May 2022

Mia Constable of e2e Total Loss Vehicle Management considers how the vehicle recycling network could bring some relief to a beleaguered vehicle repair sector.

Turbocharged economic chaos is whipping up the “perfect storm” for vehicle accident repairers who are so important a component in the motor claims supply chain.  The UK economy was beginning to emerge from its Covid driven decline, but post commencement of the Ukraine war the forecasted recovery is stuttering according to the World Bank.  The so called “cost of living crisis” is hitting repairers as hard as any household.  Compounding the situation, the industry is being hobbled by skills shortages, rising energy and property costs, finance costs, frictional relationships and lengthening key-to-key times caused by parts shortages and delays; all of which lead to daily cash flow firefighting.  We are in danger of losing many fantastic repair businesses, which as relatively small independent businesses, simply don’t have the resources to weather the storm.

e2e has over 35 years’ experience in recycling end of life vehicles.  Its network members have invested millions of pounds in state of the art “deconstruction” plants that reclaim, catalogue and store thousands of reusable items from vehicles.  They are like vehicle factories placed into reverse.  Their 50+ Authorised Treatment Facilities nationwide are Environment Agency compliant and their reclaimed vehicle parts are quality graded, warranty assured and meet the UK Standard via member audit and accreditation from the Vehicle Recyclers’ Association. 

LinkedIn, the ABP Website and other forums are replete with comments from repairers saying that they are having severe problems sourcing parts for their work in progress.  This means that partially complete repairs sit for what can be weeks awaiting the all-important delivery.  Workshops aren’t storage sheds.  They work on tight margins and need to be able to pull the vehicles through the workshop quickly to keep vital cash flowing into the business.  When log jams appear, so does the associated failure demand.  Everything takes longer, more customers call in more often, insurer claims departments seek more updates, vehicles are moved around more, mistakes multiply, rework escalates and costs and stress proliferate.

As a business e2e is anxious to talk to repairers about how we can help.  I have been speaking with prominent members of the repair market in order to hopefully co-create ideas that could lead to new ways of doing things.

One avenue of help has been discussed many times before.  It’s a well-rehearsed fact that reclaimed OEM parts offer savings of up to 75% on retail prices and if applied to borderline total loss vehicles can keep the repair in the workshop rather than see it written off and the job taken away.  Perhaps a double-edged sword at present?

At e2e we also think our network  can help workshops free log jams in work in progress by quickly sourcing that missing OE part that is holding up a job.  Our members offer online ordering and run efficient back order lines that can be used  to source that vital missing part or set of parts from our national connected network of recycling sites.  Remember the reclaimed part is a reused OE part that has been skilfully and carefully removed from a donor vehicle by qualified technicians and boxed up ready to be shipped to anywhere in the UK overnight.  Parts are graded for quality and provenance is transparent.

The pandemic saw many insurers and their salvage and automotive recycling suppliers develop closer, strategic relationships which can be leveraged to assist through the continued economic uncertainty.  A strategic partnership based on mutual benefit, shared knowledge and value creation arms both parties with the flexibility to adapt swiftly to changing market needs.  However, we are keen to extend this new era of partnership into the accident repair sector as well.  Especially whilst we are all in the eye of the storm.

There have been many articles extolling the virtues of reclaimed parts published over the years.  Yes, reclaimed parts are great for the planet and yes, they are a reliable source of OE quality parts at reduced cost, but as a battling repairer these are all nice to have things.  Your concentration is on cash flow and your business survival strategy in these most challenging of times.  e2e wants to be part of that strategy and believes it can efficiently and effectively bring relief to you in the area of motor vehicle parts procurement. Call us.

20 April 2022  

Salvage Industry first – e2e achieves certification to the BSI Customer Service Kitemark™

e2e Total Loss Vehicle Management [e2e], is proud to be the first and only organisation in the salvage and automotive recycling industry to achieve the BSI Customer Service  Kitemark™.  The process to achieve certification took place over a seven month period, which concluded with a three day audit and incorporated all aspects of customer service including strategy, culture, resources, people, technology, customer feedback and complaints handling.

