AUMOVIO Debuts ATE Smart Awards for 22 Workshops

AUMOVIO has presented its inaugural ATE Smart Awards to 22 independent workshops in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Italy, and Spain, along with six ATE BrakeCenters in Australia. The ATE Smart Awards are a new international recognition for independent workshops in the ATE BrakeCenter program that have introduced practical changes to daily operations. The ceremony took place September 12, 2026, at Automechanika in Frankfurt, which the company describes as the world’s largest trade show for the automotive aftermarket.

Highlights

• 22 European workshops honored across four categories, plus six “Best ATE BrakeCenter Australia” recipients
• More than 300 ATE BrakeCenters applied for the first edition of the awards
• Recipients come from six European markets and Australia
• Eligibility required membership in the ATE BrakeCenter partner network

Four Award Categories

The awards recognized practical solutions in four categories the company identifies as key areas for the future:

• E-Mobility: Workshops recognized for managing the transition to electric vehicles through new services, efficient processes, team training, or approaches to handling high-voltage vehicles
• Sustainability: Approaches that make workshop operations more environmentally friendly, particularly energy-saving measures and sustainable processes embedded in daily work
• Digitalization & Artificial Intelligence: Businesses that integrated digital or AI-supported solutions into processes, customer intake, or workshop management
• Recruiting & Retaining Employees: Strategies for attracting skilled employees, retaining them over the long term, and creating an appealing work environment

Enno Straten, Managing Director of AUMOVIO Aftermarket, said the program is intended to recognize workshops that are adapting to pressures across the sector.

“With the ATE Smart Awards, we recognize outstanding achievements in challenging times. Workshops today face major challenges, from new propulsion technologies and rising customer expectations to economic pressure that can threaten their very existence. The ATE Smart Awards honor businesses that respond with innovative, forward-looking approaches — for example, by specializing in electric vehicles or integrating artificial intelligence into day-to-day workshop operations,” Straten said.

What Is ATE BrakeCenter?

ATE BrakeCenter is a modular workshop program for independent businesses that specialize as certified partners in professional brake service using ATE tools and products. According to the company, participating workshops retain the advantages of independence while gaining access to ATE-branded replacement parts and technical brake and repair support. AUMOVIO says brake work currently accounts for approximately one-third of all workshop costs.

ATE is one of Germany’s oldest automotive brands and is marking its 120th anniversary this year. Continental acquired the company in 1998, and the brand moved to AUMOVIO following the spin-off of Continental’s former Automotive group sector. The awards follow other recent workshop-facing initiatives from the brand, including augmented reality remote support for technicians.

ATE Smart Awards 2026 Winners

KFZ Brandstetter of Artstetten, Austria, was recognized in two categories.

Six recipients were named in the “Best ATE BrakeCenter Australia” category:

• Southern BM, Moorabbin
• Prestige & Performance, Melbourne
• Euro Technik, Perth
• German Auto, Victoria
• Anthony Costello Motors, Canberra
• Peter Lennox Automotive, Thomastown

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