ABP BRITISH BODYSHOP AWARDS: Thursday 19 May 2022 at the Manchester Central Convention Complex, sponsored by PPG Industries.

EARLY BIRD BOOKINGS OPEN: Tuesday 15 February 2022

Premium Table (10 people)
Early Bird (ABP Club Members only) - £4,200
ABP Member Price - £4,400
(Standard Pricing - £5,400)

Premium tables receive: 2 bottles of champagne, wine upgrade, bucket of beers and a preferred table position

STANDARD Table (10 people)
Early Bird (ABP Club Members only) - £3,100
ABP Member Price - £3,300
(Standard Pricing - £4,300)

STANDARD Ticket
Early Bird (ABP Club Members only) - £310
ABP Member Price - £330
(Standard Pricing - £430)

DIAMOND PARTNERS

•  3M
•  Activate Group Limited
•  Solera | Audatex
•  Circle Leasing Ltd
•  eBay
•   m3 Networks Limited
•   Mirka (UK) Ltd
•  OEConnection (OEC)
•  Thatcham Research
•  Vizion Network

For information please contact Fiona Ambrose email: fiona@abpclub.com or mobile: 07429 012280

#BBA2022 #PPG #ManchesterCentral 

Auxillis, FMG and FMG Repair Services – Redde Northgate group companies, have collectively been awarded a top honour at Admiral Group's 'Manager Awards 2021'. 

The three businesses received the 'Supplier of the Year Award' having demonstrated their commitment in working together to ensure Admiral are getting the very best in service provisions for their customers.

The awards took place in an online virtual ceremony which had employees from all areas of Admiral's business, as well as partner companies, in attendance. 

Awards were presented for key contributions to the business throughout the year and in recognition of excellence.

Rob Harper, Head of Claims Business Support - Admiral Group Plc, said: 

"Congratulations to all three companies for winning our prestigious Supplier of the Year Award. 
Our long-standing relationship with Auxillis has played a key role in our service provision for a number of years. 
The addition of services from FMG, along with FMG Repair Services during the last couple of years has enhanced our motor insurance offering further. 
Importantly, the accolade is testament to their shared passion and ambition in helping to enhance the services we are able to offer customers, ultimately making lives easier following an incident."

Harvey Stead, Group Managing Director, said: 
"It's hugely rewarding to be recognised by Admiral for our breadth of support in the supply of services that continue to meet and exceed customer expectations. 
The Auxillis relationship spans over 20-years and sees us continue to provide first-class replacement vehicle solutions and non-fault vehicle repair services. 
We've grown our supply remit with Admiral significantly through the newer relationships with FMG, which sees us deliver specialist roadside support as part of Admiral's accident breakdown recovery provision, and with FMG Repair Services, which sees us guarantee capability and capacity for all automotive repair solutions. 
Throughout the growth in our partnership, we've continued to delight our client and their customers, and delivered on the service ethos that the Admiral reputation is built upon.

"This award is one of the most prestigious awards we could hope to win – demonstrating the seamless ways of working we have adopted to bring our services together. 
With the honour going to all three companies, it's pleasing Admiral also recognise the integral work they each deliver in supporting the partnership. 
In a year that was tough for us and the wider industry as some service objectives were stretched to the limits in the pandemic backdrop, this is a fantastic accolade which we accept with pride and delight, and one which our wider team will be honoured to share." 

The IMI are working towards the provision of a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) route to body sector, British Standard compliance. 

This is in respect of BS10125 in its new, revised state and due to be published in 2022. The publishing timeline is dependent on the outcomes of the BSI consultation process.

The following points are derived from the requirements set out in BS10125 and from direct working with sector representatives:

•  CPD enables individuals to maintain their knowledge and skills for repair task areas as detailed in BS10125, by completing and passing relevant and approved CPD to retain recognition against BS10125. 
All CPD must be approved by an awarding organisation, in line with the requirements set out in BS10125.

•  CPD will be delivered in various ways, such as, but not limited to: face to face training, virtual classrooms and eLearning. 
The delivery method must be in a format that enables the most effective assessment to take place for the given knowledge or competence based repair task, detailed within BS10125.

