Steer Automotive Group has continued its ambitious growth strategy with the acquisition of Artis Accident Repair Centres.
Artis began operating in 2017 and has quickly established a leading presence around the M25, with the recent addition of two new sites in Borehamwood and Grays taking the group up to 11 sites.
Jamie Smithyes and the rest of the Artis management team will remain in place following the deal, which takes Steer Automotive Group to 37 sites with 700 staff and a capacity to repair 70,000 vehicles per year.
Richard Steer, Chief Executive of Steer Automotive, said, “We recognise the significant investment and success that Artis have established across their estate, holding 11 key manufacturer approvals and supporting many of the UK’s leading insurer clients.
“Focusing on London forms the next phase of our business strategy and connects the Steer Group across the Midlands, the North East and Scotland, growing our geographical footprint and increasing our operational capability to an unprecedented level. We’re delighted to welcome Jamie and his senior team to our operation and look forward to an exciting future together. I’d also like to thank Paul Pancham for helping to make this deal happen and wish him all the very best for the future” said.
Smithyes said, ”We’re all very excited to be joining the Steer family and as a management team, we’ll be staying in place to ensure the continued successful running of the Artis business.”
Bodyshop, Insurance, Supplier, Technology and Words
I Love Claims (ILC) is delighted to announce that Solera Audatex has joined as ILC Motor Corporate Partner, ARC360 Corporate Partner, and Claims Tech Silver Sponsor.
Solera Audatex is the global leader in vehicle lifecycle management with AI-enabled technologies providing the most comprehensive collection of vehicle, repair, performance and telematics data in the industry.
Solera handles more than a million transactions every day for more than 300,000 customers including OEMs, insurers, repairers, salvage yards, fleets and dealerships.
Mark Hadaway, ILC Managing Director and ARC360 co-founder, said, “Solera Audatex is a global leader in its field and has established a strong reputation for innovation and cutting-edge technology for the benefit of partners and customers alike.
“We’re proud they have recognised ILC and ARC360 as platforms for open communication and knowledge-sharing for the betterment of the wider industry. We look forward to working with them in the future and sharing their insights with our community through our broad range of media activities.”
Chris Wright, Regional Vice President, Solera, North Europe, commented: “ILC and ARC360 have a great reputation in the market, providing an open platform for the industry to share expertise, insights and to tackle the challenges of today, by putting technology at the heart of a business strategy.
“At Solera Audatex, we think technology should not be a mountain for the industry to climb, but an intelligent, intuitive assistant that facilitates every stage of the claims and vehicle repair process. We look forward to engaging with ILC, ARC360 and their members to help meet their promise of a better tomorrow.”
The Citroen DS4 has received an upgraded five-star safety rating in the latest round of Euro NCAP testing.
The model received four stars in original tests but has been elevated to five stars with the addition of the optional safety pack.
Meanwhile, the Honda HRV received a four-star rating with good protection seen for adult and child passengers, but the Dacia Jogger was given just one star due to lack of basic safety features and sub-standard ‘active’ safety technology.
Matthew Avery, Chief Research Strategy Officer, Thatcham Research, said: “For a family car this safety performance is disappointing. The vehicle may be more affordable than others in the same category, but in terms of safety it appears that you do get what you pay for. In this case, not only is the Dacia Jogger lacking the active safety features that buyers expect as standard, but even some of its basic passive safety features are not up to the industry standard set by the vast majority of carmakers.”
The Euro NCAP assessments look at two main areas of safety during testing: ‘passive’ and ‘active’. Passive safety features include airbags, seatbelts, and crumple zones with a view to securing occupants and mitigating damage during an accident. Whereas active safety features, such as Autonomous Emergency Breaking, are designed to help prevent accidents from happening in the first place.
Bodyshop, People, Supplier, Training, Vehicle Repair and Words
The NBRA is supporting a government petition to allow businesses in the automotive industry to recruit workers from overseas to address the growing skills gap in the sector.
The petition has been launched by Ingenia Recruitment with the support of the IMI, and all businesses in the industry have been encouraged to sign it.
Steve Nash, CEO of the IMI, said: “The non-manufacturing side of automotive, which includes the sales and distribution as well as the service and repair networks, employs over 600,000 people in the UK, but is facing unprecedented skills shortages. Currently the sector has over 23,000 vacancies, which equate to four per cent of the workforce. And many of those vacancies are in the technical roles such as light vehicle technicians, HGV technicians and body and paint technicians. These are skilled roles which require extensive training; typically at least three years to become qualified at the minimum level.
