Nigerian autotech startup, Fixit45 acquires Parkit to deepen its vehicle management offerings

Nigerian autotech platform, Fixit45 has announced the acquisition of Parkit, a platform offering a wide range of auto care services. According to the startup, the move was to help fulfil its commitment to facilitate value-creating interactions across stakeholders in the automotive industry.

Following the acquisition, Fixit45 will now cater to the repairs and maintenance segment while Parkit would be the auto care section, The startup now boasts a range of products including Xparts which is a discovery and trading platform for spare parts which provides users the opportunity to explore a rich inventory, find exact parts based on the platform’s AI tools and get these parts in very good time.

There’s also a product called Rampware, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) tool that helps auto-workshops manage their operations and improve service delivery experience. Fixit45 hopes that these new service offerings will perfectly position it to adequately play a major role in the autotech space.

Speaking on the acquisition, Co-founder and CEO of Fixit45, Justus Obaoye said his startup decided to bring Parkit into its fold because his team found a lot of interrelatedness in what Parkit was doing.

“Parkit was committed to building out and digitizing the fragmented vertical in the autocare and car wash space. We found synergies in what they were doing at the time and we approached them to join us in this journey to fix and build the aftermarket ecosystem which has culminated in the acquisition.”

Justus Obaoye

He also said Parkit has been fully integrated into the Fixit45 family as they look forward to providing market leadership in the auto technology space.

Changing the narrative in Nigeria’s auto space

With the proliferation of second-hand vehicles popularly called Tokunbo in the Nigerian vehicle scene, automobile ownership for car and fleet owners can be a frustrating experience. Inherent challenges include highly fragmented, mostly unregulated industry, informal service providers who often lack the technical competence, as well as the proliferation of counterfeit spare parts with a lack of warranty on repairs.

These challenges have, in turn, impacted negatively on the service delivery experience from service providers. 

Fixit45 is looking to change this narrative by collaborating with several stakeholders and partners with a view to deepening value creation in the ecosystem. Some of these stakeholders include workshops, spare part suppliers, insurance companies, tow trucks, fintechs, and fleet owners.

Founded in July 2021 by Justus Obaoye (CEO) and Abdulazeez Ogunjobi (CTO), Fixit45 is an autotech company focused on providing seamless, collaborative auto services that include auto repair and maintenance, fleet management, auto parts sourcing and delivery, auto care, refurbishment and upgrades, repair financing and mechanic workshop software as well as pre-purchase inspections.

The startup says its ambition is to become Africa’s largest and most trusted autotech platform. It claims to have a presence across 4 cities in Nigeria. It also boasts more than 100 network partners and over 2500 vehicles under management. According to its Head of Marketing and Communications, Bemigho Awala, the uptake and adoption of Fixit45’s service platform by corporates in the FMCG, Mobility and Tech industry “is gratifying to see.”

“The glowing commendations we have received will further spur us to do more in the aftermarket space. Our value propositions of affordability, peace of mind, quick turnaround time, convenience, quality assurance and accessibility will never go out of fashion. We will double down on these and ensure that the vehicle ownership experience is better improved,” he said.

Fixit45 currently offers 4 service subscription plans as part of its Vehicle Intact Programme (VIP). The VIP plan has been designed to deliver quality and affordable repair and maintenance services with a view to ensuring that the lifetime value of a vehicle or fleet is enhanced and productivity optimized.

The subscription packages under this programme include:

• The Maintenance Plan which is a commitment to a routine and or scheduled preventive maintenance which in turn mitigates the need for some repair work on the vehicle.
• The Extended Service Plan which works as an HMO for vehicles in which subscribers transfer the duty of keeping their fleet and or vehicles operational at all times to the company.
• Because breakdowns don’t announce themselves, the Emergency Service plan is designed to give comfort and succor to motorists in the event of a breakdown. 
• The Service Plan ensures that subscribers don’t have to worry about workmanship and getting their vehicles in good shape.

“We have built a robust end-to-end ecosystem platform that caters for all players in the aftermarket segment. The industry has largely been based on brick-and-mortar operations and it is our intention to disrupt and digitize this space using technology,” Co-founder and CTO, Abdulazeez Ogunjobi says.

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