A news release from Colonnade Securities distributed on Wednesday mentioned the advising of Streamline Recon, which was acquired by SolutionWorks, a leading provider of automotive reconditioning services jointly owned by Alitus Capital Partners and Concentric Equity Partners.
The announcement indicated SolutionWorks will be partnering with the Texas-based automotive reconditioning company focused on the automotive dealership market, as Streamline’s management team will remain in place after closing and retain an ownership stake in SolutionWorks.
Streamline Recon provides automotive reconditioning services primarily for the franchise dealership market, turning new and used inventory into retail-ready vehicles. Founded in 2000, the company has been a trusted service provider in the Dallas Metroplex for more than 22 years and provides a full suite of reconditioning services, including paint, wheel repair, exterior repair, paintless dent repair, interior repair and detailing services.
Under the leadership of CEO Adam Bielecki and founder and chief operating officer Arian Rodriguez, Streamline has grown into one of the most reputable dealership service firms in the state of Texas.
“The addition of Streamline to the SolutionWorks family extends our reach into the broader automotive reconditioning market,” SolutionWorks CEO Patrick Hickey said in the news release. “Streamline’s success in the dealership market fits in nicely with SolutionWorks portfolio of body shop, insurance carrier, fleet, and OEM customers.
“The combined company will add new capabilities to help our customers succeed, as well as create avenues for our technicians to grow and advance within the business. We are thrilled that the entire Streamline team is staying on board to join us in our journey,” Hickey continued.
When asked about partnering with SolutionWorks, Bielecki said, “The Streamline team could not be happier with our partnership with SolutionWorks. This transaction is the next evolution of Streamline that allows us to bring expanded service offerings to our customers and grow our footprint nationally. We are unified in our vision of being the single source repair provider during the entire life cycle of a vehicle.”
On Wednesday, Rapid Recon — which was part of an acquisition announcement made last week by Vehlo — named Bridget Townsend as senior vice president of product development.
Among Auto Remarketing’s Women in Remarketing honorees in 2014, Townsend has been in software development since 1995, focusing on automotive software solutions since 2000. She joined Rapid Recon in 2018.
Her career has included key leadership roles as vice president of vendor management for DealerSocket, vice president of market performance for inventory solutions at Dealertrack, and senior director of product development for Chrome Systems.
Rapid Recon reconditioning and communications workflow software can help auto dealers achieve and maintain long-term success.
Through dealers’ application of the Rapid Recon Key Performance Indicator time to line (T2L), Rapid Recon people, processes and software can steer continuous improvement efficiencies and performance gains throughout the dealership.
More details can be found at www.rapidrecon.com.
NuVinAir, which provides a solutions designed to create clean and healthy vehicle interiors named a president on Wednesday, in addition to two vice president appointments, as well.
Marty Schoenthaler, who is NuVinAir’s chief franchise officer, has taken on additional duties as president. He will head up day-to-day operations. CEO and founding partner Kyle Bailey will lead company strategy and product development.
“Since joining the company two years ago, Marty has developed a unique relationship with our franchisee family, one that has been built on a deep level of commitment and mutual respect,” Bailey said in a news release.
“As we swiftly scale nationwide, I am proud and confident that with Marty at the helm as President, he will continue to deepen these partnerships and set them up for achieving ever greater success,” he said.
Schoenthaler, who continues to report to Bailey, added: “From my very first day with NuVinAir, I have been focused on developing operational improvements and franchisee relations. Collaborating with our leadership team and franchise network alike to effectively deliver on those strategies, is a huge source of pride for me.
“As president, I’ll lead and carry out my new responsibilities through the lens of NuVinAir’s vision, mission, and overall direction in order to ensure optimal efficiency and success,” he said.
Meanwhile, Cole Willard has been hired as vice president of business development, joining NuVinAir from Bridgestone Americas.
Matthew Golimowski, who joined NuVinAir in October 2019 after time with AutoNation and CarMax, has been promoted to vice president of franchise operations.
Both Willard and Golimowski will report to Schoenthaler.
Here’s a potential way to prompt a hesitant buyer to take delivery of that used vehicle.
A reconditioning ‘Seal of Approval’ is likely to help auto dealers close more sales, according to a survey of 1,000 potential auto shoppers by Rapid Recon.
