More news on the News page plus all stories appear in full on the ABP Club member forum
Car manufacturers returning to short term rental market
Carmakers have rejected claims that they will focus on tempting fleet buyers - who typically take more than 50% of the new car market - to pick up the fall in sales when scrappage ends.
However, what has become clear is that more manufacturers are returning to the short-term rental market...Full article on members' forum
Byteback opens new bodyshop technology centre
Byteback has opened the bodyshop industry's very first dedicated Technology Centre, designed to showcase the latest equipment and processes to increase bodyshop efficiency and profitability. The centre will be managed by a team of full-time trainers and demonstrators who have years of experience in the bodyshop industry....Full article on members' forum
ABP Club is pleased to now include additional module ATA Guidelines for Automotive Glazing, MET, Panel and Paint.
...Full article on members' forum
Drive achieves Kitemark at all bodyshop sites and adds to portfolio through acquisition
Drive Motor Retail Ltd, the Vauxhall and Chevrolet dealer group based in Leicester, having 11 dealerships across the UK, is delighted to have completed their PAS125 Kitemark accreditation at all 8 Bodyshop locations....Full article on members' forum
Lookers - 2009 resullts; £11m profit compared to £15m loss in previous year
Lookers Group, who trade as Dutton Forshaw and Dovercourt, with 22 bodyshops in their 122 dealerships have announced their results for 2009.
Commenting on the results, Lookers Chief Executive Peter Jones said:................Full article on members' forum
Bodyshop affinity groups - article in IMI magazine; confirms Monaghan is consultant to NARG
In the past two years there has been a proliferation of bodyshop groups.
Independents have got together and even regional groups have joined forces to provide greater national coverage.
The common aim is to offer a stronger proposition to work providers who are looking to reduce the number of partners in their supply chain. ...Full article on members' forum
Marshall Leasing - select Bankstone Advantage to provide claims & accident management
Leading leasing firm Marshall Leasing has taken on Bankstone Advantage Ltd to provide a full range of claims and accident management services. Marshall Leasing Sales & Marketing Director Jonathan Ross said........Full article on members' forum
Just Car Clinics - Kitemark should boost business
Legislation could soon give a boost to Just Car Clinics as the motor repair industry now has a BSI Kitemark standard to meet and already there are three motor insurers who will usually only authorise repairs from workshops who have met the Kitemark requirement...Full article on members' forum
WNS - change their online systems to meet MoJ reforms for low cost injury claims
Motor claims management specialist WNS Assistance is offering insurers an integrated web service solution to the Ministry of Justice's new electronically streamlined compensation system for low cost road traffic accident personal injury claims. ...Full article on members' forum
BSi Kitemarked (PAS125) bodyshops - total now 637
No new Kitemarked bodyshops have been added to the BSi Kitemark (PAS125) listing since we last published our exclusive analysed list on Monday 1 March.
One site has been removed from the list by BSi - Nationwide Loughborough...Full article on members' forum
LV - to open motor claims office in Huddersfield shared with Britannia Rescue
LV has announced plans to open a new office in Huddersfield creating 75 jobs in the region.
The insurer's office, which will be based in Folly Hall, will open in July.
LV's road recue business Britannia Rescue, which employs around 100 people, is already based in the town and will move to the joint office....Full article on members' forum
Chaucer - 2009 results; UK motor business up 20%, but underwriting lossses increase
It was another testing year for the UK motor market, as increased recession-related claims combined with the farming of bodily injury claims, caused Chaucer Insurance, our UK Division, to record an underwriting loss of £12.2m in 2009 (2008 loss £3m)....Full article on members' forum
Just Car Clinics - results analysis from AIM micro
Just Car believes that its link-up with other regional independents will help it compete for additional business.
The National Accident Repair Group was launched at the end of last year.
This is a network of 10 regional groups.
Capita had come up with the original strategy the network is based on but did not go ahead with the plan.
