The newly instated IBIS Board, in place for this year's IBIS Global Summit 2016 have revealed what they think are the biggest challenges and opportunities facing our industry.
Board member and former IBIS speaker Sean Carey, believes ‘the future has finally arrived’:
"The challenge for the industry, as I see it, is timing the transformation from the traditional way of conducting business, which is labour intensive, inefficient and highly subjective to the new claims/repair workflow future where data and seamless connectivity replaces feet on the ground and gut feeling.
"I have to add here that the greatest near term challenge will be finding and training the human resources necessary to complete a safe, efficient and economically viable repair on vehicles that are becoming more and more sophisticated and sensitive," he says.
The need for appropriate skills and resources is what makes up the IBIS principle of promoting Safety, Skills and Standards around the world. Fellow Board member Mark Hadaway agrees. "Quite simply I see skills and technology as both the greatest challenges and opportunities within the sector at present. Those who adapt quickest and embrace the ‘new’ will be the ones who discover previously unidentified opportunities within the industry."
Technology was the focus for David Worsfold, the Board’s insurance specialist. "Automated driving – and ultimately driverless cars – will have a major impact on the relationship between the insurance industry and the collision repair sector," Worsfold said. "Repairers will find themselves dealing with product liability insurers instead of traditional motor insurers and that will have an impact on claims processes. The lower volume of repairs but greater complexity, with the overlay of manufacturers’ warranties on automated systems, will also have a major impact and far sooner than many currently anticipate."
The IBIS Global Summit 2016 will explore the major challenges and opportunities facing the industry, giving delegates an opportunity to learn from the sessions and share their views in order to evolve and continue to thrive in the future. The Global Summit is only possible with the support of the forward-thinking IBIS partners: 3M, AkzoNobel, Audatex, Belron, EMM, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Fix Auto World.
