AuctionVcommerce has launched its Clerk Training Simulator, the company said Monday.
This follows close to a year of product development for the tool, which is designed to foster consistency in the industry for online clerking and boost online participation and sales.
The Clerk Training Simulator also aims to curb clerk turnover and block errors.
“Expectations for clerks are extremely low. If trained properly, clerks have the potential to be to the online customers what auctioneers are to those who physically attend the sale,” AuctionVcommerce president and co-founder Kelly Bianchi said in a news release. “We intend to prove that.”
That started with Britt Dehn of Lone Star Auto Auction, who was the first clerk to be certified in this program. To get her take on the training, Bianchi interviewed Dehn via FaceTime.
“It was important that we deliver honesty. The interview had to be unscripted, and unedited, because ‘trust’ is the foundation for everything we are looking to accomplish,” Bianchi said in the news release.
Bianchi also talked with Auto Remarketing this past fall at Used Car Week about the program. That interview can be seen in the video screen above.
AuctionVcommerce said Bianchi is currently working with a few auctions to roll out the Clerk Training Simulator.
“Skepticism for anything related to online is high in this industry. There is a common response of being unresponsive … waiting for everyone else to be the first. We started with the goal of building confidence in dealers wishing to purchase vehicles online. What we’ve found is that we first need to build that confidence into the auctions,” she said.
BMW Group Financial Services has teamed with Cox Automotive on a remarketing solution that allows all dealers to source BMW and MINI vehicles before they cross the auction block.
Powered by RMS Automotive’s web-based vehicle portfolio management solution, BMWGroupDirect.com is now accessible to independent and non-BMW franchised dealers — not just BMW franchised dealers.
The site now gives any buyer with a valid AuctionACCESS account around-the-clock online access to BMW Group’s national inventory of off-lease vehicles.
"BMWGroupDirect.com was created out of the necessity for our franchise partners to gain exclusive access to our inventory before it was offered to the wholesale buying community," Nina Englert, vice president of sales and marketing for BMW Financial Services, said in a news release. "But, given the changing dynamics facing the grounding dealer and with more off-lease inventory entering the market, we needed to take our upstream remarketing program to the next level."
BMWGroupDirect.com allows any registered dealer to find and purchase vehicles anytime, anywhere. It’s the only remarketing site with factory VIN decoding, allowing dealers to search packages and options based on original build information from the plant. Dealers can also set up saved searches and alerts to advise them when specific inventory becomes available. Furthermore, the open platform means dealers no longer have to reserve time to attend simulcast online auctions at set times or attend on-site live auctions.
"Dealers can see our off-lease inventory across multiple auction locations, making it an efficient way to source our vehicles," Englert said. "And as the shift from traditional auction to online sales channels continues to grow, this will become an increasingly important value-add to dealers."
More than 450 BMW and MINI franchise dealers as well as 50 VIP independent dealers and wholesale buyers have sourced, bid on and purchased vehicles through the site since it launched a year ago. The program will continue to offer only franchise dealers exclusive access to BMW Group company vehicles via closed sales.
"BMW Group Financial Services and Cox Automotive enjoy a strong partnership and are committed to finding innovative solutions that drive more informed decision-making and further growth," said Nick Peluso, RMS president. "With anticipated growth over the next several years in off-lease volumes, this solution will help BMW Group Financial Services generate greater business efficiencies that will fuel better remarketing decisions."
Global online vehicle auction company Copart has acquired a location in Candia, N.H.
"If you look at Copart's recent expansions and acquisitions, it's clear that we are experiencing significant growth," Copart's chief executive officer Jay Adair said in a news release. "Candia is a great location that will allow us to better serve Manchester and surrounding communities."
"We are excited to serve a new area of New Hampshire and become part of the community," added chief operating officer Sean Eldridge.
Copart's online auctions are not limited to auto sales; there is a wide collection of RVs, boats, ATVs, tractor trailers, motorcycles and more. Copart was ranked No. 1 in Deloitte's "The Exceptional 100" list, which reviews publicly traded companies, in 2015.
As a proud partner to local communities, Copart offers local law enforcement, fire department and other agencies a safe training environment. In addition to supporting local agencies, Copart supports numerous local, regional and national charities.
