People, Supplier, Technology, Training, Vehicle Repair and Words
Repairify has announced the acquisition of leading US-based technical training company Automotive Training Group.
ATG was founded in 2004 and now delivers live and virtual training to automotive professionals across America and internationally.
Cris Hollingsworth, President of Repairify, said, “ATG is known across the automotive technical training world for the superior quality of its curriculum and trainers, and we believe they are representative of the excellence we strive for every day.
“As we continue our growth trajectory, building out training and development muscle to benefit customers and our large network of technicians will be a key success factor.”
Tim Flannery, CEO of ATG, said, “ATG is thrilled to be joining the Repairify family of brands, and we look forward to becoming a global center of excellence. We are confident our automotive training expertise will significantly advance Repairify’s goal of becoming a one-stop resource in the aftermarket.”
Lotus Cars Global Bodyshop Programme Manager, Steve Plunkett is continuing his fundraising effort by running the London Marathon on 2 October to raise money for The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House.
He is hoping to raise more than £4,500 for charity, which was founded more than 40 years ago to provide care and support to those living with, or affected by life-limiting illness.
This latest effort follows his annual Plunky’s All Stars charity football match, which raised £17,500 for Brain Tumour Research earlier this year.
Plunkett, who has run the marathon twice before in 2006 and 2007, will take on the 26.2-mile challenge with family friend Ben Pascoe.
The pair have set up a Just Giving page for anyone interested in finding out more or making a donation.
Bodyshop, People, Supplier, Vehicle Repair and Words
Fix Auto UK has acquired Fix Auto Henley-on-Thames after franchise partner Jamie Butler decided to step away from the industry altogether.
Fix Auto Henley-on-Thames, which joined the network more than a decade ago, spans 18,000 sqft over two units, hosts two spraybooths each capable of holding light commercial vehicles, has 25 work-bays and repairs more than 30 vehicles per week.
Fix Auto UK Managing Director Ian Pugh said, “When Jamie approached me saying he was stepping away from the industry altogether and offered us a first refusal on the business, we had to act. I know Jamie received considerable interest from other parties, but he was adamant he wanted the business to stay within the Fix Auto UK family which really does underline the commitment and loyalty he has had to the network.”
Pugh continued, “Newport was a strategic purchase. While we have two franchise partners doing a fine job in South Wales, we needed to provide additional support in the region. Strategically and commercially, while we have had to invest significantly in the business, Fix Auto Newport has provided a solution to our needs in the region.”
The deal follows the purchase of St Woolos Auto Repairs in South Wales, which now operates as Fix Auto Newport, and takes Fix Auto UK’s number of wholly and part-owned repair centres to 10.
They include Fix Auto Daventry, Fix Auto Colwyn Bay, Fix Auto Barnsley, Fix Auto Crawley, Fix Auto Paignton, Fix Auto Liverpool South and Fix Auto Castleford. The Network also holds a majority share in Fix Auto Goole.
Redde Northgate has published its full year results, revealing a strong recovery post Covid-19.
It reported that group revenue including vehicle sales grew 12% while underlying revenue excluding vehicle sales grew 24%.
Meanwhile, earnings before interest and taxes was up 80% through higher revenues and improved margins and profit before tax rose 62% to £151.3m.
In terms of business highlights, Redde Northgate announced significant new multi-year contracts with the likes of Tesco, Admiral and Acromas Insurance (Saga), as well as key acquisitions including ChargedEV and GRG Resources.
The company has also developed its EV infrastructure and services capability.
Martin Ward, CEO, said: “We began the year with good momentum and this continued through the period with strong performance across the business and our key financial metrics were strongly positive for the year. Rental margins improved in both Northgate UK&I and Northgate Spain, and the Redde business contribution grew substantially as it found a new normal for volumes at approximately 90% of pre-Covid-19 levels together with support from new business wins.
“We have made good progress with our ESG strategy and its reporting and have an important role to play with our expertise and fleet in assisting our customers meet their own carbon reduction ambitions as well as delivering our own net zero strategy.
“Our unique mobility solutions platform is now yielding significant new multi-year business wins which I am confident will continue. The group has already managed a number of macro-economic challenges since the merger and with our enhanced offering we are well placed to deliver on our strategy and navigate the current economic backdrop.”
Environment, Insurance, Mobility, People, Salvage, Supplier, Technology, Training, Vehicle Repair, vehicle sales and Words
Construction has begun on Thatcham Research’s new UK centre of excellence at Retford (Gamston) Airport.
