Last summer HWP’s main building was destroyed in a fire reducing its operational capacity by 50 percent.The auto dealer’s spray centre, car and bike showrooms and administration offices were all gutted in the blaze after half of its 75,000-square foot site on the south side of St John’s Road caught fire.And shortly after the blaze the company made 21 staff redundant as it faced up to the harsh economic realities and the impact on business.But five months on the company has bounced back well and is striving to push ahead with some bold new plans for the future.Jonathan Brewin, CEO of HWP, said that in the immediate aftermath of the fire his team was faced with the daunting prospect of getting the business up and running and keeping it going.“After the catastrophic events of August 8 clearly we were challenged with a whole range of issues minus 50 percent of our operating capacity with the facility, showrooms, spray centre, body shop, head offices, IT and HR functions and the boardroom all being destroyed,” he said.“Since that time we have worked very hard and actively to put together a head office here, including a finance function.“We also set up a very straight forward computer network system and we actually had the whole operation up and running within 48 hours of the fire.”Mr Brewin said that despite some customers being unaware that HWP was back in business almost straight away, the company has been busy getting the message out that it was operational once again.In order to maintain that continuity HWP partnered with Rayclan who have helped to provide body shop support and ordering parts, while the former has focused on customer care and after sales, he said.Another welcome boost has come from the Enterprise Settlement Trust, who put in a planning application last month to build a new two-storey auto showroom, paint and bodywork and parts warehouse on the site of the former HWP base and who the company has been in positive discussions with about service provision, according to Mr Brewin. But he would not be drawn on whether HWP would be moving into the new building if it was granted approval.A key component in the restructuring of the business has been Terry Heilbron, vice-president of business development and after sales at HWP, who has been instrumental in developing a better relationship with the customer base.“Having come here almost six months ago it was a rude awakening with the fire,” he said.“But since then we have got back and up and running fully on the mechanical side within 48 hours.“And since that day we have tried to build the whole operation up again.”One of the biggest issues was the loss of customer records so it was a matter of almost starting from scratch again, starting with sending out a letter with his cell phone number on to those from 2009 onwards and most recently another mailshoot to customers between 2007 and 2008.“For two weeks my phone was ringing off the hook,” he said.“I deal with customers every single day and if they have got an issue then I will deal with it straight away.”Next he plans to call up everyone who had their car serviced in early August to bring their vehicles back in and to ramp up the sales side with a new and more interactive website launched six weeks ago featuring special offers in the workshop and a big presence on Facebook, as well as regular newsletters and updates.In addition, the company has held three 60-plus Saturdays for seniors to receive a free safety check on their vehicle and an estimate for service and repairs including on brakes and tyres for which it offers a five percent discount with another one planned for this Saturday. It has also been promoting its Smart Choice programme a comprehensive vehicle maintenance and repair package.HWP will also be hosting its first ever ladies evening where 12 to 15 women will be shown by an expert how to check the lights, oil, tyres and water of their vehicles while the company plans to bring in Bermuda Police Force to speak about safety.“We are fully manned and fully operational,” said Mr Heilbron, who has 26 years experience in the industry working for Honda and Toyota and has been setting up a customised follow-up system.“From our point of view we are just trying to take on more business and go from strength to strength.”In the short-term Mr Brewin has been concentrating on the full reinstatement of HWP’s previous operating system and longer-term he will be looking at putting in a new system.He said that the company still had a number of options open to it, one of which was the launch of a new Suzuki showroom in the building where the cycle division was based.But what has pleased him most has been the reaction of his biggest asset the employees with managers and staff really stepping up to the plate in being prepared to multi-task and finding innovative ways to overcome the issues they faced immediately as a result of the fire.In the wider scheme, the automotive industry has suffered more than most from the recession with the number of vehicle sales more than halving from 2,173 in 2007 to 1,014.And due to its capital intensive nature, with a big investment in staff training and equipment as well as parts while balancing the fiscal stability of the business, many dealers have been struggling in this tough economy.Mr Brewin said that the Bermuda Automotive Distributors’ Association had written to Government ahead of this year’s Budget calling for specific support for the sector.