The UK’s only nationwide salvage and automotive recycling network, e2e is dedicated to raising industry standards and places customer service at the very heart of its proposition for clients.  The company is committed to and audited against customer service standards and performance SLAs, ensuring a consistently exceptional customer experience.  In a client survey undertaken in December 2021, when asked to rate their overall satisfaction with the service received from e2e, 100% of respondents stated they were satisfied or very satisfied with the service.  In the same survey 100% of clients reported that they found e2e to be very or extremely responsive when dealing with queries and requests for information. 

Jim Loughran, CEO at e2e said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be the first in the salvage industry to achieve the BSI Customer Service Kitemark™.  We believe our focus on customer service is what sets us apart from our competition.  Our network recovers 500,000+ vehicles per annum and customer service excellence is evidenced by a justified complaints ratio of <0.1%.  We know that we represent our insurer clients’ brands when dealing with their policyholders and that their reputation is in our hands.  We take that responsibility very seriously and as a network we are committed to customer care and removing friction from the total loss claims experience.  We regularly seek customer feedback at an insurer and policyholder level, using it to benchmark our performance and achieve continual improvement.”

Natasha Bambridge, Global Consumer Promise Practice Director at BSI said: “Congratulations to e2e Total Loss Vehicle Management for demonstrating that it is an organisation that puts customers first - the team should be very proud.  Externally, achieving certification to the Kitemark™ will prove the organisation’s commitment to service excellence and internally it will help to embed a customer first culture. We look forward to working with e2e again in the future so that the organisation can continually improve on the service it provides to its customers.”

e2e Total Loss Vehicle Management [e2e] is the UK’s only network of progressive automotive salvage and recycling agents, delivering market leading services to the insurance industry, via 50 nationwide, environmentally compliant sites.  The network recovers 500,000+ vehicles per annum, and a focus on customer service is evidenced by a justified complaints ratio of <0.1%.  The company is working closely with network members and industry bodies on initiatives to reduce carbon emissions and design best practice in the recycling of electric vehicles.

e2e clients benefit from:

·         stronger salvage resale values and faster sales;

·         reduced claims leakage and operational costs;

·         access to 5M+ quality graded, warranty assured reclaimed parts;

·         unique data insights;

·         reputation risk mitigation with certified destruction of CAT A and B vehicles;

·         business interruption risk mitigation due to the service continuity afforded by a network;

·         the opportunity to access 5million+ warranty assured reclaimed parts, delivered within 24 hours;

·         emergency recovery assistance for both total loss and repairable vehicles, provided within 90 mins;

·         engineering services;

·         negotiated reductions in historic recovery and storage charges;

·         vehicle document and key management;

·         management of policyholder personal belongings and cherished plates;

·         management of infotainment systems for GDPR compliance;

·         flexibility to shape a service specific to their business requirements.

www.e2etotalloss.com

Global leader in online vehicle remarketing and recycling, Copart UK, has secured final planning permission for a 31-acre site in East Kilbride which will double their operational capabilities in Scotland.  

Originally announced last year, works can now commence for the new Operation Centre near Glasgow, which will support Copart’s continued growth in Scotland alongside their existing Operation Centre in Whitburn and Recycling Centre in Inverkeithing. 

Copart anticipates the Operation Centre in East Kilbride, which will bring many new job opportunities to the local area, will be fully operational in 2023.

This expansion in Scotland is part of Copart’s ambitious growth and investment programme to meet continued demand from their customers, including most of the UK’s major insurance companies and thousands of nationwide automotive customers.

The company’s extensive reinvestment strategy combines a programme of land acquisition with continuous improvement at existing sites and reinvestment in transport, services, and technology. 

East Kilbride is a strategic location close to Glasgow with good transport links, which gives Copart and its customers a significant northern hub.

The provision of further storage capacity and scale will also increase the geographical reach of their fast and efficient surge management services, in response to an increasing number of extreme weather events in Scotland. 

As part of Copart’s ongoing sustainability refurbishment programme, facilities at the new site will be constructed responsibly and designed to be inclusive, energy efficient, and eco-friendly.

Today’s news follows a series of similar growth announcements from Copart over the past year, including a major new customer service centre in Bedford, the quadrupling in size of their Bristol Operation Centre, and a new 68-acre UK ‘Super Centre’ in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. 

