Manufacturers - Sevatas

Damages to new vehicles costs money, delays deliveries to the final customer and erodes goodwill. We help clients reduce damage, cost and disruption.

It’s a common theme: competition is tough, so vehicles need to move faster through the chain, and costs need to be reduced whilst still maintaining high quality levels.

In Europe alone, damages to vehicles in transit cost our sector €200m annually and this doesn’t include the administration costs. Damaged vehicles also need repairing which can delay the customer sale and damage your brand.

We help you reduce damage, maximise recoveries from the logistics suppliers damaging your vehicles and provide an excellent quality of service to your dealers.

Services for manufacturers and distributors

Click on any of the headings below to expand the information.

Claims Management & Cost Recovery

When a vehicle is damaged en route to the final customer, it is vital the claim is managed quickly, efficiently and professionally.

Whilst our services are directed at manufacturers, distributors and insurers, we never forget the dealer and the end customer require the claim to be handled as quickly and efficiently as possible. Repair estimates are reviewed against manufacturer standard repair techniques and times and repairs authorised quickly to minimise delays to the final customer delivery.

Sevatas investigate the cause of the damage and seek to recover the cost against the liable carrier. Where contractual terms or liability restrictions allow, we have an enviable recovery rate which is well in excess of sector averages. We deliver these through our partnership approach with all stakeholders in our sector.

Skilled analysis of claims data produces detailed statistical reports coupled with our practical experience in finished vehicle logistics means practical solutions aimed at reducing damage incidence and cost.

Whilst our services are pan-European in breadth, we also handle claims from further beyond, using partner providers in certain territories (such as China) where appropriate.

Online data access and reporting

Our claims services are delivered through our claims management system, Horizon. Built to support interactions from everyone involved in the claim, Horizon boasts a wide range of services and interactions with third party systems.

Retailers receiving a vehicle with damage are able to report their claim directly to us via Horizon. Horizon also supports the receipt of new claims reports via integrated mobile applications. To improve efficiency, recoveries are also managed via Horizon's Logistics Service Providers dedicated functionality. Clever workflow dashboards keep everyone informed of where the claim is and what needs to happen next.

To learn more about Horizon, click here. To register for an account, click here.

The benefits of using Sevatas

Sector leading experience, expertise and knowledge
Damage and cost reduction through data capture, reporting and risk management solutions
Excellent pan-European dealer service; swift repair authorisation and efficient claims administration using accessible and responsive multi-lingual teams
Massive reductions in administration; the complete service provided from damage identification to dealer payment and cost recovery

To find out more about how we deliver our results, please click here .

Catastrophic Risk Auditing

Accumulation of high numbers of vehicles poses risks to both manufacturers and insurers. Understanding these risks, mitigating them where possible and planning for an event if the worst should happen is at the heart of our service

There are a range of hazards which can impact on vehicle logistics. These hazards vary from natural events such as flooding, storms or hail to human activity such as contamination. With access to insurer risk databases coupled with our specialists’ expertise and understanding, our service is based on helping logistics providers, manufacturers and their insurers understand these risks and to undertake the appropriate activity.

Often, mitigation activity is possible: changing operational processes can reduce the magnitude of events if they occur.

Furthermore, insurers’ premiums can be based on inaccurate or incorrect information: data can only take you so far. By auditing individual locations, we can marry data to the exact local circumstances to create a true understanding. Better understanding of hazards and the likely outcomes often leads to reduced insurance premiums and better event planning (which can in turn reduce the costs associated with a catastrophic loss event).

Catastrophe Planning

Effective risk management includes having a plan, ready for use, should the worst happen. Our Catastrophe Planning services are focused on helping manufacturers, or their insurers, plan for a large scale, multiple vehicle incident.

Potential scenarios include:

Hail
Contamination (e.g. industrial fallout, insect)
Storms (on land or sea)
Flooding

Working with you and partners in the logistics chain, such as compound operators, we will create robust contingency plans, ready to be implemented in the event of a catastrophic loss. These contingency plans are designed to:

Establish vehicle condition quickly
Ensure effective communication to all affected stakeholders
Identify the most appropriate repair methodology to repair vehicles quickly and efficiently
Identify blockages with the potential to delay or incur additional cost

Catastrophe Management

If a catastrophe happens, damaged vehicles need assessing, repairing and returning to the distribution chain. The challenges facing manufacturers, or their insurers, are awesome. Our experienced catastrophe managers are ready to help.

As every incident is different, we have a menu of services to select from:

A. First response: Survey

A quick approximate survey of the vehicles to swiftly ascertain damage severity, establish an initial loss estimate and identify appropriate repair options. The creation of an individual estimate per vehicle is an additional service option.

B. Incident management: Arranging repairs

The identification of appropriate repairers and processes. The running of a tender process, supplier selection and support with contracting.

C. Incident management: Repair process management

The management and physical oversight of the repair process; the resolution of problems (such as replacement parts supply) and communication to stakeholders

D. Incident management: Post repair quality checking

The checking of the standard of repairs to ensure all vehicles released into the distribution chain as ‘as new’.

All of these services are designed to enable the claim costs to be controlled and the vehicles repaired as quickly as possible.

The benefits of using Sevatas:

Practical incident management and expertise
Swifter repair processing; minimising delays for the end customer
Cost management
Quality assurance and control

Engineering

When a vehicle requires complex repair processes to remedy damages sustained en route, it is possible the repairer may not identify the most cost effective way to complete the repair.

Our Engineering service is provided by our sister company, Contior Automotive Assessors. Click here to find out more about Contior.

