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been largely positive. “We’re now
more focused than ever on converting
every viable repair, ensuring we deliver
on client SLAs, and maintaining our
position as the repairer of choice,”
said Richard. “In the retail space, we
continue to support this market, but
we recognise the challenge of
competing with sole traders who can
offer VAT-free pricing. Our priority
remains delivering transparent,
high-quality repairs backed by strong
governance and customer service.
“While volumes have reduced
overall, a signi昀椀cant portion of that
shift has come from a deliberate
rebalancing of our work mix across
six key channels: insurer, accident
management company, credit repair,
local dealer/昀氀eet, vehicle manufacturer
network, and retail,” added Richard.
“This rebalancing has improved our
conversion rates – what we refer to
internally as our '昀椀nish rate' (claims
noti昀椀ed to repair invoices raised).
We’ve also worked with key clients
to re昀椀ne triage processes to identify
‘direct to salvage’ opportunities earlier,
reducing wasted operational capacity.
Additionally, we created a dedicated
Total Loss Avoidance Team focused on
working with manufacturer schemes
and embracing solutions such as green
parts to retain repairable vehicles. As
a result of these changes, our 昀椀nish
rate has increased from the low 60s
to nearly 76%, meaning we no longer
require the same raw claims volume to
keep our repair capacity fully utilised.”
L & I Eaton said that although work
volumes overall remain fairly static,
they have seen some uplift in certain
areas. “This increase is largely driven
by organic growth within existing work
streams, rather than by any major
new contracts or step changes,”
said Stephen Fells from L & I Eaton.
“Essentially, the baseline volume is
stable, but we’re picking up modest
incremental gains. The relatively 昀氀at
overall volume means we’re focusing
heavily on ef昀椀ciency and operational
improvements to drive growth from
within. While headline volume growth
might be limited, there’s still signi昀椀cant
opportunity to grow by improving
productivity and reducing key-to-key
and cycle times. In response to this,
we’re taking a closer look at our
business model and reviewing all our
standard operating procedures to
ensure we’re consistently delivering
ef昀椀ciencies to both our customers and
partners.”
Adrian Furness, Managing Director,
Motor Repair Network, Activate,
observes: “In the immediate aftermath
of the pandemic, the unprecedented
strain on repair capacity meant insurers
had to prioritise securing availability to
keep up with customer demand. Now,
with capacity on the rebound, they
have the opportunity to build networks
that go beyond the essentials. By
focusing on areas like cost control,
sustainability, and EV readiness,
repairers can ensure their service
offerings actively support insurers’
goals for ef昀椀ciency, performance, and
delivering an exceptional customer
experience.”
FMG has been through a period of
considerable growth in recent years
with some signi昀椀cant new business
wins. “This has not only mitigated
the challenges in the market for us
but has allowed us to leverage these
favourable market conditions,” said
John Keeton. “Whilst we’re not
immune to market forces, we’ve offset
them through leveraging our size
and scale and investing in network
relationships, and, as a result, claim
volumes haven’t been affected
materially. Today’s repair cycle times
are mirroring pre-Covid levels even
though we’re completing more repairs
from winning more customers.”
Halo reports growth over the last three
or so years of nearly 400%, with 35
sites currently and more sites in the
pipeline. “The growth has come from
working with clients in order to satisfy
their key needs for a competitive
price, low k2k times (three days) and
extraordinary customer service,” said
Jon Parker, Managing Director, Halo
Accident Repair Centres. “We have
somewhat guaranteed work volumes in
our sites, however we know that some
of our clients have had to move a lot
Claims volumes exploded post-lockdown but a number of factors have since changed the claims trajectory.
of postcodes in order to satisfy our
need for volume in a decreasing claims
volume market.”
Jon adds that Halo’s protection
from the general reduction of work
volumes has come from two things
– “extraordinary performance and
growth”. “Those two things mask
the true picture in the industry,” he
said. “Inevitably, the consolidation
is changing the landscape – both
in the insurance industry and repair
community. For many, they will have
to specialise or diversify. For Halo, we
are focused on the few key blue-chip
clients we have in order to ensure they
always get the service and support
they and their customers require.”
L & I Eaton’s Stephen Fells says that
focusing purely on volume can be
misleading if it’s not supported by
quality, pro昀椀tability, and capacity to
deliver. “Chasing higher volumes
without ensuring operational
stability can strain resources, dilute
service quality, and ultimately hurt
the business. Instead, we see more
value in targeting the right volume
at the right time – sustainable work
that 昀椀ts our capacity, skillset, and
desired margin pro昀椀le – alongside
continuous improvement in ef昀椀ciency
and customer service. In other words,
volume alone shouldn’t be the goal;
balanced, pro昀椀table, and strategically
aligned growth should be.”
The vehicle parc is also changing
bringing a need for different skills and
investment to secure work provision.
“With the ZEV mandate on the horizon
and more 昀氀eets opting for BEVS and
PHEVs, repairers are seeing greater
demand for specialised repair services
tailored to EV parts and systems, in
an industry which was predominantly
ICE vehicles just a few years ago,”
said FMG’s John Keeton. “The move
towards electri昀椀cation is driven by the
Government’s Zero-Emission Mandate
and therefore it must be considered
a long-term trend. Our own data
con昀椀rms the trajectory of this trend.
In 2021, FMG repaired 50 Teslas per
month on average, compared with 700
per month so far in 2025. Emerging
trends can be identi昀椀ed quickly in the
昀氀eet sector due to the fast-moving
nature of vehicle repair activity, and
our own data shows that this year we
expect our claims to consist of 60%
BEV or PHEV, compared with less than
15% in 2021. Our customers’ needs
are evolving and we’re working closely
with them to clearly understand what
customers want, how their clients’
needs may differ, and how our network
must evolve in sync.”
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