Category: Supplier

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ARC360 has revealed some of the key persons of influence set to take to the stage at its Back to the Future event on 25 November at the British Motor Museum.

• Dawn Marsden, Head of GI Supplier Management, LV=
• Richard Steer, Chief Executive of Steer Automotive
• Dean Lander, Head of Repair Sector Services, Thatcham Research
• Darren Wills, Executive Director, Motofix ARC
• Dave Shepherd, NED/Advisor/Mentor/Coach
• Paul Sell, Associate Director, Trend Tracker

Allianz appoints repair partners

Allianz Insurance has appointed its Approved Repairer Network consisting of two national suppliers and six regional groups, with partners selected according to their ability to repair electric vehicles, perform ADAS recalibrations and provide green parts.

The insurer also prioritised repairer groups that are carbon neutral or working towards it, and whose methods favour repair over replace.

Fix appoints first franchisee in Northern Ireland

After almost 16 years, Fix Auto UK has a presence in Northern Ireland with the appointment of Fix Auto Lagan Side.

Greer Gardiner who runs the family-owned business in County Down, is the first in the region to officially join the network, ensuring that for the first time since the Fix Auto concept was brought from Canada to Britain in 2005, the network can be truly viewed as a complete, fully branded, UK-wide operation.

The business, which is currently known as Bodyworxni, is just 20 miles from the centre of Belfast and will operate as Fix Auto Lagan Side.

“This is another exciting milestone for the business,” said Ian Pugh, Fix Auto UK’s Managing Director.

Innovation Group names new operations director

The Innovation Group has appointed Catherine Hulme as Operations Director for Motor Business. She will be responsible for the implementation of the Group’s strategic objectives as well as maintaining customer relationships within motor.

Catherine has more than 25 years’ experience in the industry, working within operations, strategy, transformation, procurement, and the supply chain.

Repairify selects new training VP

Repairify has hired automotive training and development veteran Chris Chesney as its new Vice President of Training and Organisational Development. He will be tasked with establishing a comprehensive training initiative for customers, industry partners, employees and the network of technicians throughout the global Repairify ecosystem.

MRW reveals recycling shortlists

The Green Parts Specialists and Ageas Insurance have been recognised for their green parts initiatives. Both have made the shortlist in the Partnership Excellence – Commercial category of the MRW National Recycling Awards.

The awards recognise inspirational teams and projects in the recycling and resource management industry and are considered the most prestigious in the sector. The winners will be announced on 8 December at a joint event with the National Recycling Conference.

Motofix upskills workforce with ecademy

Motofix Group is extending its partnership with Thatcham Research to provide access to ecademy for all its 200-plus workforce for the next three years.

ecademy is Thatcham Research’s online learning management system. Included within the package is content addressing key EV competences as well personalised assessment tools and learning plans.

Motofix had already provided its apprentices with access to Thatcham Research’s blended learning programmes though the Automotive Academy, but this extension is intended to safeguard the skills of safety of its entire workforce.

Motofix chairman, Richard Tutt said: “ecademy is the perfect solution for developing the technical knowledge and awareness of changing vehicle technology.”

Admiral taps into ADAS data

Admiral will incorporate ADAS data in its pricing and underwriting through LexisNexis Vehicle Build, which has been developed by LexisNexis Risk Solutions to help insurers identify and evaluate standard and optional ADAS fitted to individual vehicles.

LexisNexis Vehicle Build is the result of years of research and development, during which more than 2.7 million vehicles were tested with insurers in the UK and Europe.

Gemini receives apprentice gold

Gemini has been awarded the Gold Award for 2021/2022 by The 5% Club, recognising it has exceeded the government target of apprentices making up five per cent of the workforce. At the time of submission Gemini boasted a 12.4% ratio of apprentices, and that has since risen to 14%.

Meanwhile, Gemini has announced that its first Level 3 ART apprentices are now completing their End Point Assessments, while a further 24 apprentices will join the group in the coming months.

Government considers new road safety body

The government is considering setting up a new investigation branch dedicated to learning lessons from road traffic collisions. The Road Collision Investigation Branch (RCIB) would investigate certain incidents to establish cause and then make safety recommendations to improve road safety.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has now launched a consultation on the establishment of the RCIB, which it says would operate much like similar independent bodies that already exist for air, maritime and rail accidents.

Artis celebrates fifth birthday

Artis Accident Care is celebrating its fifth year of trading. The family business launched with two sites but had expanded to nine within three years and has now announced plans to develop two further bodyshops in the South East this year.

Jamie Smithyes, Managing Director, said, “Our strength as a team and our passion is what sets us apart and it’s what we attribute our continued success to.”

Covea and Verex agree partnership

Covéa Insurance has announced a new partnership with Verex Group which will enable customers to buy manufacturer-branded motor insurance at the same time as purchasing a new or used vehicle from within the Verex alliance.

Covéa Insurance joins an existing panel of insurance underwriters to provide broader capacity to support the market growth in electric vehicles.

New academy set up to Steer the future

Steer Automotive Group has launched the Steer Academy, a new apprenticeship programme established to create a continuous pipeline of young talent.

The group launched the programme with a series of open evenings this week, showcasing the sector to parents, teachers and students keen to start an apprenticeship. The open nights were held in Leicester and Tamworth, with a third planned for Northampton on Monday.

Insurers incentivise EV switch

As sales of battery electric vehicles continue apace, according to latest figures, LV= General Insurance and Direct Line have both taken steps to accelerate the switch to electric vehicles.

ElectriX, powered by LV=, has been set up to provide drivers with insights into the basics of electric vehicle ownership, charging, and cost implications.

Meanwhile, Direct Line has partnered with Zoom EV to offer customers a free bundle of discounts and benefits designed for hybrid and electric vehicle owners. Benefits include discounts on public charging and reduced costs on home electricity. 

New review lifts lid on Covid impact

Grant Thornton has published a review looking at the impact Covid-19 has had on the automotive industry.

The review collates expert views on the upstream and downstream sectors of the industry, the benefits that can be generated by claiming research and development expense credits, the developments within the FCA and their implications, as well a breakdown of key mergers and acquisitions.

Customers have their say

The Insurance Choice Awards winners have now been revealed. The Insurance Choice Awards are the only independent insurance awards chosen exclusively by customer votes.

Saga was named Best Big Insurance Company, while One Call Insurance won the Best Overall Insurance Broker gong. The Innovation of the Year award went to Laka, Mayfair Online was crowned Customer Service Champion, Laka and Collingwood shared the Treating Customers Fairly award, while Protect Your Kids won Best Newcomer and Honcho picked up the Best App award.

Ford creates new mobility studio

The first five start-ups selected to take part in Ford’s cleaner transportation initiative have been announced. Ford has set up The Mobility Studio with Newlab to provide an innovation hub where companies focusing on sustainable mobility solutions can work, collaborate and build partnerships.

The five companies are Autofleet, EVPassport, Fermata Energy, Rhombus Energy Solutions and SparkCharge.

Industry warned of HGV claims spike

The motor insurance industry has been warned to guard against a rise in fraudulent claims against foreign-registered vehicles involved in accidents in the UK. International insurance law firm DAC Beachcroft, working with cross-border claims representative InterEurope UK, believes the predicted spike in fraudulent claims could centre around heavy goods vehicles.

Dan Prince, counter fraud partner at DAC Beachcroft. “Given that these motor claims fall outside the Official Injury Claim portal, we anticipate this area will be targeted by an increasing number of fraudsters.”