The companies involved felt it was a good idea and agreed among themselves....Full article on members' forum
Volkswagen Insurance Service, the insurance arm of Volkswagen Financial Services, has signed a long term contract with Allianz Insurance plc for the provision of motor insurance products to customers of the Audi, SEAT, Skoda, Volkswagen passenger cars and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brands....Full article on members' forum
HSE - can you help them please
ABP Club has been contacted by the HSE with the following request.
It would seem a great opportunity for a bodyshop to get some fantastic free publicity.
If you are interested and would like more details please contact david@abpclub.com...Full article on members' forum
The car hire shortage is likely to continue, with fleets advised to ensure their supplier has a strategy to prioritise corporate clients during peak demand periods....Full article on members' forum
Honda - new body and paint programme launched
Honda (UK) has launched the Honda Accident Repair Programme (HARP), which manages the repair of customer cars after an accident. The new programme offers benefits such as a guaranteed replacement car regardless of accident type, and significantly raises the industry benchmark for customer service in this area....Full article on members' forum
ABP Club meeting - ATA, setting the standard
There have been some interesting developments regarding the ATA programme as Carl Flint from GB Flint, and Ian Gilgrass from the IMI explained to delegates at the recent ABP Club meeting...Full article on members' forum
Accident Exchange - court cuts credit hire bill by 68%
In a recent judgment handed down at Glasgow Sheriff Court in the case of Kevin Tkachuk v Direct Line, the court reduced the £11,000 sought for the hire by Accident Exchange to £3,500....Full article on members' forum
FMG - award glazing contract to Auto Windscreens as part of their PAS125 programme
FMG Support, the UK's largest independent fleet performance company who manage a vehicle parc of c.260,000 company vehicles , has appointed Auto Windscreens as its automotive glazing services provider of choice for its accident management customers....Full article on members' forum
ABP Club meeting - Global effect on paint pricing for the UK
Karl Weirks, General Manager, Global Automotive Refinish, Valspar Automotive spoke about his impressions of the global automotive industry, and in particular the global effects of the recession on paint prices in Europe and the UK....Full article on members' forum
PPG celebrates Technical Team's ATA success
PPG Industries have cause for celebration as it's Technical Team, the largest field based technical team in the UK, has now become fully ATA Accredited....Full article on members' forum
The following article is a "case study" in the Reportage claims focus section of the March issue of Insurance Age magazine:
Anthony (not his real name) works in one of the largest chains of car body shops and has been in the industry for 20 years............Full article on members' forum
In just five short months since Just Car Clinics expanded its network with the acquisition of two new sites in Redditch and Stourbridge, the businesses have had a tremendous start to 2010 having retained business from their large corporate clients with Stourbridge gaining 3 further corporate clients....Full article on members' forum
Credit Hire - the two trade bodies, AMA and NACHO, propose to merge
The Executive Committees of the Accident Management Association (AMA) and the National Association of Credit Hire Operators (NACHO) have agreed proposals to merge and have recommended acceptance to their respective memberships...Full article on members' forum
Nationwide - seeking Operations Director to head up Mobile Solutions arm; c £75k - £93k remuneration
The following job advert has appeared for the Mobile Solutions division of Nationwide:
Our Mobile Solutions arm are seeking a talented, accomplished and driven Operations Director to take responsibility for implementing detailed processes within a rapidly growing business: ...Full article on members' forum
Just Car Clinics - plans growth in the Midlands
JCC said after adding the sites in Stourbridge and Redditch, it plans to continue growing in areas such as the Midlands. JCC chief executive Barry Whittles said
"We like to try and grow in clusters in a region - we can share resources.
"What we don't want to do is risk the crown jewels for the sake of saying we've got 40 sites."...Full article on members' forum
IAAF (ADF) - appoint Mike Owen from the RMI to head up their new garage division
The IAAF have now announced the appointment of "independent garage campaigner and organiser" Mike Owen (previously head of the RMI's bodyshop division) to head up their new Garage service and repair division - IAAF-G...Full article on members' forum
New car sales - up 26.4% in February
New car market climbed 26.4% in February to 68,686 units.
