Quality Standards
The company's product development strategy requires that a significant percentage of its annual net profits are re invested in the business, in particular into 3 core areas:
- market research and prediction,
- new product development,
- ongoing product innovation, assessment and improvement.
It believes this strategy is key to the company's ongoing success as it serves to guarantee not only the quality of its current product range but also ensures the ongoing introduction of innovative, competitively priced new products. The strategy necessitates that the company monitors competitive developments, predicts market trends and designs solutions to market requirements.
The company's objective is to launch 3 new products each financial year, which it has achieved for the last 4 years in succession. These products are in the form of new repair process kits and equipment or consumable items to reinforce the fast, effective and efficient on site repair capability.
It also operates its own mobile unit fleet not only as individual profit centres but also to specifically keep pace with market developments. These units provide vital 'first hand' technician and customer feedback which delivers up to the minute market and product intelligence.
The units have diverse B to Band B to C customer bases with varied and testing working environments/conditions and are therefore able to both continuously assess the full current product range 'in the field' and rigorously test all new products in 'live' situations prior to launch. Significantly this also flags up any new model finishes which may require a modification to the repair process.
No new product is taken to market without evaluation and sign off in by
- mobile unit team leaders,
- group training functions,
- bodyshop management team.
Internal quality standards are in place throughout the business with continuous employee assessment as well as technician certification programmes. The company has ISO 2001 (year 2000) accreditation.