The company operates in the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, India, Sultanate of Oman, Spain, Canada, Brazil, Germany, and the Republic of Ireland.
For the fourth consecutive year, members of the KAR Auction Services group of companies — ADESA, AFC, Insurance Auto Auctions and TradeRev — will auction off a premier vehicle during the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association Convention and Expo to benefit the NIADA Foundation.
Officials highlighted this year's vehicle is an ivory white 2015 Chrysler 300 Limited with a black leather interior, a sky-slider roof, a wood-grain dash and a mere 9,320 miles on the odometer.
The vehicle will be on display in the Expo Hall during the convention, which begins next Monday at The Mirage in Las Vegas. The Expo opens the next day. The auction will be held at 1:30 p.m. on June 16 at the NIADA Dealer Lounge in the center of the Expo Hall.
ADESA will transport the vehicle free for the winning bidder to any location in the continental U.S.
All proceeds from the auction will benefit the NIADA Foundation, which spearheads the association's commitment to charitable giving in addition to awarding scholarships to deserving college-bound students across the nation and providing training and educational opportunities to automobile dealers and the general public.
In 2015, the foundation's activities included significant donations to the Heart of a Warrior Foundation, the Austin Disaster Relief Network and other charities.
Over the past three years, the ADESA/AFC/IAA-sponsored auctions at the NIADA Convention have raised a total of $69,700 for the NIADA Foundation. During last year’s event, a 2013 Mercedes C250W sold for $27,500.
AutoVIN, which provides audit, inventory verification and inspection resources, has started a national accounts division and installed an executive director.
ADESA, of which AutoVIN is a subsidiary, announced that AutoVIN will have a new national accounts team.
The company named Amy Weisenburger the executive director of the team. Weisenburger was previously the manager of business development at DataScan Field Services, a company acquired by AutoVIN in 2015.
“AutoVIN is committed to creating a consistent experience for our clients by aligning our business development and client relations groups under one team and leveraging resources to increase efficiencies and operational advantages,” Richard Carpentier, chief operating officer and senior vice president of operations at AutoVIN, said in a news release.
“Amy is an experienced leader with a proven track record of providing solutions for customers. I look forward to working with her and having her oversee our new national accounts team,” he said.
Weisenburger will report directly to Carpentier as the executive director of the new team.
She has more than 20 years of experience in business development, marketing communications and client services during her time in the auto remarketing industry, including management positions at CenterOne Financial Services and MarketWise Solutions.
Weisenburger was also one of Auto Remarketing's 2012 Women in Remarketing honorees.
Online vehicle auction company Copart has furthered its international reach, this time with the opening of its first location in the Republic of Ireland.
This new location, just outside of Carlow in Castledermot, will serve as the base for Copart’s new Ireland auctions and is the latest expansion across Europe following the company’s entry into India.
“This is just one of Copart’s major milestones on the international stage this year. We are excited to continue expanding our global footprint as we implement the Copart model in the Ireland market,” Copart chief executive officer Jay Adair said in a news release .
Copart Ireland held its first online auction on Tuesday. The auction was hosted using Copart’s VB3 technology, which is available on mobile, tablet and desktop. With the VB3 multi-auction dashboard, members can participate in multiple auctions simultaneously, all within a single browser.
“We are really excited about expanding our presence in the European market. This location allows us to better serve our large international buyer base and clients,” said Vinnie Mitz, president of Copart.
“Launching Copart in the Republic of Ireland was a logical step. We have many existing buyers in Ireland, and this number continues to grow,” said Nigel Paget, Copart Europe chief executive officer. “The opening of this purpose-built location in Castledermot is an exciting new venture. It will further support our European buyers and continue our strategic growth across Europe.”
The company operates in the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, India, Sultanate of Oman, Spain, Canada, Brazil, Germany, and the Republic of Ireland, linking sellers to more than 750,000 members in more than 160 countries through its multichannel online platform.
Mark Lindstrom, owner of Darlington Auto Brokers, wasn’t pleased with the body work that another business had performed on one of his vehicles.
So, he took the vehicle to Manheim Darlington’s new Retail Solutions center early last week to have paint and body work done on the truck.
Lindstrom was able to pick it up the morning of May 26, the same day he spoke to Auto Remarketing about being the first to utilize the facility, which held its grand opening the night before.