•  Where skills and knowledge overlap on repair tasks then rules of combination will apply, for example, where an individual requires CPD for joining techniques for both steel and aluminium, there will be efficiencies in the number of CPD hours required, as the learning content being delivered will be very similar.

•  Where BS10125 details knowledge requirements, these will be conducted by knowledge assessments, such as, but not limited to, on line tests, written tests and case studies. 
Where BS10125 details current competence requirements, these will be conducted by skills assessments, such as, but not limited to, observed skills repair tasks. 
Assessments will be internally and externally quality assured by an Awarding Organisation.

IMI Activity

The IMI have created a discrete Accident Repair and Glazing Sector Advisory Group. The first meeting was held on the 2 October 2019. This group has met a number of times since and helped to move the CPD option for the sector forward to the work being done present day. 
A BS10125 Technical Working Group was created. The first meeting was held on the 17 June 2021. This group has helped with the technical detail in terms of the development of BS10125 aligned CPD matrix and rules of combination. 

We have also set up a discrete IMI project team of seven plus additional admin resource. This team has cross departmental representation, is working to an initial launch date of the 1 April 2022 and is working on the following top level tasks:

- IMI systems development. This includes the provision of multi-CPD cycles to fit body sector job roles and auto-logging of BS10125 aligned CPD.
- IMI business process development. To enable and operationalise the CPD route to British Standard compliance.
- Developing a body sector membership model and Professional Registration aligned to BS10125 requirements.
- Developing internal and external communications including discrete CPD route web pages.
- Developing a CPD matrix and rules of combination aligned to BS10125 CPD requirements.
- Developing BS10125 aligned CPD training provision to be delivered by IMI approved centres.
- Recognising CPD approved by other Awarding Organisations. This will follow the initial development and launch phase.
- Accrediting approved CPD that aligns to the agreed CPD matrix. This includes developing an IMI Accredited CPD certificate type that will clearly identify CPD that is approved and aligned to the agreed matrix and to BS10125 requirements. 

SMMT UK car sales forecasts / actuals

2023: 2.127m forecast
2022: 1.897m forecast

2021: 1.647m actual
2020: 1.631m actual
2019: 2.311m actual
2018: 2.367m actual
2017: 2.540m actual
2016: 2.693m actual all-time record
2015: 2.633m actual
2014: 2.476m actual
2013: 2.264m actual 

The Vella Group, one of the UK's largest accident repair groups has proudly won the 'Large Employer of the Year' Award at this year's Apprenticeship Awards help by Blackpool and The Fylde College.

The Apprenticeship Awards celebrates the achievements of all apprentices and organisations who work with the college and is an opportunity to reward the apprentices who have truly excelled through a virtual ceremony. The Group has been running award-winning apprenticeship programmes in collaboration with the college for a number of years, and work in partnership to provide an all-round expert learning experience for all their apprentices.

Linda Dean, Executive Director at B&FC for Business, said: 

"The winner of our Large Employer of the Year Award stands out for their commitment, dedication, and the great opportunities they provide apprentices to develop and showcase their skills. They are dedicated to delivering an enhanced apprenticeship experience to support learner success.

"Involved in every aspect of the apprenticeship journey, the embed the fundamental idea that the employer and B&FC work as one. Their commitment towards their apprentices learning and development is outstanding. They encourage their apprentices to increase their skill level, demonstrated by one apprentice recently winning Gold at the WorldSkills UK final."

Helen Driscoll, Head of Human Resources at The Vella Group, commented: 

"We are incredibly proud to have won the Large Employer at the Year at this year's awards, and for our apprentices' success to have been recognised. We work closely with B&FC to ensure we provide the best all-round experience for all our apprentices, including both the on the job learning and the classroom-based teaching.

"The Group dedicates a large portion of time and resources to developing our apprenticeship programmes, and this is only due to grow further in the coming year, and we're looking forward to continuing our partnership with B&FC and developing more apprentices in the future."

There's a cool video from Blackpool and The Fylde College HERE featuring The Vella Group.

According to The Sun, motorists are reporting cash incentives — often from the dealer they bought from — due to surging demand for nearly new motors, with car dealers offering drivers up to £10,000 to buy back second hand cars.

