SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Mitchell International released the second quarter 2008 edition of its Industry Trends Report (ITR), which highlights industry-related trends, news items and statistics. This edition's Quarterly Feature, "5 Trends That Will Change Our Industry," by Greg Horn, Mitchell's vice president of industry relations, provides a candid look at how current movements in the collision repair industry such as the transition to waterborne paints, shift towards light-weight construction materials, and advances in vehicle safety equipment, will affect the future of the industry. The feature also focuses on better understanding performance through the use of data, which is increasingly used by collision repair industries and insurance claims organizations to improve business operations. "Right now, the collision repair industry is undergoing some of the most significant changes since the introduction of unibody vehicle production," says Horn. "The key trends discussed in-depth in the latest Mitchell ITR will significantly change the time, training and tools costs of repairers and carriers, compelling the industry to alter production schedules and risk assessments in order to profitably grow their businesses." "The collision repair industry can adjust and ease into these changes by staying informed about proper repair techniques and procedures, in addition to becoming educated about how these changes will impact every part of the claims process," he says. Other points of interest in ITR include: • The average appraisal value, as calculated by combining data from all first and third party repairable vehicle appraisals uploaded through Mitchell systems in Q1-2008, was $2,474, a $51 decrease from the previous year's quarter. Applying the prescribed development factor of 3 percent, it produces an anticipated average appraisal value of $2,539. • During Q1-2008, paint and materials made up nearly 9.78 percent of an average Mitchell appraisal value, representing a 0.46-point increase over Q1-2007. Complete content may be downloaded in PDF format by visiting www.mitchell.com. |