Manheim had announced at the NADA Convention and Expo in April that it would be adding Retail Solutions facilities in this South Carolina town, plus locations in the Detroit, Houston, St. Louis and Orlando, Fla., markets.
The Darlington location joins Manheim’s existing Retail Solutions facilities in Denver and Chicago. Manheim Detroit will open a Retail Solutions facility in July, while Manheim Orlando, Manheim Houston and Manheim St. Louis are currently conducting testing with a few clients.
In a nutshell, these facilities are designed to take care of essentially everything a dealer would need to have done to a wholesale used-car purchase post-sale to make it ready for the retail front-line — the idea being, you bring it to one place rather than hauling the vehicle around to different vendors for different tasks.
Or if a dealer only needs one or two items taken care of, he or she can choose the a la carte route, as well.
It takes much of what Manheim is offering on the wholesale side and provides it to dealers as a resource for retail preparation. The thinking is, dealers can put more focus on their retail customer and their employees rather than spending so much time getting the car ready for the front line.
For Lindstrom, the advantage to utilizing the facility is “the quality of the workmanship” and convenience of a one-stop shop.
That’s part of what Shane O’Dell emphasized when he spoke with Auto Remarketing during the Darlington facility’s grand opening last week.
“We’ve set it up so that you can buy things a la carte. So, if you are looking for Manheim to acquire cars for you, we can offer you that service,” said O’Dell, senior vice president for Manheim Vehicle Solutions. “If you’re looking for Manheim and (its) Inventory Solutions to do retail inspections and retail reconditioning, we can do that for you.
“If you’re looking for us just to merchandise the cars and get it up to an Autotrader.com before it gets back to your lot, we can do that, as well. And then, of course, transport that car back to your front line,” he said. “You can buy those as individual services or you can buy the entire conveyor belt of services, if you will.”
What needs Manheim saw in market
One of the reasons behind the Retail Solutions program, in general, is the increase in inventory in recent years that has required an extra set of hands for retail prep on “overflow volume,” O’Dell said.
Another key factor has been the surge in recalls, which “tends to put burden on the back shops to (handle) that.” At the same time, dealers still need those shops to handle prep work on the new and used cars they’re selling, so offering Retail Solutions acts as a supplement, O’Dell explained.
“Then, I would say the third thing is, you’ve got companies that are popping up saying, ‘I don’t know if I want to build a multi-million-dollar facility where I’ve got all that back-shop operation. I really want to focus on the consumer, the customer. And I want someone else, like Manheim and the Inventory Solutions team, to do all that back-shop (work),’” O’Dell said.
He said Manheim has 18 active clients signed on to Retail Solutions. This group includes independent dealers, franchised dealerships and major dealer clients, he said.
“And even a couple of them that were that third model, if you will, that are doing a little bit more digitally … than maybe what we’ve seen traditionally in this type of space,” O’Dell said. “The good thing for us is, we’ve really seen adoption from multiple customer segments … we’ve seen it (from) independent, franchised, those major dealers and some of those up-starts, if you will.”
Why Darlington?
Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Orlando, St. Louis.
These, of course, are large metropolitan markets.
Which begs an obvious question, something that Grace Huang, Manheim’s senior vice president of inventory solutions, acknowledged during the NADA press conference when the five new locations were announced.
“And most people ask, ‘Why Darlington? Where is Darlington?’ Well it’s in South Carolina, and why we’re adding Darlington is (because) a client asked us to,” Huang said. “It gets us closer to their client base and allows a greater flexibility.”
And while Darlington might be the outlier in terms of population, the selection of the small South Carolina town make logistical sense from a geographic standpoint and getting cars to clients in the area.
“First of all, we’re so centrally located on (Interstate) 95 — which is, what, the busiest highway on the East Coast — and I-20. So it’s a perfect location as far as transportation logistics go,” said Manheim Darlington general manager Danny Brawn. “You can easily get in, you can easily get out.”
The company also owns a railhead five miles from the auction, Brawn said, making it even simpler for transporting cars via truck or rail. The auction also has plenty of space, he said, as it rests on 125 acres.
Plus, he said, there are four off-site storage facilities that have yet to be used.
How Retail Solutions process works
During the on-site interview, Brawn explained the steps a car would go through at the auction’s Retail Solutions facility.