Private buyers lead growth with business demand also strengthening.
Scrappage scheme accounted for 19.6% of the February new car market.
Government urged to defer new car VED rise and boost business confidence post-scrappage...Full article on members' forum
Aviva - returned to profit in a big way in 2009; UK motor business shrank by 20%
Aviva have announced their worldwide results for 2009 in which they moved a profit after tax of £1,315 m compared to an £855m loss.
Selected highlights from their chief executives report are below including "We will maintain our rigorous cost discipline across the UK businesses as we grow, to deliver the benefits of scale"...Full article on members' forum
Marketing... 7 tips to get better results from your bodyshop without spending money
At the recent Club meeting, John Thompson provided 7 quick tips to gain better results, summarised below, broken down into 3 sections ...Full article on members' forum
ABP Club - One week to go before we hit the road - book your places now!
Following the resounding success of last year's Forums, ABP Club is once again taking to the road to deliver seven Business-to-Business Forums for bodyshops. The Forums will be held at different regional venues throughout the UK during March 2010. ...Full article on members' forum
Today, Euro NCAP releases the crash test results for five new cars:
- the Citroen Nemo
- the Kia Venga
- the Nissan Cube
- the Seat Exeo
- Toyota Verso....Full article on members' forum
ABP Club meeting - Marketing your bodyshop
The presentation on marketing - Going retail - how to market your bodyshop - at our Club meeting held in Crewe recently, was deliberately split into three sections by a trio of presenters offering different styles, tips and advice on how marketing can help to increase business revenues and bottom line profit....Full article on members' forum
AJC Wilson - celebrate yet more success
Dagenham-based crash repair centre AJC Wilson Bodyshop is celebrating after winning yet another motor industry award. ...Full article on members' forum
Just Car Clinics Group plc, the independent collision repair chain with 25 vehicle repair centres, today announces its preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2009.
Turnover increased 0.5% to £42.9 million (2008: £42.6 million)
Pre-tax profits down 12% to £1.15 million (2008: £1.30m)
Profit margin of 2.69% (2008: 3.07%)
Gross margin 41.7% (2008: 41.7%)...Full article on members' forum
Aviva responds tp paint increases
In an email to their repairer network, Aviva responds to recent paint increases. They intend to mitigate additional costs by reducing the paint index, a move that follows similar action by RBS Insurance....Full article on members' forum
ABP Club meeting - Trend Tracker - industry report
Chris Oakham informed ABP Club members at the recent meeting in Crewe about why Trend Tracker had published their biennial Car Body Repair Market report six months earlier than usual and gave some added analysis on the survey findings....Full article on members' forum
Admiral Group - record results for 2009; turnover tops £1 billion; profits up 7% to £216 million
Admiral achieves another record profit coupled with continued strong growth.
Profit before tax at £215.8 million was 7% ahead of 2008, whilst turnover rose 18% to £1,077.4 million. ...Full article on members' forum
A I Claims Solutions half year results; turnover up 58%, pre-tax profits up 28%
A I Claims Solutions have released their results for the 6 months to 31 December 2009.
- Turnover rose 59% to £38.2m (2008: £24.0m)
- Pre-tax profits rose 28% to £855,000 (2008:£668,000)
- Debtors days stood at 101 days...Full article on members' forum
ChipsAway - "in negotiation with BSi to achieve PAS125 bodywork repair certification"
Currently, ChipsAway is in the process of securing external recognition and accreditation for its training processes and operations manual.
In addition, experienced operators Anatol Poyer-Sleeman and Paul Fabian are in negotiation on the company's behalf with representatives from BSI to achieve PAS125 bodywork repair certification....Full article on members' forum
DuPont - 2009 results; performance coatings down 21% worldwide
The giant DuPont group have reported their worldwide results for 2009.