The multi-million-pound development will see Thatcham Research create a UK centre of excellence around vehicle technology testing and safety research that will attract future investment as well as employment and skills development in the area, while securing a long-term future for aviation.
The initial construction work started on 20 June 2022, with the first phase focused on ensuring the continued safe operation of aviation with upgrades to the main runway, markings and runway lighting, as well as development of part of the site for vehicle technology testing and safety research. Construction work is expected to be completed in September 2022.
During this period, the airport will be closed to all visiting aircraft. Businesses and private flyers based at Gamston will continue to be able to operate using an alternative runway (14/32).
Jonathan Hewett, chief executive at Thatcham Research said: “We are extremely excited to begin to realise our ambition of creating a UK centre of excellence for vehicle technology research and safety assurance testing, as well as securing a long-term future for aviation at Gamston.
“We have ambitious plans around employment and skills development at Gamston. We will be looking to create 30 jobs in this first phase, through the recruitment of key engineering and support roles from across the area, as well as transferring some of our staff from Berkshire to Gamston.
“We are also exploring opportunities with Bassetlaw District Council on extending the training and skills development that we already undertake for the automotive repair industry, with more than 3,500 technicians and apprentices benefitting from our training every year.”
Environment, Insurance, People, Salvage, Supplier, Technology, Vehicle Repair and Words
Solera Audatex and Ireland’s leading car history check and automotive data solutions company Cartell have launched a new solution to help insurers in the country comply with imminent amendments to the Road Traffic Act.
The upcoming amendments will require vehicle insurers to notify the Department of Transport’s National Vehicle Driver File when a vehicle is written off.
The new automated service will simplify the notification Category A or Category B inspections by using Audatex’s AudaEnterpriseGold to generate a daily total loss report, which Cartell will then use to check the status of each vehicle.
Once verified, a summary of all Category A and B vehicles will be submitted to the Department of Transport automatically.
Tom Hart, Head of Client Relations for Solera Audatex, said: “The Total Loss solution offers insurers a comprehensive and intuitive workflow, anticipating their needs and providing them the automated tools to ensure consistent and best value outcomes in line with the very latest legislation.”
Nicola Aherne, Commercial & Operations Director for Cartell, said: “It’s essential for insurers to work within the regulations without unnecessary admin or cost. Products such as the Total Loss Solution make legal compliance fast and efficient. Our vehicle database expertise combines well with Audatex’s insurance and bodyshop solutions to ensure that vehicle status can be updated easily, and that history is then available to the trade and the public.”
Environment, Mobility, Supplier, vehicle sales and Words
Figures from the Society of Motor Manufactures and Traders reveal that new UK car registrations fell 24.3% in June.
Just 140,958 new vehicles were registered, making it the weakest June performance since 1996. Declines were most significant in large fleets, which recorded a 27.6% fall while private consumer volumes dropped by 21.7%.
However, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) continue to buck the trend with a 14.6% increase in volume, swelling its market share from 10.7% last year to 16.1%.
Over the year to date, new car registrations are 11.9% down compared to 2021 (802,079 units), representing a shortfall of 107,894.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “The semiconductor shortage is stifling the new car market even more than last year’s lockdown. Electric vehicle demand continues to be the one bright spot, as more electric cars than ever take to the road, but while this growth is welcome it is not yet enough to offset weak overall volumes, which has huge implications for fleet renewal and our ability to meet overall carbon reduction targets.
“With motorists facing rising fuel costs, however, the switch to an electric car makes ever more sense and the industry is working hard to improve supply and prioritise deliveries of these new technologies given the savings they can afford drivers.”
Bodyshop, Finance, People, Supplier, Technology, Vehicle Repair and Words
AW Repair Group has announced that the Steer Group will acquire all 12 of its East Midlands-based sites.
The acquisition takes the combined operation of the Steer Group to 55 sites with 1,000 staff and the capability to repair 85,000 vehicles per annum.
Richard Steer, Chief Executive said: “Our strategic focus remains on successfully operated and established regional businesses which grow our reach and further increases our repair capacity.
“AW Repair Group has invested heavily across its whole estate, achieving key manufacturer approvals and insurance company relationships. They have also made significant investments in their people with a clear focus on bringing forward a new generation of talent through their Training and Apprentice Academy.
“In addition, AW Repair Group is recognised for pioneering sustainability throughout the repair process and achieved the coveted PAS2060 Carbon Neutral Standard across all their locations. AW was also an early adopter of the EV repair capacity with every one of their colleagues receiving EV Ready training. These are all key areas that complement our strategy and vision for the future.”
