE from the Trost family and the Joachim Herz Stiftung. Retroactively to 1 January 2016, TROST Fahrzeugteile was managed as a brand of WM SE. From around 240 locations in 6 countries, the group supplied the independent workshop market. In the service area, TROST Fahrzeugteile was represented with a web-based parts and technical catalogue or the workshop software repdoc as well as marketing and workshop concepts. In 2022, the last branch of the TROST Fahrzeugteile brand was converted to the WM Fahrzeugteile brand.

• 2022

  Last branch of TROST Fahrzeugteile brand converted to WM Fahrzeugteile brand.

• 2016

  WM SE acquires all shares of TROST SE; TROST Fahrzeugteile becomes a brand of WM SE retroactively to 1 January 2016.

• 2009

  Trost Auto Service Technik SE created through merger of Eugen Trost GmbH & Co. KG and KSM ServiceTechnik GmbH & Co. KG.

• 2008

  Acquisition of the Meteor Group expands distribution network into Eastern Europe.

• 2007

  Further workshop concepts Autoauto, AutoGo and Autonetto introduced.

• 2005

  Truckfit brand for commercial vehicle workshops launched.

• 2000

  KSM ServiceTechnik GmbH & Co. KG formed through merger of Bosch wholesalers Kruse, Schöberl, Maurer and former Bosch sales house Berlin.

• 1996

  Workshop concept Autofit developed as a full-service concept.

• 1994

  Trost co-founds TEMOT International, an alliance of independent aftermarket parts companies.

• 1971

  Trost co-founds TEMOT Deutschland.

• 1934

  Eugen Trost, son-in-law of Ernst Misol, joins the company.

• 1904

  Ernst Misol founds one of Germany's first automotive parts wholesalers in Bad Cannstatt.

Full-range supplier for the independent automotive aftermarket, offering branded parts, own brands, workshop concepts and digital services.

• repdoc parts and technical catalogue

  Online-based parts and technical catalogue containing around 2.5 million articles, providing vehicle and spare parts data as well as technical data such as maintenance plans or recalls.

• repdoc workshop software

  Workshop software supporting processes such as order acceptance or monitoring of payment receipts.

• Masteroil

  Own brand for engine oils.

• Repstar

  Own brand for wear parts.

• Mastercare

  Own brand for chemicals.

• Monochrom

  Own brand for workshop equipment.

1. 1Trost Auto Service Technik SE - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Trost Fahrzeugteile - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org