Automotive refinish is part of the "Performance Coatings" segment of the DuPont group - below are some relevant extracts from their 113 page annual report. ...Full article on members' forum
PPG - 2009 results: pronounced volume decline in automotive refinish in Europe
The giant PPG group have reported their worldwide results for 2009.
Automotive refinish is part of the "Performance Coatings" segment of the PPG group - below are some relevant extracts from their 76 page annual report....Full article on members' forum
PPG - appoint John Outcalt as global head of automotive refinish
PPG Industries has announced that John R. Outcalt has been appointed vice president, automotive refinish, and will assume global responsibility for PPG's automotive refinish business effective March 1.Full article on members' forum
Akzo Nobel - full year results;
The giant Akzo Nobel group have reported their worldwide results for 2009.
"Car Refinishes" is a division within the "Performance Coatings" business area of the Akzo Nobel group - below are some relevant extracts from their 24 page annual report.
...Full article on members' forum
BASF - full year results; "slight decline in worldwide sales of automotive refinish coatings"
The giant BASF Group have reported their worldwide results for 2009.
Automotive refinish is part of the Coatings Division, within the "Functional Solutions" segment of the BASF group - below are some relevant extracts from the 38 page annual report...Full article on members' forum
Enterprise- enters long term rental market with Enterprise Flex-e-Rent
Enterprise Rent-A-Car today announced the launch of Enterprise Flex-E-Rent - a long term vehicle rental solution designed to meet the growing needs of today's businesses providing customers with the opportunity to rent vehicles from just one day to three years with the flexibility to return one or all of them at any time without penalty....Full article on members' forum
Lookers - board change to concentrate on aftersales opportunities
Lookers announces today that Brian Schumacker has stepped down from his position as Operations Director as part of a reorganisation of the Board. ...Full article on members' forum
DuPont - sign European agreement with General Motors
General Motors Europe (GME) and DuPont Refinish signed an agreement on 1 January 2010 in which the paint brand has been officially approved to supply its products for body repairs on GME's Opel and Vauxhall brands as a participant in the GME Body and Paint Program....Full article on members' forum
ABP Club website - growth continues with 15% increase in visits
ABP Club is delighted to report further increases in traffic to its highly popular website.
In the first two months of 2010 the ABP Club website had:
- received over 1.5 million hits
- nearly 75,000 visits (a 15% increase on 2009 and 92% higher than 2006)
- over 417,000 pages viewed on the site (a 12% increase on 2009)...Full article on members' forum
ABP Club meeting - PAS125 debate in Crewe
There has been much debate and criticism regarding alleged inconsistencies in Kitemark audits, lack of marketing by BSI of the standard for body repair, as well as other concerns voiced on the ABP Club forum, and so it was ...............Full article on members' forum
Amlin - fleet motor business up 37% in 2009 to £83m of GWP
Amlin UK have announced their results for 2009.
Included in the 97 pages of data is the following relevant to their UK motor business............Full article on members' forum
Kitemark - listed a a Superbrand for third consecutive year
For the third successive year, BSI Kitemark, one of the country's most widely recognised and respected indicators of quality, has achieved the accolade of being listed in the prestigious Top 500 Business Superbrands chart. ...Full article on members' forum
BSi Kitemarked (PAS125) bodyshops - total now 638
Eleven new Kitemarked bodyshops have been added to the BSi Kitemark (PAS125) listing since we last published our exclusive analysed list on Friday 19 February.
One site has been reinstated onto the list by BSi.
The new total therefore goes up by 12 to 638 sites: 357 in groups and 280 single sites + 1 "changed ownership" site (see below)...Full article on members' forum
Allianz - considers remodelling the Cornhill Direct brand purely as an on-line provider
Allianz Insurance is considering remodelling its Cornhill Direct business into an online- only provider. ...Full article on members' forum
BSi Kitemarked (PAS125) bodyshops - total now 626
Eleven new Kitemarked bodyshops have been added to the BSi Kitemark (PAS125) listing since we last published our exclusive analysed list on Friday 19 February.
One site has been reinstated onto the list by BSi.
