Torque Precision Auto Business Plan — Key Assumptions

Every operating, pricing, capital and funding assumption behind the model, and the seven most in need of independent verification.

Key Assumptions

Jump to section
On this page

  • 16.1 Operations and pricing
  • 16.2 Capital, cost and funding
  • 16.3 Assumptions most in need of independent verification

16.1 Operations and pricing

Assumption

Year 1

Year 5

Basis

Bays

4

10

Phased behind demonstrated utilisation

Qualified technicians

4

10

One per bay; trade-tested motor mechanics

Apprentices

3

Registered through merSETA from Year 2

Clock hours paid per bay

1 960

1 960

Roughly 245 working days at eight hours

Bay utilisation

46%

81%

Booked work in the diary

Efficiency against book time

90%

110%

Technician experience, tooling, parts at the bay

Book hours invoiced

3 245

17 463

The product of the three ratios

Posted labour rate

R795

R795

At the accessible end of the RMI-accredited band; held flat

Discount leakage

7%

7%

Goodwill, quote variance and rework

Effective labour rate

R739

R739

Posted less leakage

Parts attachment ratio

0.95

1.14

Parts revenue to labour revenue

Labour gross margin

66%

66%

Technician cost is the principal direct cost

Parts gross margin

27%

27%

Multiple suppliers, negotiated volume terms

16.2 Capital, cost and funding

Assumption

Value

Basis

Vehicle lifts and bay equipment

R1 320 000

Roughly R132 000 a bay, phased with commissioning

Diagnostic equipment and data

R680 000

Multi-marque platform, oscilloscope, programming, first-year subscriptions

Alignment, aircon and specialist tools

R880 000

Alignment in Year 2; specialist tools front-loaded

Premises fit-out, solar, WMS and vehicles

R1 850 000

Front-loaded; the four opening bays need all of it

Parts stock and working capital

R2 870 000

Sized against R3.06m of operating cash consumption in Years 1 and 2 plus fast-moving stock

Contingency

R400 000

Equipment commissioning and unforeseen fit-out

Total capital deployed over five years

R8 000 000

Overhead

R3 529 000 rising to R7 465 000

Premises, service advisors, workshop manager, systems, insurance and compliance

Depreciation

Phased asset schedule

Lifts, fit-out and solar over ten years; alignment and tools over eight; diagnostics and vehicles over five; WMS over three

Promoter and investor equity

R5 400 000

68% of capital deployed

Asset finance

R2 600 000

Drawn against equipment at 55% of cost, 13.75% over five years per tranche

Capital moratorium

Two years

Interest paid from Year 1; principal from Year 3

Corporate tax

27% with assessed losses carried forward

Section 20 limitation applied; no tax before Year 3

Debtor days

18 days

Retail pays on collection; fleet and insurer accounts on terms

Creditor days

30 days

Parts stock

35 days

Held tight against a fast-moving list

Exit multiple

4.0x Year 5 EBITDA

Driven by contracted fleet work and the technician team; readers should substitute their own

16.3 Assumptions most in need of independent verification

Assumption

Modelled

Verification required

Consequence if wrong

Workshop manager recruitable

Appointed at Month 1

Direct market testing in the chosen metro on availability and package expectations

Three of the five largest sensitivities are people outcomes. Without the right manager the numbers do not hold

Catchment supports 17 463 book hours

At least 60 000 households within 15 minutes

Vehicle density, competitor mapping and dealer presence in the chosen suburb

Utilisation is the second-largest lever. Below 73% the downside case applies

Two fleet contracts achievable

First signed by Month 12

Documented engagement with at least three prospective accounts before opening

The Year 2 expansion is gated on it, and contracted work is what stabilises the diary

Posted rate of R795 sustainable

Held flat across five years

Local rate survey against dealer and independent competitors

The largest single lever. R716 to R875 swings EBITDA by R2.58m

Trade-tested technicians recruitable at plan cost

Ten by Year 5 at 66% labour gross margin

Direct engagement on availability, MIBCO grades and package expectations

Technician scarcity is high-likelihood and directly limits the book

Diagnostic data access reliable on target marques

Multi-marque platform plus targeted subscriptions

Trial subscriptions and engagement with manufacturers before opening

In-warranty work on marques where access fails is unavailable

Asset finance with a two-year moratorium

R2.6m at 13.75%, five years per tranche

Written terms from an equipment financier before drawdown

Principal cannot be serviced in Years 1 and 2 and the facility breaches on its first test

The list is ordered by consequence. The first three determine whether the plan works at all, and all three can be tested by enquiry and engagement before meaningful capital is committed. The next two determine the labour line that carries the profit. The last two determine whether the in-warranty proposition and the financing structure work as designed.