The road ahead has been cleared for autonomous driving in the UK, with the government committed to a ‘transport revolution’ in the coming years.
In this contributed feature, ARC360 partner Repairify considers the implications for automotive repair sector, and what opportunities self-driving may present.
“The automated vehicles bill announced in the King’s Speech purports to deliver a ‘transport revolution’ by enabling the safe implementation of self-driving vehicles and by securing the UK’s position as a ‘global leader’ in this high-tech arena, creating one of the world’s ‘most comprehensive legal frameworks’ for self-driving vehicles, underpinned by safety.
As the growth of self-driving cars gathers pace, so too will the importance of calibration, presenting a significant business opportunity for workshops to generate a new revenue stream by working on vehicles equipped with ADAS features which require calibrating and or programming to the vehicle.
However, repairers need to be fully informed and fully prepared. ADAS repairs can be complex, and no repairer sets out to complete a bad repair. Yet, sometimes, due to the intricacies of vehicle technology, an ADAS repair can prove challenging, and mistakes can be made, risking the safety of the driver and other motorists on the road.
Usually, a workshop’s public liability insurance will cover the business in this situation. However, having the reassurance of a global insurance policy on the basis that OEM methods have been followed during the repair, provides complete protection and peace of mind for a repairer.
Repairify does just that. Critically, our remote services are fully underwritten by worldwide insurance and our IMI-trained technicians employ OEM tools and methods to guide repairers through ADAS repairs. Using the chat function on the Repairify app, which is fully translatable to cope with our global footprint, the whole process is recorded via a written transcript which would fully support any claim that is made. The online application is accessed by the technician on his/her tablet whilst at the vehicle, is wholly interactive and is assisted by our IMI-trained technicians through the end-to-end process.
Manufacturers are constantly introducing new vehicle technologies that repairers need to be confident about tackling. Using the correct tools is one important aspect but competency training will also ensure technicians know how to approach any situation put in front of them when it comes to electronic-related jobs on the vehicle. ADAS repairs can be tackled with ease and identified from the point of FNOL to ensure all sectors within the business understand what is required from the repair process and how the technology operates to be repaired safely.”
Following up on Kate Archer (Partner – DAC Beachcroft) and Stewart Griffiths’ (CEO – The Albany Group) presentation on “Customer-Centric Innovation” at the ILC conference on Wednesday, we are pleased to share with you details of DACB Nexus, launched this week, which is an automated supplier risk management platform to provide organisations with lifecycle contract management and visibility across the supply chain. DACB Nexus is powered by Albany Group’s advanced regulatory platform, ConectTM, and combines with DACB’s expert legal services, provides a single location to monitor, mitigate and manage counter-party risk. By swiftly assessing and alerting risk, exposure in the supply chain is automatically detected, saving time and money while enhancing compliance. Further details can be found here.
