Irish automotive data solutions provider Mackessy Technology has teamed up with vehicle valuation and software providers Glass’s to launch a new online platform to provide end-to-end management on vehicle recovery, repair and salvage in Ireland. The new initiative looks set to bring many practical and economic benefits to everyone involved in the industry as well as increasing safety and reducing crime at a time when serious concerns have been raised over how the market deals with vehicle write-offs.

Glass’s will be combining its own technology with Mackessy’s FNoL Direct (First Notice Of Loss) system to track the collection and processing of vehicles in real time. The system means insurers, accident managers, fleet companies, vehicle recovery operators, approved repairers and salvage agents will be able to interact much more efficiently over a common platform meaning many benefits in efficiency and processing time. In particular, the total loss system allows rapid transmission of images and video evidence to help in making decisions on write-offs.

Mackessy Technology is already a major supplier of automotive software solutions to both the vehicle recovery and salvage sector in Ireland and has pioneered work in the areas of automatic GPS vehicle location systems using Smart text to locate damaged vehicles and direct assistance.

Philip Mackessy, Managing Director of Mackessy Technology says, "By combining our revolutionary FNoL direct system and Glass’s proven eSalvage platform we have created a process that offers a true beginning-to-end solution for insurance providers.  The system streamlines information flow between all parties, provides greater transparency and will result in better, faster claim decision times and significant cost savings.” He adds, "This a sophisticated communication system that will provide benefits at all levels to insurance and accident management companies, recovery operators, repairers and salvage companies.

Philip says that the system has performed very well in trials and that a nationwide network of users is already in place covering each county. However, he adds that it is still possible for high quality recovery operators and salvage companies to become involved.

The introduction of the eSalvage service will reinforce Glass’s strategy of guaranteeing the destruction of all category A and B vehicles. In each case the image and certificate of destruction generated will now be logged on the eSalvage system. Glass’s network is independently audited on a regular basis to ensure that the policy is followed.

Joe March, Glass’s Commercial Manager for eSalvage, says, "It’s in the interests of all concerned to make the right decision, quickly, ethically and with the benefit of sound information, on whether a damaged vehicle can be viably repaired or should be destroyed. An easier and faster process saves time and money for insurers and repairers.” He adds, "At present, the process can be slow, expensive, disorganised and confusing. It can also result in the reappearance on the road of vehicles that should have been destroyed. Often this is due to third parties or agents selling such vehicles as repairable after settlement. As well as damaging the industry, this practice may result in further accidents and even loss of life. A knock-on effect is that their re-use may require the theft of another vehicle and its identity, which is a further incitement to criminal activity.”

Glass’s says that this new approach brings peace of mind, through confidence that agents bidding on vehicles will generate the best returns, based on their status, and that only those determined as suitable for repair will be offered to the market for reinstatement.

The announcement of the new initiative is timely as the government has recently expressed concerns over the issue of vehicle write-offs and is investigating the whole process.