The new total therefore goes up by 12 to 638 sites: 357 in groups and 280 single sites + 1 "changed ownership" site (see below)...Full article on members' forum
Audatex - paint index increases by 4.3% on Mon 1 March = 10.4% increase since end of 2009
ABP - Audatex have announced a 4.3% increase in their paint index from 1 March to cover the DPC and BASF brands which increase on 1 March.
This follows a 2.3% increase made on 1 February to cover the Sikkens brand and a 3.25% increase on 1 January to cover the PPG increases.
The total result is a 10.4% increase in the Audatex paint index since 31 December 2009....Full article on members' forum
Chartwells - Britains 12th best comapmy to work for
The Sunday Times has published its annual list of the "100 Best Small Comapnies to Work For"
Chartwells have come 12th in the table, out of the 571 firms that took part...Full article on members' forum
Allianz UK - profits up 5.2% in 2009 to £203m
Allianz Insurance has reported an IFRS operating profit up 5.2% to £203.7m on gross written premium up 3.7% to £1588.1m in 2009.
The UK arm of the German giant recorded a combined ratio down 2.3 percentage points to 92.9%, with the retail business improving its COR by 8.2 percentage points over 2008...Full article on members' forum
Bodyshop ATA qualified staff tops 6500
ABP Club is pleased to provide an update on the total number of ATA Technicians in the body repair sector, which has now reached over 6500. ...Full article on members' forum
ABP Club meeting, Crewe, 23 Feb - overview
183 delegates attended the ABP Club meeting in Crewe last Tuesday, sponsored by Morelli and DeBeer.
The topics covered were, as usual, diverse and informative ensuring Club members are kept abreast of industry issues and how to look inward at how they can benefit their own business. ...Full article on members' forum
Quinn Insurance - being prepared for a floatation
Quinn Insurance could be hived off from the main group and floated by 2015.
The controversial Irish insurer is likely to become a standalone listed company, separated from the rest of the group owned by billionaire businessman Sean Quinn....Full article on members' forum
Fortis - appoint former Direct Line md as head of retail
Fortis UK has appointed Andy Watson to its executive team in the new role of managing director, Retail.
Watson was most recently head of insurance UK at HSBC Insurance. Prior to that he worked within RBS as managing director of UKI Partnerships and Direct Line....Full article on members' forum
Helphire - half year results; reduced losses
Interim Results for the six months ended 31 December 2009
Financial Highlights
* Adjusted operating profit increased by 12.4% to £10.0m (2008: £8.9m)
* Adjusted profit before tax up 90% at £5.7m (2008: £3.0m)
* Statutory loss before tax of £0.4m (2008: loss of £59.3m) inclusive of exceptional items
* Net debt reduced by £30.4m since June 2009; £153.2m total reduction since restructuring programme began...Full article on members' forum
Vertu Motors (Bristol Street) - trading update
Following a strong trading performance in the first six months of the financial year, trading in the period to 31 January 2010 has remained ahead of budget and prior year levels. Consequently, we expect Group performance for the full year to exceed market consensus expectations...Full article on members' forum
Audatex - improved assessing and auditing with new training for motor engineers
With an ever-increased emphasis on the efficiency of working practices throughout the motor claims and repair industry, Audatex UK has announced the launch of two new training courses for field-based and internal motor engineers responsible for vehicle damage assessment and authorisation....Full article on members' forum
Financial Ombudsman Service complaints rise by 18%
The number of new complaints made to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) about financial firms rose by 18% in the last six months of last year.
The FOS received 82,136 complaints, up from 69,841 in the first half of 2009. ...Full article on members' forum
Total & Leaseplan launch SME claims management tracking system
LeasePlan has teamed up with Total Accident Management to offer its Network SME customers an innovative online accident registration and claims management service....Full article on members' forum
RBS Insurance - profits plummet
RBS Insurance results announced today show a massive decline in the insurance giants fortunes.
Profit for the full year 2009 fell to just £58 million, down from £584 million in 2008.