When consumers were asked if a reconditioning “seal of approval” would positively affect their used-vehicle purchase decision, respondents’ average score was 4.4 of 5, with 5 being extremely likely.
Rapid Recon highlighted that consumers also indicated that transparency is a critical element of the sales process. When asked about the importance of transparency, respondents rated it at 92%, with 100% being “extremely important.”
“The data speaks for itself. Customers value trust and transparency, especially when making a big purchase. Dealers who offer reconditioning reports give their customers peace-of-mind and build loyal relationships for future sales,” Rapid Recon CEO Dennis McGinn said in a news release. “Dealers need to encourage transparency during the sale process. A simple report detailing a used car’s recon report can be the extra detail that earns you a lifetime customer.”
Other consumer rankings included:
—A composite average score of 4.5 of 5 when asked if they were more likely to purchase a vehicle if shown a reconditioning report.
—A composite average score of 4.5 of 5 said a reconditioning report provided by the dealership would increase trust in the dealer.
—A composite average score of 4.4 of 5 said a reconditioning “seal of approval” presented to them would positively affect their vehicle purchase decision.
—A composite average score of 4.3 of 5 said being shown a reconditioning report would affect their preference for a dealership.
McGinn explained that automotive retailers who embrace this concept can provide customers with peace of mind, show genuine long-term concern for customers and increase the perceived value of the vehicles they sell.
“The automotive retail industry can do much more to prepare and equip sales associates to succeed,” McGinn said. “The ability to communicate what reconditioning improvements have been done to the used car being considered builds value and trust in that vehicle, whether the recon report is shown face-to-face or pushed via text for reviewing at home or elsewhere. We know what consumers need to be more confident in their car-buying experience.”
These findings are published in a report titled, Auto Buyer Transparency Expectations: How to Leverage Technologies to Build Trust. The survey analyzed 1,000 shoppers who plan to purchase a vehicle within the next three years from a franchised or independent dealership.
The survey was conducted online from Sept. 20-24.
To view the complete report on reconditioning, visit this website. To review the safety recall portion of the study, visit this website.
Two dealership service providers now are working together to help managers get their inventory to stand tall on the front line faster.
Dealer Image Pro, a leader in professional photo, video, and interactive 360-degree software for dealerships, announced it has integrated its Photo Assistant and Autoport software with Rapid Recon’s reconditioning workflow software to improve the time to market for a dealership’s reconditioned vehicles.
Now displayed within the Photo Assistant and Autoport inventory dashboard, dealership sales teams can view the Rapid Recon status of their used vehicles in real-time to quickly identify what stage of the reconditioning process a specific vehicle is in and whether that vehicle is ready to have photos taken.
Once photos are ready, Dealer Image Pro can provide mutual dealers with their inventory photo feeds directly to Rapid Recon, which can make it more convenient for the dealership staff to verify that the photos have been published on the dealership website’s vehicle detail page.
Based on the premise that a vehicle with zero photos on the VDP will receive zero clicks and ultimately few leads, Dealer Image Pro’s integration with Rapid Recon can help dealers easily reference the stage of a used vehicle’s reconditioning process for the in-house photographer to streamline the photos and merchandizing of that vehicle.
Additionally, if a dealership already has the Rapid Recon software plugin installed on a Google Chrome browser, the vehicle identification numbers of the vehicles undergoing reconditioning can be identified from the Autoport inventory dashboard to then locate the specific vehicle directly on Rapid Recon’s desktop website.
“In this fast-paced world, swiftly uploading photos and videos to vehicles has become more critical than it’s ever been,” Rapid Recon vice president of product development Bridget Townsend said in a news release. “We’re excited to be working with Dealer Image Pro in an effort to provide mutual customers the optics they need for improving this process.”
Louis Norman is director of operations at Dealer Image Pro.
“We continue to see dealers wait a couple days to get their inventory photos and videos loaded onto their website’s VDP, which is why this integration with Rapid Recon was a no-brainer for us,” Norman said. “We have made it easier for our mutual clients to hold everyone accountable from the trade walk to the frontline to make sure no car is left behind.”
To book a demo and learn more about Dealer Image Pro’s Photo Assistant with Rapid Recon’s software integration, visit https://www.dealerimagepro.com/demo/.
As a bipartisan proposal sits on Capitol Hill to combat rising catalytic convertor theft in the U.S., Church Mutual Insurance Co. offered more data and dollar figures on Tuesday to illustrate how much of a problem it is.