Top models can attract huge sweeteners, and dealers are even offering cash for more affordable vehicles such as the Ford Fiesta and VW Polo, reports the newspaper. One Land Rover owner in Surrey told The Sun on Sunday he was offered £10,000 on top of the original purchase price to sell a vehicle he had bought just months earlier.

The driver said: "It's unbelievable. The car market is on its head at the moment."

And, reports the newspaper, a sales rep at Lookers Mercedes-Benz dealership in Sevenoaks, Kent, said: "If a dealer has a buyer willing to pay above market value, they will try to source that car from wherever they can."

Used car prices up by 57% since 2019 (The AA). 

More than half of drivers say they consider the safe repair and any potential replacement of the main driving battery to be an area of concern should an electric car (EV) be involved in a collision.

The survey of more than 13,500 drivers by AA Accident Assist - which was launched in October 2021 and is headed up by Tim Rankin, former WNS MD) - found that three fifths (62%) of drivers are most concerned with the cost of EV repairs.

Half of drivers (49%) placed high importance on having specialist EV repairers carrying out mechanical repairs, while 45% say they would rank the availability of parts as important. A quarter (24%) considered the environmental factor of the safe disposal and recycling of the main driving battery as important to them.

The survey comes as AA Accident Assist said it is providing "major assurances to EV drivers that its services exceed their expectations by covering the cost of repairs, uses accident repair bodyshops that are approved by EV manufacturers and provide a lifetime quality guarantee on all repairs".

Tim Rankin, managing director of AA Accident Assist, said: 

"As more people buy electric vehicles, they want reassurances that, should the worst happen, the AA is ready to help.

"We're giving power to electric drivers with the very best and independent advice, use of EV manufacturer approved garages and body shops, coupled with fitment of genuine manufacturer parts, therefore giving peace of mind to those involved in a collision.

"We also go further by providing our insurer customers and members who have a not-at-fault claim with an electric hire car whilst theirs is undergoing repair, so they can keep the electric revolution going."

Two fifths of drivers want to boost their EV knowledge by going back to driving school, shows new research. The survey shows 44% of qualified drivers would like the chance of an EV lesson, rising to half (49%) among those aged 18-to-24.

The survey was conducted by the AA and, from March 2022, the AA's Driving School will begin to offer pupils the option of learning to drive in an EV as the Peugeot e208, Peugeot e2008 and Vauxhall Corsa-e will be joining the fleet of cars available to its instructors.

London was the standout region in terms of interest with 53% of drivers declaring their desire for an EV lesson. This is likely to be a reflection of the recent ULEZ expansion prompting drivers to consider driving lower-emission vehicles.

Mark Oakley, AA Driving School Interim Managing Director, said: 

"As we head towards 2030, more and more learners will be starting their driving life in an EV.

"Terminology like charging and range will be second nature to them, but it is a learning curve for drivers who have been used to combustion engines for decades

"We know there are lots of myths and misconceptions about driving EVs that are stopping some drivers from making the switch.

"Having the opportunity to take a lesson with an instructor in an EV could be a really useful way for many drivers to overcome their concerns and see that driving an EV is a great option for them and the environment."

As the UK approaches the government's 2030 emissions deadline, AA Driving School is calling on the government to update the Highway Code to include more information about electric vehicles.

In December, it was announced there will be an update to add a warning in a 'waiting and parking' section to remind drivers that EV charging cables can be a trip hazard on the pavement, but this is the only inclusion.

BCA and West Way Nissan have announced a new 12-month remarketing agreement offering up to 100 vehicles a week. West Way vehicles will be sold online via BCA Online and the BCA Buyer app, with the majority of vehicles based at BCA's Brighouse facility. 

The West Way Nissan sale will feature a great range of part-exchange cars, the majority with V5, service history and warranted mileage and all eligible vehicles offered with BCA Assured. West Way Nissan use BCA's Smart Sell service to allocate non-retail part-exchange stock direct to BCA for remarketing, accelerating the process and ensuring stock is churned efficiently.

David Hunter, West Way Nissan's Group Vehicle Remarketing Manager commented: 

"We are delighted to be partnering with BCA, to renew our highly successful sales programme for a further 12 months. BCA continues to lead the remarketing sector in delivering digital sale and post-sale services that meet the needs of the used vehicle sector in these fast moving times."