In the last quarter of 2009, the insurance division made a loss of £170m, compared to a profit of £134m in the same quarter in 2008....Full article on members' forum
Peter Wood - Insurance Times interview with chief exec of esure
The buy-out of Lloyds' major stake in Esure by founder Peter Wood marks an exciting new time for the online insurer. But Wood insists patience and hard work is the name of the game for now. Here, he reveals how he stays ahead of the pack, and what's next for Michael Winner...Full article on members' forum
The segment of the customer base that faced the most challenging environment within the year was the accident repair market due to falling accident rates.
Quickco focussed on reducing credit risk in this volatile market, reducing credit terms where appropriate.
In addition Quickco was very successful in winning new contracts with national repairers and insurers where the credit risk is lower...Full article on members' forum
Access Claims Solutions - borrows £250,000 from RBS under EFG
Access Claims Solutions which provides replacement vehicles to motorists involved in non-fault accidents has borrowed £250,000 from Royal Bank of Scotland under the government-backed Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) Scheme....Full article on members' forum
Markerstudy - complete purchase of Zenith / Link Insurance
Markerstudy Holdings has completed the purchase of Zenith Insurance incorporating Link Underwriting Agency and GHL Insurance Services, after receiving approval from the Financial Services Authority...Full article on members' forum
Saab - Spyker finalize purchase from GM
Spyker Cars finalizes deal over the purchase of Saab Automobile
Transfer of ownership has taken place
Transaction signals the start of an exciting new era for Saab
Saab and Spyker to operate under parent company Spyker Cars N.V....Full article on members' forum
Pendragon - 2009 results; pre-tax profit of £1.3m compared to £194m loss in 2008
Pendragon PLC, the UK's leading car retailer group, (ABP - who also have 31 bodyshops in the UK) today reports unaudited preliminary results for the twelve months to 31 December 2009.
...Full article on members' forum
Manheim - 38% of cars at the end of lease have damage with average rectification cost of £351
Vehicle remarketing expert Manheim identified more than £12m of damage across the 90,000 end-of-lease vehicles it assessed during 2009 - an average of over £350 per vehicle...Full article on members' forum
MVRA (RMI) - offer "Bodyshop QC programme"
The original MVRA Quality Assured and RMI Quality Control programmes have been developed even further to reflect the needs of today's bodyshop.
Bodyshop QC is a useful tool which will review your current working model, measure, review and then create an action plan for ongoing improvement....Full article on members' forum
BSi Kitemarked (PAS125) bodyshops - total now 626
Nine new Kitemarked bodyshops have been added to the BSi Kitemark (PAS125) listing since we last published our exclusive analysed list on Friday 12 February.
One site has been removed from the list by BSi.
The new total is now 626 sites: 355 in groups and 270 single sites + 1 "changed ownership" site ...Full article on members' forum
Allianz expects net profit announcement
The Financial Times has reported that analysts expect Allianz to produce operating profits of about €6.9bn and net income of about €4.3bn, when it announces its results on 25 February. This is compared with operating profit of €7.4bn and a net loss of €2.4bn in 2008....Full article on members' forum
Tesco Insurance - to set up panel for non-standard risks that Fortis don't want
Tesco Bank is poised to sign deals with several insurers, including up-for-sale Provident, to handle "non-standard risks" as part of a panel arrangement - according to a report in Post mag. ...Full article on members' forum
The February issue of Body magazine contains a report of a meeting between the VBRA and Steve Wright of BSi.
Included in the report is the following ................Full article on members' forum
Motor Trader awards - call for entries; deadline 7 April
ABP Club has been contacted by Motor Trader to remind all Club members that entries for their awards are now open...Full article on members' forum
Skillauto 2010 - sponsors announced
The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has announced two premier sponsors for the 2010 Skillauto competitions...Full article on members' forum
Credit hire - trade bodies NACHO and AMA set to merge
Post magazine is reporting that the two trade bodies for the credit hire industry - the Accident Management Association (AMA) and the National Association of Credit Hire Operators (NACHO) - are poised to merge.
