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March 2022 webinARC: Vehicle Technology
In this webinARC we hear from a broad cross-section of the industry to explore the changes taking place with vehicle technology and how repair management is changing to keep pace.
Featuring:
– Andrew Hooker, Head of Technical, Solus Accident Repair Centres
– Franco Iannotta, Bodyshop Development Manager, Volkswagen Group UK
– Phil Peace, Managing Director (International), Repairify Inc
Government abandons further whiplash reforms
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced that part two of the proposed reforms to the soft tissue claims process have been shelved.
Part one of the Reforming the Soft Tissue Injury Claims Process – implemented in May 2021 – related to the small claims limit for PI claims and fixed and a fixed compensation tariff for RTA cases. Part two was expected to be much broader, encompassing referrals, credit hire and rehabilitation.
Industry Leader Interview: Catherine Hulme
“A few years ago, if someone had said we would need all colleagues to be working from home, we would have found every reason not to make it work, rather than making it happen. As an industry the vast majority moved to homeworking very quickly and effectively. I think this has opened up talent pools that we would never have had access to if we wanted colleagues to be based in an office every day.”
Click here to read the full interview with Catherine Hulme, Operations Director, Motor at Innovation Group.
Gemini names new Head of Performance
Gemini Accident Repair Group has strengthened is senior management team with the appointment of Paul Smith as Head of Performance.
He will lead Gemini’s operation team and manage the insurance partner relationships.
Fix Auto creates Peers to peers link
Fix Auto UK has appointed Luke Peers into the newly-created role of Network Manager.
He steps up from his position as Network Performance Consultant and, working closely with Fix Auto UK’s Regional Business Managers and the customer service centre, will manage and facilitate the network’s repair volumes by directly overseeing its regional post-coded deployment process.
Volvo adds new training date
Volvo has added another date for its Product/Technology Update training course.
The course informs delegates of wide-ranging updates to its full range of cars, covering structure and materials, unique repair methods, safety systems, windscreens and ADAS, bumper repairs, SRS and WHIPS systems, as well as hybrid and electric vehicle technology.
The course is aimed at vehicle damage assessors, engineers, accident management companies, fleet providers, training colleges and non-approved bodyshops.
Vella Group twice recognised at industry awards
The Vella Group was twice highly commended at the Modern Insurance Magazine’s Customer Service Excellence Awards.
It was recognised for its commitment to apprentices, particularly in the areas of ADAS and EVs, in the Learning and Development category, and was also highly commended in the Giving It Back to Charity award category following its work with community partners The Mersey Forest and Manchester Young Lives, as well automotive charity AutoRaise.
Marc Holding, Managing Director, said, “It is an honour to be recognised by the judges for the work that we do in two areas that we are so passionate about, and it is a great accolade for all the team members who work tirelessly on our learning and development and community programmes.”
Cripps celebrates Unsung Hero award
Motofix General Manager for Standards and Compliance Sue Cripps won the Unsung Hero award at the Modern Insurance Magazine’s 2022 UK Customer Service Excellence Awards.
The awards celebrate customer service success in the insurer and broker markets.
Cripps has been at Motofix for more than eight years and has more than two decades experience in the industry.
IMI calls for ‘significant change’
The IMI Diversity Task Force has concluded that a lack of diversity is contributing to the skills gap in the UK automotive sector, and that doing what it has always done will not resolve the issue.
It says the sector must broaden its appeal and that ‘significant change’ is required to promote it to a wider demographic and to create a work environment that is inclusive and supportive.
The IMI Diversity Task Force was established in 2021 to understand the challenges under-represented groups face when working in or trying to enter the automotive industry.
Audatex bolsters UK sales force
Audatex has announced that Tim Davis has joined its UK sales team. Davis, who first helped in a family-run bodyshop when he was seven and now has more than 30 years in the sector, will support customers in Wales and down the M4 corridor to Bristol.
Neil Garrett, UK and South Africa Sales Director, Audatex, said, “Tim’s wealth of knowledge across the UK vehicle repair sector will be vital in supporting our repairer customers alongside Stewart Myles, Steven Hames and Steve Warwick.”
Smith secures national ITAS role
Scott Smith has been named National Accounts Director of ITAS. He has been a key part of the company’s expansion over the last two years, supporting the management team with strategic and commercial decisions both within the UK and overseas.
He said, “I am extremely proud and honoured to be given this fantastic opportunity with ITAS. I am grateful to the senior management team and all my colleagues for their support and guidance of the last two and a half years. I am excited with what the future holds with the expansion of the company both in the UK and overseas, and pleased I get to be a key part of that.”
SYNETIQ celebrates carbon commitments
SYNETIQ has announced that more than 200 colleagues have achieved carbon literacy certification since it introduced its carbon literacy training initiative a year ago. The training, which has also been delivered to a range of SYNETIQ customers, helps groups and individuals measure and then reduce their own carbon footprints.
Anne Reade, Client Relationship Manager, said, “I couldn’t have imagined what we’d managed to achieve with carbon literacy in just the first years. The impact of the training sessions we’ve offered have been felt by colleagues, clients and people within our communities, and is already making a massive difference.”
Steer turns spotlight on new talent
Steer Automotive Group celebrated its recently-qualified apprentices at its Apprentices Awards Night, while also enrolling its next wave of talent following successful roadshows in Tamworth, Leicester, Northampton and Luton.
Peter Randhawa, Group General Manager, said, “These were our first set of apprentices passing their year two awards. It’s a massive life skill achievement for them; it will give them the confidence to take a positive step to becoming professionals in their own fields and having fantastic career prospects. We are proud of them all.”
Liability ‘complex and nuanced’ in automated world
Mercedes-Benz has announced it will accept legal responsibility for collisions that occur in cars fitted with an ‘L3’ Automated Lane Keeping System, when directly caused by a fault with its technology. Here Matthew Avery, Chief Research Strategy Officer, Thatcham Research, comments on the ‘complex and nuanced’ issue of legal liability for the first iterations of the technology.