BCA Dealer Sales Director David Burden commented: 

"We are delighted that West Way Nissan have renewed our remarketing agreement for a further 12 months, building on our existing partnership which goes back to 2018. West Way Nissan offer a superb selection of vehicles via BCA Online and the BCA Buyer app every week and have built a loyal following with our buyers, who know they will be presented with a broad selection of attractive and sensibly valued stock."

North Oxford Garage has won the 'Aftersales' category at the BMW Retailer of the Year 2021 awards which recognises "outstanding achievements" by the VM.

BMW UK held its Retailer of the Year event last week celebrating the achievements of the 135-strong retail network which consistently delivered above and beyond throughout 2021. Eight awards were in contention with Williams Rochdale winning the overall BMW Retailer of the Year 2021 title.

Hosted this year by comedian Hugh Dennis, the virtual ceremony included categories across Sales, Marketing and Financial Services which this year were won by Inchcape Ipswich, Bowker and Stephen James Bromley respectively. Ocean Plymouth took home the coveted Customer Service award, while North Oxford Garage impressed with their focus on Aftersales, securing them the win in this category.

The Best Newcomer award champions the individuals who have recently joined a retailer and made an impressive contribution from the outset. Taking home this award for 2021 was Jordan Lindley of Stratstone Leeds, who impressed with his driven and energetic leadership skills.

Adam Chambers of Vines Redhill took home the award for Head of Business. Facing tough competition from across the network, Adam won thanks to his unwavering dedication to delivering an exceptional experience for Vines Redhill customers.

Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive Officer, BMW Group UK said: 

"The BMW Retail Network excelled last year against the backdrop of significant headwinds which confronted the entire automotive industry. Despite these challenges, BMW successfully launched numerous class-leading, innovative models including the all-new iX. Our retailers seized the opportunity these new products offered, whilst providing our customers with the brilliant customer service that is our brand's signature.

"I'm incredibly proud of all our retailers - each and every team worked hard to make the most of what wasn't an easy year. Their efforts mean that we have started 2022 in a very strong position and we are delighted to celebrate their achievements this evening."

Owen Duncan, Head of Business, of Williams Rochdale commenting on the Retailer of the Year award, said: 

"I am absolutely delighted for my team at Williams Rochdale BMW for this very prestigious award. Everyone has worked extremely hard throughout last year with the challenges of the pandemic and the ever changing market place.

"Being a family owned business which started over 113 years ago, we have fantastic foundations and structure in place to perform at the highest level. It is an absolute pleasure and honour to have led this team and I am so happy for everyone not only at Rochdale but in the Williams Group for this recognition - I cannot say more except thank you to everyone at BMW UK."

THE WINNERS

Category / Winner

•  Retailer of the Year: Williams Rochdale
•  BMW Sales: Inchcape Ipswich
•  Aftersales: North Oxford Garage
•  Marketing: Bowker
•  Customer Service: Ocean Plymouth
•  Financial Services: Stephen James Bromley
•  Best Newcomer: Jordan Lindley, Stratstone Leeds
•  Head of Business: Adam Chambers, Vines Redhill

Here, Tony McKillop, Regional Manager for Autoguard Warranties, and member of the Physical & Non-Visible Disabilities Working Group for the IMI Diversity Task Force, tells his own story of his automotive career living with a disability:

"If you look at the bottom of nearly every job advertisement in the automotive sector, it'll likely state that you must have a full, clean driving license. So, if you're partially sighted like myself, it instantly shuts the door on the industry.

"And why, not every job actually requires the ability or need to drive a car.

"I started off as a modern apprentice, doing business administration. My first placement was in a Scania dealership called Road Trucks. The business was right beside the bus depot, so it meant public transport was fairly easy to use to commute to work.

"The automotive industry offers a huge spectrum of career opportunities, I started off as a warranty administrator trainee. I finished my modern apprenticeship, got a full-time job in the Road Trucks business and ended up being the warranty administrator for both its depots and a point of contact for a subsidy of its too.