“Apprentices have long been the lifeblood of the automotive sector. But the inevitable reductions in the recruitment and training of apprentices resulting from the pandemic have created a shortage of young talent which will take some years to catch up from, despite the fact that employers are recruiting new trainees at record rates. So other solutions must be found and one such solution is for the key automotive technical roles previously mentioned to be added to the UK Government’s Shortage Occupation List, facilitating easier recruitment of talent from abroad. That is why the Institute of the Motor Industry is supporting this petition.”
Chris Weeks, Executive Director, NBRA, said: “The next generation of automotive technicians has grown up in the age of smart technology. Audatex’s training will reveal the growing complexity and technology behind the everyday vehicles we take for granted and hopefully, this will fire their imagination.”
Bodyshop, Finance, Supplier, Technology, Training, Vehicle Repair and Words
Repairify UK is launching a new initiative this month that could reduce remote diagnostics, ADAS calibrations, coding and programming prices by as much as 45%.
Available to asTech and RED (EU) customers, the Repairify Remote Services Pledge will see IMI certified and ADAS trained technicians carry out diagnostic scans and resets, and ADAS calibrations according to UK Insurance Industry Requirements.
This enables repairers to benefit from new income streams while at the same time reducing key-to-key times by not outsourcing or hiring subcontractors.
Phil Peace, Managing Director (SVP) International, Repairify, said: “Repairify’s continuous investment in technology development and data acquisition ensures repairers can be confident they are employing the safest, most reliable, and up-to-date ADAS repair solutions available.
“With the introduction of the Repairify Remote Services Pledge, repair shops can confidently employ the best value, high-quality diagnostics, and ADAS services on the market to meet their repair requirements.”
Bodyshop, People, Supplier, Technology, Training, Vehicle Repair and Words
Audatex is offering one apprentice a month a free spot on its AudaEnterpriseGold certification course.
The new initiative is being introduced with the support of the NBRA and automotive apprentice charity AutoRaise.
The two-day, £600 course provides apprentices with AEG certification in vehicle damage assessment and is being introduced to help tackle the crippling skills shortage in the sector. Recruitment was named as the number one challenge for 67% bodyshops in the UK, according to research conducted by the Institute of the Motor Industry, while 40% of workshops say they are too short-staffed to send apprentices on training courses.
Neil Garrett, UK Sales Director, Audatex, said, “We hope this offer of free training for selected apprentices will not only make the candidate better qualified but also help bodyshops send trainees on industry courses in the absence of funding. These apprentices will get an invaluable insight into a career in intelligent technologies as they return to their employers with valuable skills.”
Chris Weeks, NBRA Executive Director, said, “The next generation of automotive technicians has grown up in the age of smart technology. Audatex’s training will reveal the growing complexity and technology behind everyday vehicles we take for granted.”
Toyota is introducing a Project Management Degree Apprenticeship programme for UK school leavers, giving them the chance to gain real life experience at Toyota’s Surrey headquarters while studying for a degree.
Offered in partnership with Northumbria University, the four-year apprenticeship is designed so that apprentices can divide their time between office work and virtual academic studies.
Apprentices will work with Toyota’s Data and Insight team to develop project management skills to support improvement of the consumer experience. The programme includes degree apprenticeships, 12-month student placements and an 18-month rotational graduate programme.
Luke Smith, Toyota (GB) Specialist, Talent Acquisition and Experience, said, “This is an opportunity for a school leaver to start their career with a major global player in the automotive industry while studying for a degree. We are very proud of our Emerging Talent schemes and have many examples of team leaders and senior managers who started their careers as students or apprentices.”
The Plunkys All Stars Football Match is on course to raise upwards of £17,000 for Brain Tumour Research.
The match takes place at Peterborough United’s London Road on 24 May and will be followed by a raffle and auction of football memorabilia to raise additional funds.
Steve Plunket, who has organised this charity fundraising event for a number of years, said, “Prior to this year, we raised £54,000 for various charities, which is amazing but we couldn’t do it without all the people who help and donate money to us. Luckily I work with and around some really generous people.”
Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet historically just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to the disease. Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK is close to Plunkett’s heart after colleague Mike Yorke and friend Denise Branford were both diagnosed.
He said,“I’m amazed by how well Mike and Denise are doing. They’ve both shown such strength of character, Denise by continuing to teach fitness classes and Mike by hardly having a day off work throughout. Their stories highlight why it’s so important for us to be able to help fund vital research into brain tumours. They are both a real inspiration.”
