ATLANTA -

In early September, two long-time industry veterans retired from Manheim. These executives include Keith Williams, who retired as vice president of technology integration after a 44-year career, including 26 years at Manheim; and Dan Thomas, who retired as general manager of Manheim Nevada after a 36-year career, including 19 years spent with the auction giant.

“Keith and Dan have been instrumental in helping Manheim maintain its leadership position within the remarketing industry for the past few decades,” said Sandy Schwartz, president of Manheim.

“While I appreciate all that both Keith and Dan have done for Manheim and the industry, I also feel fortunate to count both of them as great friends. We are all grateful for their dedicated service and contributions to our company and wish them the best in their well-earned retirement years,” he added.

As vice president of technology integration, Williams helped strengthen Manheim’s technology leadership position. He gathered vital feedback from customers, the field sales team and individual auction locations about online technology and how it can be used to enhance the company’s sales and service channels, according to management.

In his previous role as vice president and general manager of Manheim Pennsylvania, Williams enhanced tracking and inventory systems and developed browser-based mobile applications that provided new bidding tools for early adopters of smartphones and online buying, officials explained. In fact, they went on to say that these achievements earned him the reputation across the industry as a technology innovator.

“Keith has seen the auto industry grow and evolve for more than four decades,” Schwartz said. “His ongoing commitment to innovation helped Manheim take advantage of emerging technology and trends that benefited our company and our customers. Manheim will continue to gain from his remarkable work and ideas in the years ahead.”

Williams joined Manheim in 1985 as general manager of Newburgh Auto Auction in Newburgh, N.Y. In 1997, he was named vice president of operations for the Northeast region. In 2005, Williams was named vice president and general manager of Manheim Pennsylvania; he continued in this role until December 2010 when he moved to Manheim’s corporate team as vice president of technology integration. Prior to joining Manheim, Williams served 18 years in a family-owned auto dealership in the New York area.

Under Thomas’ leadership, Manheim Nevada became one of Manheim’s top performing operating locations. He led all areas of operation and consistently looked for new and better way to increase efficiencies, according to management. In that role, Thomas also served as a trusted advisor for Manheim’s executive team regarding industry trends in the Nevada and surrounding markets.

“Dan has been a key driver of our company’s success in the Western region through the years,” Schwartz explained. “His efforts led to improvements in operational efficiencies and remarketing services that delivered bottom-line results for customers. We congratulate Dan on an outstanding career.”

In 1992, Thomas started his career at Manheim as general manager of Bay Cities Auto Auction in Hayward, Calif. He then spent 13 years in regional operations management roles, including serving as regional vice president of Manheim’s West region, where he oversaw 16 operating locations before being named to his current role as general manager of Manheim Nevada in 2007.

Prior to working for Manheim, Thomas worked in a variety of roles in the remarketing industry, including being an independent auto dealer, an auctioneer and a general manager at Golden Gate Auto Auction.

Manheim Streamlines Ops to Reduce Days to Sale

To help customers more quickly and efficiently ready vehicles for sale, Manheim revealed it is in the final stages of completing a substantial improvement initiative at all of its 72 U.S. operating locations. Its focus is two-fold: streamlining the vehicle entry process and significantly reducing time to obtain condition reports after vehicles arrive at auction.

“Customers are noticing a more production-like atmosphere on Manheim lots,” said Pam Cadigan, group vice president of operational excellence at Manheim. “We now sort inventory by stage of the auction process to create efficiencies and optimize staff members’ time.”

A scanning tracking system enables vehicles to be organized more effectively while they are being prepared for sale, management noted.

“We have already benefited from the recent improvements we experience first-hand at 13 Manheim locations,” said Chris Watkins, external operations manager of AmeriCredit/GM Financial. “The quicker we get condition reports and repair estimates, the faster we can complete those repairs and get the car in a sale. One or two days can be the difference between making a sale and waiting until the next week to run the unit.”

“With better scheduling tools and following a first-in/first-out rule, we can now complete condition reports for dealer and commercial vehicles within a day of their arrival at auction. This is the first step toward our goal to reduce days to sale by 50 percent,” Cadigan explained. “With improved cycle time, buyers secure their vehicles sooner, while improving sellers’ holding costs and cash flow.”

“Manheim’s process improvements will push others in the industry to do the same, strengthening the auction business for everyone,” Watkins added.
The company’s operational enhancements have resulted in a more consistent and efficient vehicle flow, reducing the number of days to sale by approximately four days from a historical average of 25 to 30, management reported.

Based on the success of the vehicle-entry initiative, Manheim will continue to invest in its operations, focusing on improving lot efficiencies and flow.

“These process improvements are just the beginning of several changes we are making to help customers improve their bottom line,” added Cadigan.