REJEL Blog

Ford Motor Co. announced recently that the company has invented a new method for preparing vehicle windshields for factory installation in its vehicles.

The internet is now the starting point for 53 per cent of car purchases, according to Alex Rose, Google’s UK industry manager for auto dealers, Google UK.
Rose said recent Google Gearshift research into car buying patterns showed that visits to dealerships only accounted for just over a quarter (26 per cent) of first destinations to go for information.
Rose said the rate of internet usage will accelerate with Google expecting online research to shortly account for 78 per cent of the first points of contact for car buyers.
“Eight out of 10 buyers will turn to the internet. Everyone’s online now,” he said.

Rose also said Google expects the rate of online car purchases to grow rapidly with CapGemini and CarsOnline research showing that 41 per cent of car buyers saying they were “likely” to purchase their next vehicle online, compared with just 20 per cent in 2007.
Other highlights;
• Declining dealership footfall was a visible sign of the growth in internet usage
• The rate of car buyers visiting four or more dealers fell from 47 per cent in 2007 to 27 per cent in 2010
• Those visiting one dealership rose from 17 per cent in 2007 to 25 per cent in 2010
• One in five desktop searches are related to location
• One in three mobile searches are related to location

The recent employee cuts at Autoglass are the result of “an exceptionally mild winter combined with the increased cost of fuel, which has caused a reduction in the number of miles driven and a consequent reduction in vehicle damage,” according to sales and marketing director Jeff Boekstein.
“As a result, the industry as a whole has seen lower demand this year,” he adds. “ … In all our markets we constantly assess the level of resource (both full-time and part-time) we need to meet local market conditions.”
However, Boekstein points out that despite the recent cuts, overall Belron’s employee numbers are up from last year.
“We currently have around 25,000 people working for us – slightly up from the same time last year,” he says.

As far back as the ancient Egyptians and up to today, people have identified their property by placing a mark, such as branding their cattle, on property to prove its ownership.

The idea is to make the car less desirable to be stolen as you would have to replace all the glass in the car if the VIN is altered so the car could be re-sold illegally. Also, this does give you a discount on your car insurance as an anti-theft measure.

 

Find out how to offer this service www.safegard.co.uk

National Mobile Windscreens has begun a recruitment drive, which it says is in response to competitor Auto Windscreens going into administration.

 

The Bristol-based firm has added four additional sites to its national branch network and recruited 70 experienced technicians, who it claims have mainly joined from Auto Windscreens.

The company said it has also increased its fleet of vehicles that respond to emergency calls.

National Windscreens now has 114 branches and a response fleet of 720 providing a 24-hour service. Mobile Windscreens operate 36 of these branches

Martyn Bennett, sales and marketing director, National Mobile Windscreens, said: "The collapse of a major competitor has triggered a big increase in demand for our services.

"We have seen a rush of new business from major motor insurers, fleet operators and private companies who were previously with Auto Windscreens. We continue to work towards finding jobs for more of the staff who were made redundant."

Markerstudy Group subsidiary Trifords bought the Auto Windscreens brand and some of its properties from its administrators in February.

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