First, the car is checked out of Manheim Darlington’s wholesale operations, and checked into Retail Solutions.
The car undergoes a 200-plus-point initial retail mechanical and condition inspection, which “is as thorough as you possibly can get,” Brawn said.
The vehicle moves to a holding area while any necessary parts are ordered, and then heads to the paint and body shop. It then runs to the detail department (which is actually at Darlington’s auction facility) for retail detailing, then moves back to the Retail Solutions facility where any necessary parts are added.
Once the estimate is finished and the dealer has signed off, the vehicle goes through the imaging booth to generate high-definition photographs. Those pictures are uploaded to Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book and the dealer’s website, should the dealer request that.
The next stop is the merchandizing area, which is the final stop before storage or transport via Ready Logistics.
“Merchandizing consists of window stickers, customer care packages — just like at a hotel, you walk in, you have a chocolate on the pillow … that’s what we’re trying to provide for the retail seller,” Brawn said.
Should the dealer need to store the vehicle, there are long- and short-term storage options available.
And it’s not just available on vehicles that dealers buy at the auction, Brawn said. They can utilize it for trade-ins and lease returns, for example, that arrive on a dealer’s lot and need retail prep.
“If a client wants it, we’re going to find a way to do it,” Brawn said. “The only thing I don’t see us doing is servicing vehicles for the public … but if a client needs us to handle their lease returns, we’ll make it happen, for sure.”
More details on operations
Right now, Manheim Darlington has two clients that have signed on to use the Retail Solutions facility. It is currently servicing vehicles for one of those, a Manheim spokesperson said. A third contract is pending. The auction eventually plans to open the Retail Solutions facility to all dealer customers.
Brawn said he expects the center will be able to process roughly 250 cars per week.
If a client were to go through all of the steps of the center, it takes seven to 10 days to complete the process (prior to delivery).
Manheim invested $1.5 million over the last four months in the Darlington Retail Solutions facility, O’Dell said during the grand opening ceremony.
The company announced at NADA it was investing a total of $5 million for the five new centers. Discussions on Darlington began a year ago and they broke ground on the facility in late 2015.
Additional photos of the Retail Solutions facility can be found on Auto Remarketing's Facebook page.
As the first step toward plans to provide its Auction Safety Certification and Lane Safety Training programs globally, the National Auto Auction Associations recently took the message of the “Safe T. Sam” program to its counterparts in the United Kingdom.
NAAA president Mike Browning, executive president Jay Cadigan and AutoTec president Chuck Redden met with officials from Britain’s National Association of Motor Auctions this month in Marbella, Spain as part of the latter’s 2016 conference.
They shared NAAA’s recent safety initiatives while also detailing the safety certification program and discussing how it could be launched the U.K.
In a news release about the trip, NAAA chief executive officer Frank Hackett points out that although there are differences between how U.S. and U.K. auctions operate, safety is paramount at both.
“Due to the U.K.’s limited size and higher land costs, U.K. auctions tend to be more compact than in America, and typically have enclosed lanes with people seated stadium- or theater-style, whereas here we encourage buyers to move around amongst the open lanes,” Hackett said. “But they run three or four sales days per week, which increases the risk of accidents, and we know busy auctions always have the potential for danger — especially with auction activity confined to a
small space.”
Browning added: “One major point we all agree on is that a proactive approach to improving safety conditions is the best way to reduce accidents, control costs due to workplace injury or property damage and save lives to make auctions a safer, happier place to work and do business.”
ADESA has announced management promotions at two auction locations.
Jay Hinchman, former general manager at ADESA Las Vegas, and Geoff Parker, former general manager at ADESA Cincinnati/Dayton, were both recently promoted to regional vice presidents to oversee the company’s new Midwest and Mideast auction regions, respectively.
Brenda Aden, former assistant general manager of ADESA Las Vegas, has been promoted to general manager. Mike Long, former assistant general manager of ADESA Cincinnati/Dayton, has been promoted to general manager, while Jay Smith, former dealer sales and services manager at that location, has been promoted to assistant general manager.
“Mike and Jay have been with ADESA for more than 10 years each and have proven to be successful leaders, skilled at developing and implementing business partnerships and serving the diverse and unique needs of our customers,” said ADESA president and chief executive office Stéphane St-Hilaire. “Brenda, who has more than 20 years of auction management experience, has greatly contributed to the success of our auction site in Las Vegas and truly understands this market.