...Full article on members' forum
Groupama - private car revenues remained under pressure
The private car policy count reduced to correct adverse profitability whilst commercial lines and healthcare (PMI) revenues remained under pressure as a result of difficult business conditions and continuing fierce competition in the company's core SME business....Full article on members' forum
AXA UK - overall earnings down 18%; Swiftcover and AXA Direct Motor see robust performance
AXA UK reports a robust performance in motor in AXA Insurance Direct (through internet sales), with revenues up 44% and customer policy numbers climbing 37% to 715,000 following recent advertising campaigns and improved customer retention. Personal Intermediary motor revenues were up 16% as a result of the successful launch of the new AXA Car product....Full article on members' forum
Innovation Group issues Interim Management Statement
The Board announces that despite the challenges of current economic conditions, the Group is making good progress towards winning and establishing new customers with a substantial number of pilot (proof of concept) projects underway across our geographic operations. ...Full article on members' forum
Halfords acquires Nationwide Autocentres
Halfords is building on its leading retail position in car maintenance to expand into the UK's £9 billion car servicing and repair market. ...Full article on members' forum
UK motor premiums rose 12.7% in 2009
The cost of car insurance jumped 12.7% in Britain last year as providers responded to rising claims, a survey showed, suggesting a long-awaited upturn in the motor insurance market may be under way, Reuters has reported.
...Full article on members' forum
Survey shows insurers are delivering on motor claims
A motor claims survey, conducted amongst customers of 15 of the UK's leading motor insurers, found that 87% were satisfied with the service received during their claim, reports broking.co.uk....Full article on members' forum
ABP Club opens Thatcham BSi Kitemark (PAS125) debate
ABP Club has today invited all members of the PAS125 Working Group to attend the Club meeting next week and to take part in an 'open floor debate' regarding the standard....Full article on members' forum
Kwik-Fit prepares to sell £200m insurance business
Kwik-Fit, the car repair firm founded by Sir Tom Farmer, the Scottish entrepreneur, is preparing to sell its fast-growing insurance business for more than £200m, the Sunday Times reports....Full article on members' forum
BSi Kitemarked (PAS125) bodyshops - total now 618
Three new Kitemarked bodyshops have been added to the BSi Kitemark (PAS125) listing since we last published our exclusive analysed list on Monday 8 February.
The new total is now 618 sites: 352 in groups and 264 single sites + 1 bodyshop in liquidation (see below) + 1 "changed ownership" site...Full article on members' forum
ABP Club to take up the baton to ensure the PAS125 standard gets back on track
ABP Club is more than happy to lead a broad cross-industry open house discussion at this Club meeting with all the parties involved.
This afternoon we are formally inviting all the members of the PAS125 Working Group, including BSi to attend this discussion - incidentally they are all ABP Club members!
We will then take the outcome of this discussion to the PAS125 Working Group meeting already scheduled for Thursday 18 March....Full article on members' forum
Audatex technology assists in managing peak claims demand
Innovative rules-based technology from claims solutions company, Audatex UK, has played an essential role in helping motor insurers, their body repair networks and supply chain partners, cope with peak claims demand in recent weeks, whilst helping them maintain quality and service at every level. ...Full article on members' forum
USA - State Farm warned NHTSA on Toyota in '07
Private insurer State Farm informed a U.S. government regulator of a worrying trend of vehicle-caused accidents involving Toyota Motor Corp as far back as late 2007, an official at the company said....Full article on members' forum
ABP Club continues to grow In 2009 it had 9.29 million hits, with 379,000 visits, viewing 2.38 million pages - a 35% increase on 2008
ABP Club website - another record year in 2009 for the Forum with 9,670 messages posted; 7,230 member messages and 2,440 news items
Crash horror - public beware!
Channel 5 warn motoring public of the potentially fatal pitfalls of second hand car purchasing. see the video here