Phil Briggs, Copart UK’s Director of Operation Centres, Transport & Engineering, said:

“We’re passionate about continuously growing and improving our services to customers, so we’re very excited to secure final planning permission for our new Operation Centre in East Kilbride, which will provide annual storage capacity for over 49,000 vehicles.

“Alongside our existing 30-acre site in Whitburn, it offers the potential for Copart to handle around 100,000 cars per year across Scotland, doubling our operational capabilities in this part of the UK. With extreme weather events increasing in Scotland, the provision of latent storage capacity is more important than ever.”

Jane Pocock, Managing Director of Copart UK & Ireland, added:

“We’re delighted to extend our investment programme into Scotland, further strengthening our unrivalled operational capabilities in this part of the UK in line with the continued growth of the UK car parc and the ever-changing needs of our customers.

“Because of the strategic and unrivalled positioning of our sites across the UK, we are proud to say that we are never far from communities, and therefore our customers. This means we can collect and handle vehicles quickly, efficiently, and with minimal environmental impact, supporting our ongoing Plan-Net-Zero sustainability commitment.”

BVSF - AGM & Convention 2022 summary

ATF Professional was invited to the 2022 British Vehicle Salvage Federation (BVSF) AGM & Convention - a great success after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

On the 7th of April, the all-day event was once again held at Walton Hall Hotel and Spa in Warwickshire. Over 70 delegates attended and heard the latest AGM business and expert speakers, and it provided the opportunity to network. The day merged into night, where dinner and entertainment were offered, followed by further networking with new and old friends into the early hours. 

After the registration, members (and guests) of the BVSF were welcomed by Honorary Chairman Percy Snow. Then, in his report, Secretary General, Roger West, highlighted the continued problems with illegal operators and their effects on the vehicle recycling industry. He talked of how they are still looking at changes to the code of practice. And although member numbers have decreased since the pandemic, the association continues to strive to ensure existing members still benefit fully from the association's work, including advice when it comes to taking the AQP exam or looking at fire prevention plans (FPP).

He said that officers of the BVSF had changed with the loss of Jason Cross and that they now welcomed Jane Pocock, Managing Director of UK and Ireland, Copart, to the Management Committee.

Once AGM business was concluded, it was straight onto the first speaker of the day, Mike Allen from Business Doctors, to discuss business growth and what vehicle recycling operators could consider to make improvements if required. Following Mike was Senior Fire Advisor at the Environment Agency, Peter Buckley who talked about FPP guidance and the work being undertaken by the EA on this, including the Cyber Guardian Project, a project that successfully saw a halt to £6 million worth of trade online so far. 

Before breaking for lunch, delegates heard from the President Elect of the Institute of Automotive Engineer Assessors’ (IAEA), David Punter, who provided examples of how straightforward the Appropriately Qualified Person (AQP) exam is and how the IAEA can offer training on this subject. 

The afternoon’s presentations began with one of ATF Professional’s regular contributors, Robin Edwards, owner of ONIS Consulting and consultant to Industry and Law Enforcement agencies, who told delegates of the recent metal crime projects he has been involved in and their success so far, and what vehicle recyclers can do to assist in this continued success. Finally, the last speaker of the day was Tom Seward, Commercial Director at G & P Batteries, part of ECOBAT Logistics UK. He discussed how 80% of batteries coming into yards have a second life, but only 5% are actually being processed for second life use. When asking vehicle recyclers in the audience whether they would like training on EV battery storage safety, there was a resounding yes.

As the afternoon session came to an end, the evening dinner would follow but not before some further networking and obligatory drinking (for some!). Later, guests gathered together to enjoy a delicious meal whilst being entertained by a highly skilled and very amusing magician. After much wine and conversion, the raffle and auction concluded the evening, where money raised was donated in part to the RNLI. Of course, the night was not over, with chatting and drinking continuing into the early hours (for some!).

We asked Roger West, Secretary General of the BVSF for his opinion on this year’s AGM and seminar:

“It is my belief that it ran well and was enjoyed by all; this makes the work involved very worthwhile, and I look forward to the next event at a new venue.”

If you would like some information on the BVSF, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.bvsf.org.uk 

With thanks to ATF Professional, for more info visit atfpro.co.uk