“The strong leadership and industry knowledge that Mike, Brenda and Jay bring to their new roles will be a great asset for our employees and our customers at these locations,” he continued.
Aden joined Manheim Denver in 1995 and served in auction management roles in both Orlando and Las Vegas, where she opened Premier’s Las Vegas Auction and served as assistant general manager. She joined ADESA Las Vegas in 2010.
“Brenda brings a diverse and unique skill set to her role as general manager with two decades of extensive experience in areas such as fleet/lease, factory and specialty accounts,” said Hinchman. “She is well-liked and well-respected by employees and customers alike and has developed loyal relationships across the industry.”
Long joined ADESA in 2003 as the financial coordinator before advancing to the role of assistant general manager of ADESA Cincinnati/Dayton. Prior to that, he served as accounting manager and controller for Lovett & Lovett Associates and was the staff auditor for Ernst & Young.
“Mike has built strong relationships with many of our customers during his many years with this auction location,” said Parker. “He has the first-hand knowledge and experience of the operations and support of the staff at ADESA Cincinnati-Dayton, and I am excited for Mike to lead this auction into the future.”
Smith first joined ADESA Cincinnati/Dayton in 2005, where he served in a variety of roles including sales manager, marketing manager, fleet/lease manager, account manager, and dealer sales and service manager. Prior to that, he worked at Manheim’s Cincinnati Auto Auction, where he was sales manager for six years.
ServNet has added another auction to its ranks and brought on two additional board members, the auction group announced Monday.
Following the spring meeting of ServNet owners, president Kevin Brown said that North Bay Auto Auction had joined the group.
“I am very pleased to report that ServNet will be represented in Northern California by North Bay Auto Auction in Fairfield, California,” Brown said in a news release.
“As an organization with strong core values, a commitment to superior service and a focus on developing technology, North Bay Auto Auction is an ideal representative of the ServNet brand in the region,” Brown added. “We welcome North Bay Auto auction’s president and CEO Don Morrow to the ServNet owners’ table and look forward to working with him and his team.”
Morrow started the North Bay in 1993 as a public auction. After moving to a larger facility in 2000, the auction become wholesale-only in 2001.
Six years later, North Bay added a 100,000 square-foot indoor service center housing the mechanic shop, detailing and condition report centers, and indoor storage area.
The auction holds a six-lane sale on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“Joining ServNet auction is an exciting move for us at North Bay Auto Auction,” said Morrow. “The ServNet designation signals to our customers that we are equipped to handle their business at a superior level, and that we share the high standards that ServNet auctions are known for throughout the industry.
“As a group of independent auctions of the highest caliber, ServNet has had a tremendous impact on the marketplace and continues to shape the industry,” Morrow added. “ServNet’s commitment to service pairs well with our own philosophy that ‘by combining consistency and flexibility, we can ensure that each and every customer receives the value of our best efforts, regardless of the size of that customer or the task at hand.’
“We are honored to carry the ServNet brand at North Bay Auto Auction and look forward to an exciting future as a ServNet auction.”
ServNet’s 2 new board members
In other news from the auction group, Beth Barber of State Line Auto Auction and Ashley Dietze of San Antonio Auto Auction have joined ServNet’s governing board as directors.
They join directors Rob Thompson (Mid-State Auto Auction) and Steve DeLuca (Auto Auction of New England); chairman of the board Patty Stanley (Carolina Auto Auction); Brown, who is the president (Missouri Auto Auction); and vice president/treasurer Eric Autenrieth (Indiana Auto Auction).
Both Barber and Dietze have joined their respective parents in auction ownership and management.
“If there is one theme that I can see in the independent auction community and certainly within the ServNet group of auctions, it is to maintain consistency through transition,” says Pierre Pons, ServNet chief executive officer.
“A number of our member auctions are looking to the next generation for management and ownership, and ServNet’s board certainly reflects that process. We are all looking forward to the contributions that Beth Barber and Ashley Dietze will make as they serve on ServNet’s board, and know they are in good company with fellow next-generation owners Eric Autenrieth, Rob Thompson, and Steve DeLuca.”