To support Steve’s efforts pleaseclick here visit his fundraising page.
In this webinARC we look at the latest trends in recruitment, upskilling and wellbeing from a industry undergoing rapid evolution.
Gemini focuses on talent development
Gemini Accident Repair Group has launched a national search for its next cohort of apprentices. The group has a proven record of developing talent, with more than 13% of its workforce on an earn and learn scheme.
It is now hoping to increase that number by recruiting even more technician and vehicle damage assessor apprentices, offering competitive rates of pay, tools and uniforms to successful applicants.
Vella Group joins Climate Pledge reception
The Vella Group marked its commitment to improving sustainability by attending the Climate Pledge’s Spring Reception at The Gherkin in London. The Climate Pledge is an international initiative comprising more than 300 organisations that have committed to achieving net zero by 2040.
The evening was attended by Vella Group Finance Director Brendan Miller and Head of Commercial Tom Hadfield.
The Group said, “Signing the Climate Pledge means we are not focusing on this alone, but also working with some of the world’s biggest companies to create a colossal impact.”
The report examines the effects of disruption to the supply chain, Brexit, Covid-19, developing vehicle technology, whiplash reforms, and even climate change, while considering some of the actions that can be taken to subdue the impact.
However, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) enjoyed a record month with 39,315 sales of zero emission cars. This is an increase of 78.7% on the same month last year and represents a 16.1% market share.
Meanwhile, new light commercial vehicle registration dropped 27.6% to 40,613 units in March.
Nick Hobbs, Chief Distribution and Regions Officer, Allianz, has said this has made index linking critical to avoid the potential for underinsurance.
He said, “Index linking is commonly used in buildings insurance, but is not limited to buildings. Changes and developments in the macroeconomic environment can affect the value of other assets, such as stock, materials and parts.”
He said, “We’re chasing £17,000 to beat last year’s £16,500. Why not? We normally raise anything from £800 to £1,200 on the night, so I’m fairly confident that we will get close.”
Further sponsorship for the event is still required.
The UK’s only ‘not-for-profit’ insurer-funded automotive research centre will use the facility for the testing and research necessary to ensure new mobility technology is introduced safely and effectively. This includes active-safety and assisted and automated driving systems.
He revealed his intentions after signing the papers to take over a 10,000sqft building which will be transformed into Fix Auto Braintree, a new addition to the Fix Auto UK network.
The new site will be the result of a £230,000 investment but will be the first of two additional developments already in the pipeline.
AW docuseries explores evolution of sector
AW Repair Group’s seventh episode in the AW: A Career for Life docuseries sees Technical Development Executive Steve Hoe share more than 30 years’ experience in the industry and the evolution of vehicle crash repair.
Starting out as a paint technician and now Technical Development Executive Steve explains how AW Repair Group is investing in the future with knowledge, skills, and equipment to be able to repair complex vehicles on a daily basis.
Following on from the recent Vehicle Technology webinARC (see below) – we caught up with panellist Andrew Hooker, Head of Technical at Solus Accident Repair Centres to pose some questions received from those tuned in.
Siemens brings Enterprise mobility to employees
Siemens UK has extended its partnership with Enterprise to offer all its employees 24/7 access to Enterprise Car Club’s 1,400-plus on-street fleet via an automated rental programme.
Enterprise’s car club is available in 200 towns, cities and communities across the UK, while dedicated car club vehicles are also located at Siemens offices in Lincoln, Hull, Aberdeen, Congleton and Manchester. The partnership has already helped Siemens reduce its pool cars in the UK by a third.
Sherwin-Williams Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, John Morikis said, “This business brings us unique technology and additional manufacturing and services capabilities in line with our strategy of acquiring complementary, high-quality, differentiated businesses that support our growth and profitability targets.”
According to data released by ERS, there are now about 10% more HGVs on UK roads than before the pandemic and fewer cars, while rush hour traffic remains staggered due to flexible working hours.
It further warned that fleets are facing challenges in both replacing and repairing vehicles due to a shortage of new models entering the market and lack of repair capacity.
Rewind…
“The industry needs to be educated about the safety implications of EVs so it will allow technicians time to do the right thing.”
Catch up on ARC360’s most recent webinARC focusing on vehicle technology and featured:
Andrew Hooker, Head of Technical, Solus Accident Repair Centres
Franco Iannotta, Bodyshop Development Manager, Volkswagen Group UK
Phil Peace, Managing Director (International), Repairify