AW Repair Group’s founder Andrew Walsh said: “The time is right for a combined force to drive the industry forward in the next stage of vehicle repair and technology.”
Walsh will remain associated with the group in a consultancy role, while the 200-plus workforce will remain in their roles.
People, Salvage, Supplier, Training, vehicle sales, wellbeing and Words
Copart has launched a Leadership Development Programme to over 100 managers across the business.
As part of the initiative, all people managers will attend a bespoke three-day course developed internally by the business, which focuses on areas including communication skills, coaching, and relationship building.
The training is part of Copart’s commitment into nurturing talent, training and development, and rewards and benefits.
Holly Rose, Learning & Development Manager at Copart, said: “Providing people managers with the skills and knowledge they need to manage their teams effectively, not only improves performance, but also builds confidence and engagement.
“Copart’s Leadership Development Programme was developed based on feedback from our teammates’ annual appraisals, as well as from managers and our HR department, which means the programme is specifically tailored to the unique needs of our business.”
Bodyshop, Environment, Insurance, Mobility, Technology, vehicle sales, wellbeing and Words
Motor Claims Showcase sets the standard
ARC360 in association with ILC delivered the next level in live events with the inaugural Motor Claims Showcase event, which took place on Wednesday 29 June at the CBS Arena, Coventry.
Combining keynote addresses from leading influencers in the sector, wide-ranging panel discussions, partner showcases, interactive displays from 30-plus exhibitors, a next-generation ‘meet and greet’ session as well as extended networking opportunities, the event turned the spotlight on best practices across the supply chain, and specifically the accident damage sector.
GM announces EUeye investment
General Motors has announced new investment into UVeye, which provides advanced vehicle diagnostic systems.
The two companies will now work on vehicle-inspection technology projects, while GM will also explore to expansion of UVeye’s automated high-speed systems into its 4,000-plus dealerships.
Repair costs calculated
WTW in conjunction with Audatex has released a new solution that predicts the impact inflation will have on repair costs.
By combining repair data from Audatex with machine learning and historical data analysis from experts at WTW, the solution is able to predict repair inflation for different vehicle categories and fuel types.
The most recent releases showcase the paths of two Vehicle Damage Assessors, Neil Harmston, who joined the company 22 years ago in part procurement, and Radu Barcaru, who has been a VDA for four years after a previous career in Romania as a lawyer.
By incorporating data from an even wider pool of sources, it will help insurers to accurately calculate the pre-accident value of a vehicle and offer settlements that are up-to-date and in line with Financial Conduct Authority policies.
RED EU and RED Autocentres will be consolidated under the brand name Repairify, while the asTech remote solution will continue to be leveraged as a diagnostic brand name, driven by Repairify.
Tom Kelsall also suffers from Type One Diabetes but is determined to overcome these obstacles to inspire others and prove that it’s possible to achieve your dreams regardless of the challenges in front of you.
Ben launches new wellbeing platform
Automotive charity Ben has launched a new wellbeing platform to help employees and employers alike assess their emotional and physical health.
BenWell is an insight-led app and web portal which encourages employees to answer questions across six key personal wellbeing areas, and five management areas. Once completed, their personal dashboard gives a real-time view of their wellbeing and offers tailored support and guidance.
Gemini celebrates apprentice successes
Gemini has announced that its first cohort of apprentices have now passed their end-point assessments. After five, Covid-interrupted years, 22 apprentices have graduated to become multi-skilled apprentices.
Meanwhile, 60 more Gemini apprentices are now working towards the same outcome.
Fisher appointed to drive data proposition
Percayso Inform has appointed Kieran Fisher to drive its vehicle data insight proposition. He joins from Cazoo Data Services, where he was Head of Insurance.
His appointment is part of the company’s investment into creating a one-stop-shop vehicle data platform enabling customers to predict risk, identify quote manipulation and supply chain issues and understand high repair costs.
Wejo unveils engineering academy
Wejo has launched its first ever Wejo Data Engineering Academy. Working in partnership with Generation UK & Ireland, the new 10-week academy programmes have been introduced to broaden delegates’ knowledge and help enhances their futures as Wejo data engineers.
However, in these transient times neither can be set in stone. Adaptability and flexibility have been among the key buzzwords following Covid-19, and that applies not just to the way businesses work, but also what they’re working towards.
Meanwhile, production of battery electric vehicles increased by 108.3%, while 22.6% of all cars built last month was alternatively fuelled, up from 19.3% last year.
In this webinARC we speak to some of the key figures in the sector to find out what is impacting the supply chain at the moment, and how they are adapting.