The insurer of non-profits, schools and houses of worship said it has covered nearly $3 million in catalytic converter thefts during the past three-and-a-half years. The number of claims increased from 52 in 2018 to 1,095 in 2021, a 2,000% increase.
“In addition to private passenger vehicles, thieves are also targeting cars, buses and other vehicles used by non-profits, schools, houses of worship and other organizations,” Church Mutual said in a news release. “Thefts result in costly damage, added time and resources to repair, and disruption of customer and member services.”
According to a news release distributed in May by CARFAX, the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which tracks thefts reported to insurance companies, says the number of catalytic convertor theft reports increased about 977% from 2018 to more than 14,000 in 2020, the most recent year for which overall data is available.
Later that month, The National Automobile Dealers Association, joined by 12 industry partners, sent a letter to U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) in support of H.R. 6394, a bipartisan bill to combat rising catalytic convertor theft in the U.S.
According to an NADA news release, the “Preventing Auto Recycling Theft (PART) Act” is the first congressional proposal to address the growing national problem of catalytic converter thefts, which are costing businesses and vehicle owners millions of dollars annually.
“Catalytic convertor theft is a major concern for dealers nationwide,” NADA president and chief executive officer Mike Stanton said in the news release. “The PART Act would help deter catalytic converter thefts that are impacting dealerships, fleet businesses and consumers alike.”
In the meantime, Church Mutual offered five suggestions that might help dealerships and nonprofits, including:
—Park defensively: Keep vehicles locked and parked in a secure, well-lit area when not in use. If a garage is available, park the vehicle inside. Park close to building entrances where someone may be able to spot suspicious activity. Parking close to walls or fences can also impede access to the vehicle from underneath.
—Keep an eye on things: Use security surveillance cameras in the area where vehicles are parked. Cameras alone can serve as a visual deterrent, but they also provide valuable footage should a catalytic converter be stolen. If you don’t use a vehicle daily, make it a point to check on it regularly.
—Equip vehicles with added protection: Determine whether having a catalytic converter welded in place and/or placing a protective cover around it is necessary. Aftermarket products such as catalytic converter-specific locks, clamps, cages and alarms are commercially available.
—Use an existing vehicle alarm to alert of potential theft: Adjust or calibrate the sensitivity of your vehicle’s alarm, if applicable, so vibration will activate the alarm.
—Drive down the resale value: Engrave the vehicle identification number (VIN) on the catalytic converter and/or spray it with high temperature fluorescent paint. This deters theft since a marked part is less attractive to scrap metal dealers.
“Vigilance and preparedness are key to protecting against theft,” Church Mutual said. “Take extra precautions with taller vehicles, such as SUVs, trucks and buses. They are often targeted because of easier access to the catalytic converter. Using a wrench or saw, a thief can steal a catalytic converter in just a few minutes.”
In this month’s edition of BHPH Report, Bill Elizondo of the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association mentioned the growing trend of catalytic converter theft as part of this feature story about reconditioning.
So just how prevalent is catalytic converter theft? According to a news release distributed this week by CARFAX, the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which tracks thefts reported to insurance companies, says the number of those reports increased about 977% from 2018 to more than 14,000 in 2020, the most recent year for which data is available.
CARFAX explained catalytic converter thefts have soared in recent years, thanks in large part to the spiking prices of precious metals. Thieves are removing catalytic converters by cutting them from beneath vehicles.
To help consumers and dealerships, CARFAX has compiled a nationwide list of the top targets for these precious-metal thieves. The models include:
1985-2021 Ford F-Series pickup trucks (F-150, F-250, etc.)
1989-2020 Honda Accord
2007-17 Jeep Patriot
1990-2022 Ford Econoline vans
1999-2021 Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks
2005-21 Chevrolet Equinox
1997-2020 Honda CR-V
1987-2019 Toyota Camry
2011-17 Chrysler 200
2001-21 Toyota Prius
Depending on where you're located in the country, certain vehicles are targeted more heavily. CARFAX compiled a breakdown by region that’s available via this website.
These lists were compiled by looking at CARFAX service reports for catalytic converter replacements from more than 60,000 service shops across the country from 2019 through the first three months of 2022.