Engineering involves the thorough review of repair estimates submitted by repairers / dealerships to identify opportunities to reduce the repair costs by amending estimates and agreeing more appropriate repair methods. We do this whilst at all times maintaining our commitment to the manufacturers’ approved repair processes and new vehicle quality standards.

Contior’s Engineers are all proven experts in vehicle repair processes and new vehicle quality standards. We work with repairers to identify cost savings collaboratively and seek opportunities to educate repairers on the best repair processes to use.

Our service is generally delivered remotely from the desktop utilising photographs, videos and specialist estimating software. We also have the option to visit the repairer in person if required.

Examples of costs savings include:

Identifying ways to repair, rather than replace broken parts or panels
Encouraging the use of ‘smart’ repair processes such as cold dent repairs, polishing and brush touch ups
Identifying examples where the need to blend painted panels into neighbouring ones is removed
Ensuring correct part prices and discounts are applied

Contior's services is also able to dramatically reduce the timeframes associates with authorising the repairer to proceed. This minimises the delay a damage causes in delivering the vehicle to the final customer.

Service options

Our Engineering service can work in the following ways:

For our current Manufacturer, Distributor or Insurer clients: As a ‘bolt-on’ to an existing Claims Management & Cost Recovery service
For Manufacturers, Distributors or Insurers: As a stand-alone service to work in conjunction with your own claims management arrangements
For Logistics Service Providers: As a stand-alone service to support your own processes to validate claims and your potential liability

The benefits of using us

Sector leading experience, expertise and knowledge
Multilingual validation capability
Cost reduction through the identification of appropriate repair processes
Improved dealer service; swift repair authorisation to minimise delays to the final customer

Logistics Quality Audits

Quality is everything in the logistics chain. High quality vehicle handling reduces damage, reduces costs and helps deliver an undamaged vehicle to the customer.

Manufacturers, insurers and logistics service providers all have a need to challenge whether best practice is being implemented and where improvements could be delivered.

Our experienced Logistics Quality team can audit all elements of the logistics chain to ensure adherence to standards and that correct processes are being followed. The independent nature of our assessors ensure autonomy and transparency when reporting against a set of best practices developed over many years of experience across a wide range of brands.

Identification of operational non-conformances leads to training, process review, improved quality and ultimately lower damage levels and costs.

Audits can cover the following areas:

Compounds – using either the manufacturer or the compound owner’s standards, audits can highlight compliance issues and track consistency variations.
Vessels – ensuring that vehicles are loaded in compliance with the vessel operator and manufacturers standards, or checking to see that vessels are equipped to minimise damages during loading and unloading procedures.
Road transporters – checking for example the quality of the operating procedures, equipment, loading/unloading operations and driver's clothing
Rail - ensuring equipment, as well as loading, securing and unloading operations are compliant with handling standards.
Route – following a vehicle from plant to final delivery provides a unique perspective on where and why things can go wrong.
Repairer – whether PDI or dealer repair centres our auditors can check that the environment and procedures are in compliance with manufacturer standards.

The benefits of using Sevatas

Damage and cost reduction through identification of issues and process improvement
Improved quality processes
Informed, experienced auditors with a deep understanding of your requirements

Consultancy & Process Auditing

Damage and cost can be reduced through the review of claims management processes. Weaknesses can be identified and removed through audit as well as the identification and implementation of improvements.

Problems we are engaged to help resolve are varied and global in reach. They include high damage rates and cost retention, lack of visible or reliable claims statistics, poorly functioning claims processes and administrative inefficiency as well as poor dealer service.

Our consultancy services are focused around process review and practical damage and cost reduction. Our most recent projects have included;

Review of existing claims management processes and design of new process, carrier contracting and insurance arrangements for a manufacturer in Russia;
- Establishing a new dealer facing claims process
- Establishing new data capture processes and risk management reporting
- Introduction of widespread stakeholder Key Performance Indicators
- Revision of manufacturer / logistics service provider contracting
Review of existing claims arrangements in selected European markets, identification of process weaknesses, cost leakages and recommendations for improvement
Process design, provider selection and implementation of new claims administration process for distributor, and its dealers, in China

Our consultancy services are based on our deep understanding of claims processes, finished vehicle logistics and service delivery. We are uniquely placed to understand the crossovers between claims processes, logistics, insurance and risk management.

As a measure of the value of our services, we have embedded our people directly into our clients’ operations where requested.

The benefits of using Sevatas

Enhanced understanding and issue identification
Process improvements identified, operational inefficiencies removed
Cost and damage reduction opportunities identified
Methodology for delivering improvements established

Vehicle Inspections

Inspection of vehicles to identify damages at handover, establish liability and defend claims

Handover inspections identify if, where and when damage occurs.

Sevatas provides handover inspection related services typically to logistics service providers such as vessel operators, port operators, rail and road transporters. Our services also support manufacturers, distributors and insurers identify where damages are occurring.

Large scale movements of vehicles provide an environment where damage can occur. Independent inspections provide companies with protection from potential accusations of liability relating to incurred damage.

All inspections are delivered to high Sevatas quality standards, which we believe is the best in the sector, which also provides valuable data for future damage reduction activity.

If clients require tailored inspections to meet individual or OEM standards, we can do this. We have robust training processes and a comprehensive self-audit regime to ensure our inspections are as consistent and as accurate as they can be.

Being the ‘eyes’ of the client on the ground, Sevatas inspectors also aim to identify issues and possible causes of damage before they happen.

Data capture

Our in-house data capture units are at the forefront of sector technology and capture a wider range of data to enable better analysis and event reporting. To learn more, click here.