"Since then, my career has thrived. I left there and went to work for another dealership. Then my wife and I upped sticks and headed to England, as a lot of people from Ireland do, to work for Scania at its head office in Milton Keynes. I headed back home, staying with Scania getting involved in the business development side of things. Have moved to the construction industry before moving to my current role at Autoguard Warranties as a regional manager. I've even earned a Masters degree from Loughborough University.

"I've enjoyed a varied and exciting career so far, and far more people in a similar situation to me, with physical and non-visible disabilities, could too.

"Through my studies and getting to know Jim Saker, who heads the IMI's Diversity Task Force, I've become part of this important project, looking to make real change in our industry.

"I've been using my experience to advise how I have found working in the motor industry and the difficulties I have come across in the hope we can reduce the barriers to entry.

"We've all heard about businesses making reasonable adjustments to help people do their job. And they don't have to be huge investments. A reasonable adjustment could be a £20 bracket from Amazon, so you can adjust the screen level, an adjustable desk or an adjustable chair. It's about trying to get the industry to do more, to say to themselves, hold on a minute, these small few hundred-pound investments could bring me another employee that I was struggling to get. If you look at what other industries are doing, you see it can be done.

"That's not to say things haven't improved since I joined the industry, but it can get better.

"Advancements in technology – both hardware and software – have hugely assisted somebody who's partially sighted, for example. And, when linked to a range of other commonsense adjustments, help others into automotive too no matter what physical or non-visible disability they have.

"It all means automotive's ability to bring in more talent to its ranks, fill the skills gap and offer opportunities to a wider section of society become turbocharged."

At the start of the year, the IMI Diversity Task Force published an interim report on initial progress nine-months after launch. Next month the Task Force will publish a full report and recommendations. 

Reacting to the news that average petrol and diesel prices have now hit new record highs, RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said:

"Petrol has unfortunately hit a frightening new high of 148.02p which takes filling a 55-litre family car to an eye-watering £81.41. With the oil price teetering on the brink of $100 a barrel and retailers keen to pass on the increase in wholesale fuel quickly, new records could now be set on a daily basis in the coming weeks.

"The oil price is rising due to tensions between Russia – the world's third biggest oil producer – and Ukraine, along with oil production remaining out of kilter with demand as the world emerges from the pandemic. As a result drivers in the UK could be in for an even worse ride as pump prices look certain to go up even more.

"On a positive note, retailer margins – which were the reason drivers paid overly high prices in December and January – have now returned to more normal levels of around 7p a litre. We urge the big four supermarkets, which dominate fuel sales, to play fair with drivers and not to make a bad situation on the forecourt any worse by upping their margins again." 

SsangYong Motors UK has partnered with automotive aftersales partner, EMaC, to provide its consumers with pay monthly vehicle service plans for both new and used vehicles. Designed to give consumers financial certainty, as well as flexibility and convenience, SsangYong service plans are available from as little as £10.99 per month.

With inspection and servicing carried out at given intervals by experienced certified SsangYong technicians, the service plan covers new vehicles from registration and covers the first three services, first MOT and two years of extended roadside recovery provided by the RAC (three years in total). For used vehicles there are three, four and five-year plans available which also include an MOT.

Mark Burrows, aftersales director at SsangYong Motors UK, said: 

"Our partnership with EMaC allows us to provide our consumers with an extremely competitive, simple service plan, and owners can now spread their running costs by paying monthly. Whilst our servicing has always been affordable, spreading the cost into easy monthly payments means you get peace of mind that your bills are covered."

EMaC now partners with 16 manufacturers supporting their respective franchised dealer networks, with a live book of 1.9 million service plan customers, driving an aggregated £250 million of aftersales revenue into the UK network annually through its range of solutions.

Liam Finney, director of commercial partnerships at EMaC, said: 

"It's essential to offer an affordable, tailored approach to servicing costs at today's pricing to ensure consumer peace of mind - the SsangYong service plan does just that. Additional added value items such as MOT's and extended RAC roadside recovery are appealing to consumers and bundling these into the service plan offering is a real benefit."

On the back of the hugely successful revision of all models, including an extended Musso pick-up range, SsangYong offers a very clear product portfolio of SUV, 4x4 and pick-up models - all of which are growing sectors. To support this growth, the SsangYong dealer network, currently at 65-strong nationwide, will increase to 75 dealers by mid-2022