Rapid Recon chief executive officer Dennis McGinn is the guest for this episode of the Auto Remarketing Podcast to discuss how dealers are preparing inventory; whether the vehicles are coming via trades, the wholesale market or purchases made from private owners.
McGinn also pointed out who at the dealership is taking an even greater interest in reconditioning nowadays.
To listen to this conversation, click on the link available below, or visit the Auto Remarketing Podcast page.
Download and subscribe to the Auto Remarketing Podcast on iTunes or on Google Play.
It’s another M&A move in automotive, this time in the repair and reconditioning space.
Repairify said Tuesday it has acquired AutoMobile Technologies, which provides enterprise-grade used-car reconditioning software.
Repairify is a portfolio company of Kinderhook Industries, and it includes such brands as asTech, adasThink, BlueDriver, FleetGenix, MobileTechRX, One Guard Inspections, and RED (EU).
Having both AMT and Mobile Tech RX in the Repairify fold allows the company to “become a comprehensive provider of solutions, expertise, and capabilities for auto reconditioners and paintless dent repair (PDR) customers of all sizes, from small independents to large, multi-location enterprises,” the company said in a news release.
“We are very excited to welcome the entire AMT team to Repairify as they join in our mission to simplify the repair and reconditioning of today’s complex modern automobile using technology and an amazing, growing network of certified technicians,” Repairify president Tony Rimas said in the news release.
“The AMT team brings a wealth of expertise, technology know-how and client relationships that will benefit our team greatly. As our vision comes together, we believe the result will be access to more services, more technicians, allowing our customers to drive costs down and efficiency up.”
The beginning of a new year often is filled with promotions for exercise; perhaps even using a personal fitness trainer at a gym.
Well, Rapid Recon is taking a similar approach with its newest service to help dealerships get in better shape with regard to its inventory standing tall on the front line faster.
The technology provider called RECON EDGE the answer for solving recon performance and margin compression humps that can erode used-vehicle profitability.
The company explained RECON EDGE is a new, one-on-one master-level performance efficiency troubleshooting service for dealers using Rapid Recon reconditioning workflow software to ensure continuous improvement in their operation.
For instance, analyzing technician workflow and payroll, Rapid Recon said a RECON EDGE troubleshooter solved a $6,700 a month payroll loss attributed to unapplied labor efficiency. A troubleshooter investigating why a dealer had hit a performance plateau in its time-to-line efficiency identified poor workflow in detailing as the reason.
According to a news release, applied recommendations dropped detail time per vehicle to 1.2 days from 3.3 days, making vehicles sell-ready faster.
The company highlighted that RECON EDGE troubleshooters know dealers’ pains, understand their challenges and excel at resolving past performance and efficiency humps.
RECON EDGE experts offer years of experience running and working in dealership fixed or variable operations.
First by telephone and then during a visit to your shop floor, RECON EDGE troubleshooters can:
• Examine challenges brought up during dealers’ routine Rapid Recon performance reviews
• Visit the recon program in person to meet with the dealership’s decision-makers and view the recon department’s communications, process, practices, and people
• Identify performance and workflow issues to isolate inefficiencies in current processes, practices, and goals/objectives
• Determine profitability buried in inefficient, ignored or maladapted processes and practices — comparing the performance figures to realistic optimized numbers that the dealership’s team can attain
The company went on to say that RECON EDGE can solve:
• Shop time inefficiencies
• Time-to-line sale-ready delays
• Personnel performance challenges
• Work- and people-flow bottlenecks and weaknesses
• And a wide-range performance challenges affecting the speed and cost of reconditioning vehicle
RECON EDGE troubleshooters include:
• Dan Anton, performance manager, is Lean/Six Sigma certified. He spent eight years managing variable and fixed operations to reduce reconditioning time to line for one of the largest Jaguar/Land Rover operations in the nation. He joined Rapid Recon in 2019.
• Bradley Orr, performance manager, has a deep background in both variable and fixed operations, including such responsibilities as wholesale and brokerage, used car buyer and manager, general sales manager, and dealer. He joined Rapid Recon in 2019.
• Dustin Jones, performance manager, holds a Nissan Award of Excellence in advising. He spent 14 years in aftermarket and dealership operations across multiple rooftops., notably with multi-store group Lithia. He joined Rapid Recon last year.
For more details, go to www.rapidrecon.com or call Anton at (803) 640-9378.
